Let’s get the intro out of the way shall we? 🙂 For perfume lovers and connoisseurs, Puredistance sits right at the top when it comes to quiet luxury. The brand is all refinement. Simple but at the same time regal. Best in class sprayers, gorgeous bottles, impeccable packaging, and behind it all, some of the finest perfume oils blended by world class perfumers in a true family run house. Incredible, right?
One of the master perfumers who’s created legendary pieces for them is Antoine Lie. This time he delivered their latest: YSAYO, also known as The Green Samurai.
If you’re curious about what YSAYO actually means, it’s an original artistic term created by Puredistance’s founder and creative director, Jan Ewoud Vos. A true storyteller. He’s authored books and crafted narratives that have inspired some of the house’s most iconic concepts. Jan Ewoud has a deep appreciation for refined values, good taste, and evocative naming. To him, YSAYO evokes something mysterious and Eastern, balanced like yin and yang, while capturing the essence of the ‘Green Samurai’ theme.
and creative director Jan Ewoud Vos
Quiet Luxury Presentation:
Presentation is exactly what you expect from Puredistance: minimal luxury from every angle and this time with gorgeous purple colour accents. Tasteful box, immaculate bottle, and seriously, the best spray mechanism in the business. We still don’t know how they tune it so the spritz is generous, even, and somehow even the sound feels premium. PERIOD.
What an Incredible Smell!
The opening hits with distinctive florals and leather. Very much Antoine Lie’s signature. We get perfectly blended chamomile and galbanum, plus a hint of indolic jasmine, and at first a subtle leather note that doesn’t stick around long.
Then that same subtle leather note becomes massive, wrapping around a cluster of florals we can’t quite pin down. A beautiful thread of thyme weaves through them, dry, aromatic, and subtly spicy, transforming those elusive blooms into something far more enigmatic. Like a mystic bouquet of wild herbs. Suddenly you’re enveloped in a cloud of pure, raw manliness. A note of vetiver that changes from rooty to smoky at times and a green aroma of patchouli are present too. The intensity of YSAYO at this point will hold strong for a good long while.
The drydown introduces an act of olfactory magic! It transforms YSAYO from being an intense experience to a smooth, gently ambery sweet and cozy moment. All the official notes are listed at the bottom if you’re curious, but to our noses this is straight up alpha male territory. Even though it’s marketed unisex.
Maruša finds it pleasant but definitely leans masculine; Daniel had a full nostalgia rush on first sniff and called it “a complete masterpiece”.
Smelling YSAYO gives you that powerhouse feeling and 80s/90s nostalgia all at once, but done with modern artistry and insane expertise. It’s sensational.
Versatility and Performance?
Versatility depends on the wearer. In our eyes it shines year round, though as a new release we still need to test it through a full summer. That said, we truly enjoy this level of opulence no matter the season. We’ll update when warmer weather hits.
Performance is where this might sound exaggerated, but we’re just being honest: MEGA in every way. Projection, longevity, sillage, off the charts. This is a true powerhouse. People notice you when you enter and when you leave. It takes confidence to go beyond 3 sprays, and we’re not joking. LOUD!
Any Negatives?
After wearing it for several days, we genuinely can’t find any major ones. But to keep it balanced and not sound too biased, the strong masculine lean throughout the opening and the heart of YSAYO could be a downside for some people (especially if you’re looking for something truly unisex or softer). That’s really the only “not so positive” aspect we can point to.
This is our humble, honest take based on real skin time.
Final Thoughts
Incredible release from Puredistance and a stunning creation by Antoine Lie. Big congrats to everyone involved. This one will bring that classic powerhouse vibe back to a lot of people. It certainly did that to us at home 🙂
If you’ve tried YSAYO or have thoughts, let us know. We would love to hear.
Official Notes from YSAYO
Concentration: Pure Perfume Extrait – 25% perfume oil
Top: Saffron, Galbanum oil Iran, Blue Chamomile oil Egypt, White Artemisia oil Morocco
Middle: Celery oil India, Geranium oil Egypt, Jasmine abs India, Thyme oil France, Geranium oil Madagascar
Base: Ciste abs Spain, Patchouli oil Indonesia, Leather, Vetiver oil Java and Haiti
Disclosure: We reached out to Puredistance because we loved the story behind YSAYO and wanted to create a short film about it. They kindly sent us the perfumes for that purpose. This review was a must because we were blown away. All opinions here are 100% our own.
Check the full Puredistance collection HERE
Living fully, lightly scented 🌿
Thanks for reading. See you in the next one.
