The brand for the ultimate, destination-themed fragrances brings us a jaunt of spices, leather and sunshine warmth.
Listed notes
Mango, papaya, passion berries, hot peppers, tobacco, cocoa, coffee, patchouli, leather.
Top notes
The first thing which is noticeable about Accra by Gallivant is the leather. It comes through almost immediately upon spraying. Whilst this is most definitely leather, it nicely walks a line between those bitter, hard leathers, and something softer and more suede-like. The leather in Accra is the leather of a new pair of shoes, or a new bag. It still retains some of those harder qualities, which will be beaten out of it by the coming years of use, but it is a refined, good quality leather that has just the right level of softness.
Behind the leather is a fruity chalkiness which must be the mango accord coming through. On both blotter and on skin, the fruitiness isn’t overly done, there is most definitely a subtlety in the way in which that side of the scent has been handled. Doubtless some will have wanted the fruitiness turned up more, and I can see that argument, but Gallivant are known for the subtle balance that they bring to their scents which are often gentle, diffusive, gauzy, and so I can see the side which would say that the fruit is just at the perfect level here too.
Heart notes
Once Accra has hit its stride it appears as layers and layers of similar shaded ingredients, the pliable leather, a hint of tobacco sweetness, a warm spiciness, an almost dustiness. It’s hard to specifically pick any particular elements out, aside from the leather, but the whole group of them meld and mold together in tones and striations and veneers.
The overall character of the fragrance is friendly, fairly dry, warm and sunny. Like many of Gallivants compositions it is very easy to wear given it’s low-key feel and, as a result, it’s a good one to try if you find typical leather fragrances a bit much, a bit too shouty, a bit too masculine leaning, and a bit too loud. This is the perfect antidote to those scents, a leather which can be worn by anyone and which won’t wear you.
Base notes
The last few bars of Accra are a continuation of the mid portion of the fragrance. The leather is there still, along with dry spices, given a touch of something sweet and something earthy by the patchouli. Different skins will no doubt enhance different facets, but those that I pick up are predominantly the leather, patchouli and a dry, spicy warmth.
Accra isn’t overly complicated or aggressively loud. It’s one of those scents which does one job and does it efficiently. It has a relaxed feel which is laid back and low key and I didn’t find that it changed loads from start to finish. There’s definitely a place in fragrance for scents like this which are gentler and more delicate and so I would suggest checking this one out if you often find leather scents too harsh. Subtlety is the name of the game, and it’s something which other brands could do well to take note of.
The other stuff
The perfumer for Accra was Stephanie Bakouche.
None of the Gallivant fragrances are what could be described as nuclear, loud shouty scents, although the last few releases have seemed a touch louder than their earlier ones were. Accra does seem to nudge back the other, quieter way ever so slightly. That’s certainly no bad thing, however, subtlety is vastly underrated these days and often a quite, calmly confident scent can be much easier to live with (and live with other people wearing) than something loud and obnoxious.
The longevity of the fragrance is fairly polite, about four hours following an application, perhaps a touch longer. Accra projects to a little under handshake distance, but if you went heavy on the trigger spray you could probably get it turned up a touch.
Accra is the sort of fragrance which seems ideally suited to warm evenings in spring, summer and autumn. It’s definitely the sort of scent which is office friendly, but there is something about the leather which makes me think it would work well of an evening particularly.
The brand
Gallivant are a UK-based brand with a founder from London, although they really are a brand of the world – seeking inspiration from all corners of the globe for their range of scents. Gallivant focus on encapsulating charismatic cities in fragrance and their stable of fragrances feel very modern and wearable.
The Gallivant range is available in 100ml and sweet 30ml sizes and their bottles are clean and simple. The whole experience is unfussy and elegant rather than distracting and cluttered.
Gallivant are a vegan and cruelty-free brand, who have given thought to their impact and sustainability. You can find out more on their ethos on their about us webpages.
We’ve previously reviewed Abu Dhabi, Naples and Bukhara by Gallivant.
Buy it
Accra is available from the Gallivant web boutique where it is priced at £70 for 30ml of EdP.
We were very kindly gifted a sample of this fragrance by Nick, the brand owner and founder.
The Sniff 