Maja Myrurgia for women

Interesting thing about this...I have always LOVED the Maja bath soap...since childhood. When finding out about the fragrance, tried it and much to my surprise, I found it more "soapy" than the soap itself! I'll stick with the soap instead...LOL

I'm thinking I'll use this for layering when I think a frag needs a bit of smoke and incence :) I really dont get much more, and even that is somewhat light

just got this, cheap, and not sure what to make of it, there is definently something appealing about it, but at the same time, something a little bit disturbing..lol, I'll get back after some more wear and thought :D

I don't know what the original Maja smelled like so I can't comment on that. However, the one I have, which I assume is the reformulated, is unlike any other fragrance I have. I've been wearing it for over a week so I could think about the scent because so many people say they do not care for it. It starts off really strong(at least the husband says so)so now I spray it into the lid and dab it on but once it calms down, it is really exceptional (after a couple of minutes). It doesn't fit neatly into any category. It's not flowery, not classically oriental, or musky. At once, it has a citrus-y masculine scent, then a burst of flowers comes from nowhere, then woody spicy incense. Even after several hours the different scents will reappear for a time.

My husband really likes this one. I asked him what he thought of it and he said it is like from a different time but is not old-fashioned or "old-lady-ish" although I may comment here that one needs to remember that just because we smell certain scents on older women does not mean that these women were always old, know what I mean?

I think that since Maja is hard to pin down, people may have trouble liking it because you don't know what to expect. I really, really like it for being so unusual and it is really pretty in all it's facets.

This fragrance certainly has character, which is something I always look for in fragrances and is sorrowfully lacking in many newer fragrances. I feel bad that many of the women on this board miss the old Maja and I can certainly appreciate that. All I know is what I smell and this fragrance is interesting, pretty, and complex.

Bought it this autumn (September 2011) in Spain, it was very cheap here, about 5-6 euros for 1 oz. May be someone likes it, but it is not my kind of scent. Salty, spicy carnation. I also feel a kind of light aldehydic notes here. I think it is for very mature women, may be because about half of the town where we lived in Spain wore it and they were the old ladies, who constituted the majority of tourists at this period.
If you are interested where exactly you can buy it in Spain, pm me. But, please remember, it is a modern version.

These reviews are sad reading indeed.
My mother wore Maja, I wore Maja as a young girl, and we always took it home from holidays in Spain.
Spain was the ONLY place it was availble back then, I think! (ironic, huh?)
My memory of the scent is vague now, but I remember it as a spicy, hot, mysterious, spell-binding fragrance. Obviously that's not the case anymore.

This is a nice oriental. Not too strong. It is nothing earth shattering put it is nice for fall or winter.

The mother of all orientals! It is ancient, but such a classic, it will never become dated.

What did they do to this one?! The original Maja was an enchanting combination of cloves, nutmeg, and carnation with a wonderful soft, dry, powdery drydown. It was subtle and complex. It was mysterious, exciting, and the most seductive perfume ever. Now it smells like cheap watered down men's after shave. The packaging is still beautiful but that's the only beauty left of it. The worst, absolute worst, reformulation ever.

My earliest memories of this wonderful perfume was when my family would go for outings and my mother would always dab this on her throat and wrists.
I used to inhale the scent deeply and imagine that I was in a garden full of roses and geraniums opening their sweetness under the morning sun.
I tried hard to find some more when my mother ran out of this perfume.
It was during my honeymoon in Hong Kong that I finally managed to find another bottle of Maja. I took a spray on my wrist and inhaled- Ah! Bliss! My more developed sense of smell detected the smell of nutmeg and the friendly vibes of rose and carnation. During the drydown, the vetiver gradually creeps in, giving the perfume its lovely powdery, earthy smell.
Needless to say, my mother was so happy when I gave her the Maja. To this day, 15 years later, it still stands on my mother's perfume shelf, together with her bottles of Rive Gauche, Diorissimo, Chanel No.5, L'Air du Temps, etc.
My heart skipped a beat when I spied this on Fragrantica; could it be that miracles still happen?
Upon reading the reviews, however, I was quite saddened to find that they have radically changed the formulation. Alas, some good things never last...

The perfume (or at least, the only version I can get) is an appalling cheapie that does something nasty to my sinuses, but the SOAP! Love it. Fill my undies drawers with unwrapped cakes of it and use it in the shower. It has a wonderful, clean flowery fragrance even before lathering.

It is very funny, because I read,

'Ironically, Maja is marketed to the Latino community-hence the flamenco dancer on the box. I can only think of Victor/Victoria and the Shady Dame from Seville...'

and the funny thing is that it is a Spanish brand, with flamenco dancer lady or whatever you want...but it is not marketed in Spain!!!!

It was our granny's perfume, but now we cannot get it in Spain!!!. I grew up with this scent but now I cannot buy here, so I have to buy at ebay, usually to USA. So, I do not understand very well what is the meaning of 'latino community', but for sure it cannot be found at Portugal, Spain, Italy, France or Romania. Latin community at USA or UK can buy it easily...but not us!!!

It is true, there is a reformulation that do not keep the fragance as it used to be. now it is stronger and sometimes I feel it very 'rude', 'rough', which disappointS me, but still keeps its original spirit.

Otherwise, we have another MYRURGIA scent in Spain that can be the MAJA's heiress, but it is not at the database, it is EMBRUJO (something like spell, or charm if translated)de Carmen Sevilla. It has a lovely bottle, and i think it is the most similar regarding to the 'spirit' of MAJA.

I forgot to add the comment link for PUIG website:
www.puig.com/#/en_GB/contact

The Myrurgia brand is now owned by PUIG.
Their address:
Puig, S.L.
Travessera de Gracia, 9
Barcelona 08021
On the site is a contact/comment form where one may request that the old formula be reintroduced.

I MUST ADD SOMETHING that I thought was REALLY ARCANE. Continuting from my previous review, her is what I thought was REALLY strange. When I went into the stor in COlumbus Ohio to buy the NEW Maja before I found my old one from 12 years ago, I tried the TESTER in the store. I wanted to make sure I still liked the fragrance. STRANGELY enough, the TESTER smelled like the MAJA from many years ago. No lime, no butch man smell. IT WAS WHEN I TOOK the one home that I actually BOUGHT that the man smell was in it.
I really felt like this was dishonest of either the company that made the tester, or the company itself. I don't know, maybe carnation which adds ( to me) the cool sweet overtone of non invasive spice is more expensive these days. But LIME?????
Also on a lot of the sites I have been in, and I've been in HUNDREDS since I last wrote, in places that are still selling MAJA but showing the NEW VERSION, they are still describing it with the same notes. There have only been about ONE or two that have actually UPDATED the notes and described 'citrus' and spicy tones in the fragrance. Another thing that happens is that places have had the old MAJA picture up but when you go into their site to buy, you see the NEW maja bottle, and so you know you are out of luck. This is really frustrating.

MY SUGGESTED TO MYRURGIA company since I know you've made MILLIONS of these new bottles and formulas:
THIS WILL HELP YOUR BUSINESS.
1. Label the recent version as the MEN's VERSION and then
2. CREATE the OLD VERSION again that you did many years ago and have it as the WOMEN's version.
REALLY.... you'll see a lot more of us MAJA people buying again. AND, you'll be able to have it in more stores in the US.

I bought mine at a PERFUMANIA... and like I say, the TESTER smelled like the old one, and even DRIED DOWN like the old one, but then the one I took home was an AFTERSHAVE.

I've tried to find a site where I could actually write Myrurgia, but to date , no luck. Might be user error on my part.

IF anyone finds a site where we can actually write these people, put it in a review and maybe if enough of us write them, we can create a win win situation, where we'll get our OLD maja back, they'll be able to sell their stock that they made in the NEW maja...and we'll all rejoice and be glad in the scent of heavenly maja.

OK, I must definitely make a distinction. Actually, there are two 'Majas' out there. If you want the good smelling one, the one that is described in the Fragrantica website, then you have to get the OLDER version. I.e., anything that is labeled 'vintage. I wore Maja for about 10 years, and stopped several years ago because I couldn't find it int the stores anymore. ( This was before 'online' was even a concept.). Recently, I have gone to stores such as Perfumania in the malls and such. The terms 'new' accompanied the versions that I saw there. I was really excited and bought one. UNFORTUNATELY, it seems to have been severely revised. At first it seems like the 'old Maja', but quickly, I smelled a LIME note, like you find in MENS products. I thought this would dry down, but then as it dried down, it got worse and worse. I have a VERY good sense of smell, and I knew there was DEFINITELY something different.
I went into my closet and THANKFULLY found the old Maja that I knew from years ago. We're talking about TWELVE years ago. Yes, I found an unopened box from TWELVE YEARS ago.

I opened it today and sprayed it. IT IS ABSOLUTELY MAGICAL and beautiful as I remember. For the heck of it, I sprayed a version on each of my wrists. When My husband came home from work, I asked him what perfume he liked best without telling him what they were and that they were actually different versions of the same thing.
YUP, you got it he picked the VINTAGE MAJA. Yes, the OLD one is beautiful. Absolutely feminine, mysterious. Similar flavor to Dioressence, but without the green notes.
You smell the cool sweetness of the carnation and then the rounded spiciness of the cloves in a BEAUTIFUL mix of mystery.
MYRURGIA, PLEEEEEEEEZE Go back to your old version of Maja. This new one is really NOT GOOD . Even some men don't like it to wear.
Thank you for reading this. Believe me, if you've never smelled the old version, try the soaps if you can't find the old version. Make sure the SOAPS are the old version, too. I mention the soaps because they may be easier to find in thee older version.
I still have SOAPS from 20 years ago in my dresser drawers and my clothes STILL pick up the scent.
Good luck, and Good Scents!!!!
I love the FRAGRANTICA website because it has a BROAD VARIETY of scents and gives information about the notes, categories and various elements of perfumes. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK FRAGRANTICA!!!
Mygrura, Go back to making the old Maja, you'll sell more!!!!!!!

I was in the drugstore today and my eyes catch maja edt, i bought it, was cheap and the soap of maja i use in the bathroom. Wel i get home and get a shower it is very hot today (Holland) wel after using it, ít smell's like soap, but it's light i smell the nutmeg and the rose that's all but is is so light i'm a bit disapointment :( but okey i've got it, it stands nice in my collection ;) I don't know the old version, but if they change the formula of a parfume it is always in a bad way !

Ok, what IS that note, that delectable, spicy note? I smelled the rose right away. Then, do I smell beeswax? Do I smell my grandmother's rose-shaped bath soaps that I was never allowed to use? Well, I've got that top note figured out, but what is that spicy oriental note? So, I just got this in the mail today. I know that I like it, but I haven't figured out why yet. It is such a familiar scent, like something from childhood. Perhaps my grandmother wore this to church. I think I need to do a little more sniffing to figure it out.

I remeber 13 or 14 years ago i'v recieved a colonge splash version of this perfume. and i remeber it was more
spicer Stronger with more Incense and more Peppery and i fell in love with
the scent and i coudent wait to get it
again when i finished the splash.
and now i got a mini size of the perfume
i was so Dissapointed they changed to formula they made it watery Mens aftershave. i coudent belive it.
what happed to the Maja! they made it tame! I want to Fire back To the Maja
The old Formula Add more Cinnamon
Civet Leather Incense Benzion.

Yep!!! Smells like Barbasole Aftershave! NASTY, BETTER USED ON A MAN THAN A WOMAN!

I hate, hate the reformulation. Old Maja was a carnationy, spicy sexy fragrance. This just seems like cheap aftershave. No resemblance at all. :(

Oh boy - this has to have been an almost obscene perfume, when it was first introduced. with the old formula(which I would love to smell once) the ladies back then surely were bold and brave!
while with todays formula it certainly has an aftershave-edge - as already stated in other reviews.
carnation, nutmeg and clove are strong, and thankfully it's not heaavy but spicy and vintage (on paper it's awful, sprayed on, it thankfully develops).
the initial whiff is almost bland.
the drydown on me, too turns almost soapy, though I ,really like the clove note!
maybe the vetiver?

(review of vintage EDT)
It's definitely a decent oriental classic, but I hate patchouli, so I can't love this scent. I have a mini that I won in a lot of miniature perfumes on ebay. I wear it time to time for a change, since I like all of the other notes, it's a feminine classic that manages not to be too dusty--and it doesn't dry into something less pleasant.