The heart of the city at the foot of the Ile Alatau is sweet and dear. It is the aroma of rich apples and apricots from the bazaar and a cup of aromatic tea with scenting herbs and mountain honey. It is the exciting aroma of dark chocolate saturating the air around the confectionery factory. It is the wind coming from the mountains and bringing the freshness of the glaciers and the aroma of blossoming apple gardens.
Perfumer – Sarah McCartney
Year – 2019
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
This fragrance suits a close, intimate setting where sweetness can feel textured rather than loud: a room warmed by tea, fruit and dark chocolate, with cool air arriving from outside. It projects a soft, inviting presence that feels personal and slightly unexpected.
How to wear
Best in cool to mild weather, where its apple, tea and cocoa facets can unfold without becoming heavy. Apply lightly to let the honey and vanilla soften the edges; a few sprays are enough for a gentle, edible trail that stays close to the skin with a warmer, sweeter halo in the air.
Who it’s for
For wearers who like gourmand scents with an unusual twist: fruity but not sparkling, sweet but not childish, and textured with tea and cocoa rather than syrup alone. It will appeal to those drawn to atmospheric, place-driven perfumes with a soft leathered edge.
Release year
2019
The nose
Sarah McCartney is a British independent perfumer known for expressive, idea-driven compositions that often play with gourmand textures, irony and a strong sense of place. Her work tends to be vivid and readable on skin, with a knack for turning a brief into something memorable rather than merely decorative. For Heart of Alma-Ata, her style suits the fragrance’s contrast of fruit, tea, cocoa and honey: a composition that reads as both edible and atmospheric, with enough structure to keep the sweetness from becoming flat. The result feels in line with McCartney’s talent for building scents around a clear image and an immediately legible mood.
Aura of Kazakhstan’s story
Aura of Kazakhstan builds its identity around Kazakhstan itself: its landscapes, history, symbols and modern cultural energy. The house frames perfume as a way to translate mountains, steppes, cities and heritage into scent, with an emphasis on authenticity, national pride and a dialogue between nomadic memory and contemporary life.
Heart of Alma-Ata’s concept
Heart of Alma-Ata is presented as an olfactory portrait of the city at the foot of the Ile Alatau, where market fruit, mountain tea, honey and confectionery notes meet the freshness of glaciers and apple orchards. The concept ties the fragrance to Alma-Ata’s layered identity: urban, mountainous, sweet and vividly local.
Extra info
The name refers to Alma-Ata, the former name of Almaty, and the fragrance is built as a sensory tribute to the city’s apples, mountain air and tea culture. Aura of Kazakhstan is presented as the country’s first perfume brand, and the house’s visual identity draws on nomadic and historical symbols.
The heart of the city at the foot of the Ile Alatau is sweet and dear. It is the aroma of rich apples and apricots from the bazaar and a cup of aromatic tea with scenting herbs and mountain honey. It is the exciting aroma of dark chocolate saturating the air around the confectionery factory. It is the wind coming from the mountains and bringing the freshness of the glaciers and the aroma of blossoming apple gardens.
Perfumer – Sarah McCartney
Year – 2019
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
This fragrance suits a close, intimate setting where sweetness can feel textured rather than loud: a room warmed by tea, fruit and dark chocolate, with cool air arriving from outside. It projects a soft, inviting presence that feels personal and slightly unexpected.
How to wear
Best in cool to mild weather, where its apple, tea and cocoa facets can unfold without becoming heavy. Apply lightly to let the honey and vanilla soften the edges; a few sprays are enough for a gentle, edible trail that stays close to the skin with a warmer, sweeter halo in the air.
Who it’s for
For wearers who like gourmand scents with an unusual twist: fruity but not sparkling, sweet but not childish, and textured with tea and cocoa rather than syrup alone. It will appeal to those drawn to atmospheric, place-driven perfumes with a soft leathered edge.
Release year
2019
The nose
Sarah McCartney is a British independent perfumer known for expressive, idea-driven compositions that often play with gourmand textures, irony and a strong sense of place. Her work tends to be vivid and readable on skin, with a knack for turning a brief into something memorable rather than merely decorative. For Heart of Alma-Ata, her style suits the fragrance’s contrast of fruit, tea, cocoa and honey: a composition that reads as both edible and atmospheric, with enough structure to keep the sweetness from becoming flat. The result feels in line with McCartney’s talent for building scents around a clear image and an immediately legible mood.
Aura of Kazakhstan’s story
Aura of Kazakhstan builds its identity around Kazakhstan itself: its landscapes, history, symbols and modern cultural energy. The house frames perfume as a way to translate mountains, steppes, cities and heritage into scent, with an emphasis on authenticity, national pride and a dialogue between nomadic memory and contemporary life.
Heart of Alma-Ata’s concept
Heart of Alma-Ata is presented as an olfactory portrait of the city at the foot of the Ile Alatau, where market fruit, mountain tea, honey and confectionery notes meet the freshness of glaciers and apple orchards. The concept ties the fragrance to Alma-Ata’s layered identity: urban, mountainous, sweet and vividly local.
Extra info
The name refers to Alma-Ata, the former name of Almaty, and the fragrance is built as a sensory tribute to the city’s apples, mountain air and tea culture. Aura of Kazakhstan is presented as the country’s first perfume brand, and the house’s visual identity draws on nomadic and historical symbols.