Obatala

[roseus]

Obatala’s ofrenda is soft, white and pure: milk, coconut meat, shea butter and cool, refreshing water.

 

In the imp this reminds me of Maison Martin Margiela 'Replica' Beach Walk. It has a warm, beachy vibe. A little salt hits me.

On wet it retains much of this vibe, but with a more shea butter.

Dry it is mostly deep and buttery, but the coconut comes in here and there.

 

Overall very lovely and I am tempted to get a bottle next order!

[LizziesLuck]

Unfortunately, Obatala is nothing more or less than sour milk on me. The imp I had was quite aged though, so I wouldn't mind trying a Lab fresh one, just to be sure, as I adore coconut!

[naflatem]

Warm, soft and full of rich coconut meat. Smells just the same on me as in the imp. Love this one.

[AirimirOfGondor]

Obatala is one of my favorite summertime-y scents.

 

Wet, it is a pretty-sweet, buttery, milky coconut (I wish I could eat it!)

 

Dry, it mellows and evens out a little, leaving it warm, creamy, not-too-sweet, and lightly buttery, while somehow still managing to smell clean and fresh at the same time.

 

It has a really low throw, and doesn't last very long, but while it does last, it is amazing!!

[Marion]

On me it´s coconut meat and shea butter. Not too sweet and not like a suntan lotion. I am a bit wary of coconut, but I like it a lot more than I expected. It´s fresher when wet, but other than that it doesn´t change much over time. It doesn´t have as much of a throw or last as long as I´d like, but I also don´t have to be afraid of spilling it all over myself. Many of my favourite scents are the kind I don´t necessarily want people to be able to smell on me and I don´t often like such simple inoffensive scents, but it is lovely and would also be appropriate for a small child. It is very comforting and I would love it as hair gloss or bath oil.

[Bassmastadroog]

Just coconut. I've tried it about three times...I'm not ready to give up yet, but so far Obatala in the imp, on my skin, and dry is just coconut. I don't catch any Shea butter, any water, or anything that would remotely make this scent appear to be any creamier, drier, softer, cooler...or any adjective more than coconutty. It's a coconut single note on me.

[VetchVesper]

Coconut meat and shea on me. Pleasant, but kind of generic. Not overly sweet. Clean and comforting. This reminds me a lot of B&BW's discontinued Exotic Coconut.

[Cali]

This smells like a cheap body butter I know... which is not a bad thing at all, besides being cheap it's actually really good, but I'm just surprised it smells exactly like this.
Fresh, creamy and coconut-y. Doesn't work on my skin at all!

[lizabelle]

Oh, I'd hoped to like this. The coconut is prominent and creamy, but there's a strange men's-cologne vibe underneath (you know, the musk/lime combo I absolutely loathe). It's very sharp and very masculine to my nose, which I'm guessing is a quirk of skin chemistry based on how other reviews for this read. I had to scrub it off.

[Nikki Scarlet]

I found this while looking for an aquatic scent to round out my sample order, and this one's description happens to have "water" in it, so it came up in my search. Once I saw coconut meat listed as one of the ingredients, I knew I had to order it.

In the imp:
Yup. There's the coconut. Exactly the warm, creamy, buttery coconut I fell in love with in a conditioner I sometimes buy. It's softened very nicely by the milk and water, but the primary scent is definitely the coconut. Mmmmmm.

On me, wet:
Yaaaaaaas.

On me, dry:
The coconut remains the dominant scent throughout.

Verdict:
No wonder this is named after the King of the Orishas: this scent is divine. I think my skin tends to amp coconut, and as far as I'm concerned that's a wonderful thing. Definitely getting a big bottle. Oh my goooosh. <3 <3 <3

[violetvorpal]

Beautiful scent. I wish my skin didn't eat it up because the scent fades very quickly when it dries. When it is wet it smells like a wonderful coconut shea butter. The coconut is not sweet or artificial smelling. It is a fresh/nature coconut smell. And shea butter makes the coconut very smooth and soft. It eventually becomes a vanilla candle wax smell very close to the skin. If the scent didn't fade on me, I would've bought a full bottle!

Edited August 5, 2017 by VioletVorpal

[hufflepuff]

First review - after years of being hounded by my sister I finally tried BPAL and wow... what an intense and obsessive summer it has been. Obatala was one of the first bottles I purchased based on the description alone. This is pure, golden summer on me. The coconut is fresh, not chemical like commercial sun tan lotions. When I wear this, I feel mellow and relaxed like I'm at the beach. This scent lasts a very long time on me. Definitely glad I took a chance!

[Mufasa]

In the bottle it’s amazing fleshy coconut and milk but on the skin it’s not quite as nice. The first sniff is kind of like sour milk but then settles in a much nicer (but not as nice as in the bottle) light,waxy, like your skin but better smell. I think I’m going to use my scent locket for this one...

[doomsday_disco]

In the imp: I can smell all of the notes in the imp, but the coconut meat and shea butter are the strongest, followed by the milk and the cool water.

 

Wet: The coconut meat is the strongest note, but I'm getting lots of shea butter, too, and I can also smell the milk and cool water. After a few minutes, I start getting more shea butter and milk, but the coconut meat still reigns.

 

Dry: Coconut and shea butter accompanied by milk and cool water. The scent is now staying really close to the skin.

 

Verdict: This one smells really pleasant, but it also makes me think of popular liquid hand soaps. It doesn't smell soapy, but the fragrance is one that I would expect to be found in such a product. That said, I'd recommend this for fans of coconut, and I could see this being really nice to wear while it's summer. Although I think it is pleasant, I just don't think I'd end up reaching for it.

Edited February 18, 2018 by dementia_divine

[Lunasariel]

In the imp: A heady, creamy, sweet scent. I almost want to say coconut milk rather than dairy milk, but it could easily be a case of milk + coconut meat = coconut milk. Like coconut milk, it's a very rich scent, almost overwhelming/too sweet, but not quite. Coconut is one of those cases where I dislike the taste, but the scent works great on my skin, so let's see how this one does.

 

Wet: Ah, there's the shea butter, making a nice solid base for the rest of the scent. Coconut milk has given way to coconut water - refreshing rather than rich, almost citrus-y or tropical fruity.

 

Dry: Mostly shea butter, with a bit of (rather dry) coconut hanging around the edges. No milky creaminess or water (coconut or otherwise) remains. It's a mellow, laid-back, "I took the time to moisturize ALL over, and I used the nice one with all-natural shea butter and coconut" kind of scent. I can see the above comparison to liquid hand soaps, but this is much more natural and realistic-smelling. This is what the soap dispenser in an eco-conscious corporate office is trying to smell like.

[Ghost of a Rose]

Imp aged about 8 years

 

In the imp, I don't get much fragrance. Just a faint whiff of old oil.

 

Wet on my skin: There is strong coconut and just for a second, an even stronger sweet something that's soooo familiar, but it is gone before I can identify it; leaving just the coconut. This now smells exactly like the artificially flavored coconut pudding I had in a frozen TV dinner a couple of nights ago. I mean this in the best possible way. I loved the pudding; it was very sweet, creamy and smooth. I preferred it to real homemade coconut pudding which is less sweet and has all those fibrous shreds of coconut. The milk note is not noticeable but no doubt contributes to the pudding "flavor".

 

I love smelling this, and wish I could eat it. But I wouldn't wear it out in public. I dislike foody perfumes. I'm pretty sure most people around me would like the throw of this scent, but I don't want to smell like something to eat, or - even worse - like I've been pigging out on dessert all day. It would be a great atmospheric scent for the kitchen.

 

I tried putting on another drop of oil to see if I could get that vanished mystery note again in order to ID it. But no go. It must be overwhelmed by all the coconut from the first drop. The pudding I ate tasted like it also contained some almond extract. Could that be the very sweet, very familiar, mystery note? No almond is listed in this blend, but I've heard that Beth doesn't always list all of the ingredients.

 

After only 10 minutes, a lot of the sweetness has dissipated.

 

After 20 or 30, the coconut has faded significantly as well. It's still distinguishable, but now I can smell that old oil again as well, turning the overall fragrance plastic-y, like one of those little scented dolls.

 

After about an hour and a half, the old oil/plastic note has settled down into a pleasant hint of waxiness playing in the background to a frontman of soft coconut-vanilla. It will always be too foody for me to want to smell like this to other people, but it is lovely for me to sniff.

 

On me, this lasted longer than I expected, given the other reviews and how quickly the scent lightened up at first.

 

Verdict: I strongly suspect that the old-oil note (perhaps Shea butter that is past its expiration date?) and the lack of any watery note may be due to the age of my imp. It would be interesting to try a fresh sample.

I would not wear this scent out anywhere or often, but will keep it to occasionally wear at home, just for fun and variety.

5 out of 5 stars for wearing at home

2 stars for wearing in public (but that's just me)

Edited August 13, 2018 by Ghost of a Rose

[Niniel0205]

In the imp: watery, milky. Something sweet.

 

On the skin: soft coconut, sweetness I can now pinpoint to come from shea. I love that scent. 

 

After a while: Shea becomes the most prominent note. I like the scent but it's not very potent. It's also a soft scent on its own, so its lack of potency makes it difficult to detect. It is delicious but I am afraid I won't be able to smell this in about an hour.

[IntelligentPotato]

This smelled like a freshly cut open coconut on me. A just-ripened and warm coconut ready to be drank. I don't get any water or shea butter, just very strong, sweet, milky coconut. I don't know that I want to smell this coconutty, but maybe I'll be more in the mood for it when it's hot out. It lasted a long time on me; I could still smell it almost 10 hours after putting it on.

[puellacaerulea]

In the imp, the coconut definitely stands out, but I also pick up the milk note, which keeps the scent from going into full suntan-lotion territory. Once it's on, my skin eats the milk up fast, and the coconut (with a touch of shea) dominates the blend. At this point, we are in full suntan-lotion territory -- classic, coconut-scented lotion (and I mean that in a good way -- no chemical-scented lotion here). If coconut's your thing, you'll probably want to try this one. Relatively low throw, but has great staying power. I could see myself reaching for this in hot weather or when I want to be reminded of the beach, so I'll definitely hang onto my frimp, but this probably won't be a regular-wear thing for me.

[bambi]

In the imp, this is a very coconut-y shea butter blend. I can definitely smell the cool water. It's reminiscent of suntan lotions my older sister used to use, but without the chemical smell. This smells like summer to me. On my skin, the scent warms quite a bit, but it stays relatively the same as it is in the imp. It's sweet, creamy, and fresh. Medium throw on me, but it doesn't show any signs of fading, so it might last quite a while.

[Diesis]

Look, it was funny to make a crack at ℬrown Jenkℹ︎n because that’s based on a monster. I know better than to go for a god of any culture. Coconut & I have agreed it’s best if we live in separate universes & I made the mistake of crossing the line that says “my side.” So, I washed it off. 

However, to use a quote from the person who got it after me, “I don’t know why you hated it, it smells like a perfect day on the beach. The coconut was like haupia! It had the perfect amount of milk & coconut, with whatever that note was for the water. I loved it! I want it in the hair stuff they do! That would be amazing!” So, that will have to stand in.

*Haupia is a coconut dessert. 

[Ezra]

In this imp, like others have said, this is an intense, sweet coconut-shea butter blend. A bit creamy, with a hint of vanilla.

Wet, the coconut fades a bit and the shea butter comes out in full force. As it's drying down I get a wave of something chemical for about five minutes- like expired sunscreen, or melting rubber. That phase doesn't last long, and once it's fully dry it turns into a sweet, milky, beachy coconut lotion scent. It reminds me of rice pudding, with a bit of lingering waxiness. I'm going to keep the imp for hot days, but it's not something I imagine I'll be wearing out.

Low throw, medium longevity

 

Edit to add: I thought that my skin ate this up (hence the medium longevity). I was wrong! Throughout the day, I kept getting hints of pure creamy coconut. All the lotion/shea butter notes disappeared after a few hours, and what was left was a delicious, sweet hint of coconut. I've changed my verdict: I love this, though I'll be applying it an hour or so before going out so I just get this gorgeous coconut throughout the day. 

Edited April 27, 2021 by Ezra

[Estamets]

Obatala is like if someone made ghee out of condensed milk, and then turned that into a blended beach beverage. It's rich and buttery without being heavy. If I close my eyes and sniff, I can imagine coconuts, but it's not there unless I'm looking for it.

 

I get zero morphing: it's like that from bottle to my next shower. 

 

First time my husband sniffed it on me, he said, "yeah, that's what humans are supposed to smell like."

 

If I had to pick one scent to wear every day, this would be it. 

[Lunashayde]

I love this scent during the summer, the coconut and shea blend so well and then i get a hint of floral, something sweet that plays along well. On me this scent this scent has a long life and a moderate drop on throw. Like at first it's BAM and then fades, but doesn't disappear, just gets more intimate. Sometimes, if i'm feeling fun, i layer it with Bliss to smell like a really extravagant mounds/almond joy bar. 

[maleficentsea]

On first whiff, I absolutely adore Obatala.

 

I'm a sucker for creamy coconut/shea scents, so, this felt like an obvious blind buy to me.

 

Unfortunately, about 15 minutes after application, something weird shows up...I suppose it's the aquatic note? It isn't bad, but it feels discordant and sharp and funky compared to the cozy warmth of the shea and coconut. I think my skin just doesn't do well with aquatics.