The first thing to say, having not been to the sister event in Paris in March, but having read several reviews of this, is that it is an accessible and relatively inexpensive event to attend (19 eur for a 3-day pass, if you don’t count transportation costs to get there and accommodation, which is a bit tricky in Grasse). Being smaller than the Paris event it provides better access to brand owners and perfumers, as well as other industry insiders, which is a plus. It can be tricky to get into bigger fairs  and there are less opportunities for genuine discussions.

From an organisational stand point, I have no complaints: Grasse is small enough to make it relatively easy to move from one venue to the next on foot. For instance the exhibit organised by Robertet in Villa Fragonard, named after 18th century Romantic painter of the same name, was only 2 minutes walk from the main exhibition hall, which in turn was close to the small amphitheater where the seminaries and talks (The “Smell Talks”) were being held.

So accessibility once in Grasse and accessibility from an economic stand point were probably a plus compared to the Paris event. I would be remiss however if I did not mention that getting to Grasse can be a bit tricky. The closest airport is Nice, a good 5o min by car from Grasse and taxis to/from the airport to the capital of perfume are expensive. There is a bus connecting the two. Though inexpensive (2,5 eur if memory serves) but it is infrequent, slow and a rather painful affair. I took it numerous times while studying in Grasse (more about this later)  but truth be told, it’s not ideal.

Accommodation in Grasse, if one is without a car, can also be tricky, as the prettiest places to rent are outside Grasse, in the surrounding bucolic hills  (I highly recommend  Cabris, absolutely stunning), which is where I stayed this time around. So if you plan to visit, make sure to nail your accommodation first. If I hade one negative comment regarding the organisation, it would be around language accessibility. Everything was in French with no translation option being made available. As we are in the age of AI, it is true that most phones probably do a reasonable job at providing some form of instant language translation, and personally, being a French-speaker, I was not inconvenienced, but I heard several non-French speakers complain. Maybe a little effort on that front would make more people feel welcomed.

Let’s focus on the few trends and highlights I spotted:

Big in China

This is edition of GPW was dedicated to China, (as was the recent issue of Nez magazine). Having lived in China for 5 years, I was obviously especially intrigued by the topic, and excited to see what Chinese perfume brands were up to. When I lived in Beijing,  20 years ago, there were no Chinese perfume brands, and even now, nearly none have made it to Europe.  To my knowledge, this was also the first time a selection of Chinese fragrance brands decided to band together to make a collective appearance on the global stage, choosing the Grasse Perfume Week to do so.

I spoke to Anne Sophie Gauvin, managing partner at KeYi, the consulting company specialising in helping companies (I gather mostly European) penetrate the Chinese market and vice versa. We chatted about olfactive preferences in China, the differences in packaging between Chinese and European brands (for instance it would be a mistake to assume an  “Asian sensibility” means packaging with clean lines and a minimalistic aesthetic, which might be true of Japan but not China). To me, the bottles on display seemed to suggest a “more is more” kind of approach: bling ornate bottles, lots of gold,  etc.. Understated it was not, and generally speaking, a far cry from the codes used by luxury brands  in the west.

Sophie invited me to try ZHUFU, a brand bucking the trend and offering  bottles shaped as bamboos, an auspicious symbol in China (and also apparently the winner of the 2025 German design prize), as she mentions they might be an easier brand to approach for a European consumer. One of their fragrances is dedicated to the Donglin temple and was awarded the Centdegrés (a French founded communication/PR operating in China)  2024 Grasse Perfume Art Gold Award!

What does it smell like? Very pleasant, a musky woody scent with, what to my nose smells like a clean patchouli vibe (for those unfamiliar with patchouli, it smells of old cellar/wet earth and decaying leaves in the forest). I mean, I can’t say I have never smelled this type of scent before, but I see how it would appeal to a lot of people who like musky clean scents. To be honest, as a scent claiming to be inspired by a temple, I was expecting more of a cold incense perfume like Orika L. Legrand “Reliques d’Amour” or one of the Comme des Garçons incense offerings such as “Kyoto”, but we are far from any of that. The scent was composed by Gu Meng, a Chinese perfumer from Robertet and I guess she was going for wearability and likeability. Also, a small note on packaging, although pretty (see picture above) the box started falling apart as soon as I opened it, with one piece of cardboard from the box falling off. Nothing major, but again, if you re going for luxury, these things matter

Another brand getting a lot of hype was Tombstone (yes, you read correctly), whose founder and main perfumer, Lan Xiao was present at the round table dedicated to the perfume industry in China. Just the fact that a market which until 10-15 years ago was mostly non existent (I mean you could find foreign brands but there were no real locally-grown Chinese perfume industry) is now producing brands that are as edgy as this, is astounding. From the presentation on China I attended,  which included the previously mentioned perfumer, Gu Meng from Robertet, as well as Robertet’s head for the North Asia Market, Fabien Giausseran, it would seem that the Chinese market is growing at an exponential rate. Bear in mind that even if only 5% (at least)  of its 1,415 million strong population can allocate resources to expensive perfumes, this still represents a market of over 70 million people. Chinese customers have become more nationalistic and proud of their own brands and generally prefer to shop perfumes that are created in China, so overseas brands and perfume manufacturers are tripping over each other to make sure they are present locally and can produce perfumes that appeal to the local market. The pace at which both local brands and foreign ones are asked to produce their perfumes is also pretty eye opening, with perfumers mentioning that modifications to perfume submissions are sometime required by clients for the same day. All this seemed quite foreign to the Grasse audience I think… I could not help but wonder what was the value of having to create at such breakneck speed. Most creations worth their salt have required significant time and effort, so the blitz pace at which things are moving in China doesn’t really reassure me I have to say but I am nonetheless intrigued by what is unfolding… My money is a company like Zhufu making it to Europe in the next 2-3 years.

Moving on to another defining aspect of the event was the focus on raw materials, another cruel piece of the puzzle when thinking of the industry of the future, as the competition for natural raw materials is getting more critical than ever…

Raw materials emphasis

Two perfume houses that have impeccable pedigree and a cult following were present at GPW each one with an exhibits linked to their brand and the raw materials emblematic of their creations.  Amouage, the Omani brand, with Renaud Salmon as creative director, is known for its use of incense and has recently taken on Wadi Dawakah, a Unesco World heritage site dedicated to frankincense trees in the Dhofar region of Oman. The agreement between the perfume brand and the Omani Minister of heritage and culture is to insure the responsible cultivation and extraction of incense and well to promote the rich diverse heritage of Oman. It is always fascinating learning more about a rare raw material, especially one as complex as incense and seeing how it is then used in the various creations.. I have not been to Oman in a long time ago but I would love to go back just to visit Wadi Dawakah….

Anyway, Amouage’s move, in line with its heritage, is also an example of premium luxury brands trying to distinguish themselves from the competition through the use of exclusive raw materials and unique heritage claims. I guess the objective is to be able to claim that the best frankincense is reserved for Amouage…

Another brand I am particularly fond of, Parfum d’Empire, founded by Corsican genius Marc Antoine Corticchiao. also organised an exhibit about some of the natural raw materials it uses in its creation, offering the possibility for visitors to smell side-by-side the raw materials used and the creation it inspired. So, for instance, you could smell the ambrette seeds used in the perfume “Le Cri”, the iris featured in “Equistrius”, the incense employed in the creation of “Wazamba” etc.. The only criticism would be that I was not a fan of the fact that it was organised in a completely dark and windowless room, which felt unnecessary and claustrophobic.

Given this emphasis on raw materials at the event,  it seems hardly a coincidence that Robertet, a company particularly well known for the excellence of its natural raw materials, was chosen as this year’s sponsor. Staged in the beautiful Villa Fragonard, the Grasse-base company organised an exhibit aimed at showcasing some of the rare raw materials they produce, along with the innovative extraction methods they use.  Some of the extraction techniques were also on display, such as the revival of the ancient “enfleurage” method, i.e. a press with vegetable fat layers where flowers are placed in order to extract their olfactive molecules. Visitors could then compare the various results that are produced by the different extraction methods (enfleurage jasmine versus jasmine extracted by Co2 distillation, etc…). Quite nerdy but fascinating if you are a student of perfumery.

The final trend I wanted to highlight was that of the changing perception of perfume itself, evolving from a beauty product to an olfactive experience 

Moving away from perfume as a self care product, GPW also confirmed my impression that an increasing number of brands are creating scents to accompany different experiences: so scents to illustrate an art installation or a novel. Perfume is now being marketed as a way to translate in olfactive terms what is being expressed in a different art form.

A case in point is the Swiss brand Luzi. They had a big splashy room/stand at the GPW with a line of perfumes inspired by the 1960s French musical film (a rather usual genre) by Jacques Demy “les parapluies de Cherbourg”, featuring Catherine Deneuve. Apparently organised in collaboration with the Lugano Film Festival, the idea behind the concept is to smell each of the 6 perfumes Luzi developed to illustrate precise scenes of the film, and in doing so, creating  a sort of olfactive soundtrack..The film session organised during the GPW was sadly fully booked so I could to attend and can’t report back on what is was like, but it is an intriguing concept that has, to some extent, been explored before with other art forms but not, as far as I am aware, cinema. Let’s see if this catches on…

Finally, Grasse being also the home of many perfumery schools, there were several events  dedicated to studying perfumery in Grasse. It was also one of the reasons I attended the GPW, as my own school, Passion Nez (5eme Sens) celebrated its 10 year anniversary.

Studying perfumes in Grasse/Passion Nez anniversary

Created by Claire Lonvaud, a chemical engineer by training, with a masters in marketing and another in perfume formulation from Isipca (one of the top 3 perfume schools), she is a unique position to understand the needs and challenges of would-be perfume brand creators. What makes Passion Nez/5eme Sens a bit of an outlier in the perfumery school landscape is that they mainly aim to train people who have had a different work experience before turning to perfumery.

Claire offers many different types of courses, most are short-term (ranging from 1 day to 2 weeks) and focus on an introduction to perfumery, exploring specific aspects of the market and offering  immersive experiences with programmes such as the summer schools, that looks into the most iconic raw materials that are cultivated in Grasse (rose, jasmine etc..) and the basic accords used in perfumery to recreate them. But only one course is the sum of all these various ones, the 9- month long “Designer Olfactif” (DO) programme that comes very close to the teaching you would get from other industry-led perfumery schools such as Isipca, GIP, etc..  It is aimed at people who dream of creating their own perfume brand or want to integrate perfume in their own field of expertise. The idea of the DO is to make you able to understand all aspects of perfume creation, give you the foundational skills to create your own fragrances or, at any rate, as composition skills will vary from person to person , to act as a knowledgeable creative director for your perfume brand.

It was fascinating talking to some of the other of Passion Nez alumni from the Olfactive Designer course, which included people from around the world and all walks of life such as a photographer based in the UK using perfume to illustrate her exhibits, an aromatherapist based in Mauritius creating scents based on local raw materials with therapeutic  benefits, a business man with a career in the building sector who recently created his own perfume brand, etc.

Seeing so many roads leading to perfume was inspiring, and, as Claire so often says herself (paraphrasing a bit from French) ” it is by keeping one’s head in the clouds that one catches a star”.

So I would define her as a dream catcher, calling to all aspiring perfumers who want to make their dreams a reality.

I will leave you with some pictures of the celebrations including the perfumes that were created by DO alumni to celebrate Passion Nez. Each graduate created a scent around a letter of the name of the school. I chose the letter A, representing “Joy” in French: “Allégresse….” and dedicated to all those who have found their passion in life!

The post CHINA COMES TO EUROPE AT THE FIRST EDITION OF THE GRASSE PERUME WEEK appeared first on Pixidis Perfumes.

In case you were wondering, yes the perfume market is pretty crowded, as new “niche brands” continue to pop up at an astonishing rate. According to data taken from a Fragrance of the World presentation (at Exsence 2024), “since 2009, there has been a 970% increase in the numbers of niche brands on the market. As of 2023, niche brands are responsible for the highest number of new perfume launches every year. They are no longer the exception; they are the majority.”

What does that mean for consumers? Well, as fun as it is to discover something new, it’s probably not surprising that most consumers view new brands with a degree of scepticism. Gone are the days when small independent outfits were synonymous with alternative and original creations. Nowadays, new brands can as easily be “mass market” as they can be creative and original.

In this context, every perfume lover needs to be selective as to which brands she/he is willing to try , if for no other reason than trying everything is really no longer possible. So what elements are needed, at least in my opinion, to generate enough interest to sample a new brand? To answer this, I am reminded of a book called “The Purple Cow” by Seth Godin, which outlines the basic tenants of marketing and the secrets to growing a successful business. It’s obvious really. In order to succeed, your idea or product needs to be new and correspond to a need consumers have, even unconsciously.

But being innovative can be a challenge when talking about perfume. Scents have been around for thousand of years, so reinventing the wheel might seem like an impossible task. So if you can’t come up with a new product entirely, the next best thing is to offer an “upgraded version”.

 In the perfume market, this could refer to new raw materials used or innovation in terms of packaging (green and reusable or covetable and artistic packaging, etc.) or even the particular appeal and uniqueness of the story telling and inspiration behind the brand, etc. In a nutshell, you need to set yourself apart.

It’s a daunting task, which is why I’ve decided to create a dedicated format on my blog (the “Nosy Chats” interviews) to meet the creators behind some of these new brands and examine whether, and how ,they meet this challenge.As per usual, none of these articles are sponsored and I will never review a brand with conditions attached.

With all this in mind, I have recently tried a new brand called “La Palette du Parfumeur” (the perfumer’s palette), which  was created in 2024 by Samia Bebe, a French born perfumery retail veteran with families ties to Morocco. After a 25 year career working in the industry, mostly on the retail side, Samia decided to take the plunge and study perfume composition at 5eme Sens, the French perfumery school based in Paris with a branch in Grasse. (full disclosure, this is where I also studied and where I met Samia briefly). Following her graduation in 2022, Samia decided to follow her dream and create her own perfume brand, a decision no doubt informed by her many years’ experience in retail, which helped her understand what sells, what to avoid and what do customers want.

The name of the brand is inspired by the artist’s palette, who, regardless of the chosen art form, selects and interprets materials at his disposal to create his art work based on past experiences and emotions. Each perfume is based around a specific colour that conjures up an olfactive world.

My first comment, before smelling anything, would be that, although completely fine in terms of concept, i.e. linking emotions, memories and the olfactive expression they inspire, this has been done by other brands. Using colours to translate these emotions is probably the most novel aspect of this story telling.

Regarding packaging: the brand went for the classic luxury packaging option of heavy glass, heavy metal cap, no refill. It’s beautiful, slightly reminiscent of the packaging of brands such as Ex Nihilo to give you an idea. My observation is that, so far, although a lot of consumers clearly care about the environment,  this concern has not yet really been adopted by many luxury brands whose number one priority is to make sure their packaging conveys the right message. So “green” is often seen as cheaper, mainly by distributors, who will pass on brands that don’t present in a certain way. I personally find that’s a shame, as explained in a previous article (https://www.pixidisperfumes.com/packaging-and-perfume-does-it-mater-and-what-is-real-luxury)

The brand launched five fragrances, which is quite a lot for a brand to launch with, but this is probably the area where Samia’s experience in the retail sector comes in handy. Retailers will always prefer to stock brands that have at least five different perfumes, as they present better on a shelf. So, even if this is a big ask for a small brand, having three at the very least or, better still, five fragrances to launch with, will help you with the distribution side of things.

It is the same knowledge of the industry that guided her to opt for an eau de parfum concentration (20%) that is preferred by customers who want long lasting perfumes and a for a 100 ml bottle format, as again, bigger formats are favoured by retailers (for instance some brands will have the option of both 50 and 100 ml bottles but retailers will often only carry the larger formats).

Samia worked with a medium-size lab based in Grasse for the production of the concentrate, as well as the conditioning and packaging. (this can be done by the same provider, but can also be divided up between various subcontractors).

Now what do the perfumes smell like? Let’s start with the two that I think are the most distinctive:

-Vert Amande:

A sophisticated gourmand scent, not too sweet, with a hint of green, which is quite original as there aren’t many perfumes in the same genre and almond-centric perfumes do seem to be having quite a moment, so it’s interesting to see a new take on this note.It’s a bit like the almond tree in all its splendour: from the green, citrusy side of the top notes to the almost marzipan-like sweetness (without going too gourmand) in the heart and base notes.

Well worth a try.

–Orange Marrocain: is a floral spicy scent centred around orange blossom and cinnamon, both important elements in Moroccan cuisine and a lovely and original pairing.  According to Samia this was the most complex perfume to get right, as spices had to be balanced carefully given the allergens present in those materials that are currently restricted under EU regulations. The harmony between cinnamon, honey and orange notes was also a particularly challenging exercise. I don’t know if I would personally wear Orange Marrocain myself because I have a bit of a problem with orange blossom perfumes, but it’s a very interesting scent and I think it would also capture beautifully the festive atmosphere of the end of the year, with its sparkling citrus and sweet cinnamon notes… Let’s hope they bring out candles!

– Violet Lipstick: given my love of iris/violet notes this is a shoo-in for me. It’s got that vintage lipstick vibe (with a red fruit opening and little touches of leather/suede), but at the same time it’s completely contemporary.  It’s the essence of femininity: a cute leather bag and a lipstick! It’s a familiar accord and you wouldn’t be wrong to compare it to the likes of EdPFM’s Lipstick Rose or Chanel’s Misia, not bad references to have!

–La vie en Rose: the current brand’s best seller. The name somehow suggested to me a rose perfume, but it’s actually a musky “second skin” perfume in the vein of Glossier’s You. I don’t really have very much to say about it as “clean/you-but-better” perfumes are not something I gravitate towards, but I’m very clearly in a minority, as they are hugely popular. I guess you could layer this, if you wanted to, with most perfumes, or wear it on its own if you were after a very delicate olfactive signature.

–Bleu Infini: I thought, given the name, it would be a marine-like smell but not at all! The blue refers to the berry notes that are present, and this is a happy and fruity perfume with notes of blueberry, grapefruit and orange. Doesn’t have a massive personality in my view and so again not for me, but most definitely an easy wear you could choose for any occasion and probably something more geared towards a younger customer base.

Perfumes all retail for 189 eur for 100 ml, which is in line with current niche perfume prices and are at present mainly distributed in France in 6 perfumeries with plans to expand to Morocco, Canada, Australia, the UK and Italy.  According to the brand owner  the next perfume will be an enveloping, woody and spicy scent, so watch out if you like those notes. (You can purchase all the perfumes described above on the brand’s website: https://www.lapaletteduparfumeur.com)

So what are my final thoughts on the brand? I’m in awe of anyone who actually launches their perfume brand, especially in such a crowded market. The “Palette du Parfumeur” is clearly the baby of someone who loves perfume and has invested a lot of heart, soul and expertise into this. Personally, and I don’t know the owner well enough to know what her ties to Morocco are, I would encourage the brand to lean into its Moroccan heritage in terms of source of inspiration and raw materials. The two most distinctive perfumes from the range (Orange Marrocain and Vert Amande), in my view, are those that are inspired by that land and it is also that element that sets them apart. I guess although Serge Lutens had first dibs on claiming Morocco as an inspiration,  followed Andy Tauer and its beautiful l’Air du Desert Marrocain and le Marroc pour Elle, more “voices” and interpretations would be welcomed.

So happy discovery to all and I will keep you posted on the new brands I have scouted in my next Nosy Chat interview…

The post WHY TRY A NEW BRAND? Nosy Chat with Samia Bebe appeared first on Pixidis Perfumes.

I guess this question is at the heart of the development, in the last twenty-five to thirty years, of what is now referred to as the “niche fragrance industry”. Far from being a fringe element, this sector now covers a sizeable portion of the market. As mentioned in previous posts (see my article in March on the other big fragrance fair in Italy, Esxcence) the very definition of “niche” is blurred to say the least.. It comprises both small artisanal brands where the perfumer/owner manages the day-to-day running of the company while also creating all of the brand’s fragrances (ex.: Bruno Fazzolari with his brand Fzotic or Andy Tauer with Tauer Perfumes) but also includes brands such as Byredo  or l’Artisant Parfumeur (both owned by Puig) that are marketed as “niche” but are in reality owned by multinationals, with all that this entails in terms of strategy, financial means, objectives, etc.

So, in this murky territory, what constitutes an “artistic fragrance or an artistic perfume brand”, a term that is often mentioned but seldom explained.  The Florence-based fragrance fair, Pitti Fragranze, has been trying to answer this question for more than two decades by offering a well respected forum where new and exciting brands emerge and upcoming trends and moods in the artisanal perfume world are discussed.

Unlike bigger fairs in the industry, the premium is on a very curated list of brands that is given the space and opportunity to engage with distributors and retailers, as well as a series of industry talks on new materials and trends.  This year’s big installation was centred around the link that exists between sound and fragrance, a very “in” concept judging also by the number of brands that mention music as their source of inspiration. The installation offered participants the opportunity to experience a fragrance that represented “silence” and one that translated “noise” in olfactive form. Not having tried either, I can’t really comment. I’m not sure I really buy this idea but again, it’s all pretty subjective.

This year’s event was attended by 215 different brands from around the globe, of which 96 were either new or returning participants and roughly 10% emerging companies – an important aspect for buyers present at the fair who are increasingly interested in scouting and finding new original fragrances for their clients. There were numerous “themes” covered at the event, including “Mother Nature”,  “Eternal Summer”, “Ancestral Ties”,etc..

I think it’s worth mentioning some of these new entries, such as Nissaba, a new brand that emphasises the land of Mesopotamia as its source of inspiration, as well as “clean”/natural heavy ingredients and a “circular economy” ethos  (recyclable and refillable packaging, focused on low carbon foot print, etc. ).  I haven’t had a chance to smell their perfumes but from what I have read, I’m intrigued and I applaud the responsible approach. At 160 eur a bottle (100 ml), it’s not even outrageously priced.  Why Mesopotamia I am not sure (the founders don’t seem to have any link to Irak or the Middle East) and to confuse matters, their individual perfumes then take inspiration from Indonesia, Africa and other parts of the world. I mean, fine, but it’s just a bit confusing and none of the founders seem to be anything other than French, which again, is totally fine. I’m not going to get all politically correct about this and say it’s cultural appropriation, it’s just not very authentic to me.

Ghawali, is another interesting offering, this time from the UAE, that is taking the approach of going for a very high-end product, refined, curated and very polished without targeting especially a Middle East based clientele but rather a global high-end customer base. I think that if they manage to keep some authenticity as to their source of inspiration, they have the means to do something interesting.

So after a few of my initial gut reactions, instead  of having the “classical” approach to reviewing a fair, looking at what’s in/what’s out, upcoming trends, or new brand discoveries,  I thought I would ask an artist with a special affinity to perfume and scent to provide her take on the event. Laura Amato is a visual artist with a background as a translator and a life spent travelling the world, who decided a few years back to change the course of her life. I had an immediate affinity with her when I met her a few months ago, having myself gone through a “Copernican revolution” of sorts when I decided to change my life and study perfumery. She now focuses on creating visual and textile art, has collaborated with various galleries and will feature her work in the upcoming  Rome Art Week (RAW: 21-26 October, https://romeartweek.com/it/raw/)

I asked her a few questions about herself and Pitti:

1- What led you to become an artist and what are your sources of inspiration as well as the tools/techniques you use to create?

In my family, there has always been an artistic bent: canvases, colours, brushes, spatulas and thinners all form a kaleidoscope of images and olfactory sensations that enveloped  my childhood. It is only in the last ten years, however, that I have dedicated myself to painting, my evolution as a painter is in constant development, my artistic vision is based on creative freedom and supported by continuous personal research. What drives me to paint is the primary, sometimes impelling need to communicate and share in a visual trace, stories and moods. And it is precisely this story that the female figures in my paintings express through body language and the immediacy of their imperfect image. They represent the various “versions” of myself, fulfilling my mission to cherish and represent emotions through collage, acrylic colours and photographs, that  are the linguistic tools with which I like to translate my visions onto canvas.

2- You are also passionate about perfume and have created, through the association you have created “Liberostile (https://liberostile.org/en)  a new prize focusing on the link between literature and olfaction, the Aromata Prize. What prompted you to create this award?

I have been participating in Rome Art Week since the second edition, when I organised for the occasion, with a gallery in the Monti neighbourhood of Rome, a group exhibition dedicated to the connections between literature and painting. Exploring the connection between literature and art forms has always interested me, I am fascinated by the expression, through the various arts, of the emotions aroused by reading a novel or the charismatic figure of a character. This is the idea behind the Aromata Prize, the first of its kind in Rome, dedicated to Italian and international artistic perfumery and structured like an artist’s  “call for art/call to art”. The intention is to highlight the creative aspect of master perfumers, who are, to me, all-round artists, on a par with a great painter or composer.

3- Let’s move on to Pitti, the place ‘par excellence’ of artistic perfumery, at least in Europe. It was your first time at the fair, what did you think of it and how would you define artistic perfumery?

This year was my first time at Pitti, a very rewarding experience, the atmosphere was that of a reunion of a big family: to find so many people I already knew and united by a passion for artistic perfumery was exciting. It was a joyous occasion for me and the opportunity for wonderful exchanges of view on the creative process.

4- Do you see any particular trends for emerging brands and for artistic perfumery in general?

Undoubtedly, oud and pungent woods continue to have a strong following among consumers that demand longevity from their scents, which is then reflected in the perfume offerings but I also noticed a lot of narcotic white floral scents and rich amber perfumes, so it’s a mixed bag. 

Music, memories, travel remain the most recurring sources of inspiration, while it seems to me that painting and literature are still among the least explored sources.

With this said, I look forward to both to discovering Laura’s creations during Rome’s Art Week and to follow closely the 2025 edition of the Aromata Prize for new and exciting literature and perfume “cross- pollination” experiments…

I will keep you posted, as usual! Until then, happy scent discoveries!

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After all, in an age where story telling is key to most brands’ marketing, what more efficient way to offer a backstory to your scent than to anchor it to an existing literary creation?

Vol de Nuit by Guerlain (Jacques Guerlain) comes to mind (1919) based on the eponymous book by Antoine de Saint Exupery, in my humble opinion the most poetic and successful example of the soul of a novel translated into scent, as does (La) Promesse de l’Aube (Francis Kurdjian) (2006) by MDCI, based on the Romain Gary’s novel, an ode to maternal love.

And who can forget the legendary Mitsouko, also by Guerlain, based on Farrès novel La Bataille?So although not a new concept, there has been an increasing trend among brands to take literature as the creative “raison d’être” for their perfumes, such as Thai brand Dusita, who creates scents inspired by the poetry of her father.

Or Edition, a UK-based brand whose mission is to “translate” famous literary works into olfactive form. (For example, On the road by Kerouac, although I am not sure who their perfumer is, information is a bit scant about this, a shame).

This obvious, but in my mind still under-exploited, link between the written words and scent is what pushed visual artist Laura Amato ( www.lauramato.com) to create an award dedicated to artistic perfumery and literature.

And what better place to host this award than the Eternal city?

The centre of the world for centuries, the arrival point to which all roads use to lead to, and certainly, culturally speaking, a vital part of European identity, Rome has also a long and ancient link to perfumery, as Laura so eloquently explains on the Aromata/Associazione LiberoStile website (https://liberostile.org/en/aromata )

As a side note, I also think that in the modern world where, tragically, ancient cities have gradually been destroyed by war, man’s folly or natural disasters (think of Saana in Yemen, Aleppo in Syria or even Athens, where really only the area of the Acropolis remains) Rome is truly unique. The city’s intact archeological remains date back millennia, piled onto one another like a historical mille-feuille cake, undisturbed by modern realities while still being a living entity not relegated to the status of a still-life museum, which is remarkable.

It is, first and foremost, the city of survivors, a testament to the irrelevance of the passage of time, a philosophical reminder that we are all but a speck of dust in history. It is also the loving tribute to all the beauty man is capable of creating (and its chaos, but that’s another story…).

I think about it every time I drive my children to school, passing in front of the Circo Massimo and the Palatine, with the city’s extraordinary skyline on the horizon. For those reasons alone, I can think of no better place to host an event dedicated to artistic perfumery and literature.

This first edition of the Aromata Award, called “Perfume: Expressive Code” was held this year from 16-18th May in the exquisite Spazio Sette bookshop based inside the jaw-droppingly beautiful Palazzo Cavallerini Lazzaroni, a stone-throw away from the Via del Corso and Largo Argentina. (https ://www.instagram.com/spaziosette_libreria)

Under the auspices of the Cultural Councilor of the Municipality of Rome, the award was an open call to all perfumers, novice or experienced, independent or working for a composition house, to submit their olfactive creations based on a literary work of art.

This first edition’s theme was around the idea of what is is “invisible between the lines”, what is left unsaid, a journey dedicated to the link between the written word and its oflactive translation. There were 17 submissions, one of which one was a solid perfume in an amulet, which I didn’t have the good fortune of smelling when I met a few days ago with Laura Amato and her friend Erica Lehmann, both founders of the Association LiberoStile (behind the Aromata Award) to discover their submissions.

Some houses were familiar to me, such as Masque Milano or natural perfume brand April Aromactics, but most were not. There were two prizes awarded: the prize of the jury,  composed by industry insiders and specialists such as perfumer and brand owner (4160 Tuesday) Sarah McCartney (whom you can see testing the “sillage” of the entries on her instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/C6qoVNOoRP6/?hl=en), Maria Celeste Lombardo, perfumer at Italian composition house Moellhausen or Professor Giuseppe Squillace, historian of perfume in the ancient world and renowned author.

The prize of the jury was awarded to the Masque Milano’s entry called White Whale, obviously based on the Herman Melville’s master piece Moby Dick. A very orginial and unexpected rendition of a marine smell, more focused on ambergris and its mineralic and animal facets than on an out-and-out traditional marine scent based around aromachemicals such as calone. In a nutshell, it’s nothing like Cool Water and Aqua di Giò, the 1990s marine scents that symbolised that decade. The noticeable inclusion of osmathus absolute manages to add both sweetness and fruitiness that is always kept in check, while linking to the animalic aspect of ambergris that is the foundation of the perfume. Very well done, although personally, I can’t say that smelling it blind I would immediately think of Moby Dick to be honest but such is the magic of personal inspiration.

The second prize, the prize of the public, was awarded to a young graduate from the Atteneo dell’Olfatto, a new reality on the Italian scene that acts both as a provider of raw materials, a composition house and training center for aspiring perfumers. The scent is credited to Edoardo Tacconi (perfumer) and Claudio Calafiore (creative diector). Based on Shakespear’s play Midsummer Night’s Dream, the perfume is called Di Mezza Estate, and is a pleasant, playfully fruity and powdery floral scent that is easy to like and I can see how it would seduce a crowd. Veering in the direction of a gourmand scent, with the inclusion of milk and almond notes, it just manages to stay sufficiently restrained to avoid the sugar overload trap.

The other entry from Ateneo dell’Olfatto called Ecclisi (so no, not based on the Twilight saga..) was created by Giulia Riccardi and is the polar opposite. Based on the Portrait of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde, it is a smokey and bewitching scent, evocative of oak panelled rooms and cigars being smoked by the fireplace. I give it top marks for successfully translating a book in scented form.

Meditation by Claudia Scattolini, is dedicated to the writings of Ernest Hemingways and the lore and magic of his tumultuous life. Unsurprisingly, given what we know of the writer, the scent features notes of leather, tobacco, rum, patchouli and cocoa, lightened by some jasmine and bergamot. An envelopping and warm perfume, suprisingly smooth..

Dickens in Varanasi by Then There is a woody spicy scent. It is the unusual meeting point the brand creator has made between Varanasi in India and the atmosphere of Dickens’ novel Great Expectations.. An intriguing connection that once again underlines how scent is the gateway to infinite immaginative possibilities. In my view, a beautiful rendering of an incense scent that I would quite happily wear. Mystical and meditative so, for me, more Varanasi than Dickens…

There were other beautiful scents but smelling them all in short succession, I cannot do them justice in one article. All of them were intriguing, all of them made me think of the possible link with the text that inspired their creation.

This prize (Aromata) is really for the perfume and book lovers, for those who value creativity, the power of imagination and artistic licence.  Aromata is also the tribute to two women who have been friends since childhood, Laura and Erica, and who have pooled their passion and know-how to create this beautiful event. Let us all help it develop and grow. I for one am excited about next year’s edition!

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It is said that all roads lead to Rome. Not the same can be said about perfumery. For the many who are eager to learn the art of perfume composition, the road is long, winding, often expensive, marked with obstacles and forks on the way, with side trails leading to nowhere and many opportunities to get lost. Was it always so?

Since the beginning of modern perfumery as we know it, which coincided with the advent of industrial chemistry during the second half of the 19^th century, the question of how perfume formulation knowledge is transmitted has been crucial. For a long time, the only way to gain this knowledge was through an apprenticeship with a perfumer, much like other artisans who have, since the Middle Ages, developed a system for the transmission and safeguarding of their craft. Ancient guilds come to mind with their master/apprentice relationship, essential for the quality control of artisanal output of trades such as weavers, cutlers, dyers, bakers, etc..

As for perfumers, it is a quite a bit later, in 1656, that the first guild of glove and perfume makers was established, representing one of the first important perfume trade associations. Glove and perfume makers were grouped because the unpleasant smell linked to the tanning process made all leather goods quite repulsive smelling and in-need of an olfactive “masking” process of sorts, which required perfume.

Going back to the transmission of know-how, this way of passing knowledge from master to apprentice was not only quite restrictive, it obviously also created an impenetrable barrier to those outside the guild.

So when did things change?

The first revolution and codification of the art of perfumery was done by Jean Carles (1892-1966), a French perfumer who developed a scientific method for studying raw materials and perfume composition. His method, which classified all raw materials in distinctive families, is based on a strict system for combining raw materials in different ratios until an ideal equilibrium is found.

This codification of perfumery knowledge happened quite late when compared to other art forms. To give a point of comparison,  music was first “codified” at the time of Monteverdi (1567-1643), over 300 year earlier. For perfumery, one has to wait until Jean Carles in mid-20^th century for some form of classification of perfumery materials and an official method for studying perfumery.

So what is the Jean Carles method? The basis is, as mentioned, a classification of all raw materials in families (floral, woody, spicy, etc..). Students are asked to study raw materials first by comparing materials from different families, so for instance comparing orange (citrus family) with sandalwood (woody family), then by comparing materials from the same family. For example, in the citrus family, you would compare sweet orange essential oil (EO) with lemon EO, bergamot EO, grapefruit EO, cedrat EO, lime EO, yes EO, etc., and also compare the same material with slightly different extraction methods or country of origin: sweet orange EO decolorized (versus the natural material), sweet orange EO from Brazil versus Italy, lemon EO FCF (fuco coumarine free) versus “full” lemon EO, etc. These comparisons are meant for students to appreciate and recognize the distinctive features of each material.

The following stage would then focus on learning the construction of simple accords, i.e. the combination of two or more materials to compose a mini perfume of sorts. This is when the method becomes very labour intensive, as, for example, when combining two raw materials, students would need to test 10 possible combinations. Take orange and sandalwood essential oils. You would need to try: 1/10th sandalwood EO to 9/10th sweet orange EO; 2/10th sandalwood to 8/10th sweet orange, 3/10th sandalwood to 7/10th sweet orange, etc… This is obviously quite a labour intensive method, and needs to be repeated each time one adds a new material to the accord.

This method was a clear departure from what people imagined to be a sort of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (the protagonist from Patrick Süskind’s novel Perfume) process, where magical inspiration guided the perfumer in the selection of raw materials and their proportions.

Although the Jean Carles method is still taught, Calice Becker, master perfumer and current head of the Givaudan’s school of perfumery, talked at Esxence 2024 about how teaching methods have evolved. (see the interview with Calice Becker).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xs8gFgbmKU&list=PLvu7GGxyqhRa3demb_nuIp0MmTpgKVOUM

At Givaudan, when students look at a particular (natural) raw material, they study all the components of that raw material and then focus on “ingredients” that contain similar molecules. For instance, bergamot EO and lime EO are studied together because they contain similar molecules, such as D-Limonene and Gamma Terpinene. Materials studied together are sometimes from the same olfactive family (i.e. citrus, woody, spicy, etc.) but not necessarily. For instance, cinnamic alcohol is obviously present in cinnamon EO (a spice) but also in Tolu and Peru balsams, resins that both part of the amber/oriental family, etc.

Of course, Givaudan is not the only company to have such an in-house training programme. Other composition companies (such as Symrise, Mane, etc.) also have their own in-house schools where they take a few students a year for free in exchange of a life indenture servitude (not really, but they do have to sign exclusive contracts with the company for years).

So, companies like Givaudan, that control an enormous portion of both the production of raw materials used in perfumery and of the creation of perfume released on the market each year, are also the new gate keepers of knowledge. Their students will end up working in one of their productions centers worldwide but, as Mrs Becker said, there are very few slots available each year: in 2024, out of 2,700 applicants, 6 were chosen! Other companies have similar ratios.

You do the maths.

In addition, the criteria for the selection of students may have little to do with how “brilliant”, motivated or creative students are. It is, after all, a massive investment for the company to make, both in terms of years of training and signifiant resources poured into each student. They want to make sure they get the most out of their investment. So a predisposition to working in a model such as a big composition house will play a significant role, as will, I suspect, the country of origin of the student. With new growth markets being firstly in Asia, then Middle East and also South America, students from those regions will have an extra appeal to composition houses eager to make forays into those markets.

So where does that leave those wanting to study perfumery who don’t make it into composition houses’ training programmes? Generally, they first study chemistry as a first degree and then try to enter one of the perfumery schools, like ISIPCA or ESP (Ecole Supérieure du Parfum) or one of the courses offered at a French university such a Univesité de Nice Côte d’Azur, Université de Montpellier, etc.

Some of these courses are in French others in English. (For a full review, please look at the article in Nez magazine, that may contains some outdate information regarding prices but is still very useful: https://mag.bynez.com/en/reports/olfactory-education-how-to-cultivate-your-nose/where-to-train-as-a-perfumer/)

Then there is the GIP (Grasse Institute of Perfumery) created in 2002 by PRODAROM (national union of aromatic product producers) which does not require a degree in chemistry and is in English. Considered by many as the most prestigious school outside of the ones offered by the composition houses, it is extremely hard to enter and expensive.

Finally there is Cinquième Sens (for transparency sake, this is where I studied) which was created in 1976 by Monique Schlienger, a Robertet perfumer, and is an independent creation house that specialises in offering courses for professionals as well as perfume enthusists. They have schools in Grasse and Paris and offer a mix of short and some longer courses, like the one I attended called Designer Olfactif (a 6 month-course)  that is mainly aimed, I think, at people looking to create their own perfume brand.

Outside of France, particularly in Italy and the US, there are an increasing number of options to learn perfumery. In the US, the Institute of Art and Olfaction in Los Angeles teaches formulation and also has online modules. In addition, many independent perfumers teach creative courses, such as Mandy Aftel .

In Italy, Mouillette and Co (a franchising partner of Cinquième  Sens) offers a series of courses in Parma, some long, some short for professionals and perfume enthusiasts and has a good track record of placing graduates in various positions in the industry.

L’Accademia del Profumo in Italy also offers a course in Italian for Fragrance Evaluator & Marketing Specialist and further training modules are in the pipeline, as Italy tries to develop their own academic perfume learning programmes.

In Japan, the Japan Flavour and Fragrance School offers a three-year perfumer/flavourist course.

Then, there are what I would call the “introductory” online modules aimed at giving you a first “taste” of olfaction and perfume compostion. It is a good way in my view to test your commitment and your passion.

In the U.K., The Perfumery ArtSchool offers aspiring perfumers the opportunity to take online courses (300 hours) to obtain a Certificate in Perfumery Art. Karen Gilbert (https://www.karengilbert.co.uk/)  also offers a series of online courses (which I took several years ago) for aspiring perfumers, some short on-site courses in the UK and a useful online community of self-taught perfumers who have the opportunity to connect with each other through an online chat and regular online calls.

There are no doubt other short term courses I could mention, but it is impossible to list them all. The objective that motivates you to study perfumery, your age, previous academic degree, the time and monetary constraints you may have, as well as linguistic and geographical limits will all condition your choice.

So although we have come a long way since the guilds of the 17th century, one would be entitled to think that not that much has changed from the master and apprentice relationship of old. The gates of knowledge are still tightly controlled and dreams of learning to become are perfumer are not easily reached.

But there are today in the 21^st century more avenues than ever before for becoming a perfumer, even if many of those ways are not acknowledged or recognized by the industry. I would call it the age of chaos, intended in a positive way, going back to its Greek ethimology of “a void state preceding the creation of the universe”. It’s a state of flux. It also depends what you want to do. If your goal is to work within the industry and create the next Angel (by Mugler) or Baccarat Rouge (by Maison Francis Kurdijan), then you may need to follow the classic path to becoming a perfumer. If your objective is to create your own brand and express yourself creatively through scent,  in a way going back to the age of Guerlain and artisan perfumers of old, then the options are much numerous.

To illustrate many of these fascinating journeys , I will, in a series of interviews, talk with various people that have come to scent creation through their own creative path. I hope this will give heart to all those who are considering perfumery as their calling, as I firmly believe that following your dreams is what makes us human and that being repeatedly told that something is not possible should not deter one.

I will leave you with a quote from the famous novel “Letters to a young poet” by Rainer Maria Rilke based on an exchange of letters between the author and a poetry student, which I think would also aptly apply to perfumery students:

“No one can advise or help you—no one. There is only one thing you should do. Go into yourself. Find out the reason that commands you to write; see whether it has spread its roots into the very depths of your heart; [..] This most of all: ask yourself in the most silent hour of your night: must I write? Dig into yourself for a deep answer.”

Wishing all aspiring perfume creators the best of luck, onwards and upwards!

The post HOW TO BECOME A PERFUMER? appeared first on Pixidis Perfumes.

Who am I to argue, as they say in French, “les goûts et les couleurs ne se discutent pas”, tastes and preferences are a matter of personal opinion. But, as someone who loves green scents, this state of affairs has always left me slightly baffled. What’s so challenging about them? Is it the common absence of sweetness? Are they too “natural” smelling, too bitter? First of all, what do people mean when they talk about green scents? Do they mean refreshing aromatic perfumes full of herbs such as mint and basil? Do they think of spring-evoking green florals such as hyacinth and lily-of-the valley? Dark mossy chypres or do they just refer to “freshly mown grass ” type of odor?

My understanding from perfume school is that “green” is not an actual perfume “family” (i.e. category) in and of itself but rather a facet (i.e. a subcategory if you will), and that it is generally accepted (although all is up for debate in perfumery) that there are only seven fragrance families: citrus, fruity, floral, fougère, chypre, woody and ambery (ex “oriental”) – a much debated term but we will save that discussion for another day.

Although the green facet can apply to numerous families, for instance, you could have a floral scent with a green facet (think of most lily-of-the-valley scents such as Diorissimo, etc.) or indeed an aromatic scent with a green bent, (think of Herba Fresca by Guerlain), I think what I have in mind in terms of “green perfumes” are those that best translate the outdoorsy, “meadow in a storm” feel of nature in spring. So yes, there is a certain bitterness that is intrinsic to green smells, although arguably grass has also a sweet facet.

What’s the appeal? Green scents, for me, often provide a cooling and a calming sensation, a sort of “olfactive meditation” like going for a solitary long walk outside to clear’s one head, surrounded by the smell of grass, leaves, shrubs, wet earth, moss and soil. Where is the challenge in that?

Well, let’s look at how they are composed first to try to understand green scents.

Paradoxically, if I put my apprentice perfumer’s hat on, not a lot of natural raw materials can be used to create green accords, so the perfumer often has so rely on synthetic molecules to create a green effect. Among the few natural raw materials in the perfumer’s palette, the most notable one is Galbanum, a gum resin traditionally cultivated in Iran and that has a fresh green bean/green pea smell and is intensely bitter and green. It is a common trope that although this note is popular with perfumers it is often very unpopular with the general public, limiting its use in commercial perfumery. Lentiscus Absolute (also called mastic) is another adjacent natural green raw material that can be used in combination with galbanum or as a replacement to give the perfume a more modern twist.

Violet leaf absolute is another natural raw material that is available to the perfumer but although it is classified as green, and, unlike the name suggests, bears little resemblance in terms of scent profile to the flower, for me, with its strong cucumber note, it is mainly watery rather than green.

There are other natural raw materials that have a green facet although they are not strictly speaking classified as green material such as blackcurrant bud absolute (a fruity note with an astringent green twist) or Angelica roots essential oil which is classifies as a herbal note but has a green medicinal facet.

Then there are of course a lot synthetic molecules that are used to create green accords, first and foremost, styrallyl acetate (which most people associate with the smell of rhurbarb, and has been used for instance in Synthetic Jungle by EdPFM) and Triplal or Cis 3 Hexenol (both with an intense green grass smell, the first being more “metallic”  than the second).

 These are just some of the main materials that are used to create a green accord but they then need to be associated with other notes to create a perfume.. Before giving you a count-down of some of my favorite green scent and a sort of break-down of the various “directions” green can take, I just wanted to say a few words about my quest for green.

Reading reviews or listen to online critics claim this or that scent as “super green” always makes my heart skip a beat: yes, finally a green scent that could satisfy my quest for the vibrant bitter smell of spring.

And then, invariably, they fail to live up to my expectation, probably because the perfumers composing the scents generally try to balance the composition and curb the bitter greenness with other “softer” notes (Green Spell by Eris, I’m looking at you!).

For me, green scents are also somewhat symbolic of feminism, or rather female empowerment, as well as hope and optimism. This could be due to the fact that one of the ultimate green scents, the discontinued Vent Vert by Balmain, was created in 1947 by genius perfumer Germaine Cellier, who was one of the first women perfumers in an industry targeting mainly women but managed almost exclusively by men!

It could also be due to the easy association of green scents with the 70s, “the” green chypre decade, a time when women’s access to the job market became easier, in part due to the availability of the contraceptive pill, creating a wind of change which translated, at least that’s my interpretation, into a wave of green scents. By the way, also interesting to note that the green chypre decade was launched in 1966 by another women’s composition, Josephine Catapano’s Fidji by Guy Laroche.

Aside from its symbolism and the linage of the first green scent being “birthed”  by a woman, for me green perfumes are mainly an olfactive mediation, a solitary retreat, a “me time” scent. How can this not be popular?

Recently, courtesy of my kids, I watched an episode or two of “Hot Ones”, the TV contest where hapless celebrity participants are asked to eat gradually hotter and hotter pimento-soaked chicken wings while answering the host’s questions… (I know, I know, what can I say?). I’m ashamed to confess, it’s strangely addictive.

So what I suggest here, is a similar concept: a selection of daredevil green scents presented on an ascending scale of greeness, offering a gradual easing into verdant territory…

1. Let’s start with some easy-going greens: “spring aromatic greens”.

 Not much of challenge I should think, the mild entry level options for those not accustomed to green scents.

Herba Fresca by Guerlain and l’Eau de Campagne, by Sisley. The oldest is “Eau de Campagne,” (JC Ellena, again) from the 70s and the one that I reach for the least. Although based around the inviting concept of a herb and vegetable summer garden (think sweet basil and tomato-leaf), I find it a bit too powdery and elderly gentleman’s cologne-like, but a classic none-the-less. By comparison, Herba Fresca, created by Mathilde Laurent, is neon green with a pronounced zingy mint note like a florescent mojito, refreshing and cooling without ever veering into toothpaste territory.

2. Then, moving from herbal cologne style to green floral (chypre) scents, we are now firmly in springtime territory.

Think gardens in April, white (non-narcotic) flowers (lilly of the valley and Hyacinth come to mind), accompanied by verdant notes such as Galbanum and grass notes.

The king of them all is the now discontinued Vent Vert by Balmain. I think the main distinctive feature being the enormous dose of galbanum it contained (allegedly 8%!). Vent vert really created the green facet and was the inspiration for many scents that followed, from Fidji by Guy Laroche, to Chanel’s N. 19, etc.

So let’s look at a few of them:

– Fidji, Guy Laroche, by Josephine Catapano. Created in 1966, it was a personal favorite of mine when I was a teenager and is often overlooked by those examining vintage creations. Still in production today (although I must confess I don’t know what shape it is in now…), it offers the typical blend of while florals on a woody-mossy base. It is an important scent, influenced also by Nina Ricci L’Air du Temps’ floral bouquet but modernized for the 70s and made greener.

-Diorissimo, Dior, by Edmond Roudniska. Needs no introduction. An ode to the muguet flower, the lucky charm of Mr. Dior and the symbol of spring par excellence.

– Week end a Deauville (now renamed, “Weekend in Normandy”, could it be that Chanel made de Nicolai change the name because of its own perfume called Paris-Deauville? Mystery…) by Patricia de Nicolaï. It’s a kissing cousin to Chanel’s Cristalle but I have to admit I find it oddly dated. In general, I find that de Nicolaï delivers beautiful scents but done in a very traditional composition style.

-N.19. 19 EDT, Chanel, by Henri Robert (Galbanum, Hyacinth, Rose, lilly-of-the-valley, jasmin, ylang, iris and vetiver). N. 19 also shares this mix of floral notes but is more iris and galbanum focused compared to the others, resulting in a powderier and somewhat more strident scent.

They all have this bracing green floral effect that immediately makes you think of spring, green stems and fresh air, and a strong galbanum note.

      3.  Moving on to fruity greens, the summery take on this facet if you will.

I feel this is the category that still manages to garner some support with modern customers, as green notes are tempered with crunchy fruit accords (apple and pear) and water-based fruits such as melon or lichee, or tropical fruit like guava and finally “sticky” sweet fruits such as figs. They generally still contain some of the same floral elements of the previous category (hyacinth, muguet and rose) but with an added fruity note. I think nowadays, Antoine Lie and Anne Flipo are the king and queen of this category, with respectively, to name a few, Synthetic Jungle by EdPFM (Anne Flipo), Green Spell by Eris Parfum (Antoine Lie), Aphelie by Trudon (Antoine Lie).

Sometimes fruity greens take a rather odd bent, like with Panorama by Olfactive Studio created by Clement Gavarry. I mean, it’s a strange scent, flirting with aquatic notes and emanating an odd fluorescent aura of overripe melon. It’s like a green scent developed by HAL; the computer from Kubrick’s “2001 Space Odyssey”. Quite menacing really, at least to me. I think, objectively, all these scents feel more modern than the straight out-and-out green floral scents mentioned previously and more wearable.

4. Finally, to close the year’s selection, for colder months there are the oriental /ambery green perfumes, as well as leathery greens, certainly the most challenging scents. 

These contain some similar elements to the previous categories (galbanum, spring florals, woods and moss)  but I separate them due to their ambery (or leathery) component. I mean, green and amber are an odd mix in a way, because green notes are generally the polar opposite of ambery ones.

Oriental green scents:

Vol de nuit, Guerlain by Jacques Guerlain

Black Narcissus, aka famous blogger and author Neil Chapman,  has written the most beautiful piece about Vol de Nuit on his blog, which I urge you to read, so there is not much left to say. Suffice to mention that the scent perfectly translates in olfactive form the novel (Vol de Nuit by Antoine de Saint Exupery) that inspired its creation and manages the no small feat of being both cold and green yet warm and ambery at the same time. A completely abstract composition yet entirely evocative of the world it conjures. Hard to wear if one is being honest but just beautiful in a way any real piece of art is.

Dryad, Papillon Perfumery, Liz Moores

The worthy successor of Vol de Nuit, Dryad leans into jonquille and moss territory and feels slightly less abstract than his predecessor. It’s as if Fabien, the pilot from the novel, finally managed to land his plane and is now stuck in a deep forest in spring, filled with yellow and indigo-tinged flowers on a bed of moss. A happier ending altogether!

Leather green scents:

Bel Respiro, Chanel

Finally, I have to close this selection with another green scent that is possibly hard to wear, the beautiful Bel Respiro from Chanel. Created in 2007 by Jacques Polge, it’s a wind-swept meadow on top of a cliff on chilly spring day in Normandy (the perfume is not inspired by that place, but I see the cliffs of Etretat when I wear it). You can almost smell the green grass undulating under a saline breeze that is both invigorating and slightly scary. An underlining leather note further emphasizes the outdoorsy feel of the perfume, as if the person in this imaginary landscape had been horse-back riding to get to the cliff’s edge. There is a clear element of danger and unpredictability. So the opposite of a friendly perfume. Moody and beautiful but strictly for the green afficionado.

I hope this article inspires you to give green scents a try, I wager there is one that could catch your heart!

The post SPRING GREENS: THE LEAST POPULAR FRAGRANCES? appeared first on Pixidis Perfumes.

There are many answers to those queries and many more questions of course one could ask about scent creation. If we look at the current perfume market for answers, there is both a multiplication of the offer in terms of the sheer number of scents that are released and, at the same time, less diversity in terms of olfactive experience. In other words, there are more perfumes that come out every year, but they tend to resemble each other.

So where does that leave creativity, and where does one to start to develop something new?

One obvious route to take when embarking on a new project, is to look for inspiration in the past. In perfumery, as with most art forms, some creations stand the test of time while others fall by the wayside, judged years down the road as mere illustrations of their times instead of landmarks for posterity. For a perfumer, looking back at what has already been created is arguably as necessary as going to a museum for an apprentice painter studying the techniques of artists that have come before him. So in a way, pure creation is a fallacy, as we never create in vacuum.

In perfumery, when looking back, the intention is first to understand how a specific scent is constructed, what gives it its unique olfactive profile and what (new) raw material is being used and to what effect. Then the aim is, or should be, to modernize it and take it in a completely new direction, with a view not to copy but to pay homage to the creation by offering a fresh take on a familiar theme.

For this purpose we will look at two remarkable fragrances, one created nearly 100 years after the first: Shalimar by Guerlain and Le Lion from Chanel’s Les Exclusifs range. I obviously do not possess either of the perfumes’ formulas, it goes without saying, so these are my personal observations made by smelling and comparing both scents.
Shalimar by Guerlain is a truly iconic fragrance that heralded the advent of a whole new family of perfumes: the amber-oriental scents,  and is possibly one of the ten greatest fragrances ever made. Created in 1925 for the World Exhibit in Paris by Jacques Guerlain, it is meant as an ode to the heart and inspired allegedly by the love story between India’s Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, whose untimely death inspired the construction of the Taj Mahal. The name “Shalimar” itself is derived from the “Gardens of Shalimar,” a Persian term that means “abode of love.

The distinctive feature of the perfume is the combination of an overdose of vanillin, and/or probably ethyl vanillin (at the time, a newly created synthetic molecule with a scent profile typical of vanilla ice cream) and bergamot. Apparently, upon first smelling the perfume, Ernest Beaux, Chanel’s perfumer and creator of the iconic N.5, said: “when I use vanilla I make crème caramel, when he [Jacque Guerlain] uses vanilla he makes Shalimar” paying a huge compliment to his rival’s masterpiece.

So it is fitting that nearly a 100 years later, Chanel should “respond” with Le Lion, its own version of the Shalimar structure, this time inspired by the astrological sign of the brand’s creator, Gabrielle Chanel.

Part of Chanel’s Les Exclusifs range, and created by Olivier Polge in 2020, it bears a striking resemblance to Shalimar. I thought I would delve into both compositions to see what links them, what differentiates them and explore whether Le Lion is a dupe, a modernized version of the famous Shalimar structure or completely new exploration of a familiar theme.

So where and how did the creator of Le Lion, Olivier Polge, start?

Chanel apparently started the creative process by looking at another of its perfumes, Coromandel, also from the Les Exclusifs range. Coromandel is a warm patchouli-centric amber fragrance and it is true that Le Lion, unlike Shalimar, features a heavy dose of patchouli, immediately detectable in the opening notes (patchouli is the typical musty, wet leaves, walk-in-the-forest smell that many people associate with hippy perfumes).

What Le Lion clearly shares with Shalimar is the same bergamot and lemon fizzy opening paired with the sweet vanillin/ethyl vanillin base that creates this beautiful addictive signature smell.

In terms of differences, in addition to the patchouli, which is probably present in minimal amounts, if at all, in current day Shalimar, there is a greater emphasis on smoky notes in the Chanel composition. Shalimar, in its modern iteration, is not very smokey although the original 1925 formula allegedly was much more leathery and smokey, featuring more prominently incense, birch tar and civette.

Neither scents are floral per se but there are of course some floral notes to round off both compositions and herein lies another notable difference. Shalimar seems to put the emphasis on neroli with its slight bitter indolic character, while in Le Lion, neroli is replaced by a more prominent jasmine note (probably using an abundance of the synthetic molecule of hedione to give radiance and projection), lending a creamy, solar effect to the composition. The Guerlain scent is also powderier, which possibly due to a higher percentage of methyl ionone used, typical of the violet/iris accord, and also to lashings of tonk bean absolute and coumarin (a synthetic molecule also present in tonka that smells sweet, powdery and almondy) which lend to the composition a more vintage feel.

Finally, Le Lion also probably contains a series of synthetic musk molecules (instead of the animal notes present in Shalimar) that give the perfume a cosy, glossy and luxurious feeling, as well as longevity.

The dry-down of both fragrances is also quite different, with Le Lion boasting greater longevity on the scent strip, its sweet amber notes lasting well over a day, while Shalimar has a powderier and shorter-lived presence.

So my personal feeling is that Le Lion is a successful reimagining of the Shalimar structure, modernized by minimising some aspects and emphasising others. The addition probably of some synthetic ambery materials and musks, as well as the inclusion of a noticeable smokey effect through the use of modern synthetic molecules rather than the naturals used in the 1925 Shalimar creation, all contribute to making Le Lion distinctive from its predecessor.

What is the verdict on Le Lion? In a nutshell, the basic structure is the same but the overall feel of the fragrance is definitely that of a 21st century creation versus a 20th century one. What are your thoughts on both scents? Is Shalimar dated? In a way, one wonders if Guerlain might not also think so, bearing in mind the plethora of “flankers” (i.e. a new version of an existing scent that still bears an olfactive resemblance to the original but with added twists) it has given us over the years, not to mention the yearly “millésime” limited editions, which all seem intent on keeping Shalimar relevant to modern day customers. Given all this, it would be ironic if Chanel managed to create, possibly unwittingly, Shalimar’s true modern flanker for the 21st century.

The post CREATIVITY AND INSPIRATION: SHALIMAR BY GUERLAIN VS. CHANEL’S LE LION appeared first on Pixidis Perfumes.