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!

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The Roseto Comunale, as it is known to the locals, has both an incredible view of the Circus Maximus and the Palatine Hill, and a surprisingly long history, in addition to an amazing selection of roses. Although it only became a rose garden in the 1930s, it can claim a much longer association with blooms and the botanical world. According to Tacitus in his Annales, it was known as a place dedicated to flowers as far back as the 3rd century BC. The Roman historian mentions the location of a temple dedicated to the goddess Flora, whose celebrations, the “Floralia,” took place in spring in the nearby Circus Maximus, now better known to Romans as a fun place for a Sunday walk or as an open-air rock concert venue…

Its link to the botanical world continues through the centuries, and historical documents tell us it was covered with vegetable gardens and vineyards until the 16th century, becoming, in the 17^th century a cemetery of the Jewish community of Rome. In 1931 the cemetery was moved to a larger one and, as token of gratitude to the Jewish community, a stele was placed at the entrance to the garden in memory of its previous use, while the garden itself is designed in the shape of a Jewish menorah. At the same time, throught the impetus of an American socialite, Mary Gayley Senni, a rose competition, the Premio Roma, was created  to celebrate the best new varietal of roses from around the world, a tradition that continues to this day during the month of May.

This is long preamble to explain what motivated me to take a walk in the Roseto on a fine May morning. I was struck by the ancient link between the city and roses, something I hadn’t considered before. While conducting some further research on the topic, I attended a recent presentation by Professor Giuseppe Squillace, the foremost expert of perfumes in the Ancient world (yes, there is such a thing,, and I urge you to discover his publications if this topic interests you!). According to his research, roses were widely used in perfumery in Roman times but not by women! Rose scents were predominantly for men, who preferred lighter scents, instead of women, who tended to favour more “oriental/amber” compositions featuring resins, balsams and warm spices (so to give a modern equivalent, women would wear Chanel’s opulent Le Lion or Andy Tauer’s Incense Extreme, while men would wear something fresher and lighter like Diptyque’s Eau Rose!).

This flies in the face of the modern conception of rose as being a predominantly feminine note in perfumery. Think of Guerlain’s fruity rose Nahema, Clinique’s patchouli-inflected rose in Aromatics Elixir, Serge Lumens’ opulent bouquet of rose with Sa Majesté la Rose or Stella McCartney’s fresh citrus rose Stella, to name but a very few. Rose has been centre stage in endless feminine-marketed perfumes for the last 150 years.

Having said that, perfume has become more “gender-less” in the last 20 years, due in large part to the rise of “niche” fragrances that tend not to be marketed along gender lines,  but I still believe a lot of men will be discouraged by overtly rose perfumes (and florals in general). So I thought I would suggest a few rose perfumes that I think would work well on a man, especially if he has some reservations about rose/floral scented perfumes.

First tip: please wear what you want and makes you happy! (bearing in mind people, around you mind you).

Second tip, if unsure of where to start, my advice would be to avoid fruity-floral rose perfumes, overly sweet scents and very retro-powdery roses. Anyone can wear those scents, I am not saying men shouldn’t, but I think those are the most gender coded categories.

Ok, so what to choose as a “safe” rose perfume for a guy? I would go for rose paired with incense and/or woody elements, alternatively a green rose centred around geranium or a chypre-structured rose as a rule of thumb.

Let’s look at a few recommendations:

– Incense Rose

If “cool” notes appeal to you, if you’re the type of man who is interested in history, likes classy clothes and understanded luxury, prefers reading printed books and wants to avoid overly loud perfumes, I recommend the incense and rose combo. This pairing lends a mineralic/cool element to rose, keeps in check the natural honeyed fruitiness of the flower, and tends to lend perfumes a classy and low key vibe. “I’m the king and I don’t have to raise my voice for you to notice” type of attitude.

-Portrait of a lady by EdPFM: I mean, do I need to introduce this? Rose, Incense, patchouli and a raspberry top note. You can’t go wrong with that, even though it is on the wrong side of loud for my personal taste and very pricey.

-Paestum Rose by Eau d’Italie. Discontinued gem. Really exemplifies the cool rose growing among ancient ruins to me. Search on the internet if you can still find a bottle…

–Incense Rose by Andy Tauer. Sparkling and cold. Richer and spicier than the previous offerings.

-Woody (Patchouli)

-Hippy Rose by Heeley. All of Heeley’s perfumes have a classy element, they all show great restraint. Patchouli (a “damp leaf in a forest” kind of smell, slightly mouldy) can be overbearing and this perfume flirts with the acceptable limit of patchouli in my view but includes sufficient incense to keep it in check…

I think it’s an all-rounder. Strong enough to last through any office day not so potent as to stink everyone out. Classy and confident, it says “this is me, here I come”. Confident mind you but not obnoxious.

–Paris-Paris by Chanel: a lighter fare, more of a wash of rose and patchouli. It’s the kind of perfume you could wear both in hot weather (fresh enough) but also in colder months, as its fresh top notes are perfectly balanced with a woody-mossy base that make it perfect for all occasions and climates. No incense here. Perfect if you want something that has a bit of personality but not so much as to offend anyone.

-Woody (oud)

-Oud Palao by Diptyque. In the same vein as Dior’s Oud Ispahan but better. This one is quite potent, the very slightly “poo” aspect of oud showing its head from time to time, so I would not recommend this as an office scent or a dinner date, but it would work great in an outdoor setting or a night out.

-Geranium rose/Green rose

I’m always a champion of green scents and my pick would be for a vetiver and leather combo: –Rose et Cuir by EdPFM: despite its name, I don’t really think of it as leather scent, or at least not a traditional “freshly greased leather boots” type of leather. I love wearing it as well and what I think it conveys is a certain freshness and assertiveness built around the vetiver, geranium and the synthetic molecule of IBQ. It’s for the person who doesn’t need to try too hard, and is more of an outdoorsy type.

A Chypre/”neo chypre” style rose

So “chypre” is this fancy category most people can’t pronounce or explain. It’s basically a perfume constructed with a sparkling fresh opening (citrus fruits) followed by a floral heart and anchored by woody bitter notes (before oakmoss now increasingly synthetic replacer or just patchouli). Heeley’s Hippy Rose we already talked about could be classified as a modern chypre but I think of other perfumes in this category first because of their greater emphasis on the balance between a sparkling top and a mossy base.

-I think Gris Dior by Dior is a great example of neo-Chypre. Bottega Veneta by Bottega Veneta as well. Rose with a spicy pink pepper top and slight woody mossy base. Classy, easy to pull off and totally genderless. It’s your typical white shirt and a suit fragrance.

There are loads more I could recommend but don’t want this list to be endless..

Upon reflection, I think should send this list to a gentleman who lives in my condo whose offensive (to my nose) rose/amberwood perfume trail I can detect each time I take the lift. (gasp).

I silently pray, “please, life is too short to wear bad perfumes…”

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To give some perspective, I became a true fragrance fanatic about 12 years ago, so in the early 2010s. If I look back at how much fragrances cost a mere 10 years ago, the difference is really shocking. I want to quote famed fragrance critic Luca Turing (seen below with his wife, Tania Sanchez, also the co-author of the two perfume “bibles” people associate with Turin), who in 2016 was asked what he thought was a reasonable price for a bottle of perfume:“  I replied that the price of a dinner for two with a decent bottle of wine in a decent restaurant was about the upper limit for me, so let’s say $120 or so for 100 ml of EdP or a half ounce of proper extrait”. Well of course, in 2025, dinner for 2 with wine doesn’t cost 120 eur in most places in Western Europe and it is becoming increasingly hard to find a decent 100 ml bottle of perfume for that price.

So, I thought it would be useful to highlight a few exceptions to this trend. What are the criteria I took into consideration to select the niche brands that are, in my opinion,  still good value for money? First of all, the quality and creativity of the perfumes. Are the perfumes offered by the brand interesting, intriguing and well executed or have they fallen into the trap of chasing trends and riding on the coattails of other popular fragrances?

The second criteria is of course pricing:  are the fragrances fairly priced? That doesn’t mean are they cheap. The brands I selected do not offer cheap fragrances but seem to target discerning people who enjoy fragrances but might still blink an eye at spending 200 eur on perfume. How can I tell?  Well, for starters these brands generally offer a selection of sizes in terms of bottle formats, allowing customers to properly sample their perfumes at an affordable price point, well under 100 eur (for 8 ml, 10 ml, etc..). As always, the bigger formats will be better value per ml of “juice”, but if you have already quite a few fragrances in your collection, chances are  you will not actually need or use a 100 ml bottle. By comparison, most brands only sell 100 ml of scent as their smallest format, partly because that is what retailers want, and partly because this is how they make the most profit. Also, regarding price increases, I feel that when the brands I selected increase their prices, it is not an annual inescapable ritual but something that is occasional and considered and reflects the additional costs they have to take on (of course, I don’t claim to have any knowledge of their internal accounts, this is just my best guess).

Finally, and this is the criteria that very few brands fulfil,  the prices of fragrances they sell vary  according to the raw materials  used. So a citrus fragrance will cost less than a rose perfume, because to take a simple example, citrus oils costs a fraction of rose essential oil. That way, ingredients end up meaning something and it also suggests that there is a chance that some of the ingredients listed may actually be in the formula of the perfume.Of course, this is a big no-no for distributors and retailers who much prefer brands with only one price point.

Let’s have a look at some of the brands I think have managed to keep the balance right between quality and price and that will attending Esxence in a few days:

1. The artisan one:

-Parfum d’Empire.

I love Parfum d’Empire and I think Marc-Antoine Corticchiato is a poet. They have increased their prices but remain reasonable with 50 ml bottles at between 110-130 eur (they also offer bigger 100 ml formats) which, for the quality you get, is amazing. Incredibly, there isn’t a dud in their entire line. The sample set is also reasonably priced and gives you a discount code for future purchases, which I think is how a sample set should work.  So they don’t try to scam you with sample sets that costs an astronomical amount, as so many houses do (60 to 95 eur for sample sets? Nothing is out of bounds now). Also, PdE scents are priced differently depending on ingredients they use, which I appreciate. I have Equistrius and Le Cri, both iris perfumes, both 130 eur, both gorgeous and original.  Mal Aimé, or “bien aimé” as it is easily my favourite from the entire line, costs 120 eur. Finally a green scent that isn’t afraid to be green! And then Fougère Bengale, also 120, which I have gifted to my husband, as this beautiful immortelle/curry leaf fougère works much better on a man in my opinion. Azemour-les-Orangers (110 eur) I love but can’t justify a bottle in my collection at the moment.

If you don’t know this brand: go out and find them!

2. The traditional one:

-Nicolaï Parfum

The brand founder and perfumer Patricia de Nicolaï, is a legend. Not only her  lineage traces back to the Guerlain family, who did everything they could to discourage her from getting into perfumery because of her gender (ok, times have changed thankfully), she was also for many years the director of the perfume museum l’Osmothèque in Versailles, and created her own eponymous brand back in 1989, when artisan perfumery was in its infancy. So in a nutshell, she is an incredible perfumer. Again, her skills are apparent in every one of her creations, and they all have a classic and classy touch. She offers a range of formats, starting at 30 ml for 88 eur, and going up to 210 eur for 100 ml and 370 or 250 ml. I mean, that’s not cheap but you have the option of getting a smaller bottles for a reasonable price. I have small bottles of Week End en Normandie and Odalisque, both beautiful chypre fragrances that feel quite in the vein of vintage Chanel’s Cristallle. My cup of tea.  I adore her perfume “Fig Tea”, a beautiful osmanthus-scented  tea-inspired perfume (but I don’t understand the name by the way, there is no fig note at all to my nose), which hopefully I will add to my collection at some point. Well worth a try if you like classical perfumes.

3. The all-natural one:

–Les Parfumeurs du Monde

LPdM are not just a perfume brand. What they propose is a paradigm shift. Selected raw materials that are ethically sourced. All natural ingredients. Perfumers with full creative license and respectful of the code of ethics of the company. The founder and main perfumer is Thierry Bernard, although he often chooses to collaborate with perfumers such as Nathalie Feisthauer, Bernard Duchaufour, Patrice Revillard, etc. The range comes in a 50 ml format and retails for 145 eur. Thankfully for those who want to test drive the fragrances before committing to a full bottle, they also offer 8 ml bottles at the very democratic price of 25 eur. So really, a steal for what you get. Now the rub is that being all-natural perfumes, and although created by extraordinary perfumers, they do have some of the drawbacks of natural scents: a less long lasting performance for some, less projection, and in some cases, a more “dense” scent profile that is certainly different from what you find currently on the market. In my book being different is always a good thing, but I think it is a bit like wine makers trying to make a natural, biological, no-added-sulphites’ kind of wine. Sounds great, but the ones I have tried (and I have not tried many) were more of an acquired taste. The LPdM perfumes are certainly interesting  but I think they will appeal most to people who either value the natural and ethical aspect of the brand or to those who have already smelled quite a few perfumes and put a premium on scents that are original and unique and not just “pretty”. Definitely worth trying in any case.

4. The mood boosting one:

-Le Jardin retrouvé:

A historic brand of sorts created in 1975 (I know that in the context of brands that claim to go back to the 18^th century that seems recent, but it still means they are celebrating their 50^th anniversary). Revived by a husband and wife duo, Clara Feder and Michel Gutsatz, the son of the original founder and in-house perfumer Yuri Gutsatz., it is rich with history, seems to have a good amount of cash behind it and is currently being developed with Givaudan. So we are not talking about some small artisan house here despite the back story. The brand’s leitmotiv seems to be that their scents promote wellness, a claim that they say Givaudan has data to support. Well, I am the first to say that fragrance is a mood booster, but as I already touched on in my article from last year (see: https://www.pixidisperfumes.com/january-february-new-year-new-hope/) , it’s very hard to actually come up with universal data connecting emotions and scents. Their main line focuses on various botanical ingredients such as: Mousse Arashiyama, Citron Boboli, Violette Kew, etc. They are not 100% natural like the previous brand, despite the garden-inspired theme but are 90% natural meaning that the concentrate is made of a mix gf natural materials and synthetic derived from natural ingredients. They are also formulated at quite a low concentration at around 8-10% (often a decision for brands deciding to prioritise natural ingredients, both for a reason of costs and for IFRA compliance reasons).

They offer various formats: 15 ml for 50 eur and 50 ml for 120 eur. Again, if you think of the price per ml, it is not cheap, but it’s possible to buy a bottle, albeit a smaller format, for a reasonable price. The other positive thing is that the brand offers refills for all its fragrances that come in a screw neck bottle.

That seems the best we can hope for at this stage. I have not tried their fragrances yet. Will report back after Esxence.

This wraps my quick list of worthy brands that will attend Esxence and that, in my opinion, manage to find the right balance between quality and price. As always, let me know what you think!

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Any door that closes leaves me with mixed feelings. If, like me, you are smitten with all things perfume-related, I hope it was a year full of intriguing scent discoveries, as well as a year of personal happiness. Looking forward, for anyone who follows the news, 2025 is likely to be quite an unpredictable  year. But let’s try to stay positive, cross our fingers and focus on what we can enjoy. If I have one resolution for 2025, apart from my usual promises to self to exercise more and adopt a series of healthier habits, it would be to enjoy each moment and live in the present.

All new beginnings start with an assessment of what has happened before.

In terms of perfume buying, 2024 was a pretty slow year for me. I can count on one hand the perfumes I have bought. Believe me, that’s unusual for me. I think it is the year when perfume price hikes finally caught up with me. Nowadays, any commercial perfume sold at Sephora is around the 130 eur mark for 100ml. They seem cheaper at first glance because there has been a multiplication of smaller “travel” formats (10 or 30 ml bottles)  that cost in the range of 30 to 60 eur. So you feel like you are buying a bottle of perfume at a reasonable price but it means that those formats cost, if you look at the price per ml ratio, 300 eur for 100ml. And this for commercial or designer brands like Kayali, YSL, Lancôme, etc.!

So, if this is the situation for designer brands, you can image what happens in the designer’s exclusive lines or niche brands. Exclusivity requires them to increase their prices to mark the difference between them and more “affordable” offerings. For instance, Dior’s “La Collection Privée” changed all of its bottle formats a few days ago and the smallest size is now 50 ml and costs 175 eur, (it was, until last month, 40 ml for 130 eur!), the 100 ml (instead of 125 ml) costs 265 eur and the biggest format is 200 ml (instead of 250 ml) and sets you back 400 eur. Chanel’s “Les Exclusifs” range is similarly priced and will (according to industry sources) also introduce shortly smaller 30 ml travel size bottles. So increased prices and smaller bottles which allows brands to still target  “middle class income” customers.

Another trend that I have seen, also linked to packaging, is the change to refillable bottles. Niche and “all natural” perfume brands such a “Voyages Imaginaires” and “Floratropia” have been offering refills since their inception a few years ago while the trailblazer Thierry Mugler has been for decades offering in-store perfume fountains to refill bottles at Sephora stores. But this was, until recently, still a marginal trend in the perfume world. Things are starting to change though. I was at the exclusive retail store “La Rinascente” in Rome two days ago and Hermes was having a sale of their Exclusive Line Hermenessence. Hermes is NEVER on sale! I asked why and the sales associate told me all their bottles from that line will be replaced by refillable formats. No doubt at a higher price point. So anyway, prices will increase again in 2025 and I may have stick to buying samples!

Let’s look at my perfume purchases in 2024. 

Towards the end of the year, I bought a sample set of the new brand “Bienaimé”, a historic brand that was recently revived and features exquisite packaging. I found their perfumes a bit underwhelming though. (by the way, as per the previous comment about trends, they also offer refill options). I think that for any historic brand, it’s a delicate balance between preserving their heritage and making perfumes people want to buy and wear. Unfortunately, Bienaimé’s entire line has an undercurrent of talcum powder and violet notes that feel, at least to my nose, cheap. The only perfume I liked was their masculine-marketed cologne, Monsieur Bienaimé. So not a brand for me.

In terms of new releases, let’s see first what I tried but did not buy:

I smelled the new Balmain perfume collection called “Les Éternels” inspired by the brand’s historic fragrances. To be fair, I only sampled them in passing but they did not impress me much (the new version of the iconic perfume Vent Vert was a bit disappointing in my humble opinion. Instead of the original bitter green scent it is now a pleasant crunchy fruity experience. Not bad but wholly unremarkable).  I also tried the new Hermes scent, Barenia. It was pleasant and had a distinct chypre feel which I am partial to. But it didn’t really make a strong impression I am afraid. I have to give it a proper try and report back with a more in-depth review. I obviously also tried the new Chanel scent, Comète, but let’s say I was not tempted to part with 230 eur for a small bottle. I tried the new Celine release, Zouzou, which was far too cotton candy-like and sweet for me..

In the Guerlain “l’Art et la Matière” Collection, I sampled the new Patchouli Paris. (What a daft name may I say?). I found it unexpectedly brutal. By the way, I think Patchouli is really having a bit of moment, which I am very happy about. So, well done for not going the obvious route, but it did not seduce me in the least. Again, to be fair, I should give it a proper testing. I did though add a Guerlain from that line to my collection: For my 50th birthday, I received as a present Guerlain’s Bois d’Armenie, a lovely benzoin, incense and iris scent, which has since then been discontinued. It’s beautiful but possibly not incredibly original.

So what did I buy? I guess FOMO (fear of missing out) is really what motivated my purchases in 2024:

At Esxence in March I bought Fath’s Iris de Fath (the eau de parfum version), as I managed to snap it at a reasonable price. It’s beautiful although not so easy to wear but if you are interested in iris scents you need to smell it, if only for its historic significance. A rich, rooty, woody iris wrapped in a cocoon of peach cream. In May I bought the “cheapy” mimosa scent Belle de Grasse by Fragonard. I think if you want a straight forward mimosa you could do far worse.

The brand “Edition de Parfum Frederic Malle” had quite a complicated year in 2024 with its founder leaving and I have to say I have my doubts as to where the brand is going. Anyway, given the sleuth of perfume name changes and reformulations, as well as threats of discontinuations, I insisted on being gifted Une Fleur de Cassie, which is brilliant but hard to wear.. I could not bear the idea of this scent just disappearing. I also got small travel size bottles of Synthetic Jungle and Rose et Cuir to scratch my itch for green/bitter scents.

Finally I bought Diptyque’s Eau Plurielle, a simple but lovely rose water scent which will be discontinued soon.

What perfume discoveries would I like to make in 2025? In terms of visits, I would like to go the Lorenzo Villoresi Perfume Museum in Florence, which includes what they call an Osmorama, a scent library with a large collection of modern and ancient perfume ingredients. I would also like to visit in Venice to explore the connection between the Serenissima and perfume, which, as a bridge between the Orient and the West seems like a fundamental place to explore. Finally, I would like to attend the Paris Perfume Week in March and possibly take the opportunity to visit the Osmothèque in Versailles, a very old dream of mine.

In terms of brands, I have my eyes on individual brands such as House of Puente, Astier de Vilatte’s historic perfumes, and the “recently revived brand “Maison Violet”. I would very much like to explore some of the Chinese perfume brands that you don’t get in Europe, but don’t really know how to get my hands on them.. Will report back when I can.

I might go to the UK in which case I would like to explore local artisanal brands such as Perfumer H and Jorum Studium. Again, will report back if this happens!

So lots to smell and explore in 2025. Can’t wait to hear what your planned scent discoveries are…

Happy 2025!

The post THE BEST PERFUMES OF 2024, TRENDS & WHAT TO TRY IN 2025 appeared first on Pixidis Perfumes.

Although most visitors will come to celebrate this important event, many will take the opportunity to explore the city’s historic sites and experience  the “dolce vita”. Where to go, what to prioritise and experience will depend on the time at your disposal, your preferences and your budget. My point of view when visiting a place is that scent is always an important part of any experience and a very personal and creative way to remember something   meaningful. With this in mind, let me guide you, in this of articles and the following, to be published during 2025, through a few of my favourite strolls in Rome, which will of course include interesting perfume-related stops!

Where to start?

Rome has weathered quite a few storms throughout the ages, but although most monuments are safe when it comes to modernisation due to the city’s very strict laws that preserve historic landmarks, it is getting harder and harder to find some real artisans working in the Eternal City. Old ateliers have given way to more profitable restaurants, ice cream shops or souvenir stores.  Bucking the trend, and nestled between the Coliseum and Termini train station, is the neighbourhood of Monti, and in particular the area around via dei Serpenti (i.e. snakes’ road, what a fabulous name!)

For many years a rather downtrodden area it has, over the last twenty odd years, seen a rebirth from its ashes and is now happily populated by small artisanal shops such as an artistic candle maker Candlestore (don’t be put off by the boring name) (#candelstorelab ),  a mosaic workshop (#Studio_Cassio), a glass maker (#Studiosilice), a Danish tailor making stunning vintage inspired high-end garments (#Tina.Sondergaard.rome), absolutely beautiful, check out her instagram page for regular updates on her designs), etc.

The neighbourhood is well worth a visit if you are looking for thoughtful gifts or if you fancy a break from all the standardised souvenir shops.

In the same artistic vein, just a few steps from via dei Serpenti, on via Leonina 5,  is the lovely niche perfumery Alè Parfum. Set up by Sig.ra Giancarla Perugini in 2008, originally in a different neighbourhood, the boutique was created as a labour of love by someone who clearly appreciates perfumes and has been steeped into the world of scent since childhood. As is often the case, Mrs Perugini’s mother also had a perfume/cosmetics shop in the north of Rome, near Monte Mario, although it featured more commercial and traditional brands.

But as the saying goes: “the shoemaker’s son always goes barefoot” and from those days, Giancarla remembers that, although she has access to many perfumes through her mother, she used to regret  never being gifted any perfumes by friends or boyfriends who naturally assumed it was the last thing she wanted! She eventually took over the shop from her mother, along with her sister, and managed it for many years until she decided to open a more exclusive and artistically-minded perfume shop. Originally located in via degli Avignonesi, near via del Tritone in the city centre, Giancarla decided to move  to its current location in 2008, having the flair and vision that this area would become one of the artisanal/artistic centres of the city

The decision to open a niche perfumery was made because Giancarla wanted to follow her real passion when it came to perfumery. The choice to eschew commercial brands was both a decision made to differentiate herself from the competition and also one motivated by personal inclination.

So what sorts of brands can one find at Alè Parfum?  Giancarla personally chooses each brand she stocks, as this is the only way she will then be able to effectively transmit her love for the scents to her customers.  To do that, she mainly relies on trusted distributors she has built a relationship with over the years and whom knows will select brands that are unique and interesting. The choice is really breathtaking for a relatively small boutique..

You will find the following – and these are all my categorisations, not the owner’s:

*Artistic/rebel brands:  such as Naomi Goodsir, Etat Libre d’Orange, Meo Fusciuni or DS & Durga; all slightly edgy and provocative.

* Heritage houses:  like Lubin that dates back according to the brand to 1789 (I would of thought they had different fish to fry at that particular time, but hey, what do I know?);

*Trendy newish brands: like Atelier Materi or Bohoboco;

*Natural/sustainable luxury offerings: like “Voyages Immaginaires” that create all natural perfumes and provide the option of buying refills;

*Pop” niche: like Montale,  Nobile 1942 or Carthusia;

*Indie/independent perfumers: such as Tauer Perfume, Francesca Bianchi and James Heeley, to name but a few.

As official licensed distributors, Alè Parfum carries the entire line for each of these brands, which, in the case of Montale, Nobile or Meo Fuschiuni, can mean close to 50-60 different perfumes.

So who are her customers? it’s a mixed bag but given the location, there are a lot of tourists (making up roughly  70% of customers, as Italian customers tend to prefer shopping online) from the USA, Asia and Eastern Europe, as well as many EU countries. While I was interviewing Giancarla, a group of three Spaniards came along following the recommendation of a friend.

Foreigners are often in search of  Italian brands as souvenirs to take home from their travels, which has also influenced Giancarla in her selection of brands.

In terms of the evolving consumer shopping habits, the owner bemoaned the age of Instagram and YouTube influencers who convince large number of their viewers about what to buy, what is in and desirable, in her view robbing people of the freedom to make up their own mind as to what to suits them. She told me of the frequent visit of people who show up with long lists of perfumes to try following influencers’ recommendations and end up disappointed when they finally smell the perfumes..

What of recent perfume trends? Since the pandemic, there has been a noticeable trend for perfumes that are comforting and nostalgic. Vanilla, as well as other food-related indulgences like coffee (like Montale’s Intense Café)  and chocolate, are very popular , as well as scents that are perceived as “nostalgic” and linked to childhood memories. For perfumes marketed towards men (if we still care to put a gender on perfumes), recent years have seen a resurgence of spicy perfumes, as well as tobacco, incense, smoky and woody scents. Of course these preferences vary from person to person, but on the whole, in her experience,  customers from Asia tend to prefer lighter florals, Northern Europeans incense and woody scents, while many American tourists gravitate towards natural and light fragrances as well as gourmands .

I was interested to get her take on the importance of packaging and story-telling. How big  a factor is it in the decision-making of customers? According to Giancarla, and to my surprise, those factors don’t seem to matter much to customers who are generally no longer interested in knowing the back story to brands and scents. (so much for convoluted story telling and expensive packaging..).  It could be due to the location of her store, and the fact that busy tourists lack the time to delve more deeply in those issues, but in her experience, influencers’ recommendations and generally the scent in itself are the factors driving the sale. Natural perfumery and/or sustainability concerns don’t seem to rank high in people’s priorities.

Finally, as I visited the store just before Christmas, I asked her what was her recommendation in terms of buying perfumes as a gift for someone else? For practical reasons, they don’t carry sample sets, which is always my first recommendation, so her advice was to stick to fresh cologne like citrus-forward scent that are always pleasant, or clean musky scents that are unlikely to offend anyone. As always, she recommends going in store to try the perfumes personally. Until they invent a new technology for smelling online, there is no substitute for it…

So hopefully this has given you some ideas of where to go for a stroll when you are next in Rome!

Happy New Year to all, and happy sniffing!

The post ROME’S JUBILEE: A PERFUME STROLL (MONTI DISTRICT) appeared first on Pixidis Perfumes.

But what is the “olfactive soundtrack” to all this jazz?  Many familiar scents have come to embody this time of year: cinnamon and ginger biscuits, mulled wine, burning logs on a fire, spiritual incense at Mass, etc. All these scents have their origin in time and have come to form the “sensory fingerprint” of the end of the year. As we have seen last year with the article dedicated to one of the season’s most distinctive spices, cinnamon, the reasons why we associate Yuletide with certain smells generally has a practical explanation.  In any case, we now think of Christmas smells as warm, ambery, woody and spicy, just take a look at the selection of candles that feature these notes around this time of year!

Instead of dissecting them one by one, I thought I would go back to the origins of Christmas. It is after all, if one sets aside all the modern trappings of Christmas, a tale of redemption and love. One that starts with a birth. So really, the main scent should be that of a baby and what it symbolises, love.  For any mother, it is an unforgettable memory,  the first time you cradle your child in your arms and softly smell his head. How to describe it though?

It is both subtle and soft, cozy and sweet, vaguely milky and delicate. The smell of pillowy clouds and heartbreaking love.  Not easy to translate in olfactive form.  I started wondering if there had been any perfumes that had tried to mimic the scent of a baby. As it is often the case,  it depends on one’s perspective. There certainly have been several perfumes as early as the 80s marketed towards new mothers and their babies. I remember, when I had my first baby, my mother-in-law gifting me a bottle of Bulgari’s “Petits et Mamans”, a fluffy powdery musky scent. But there are many other perfumes that are in a similar vein, such as “Le Ptisentbon” from the  brand Tartine et Chocolat or “Bonne Etoile” by Dior.

Generally they feature lots of white musks, some powdery notes reminiscent of iris (methylionone, etc.), some almond-adjacent accords (heliotrope/coumarine, etc.) and some fresh florals such as orange blossom water. At least in the French/European olfactive imagination, these are the notes that often feature in baby creams and baby products, so we instinctively associate them with a baby’s smell.

Interestingly,  I have noticed in recent years a series of perfumes that have not been marketed in that way but feature similar notes and translate, in my view, the sense of softness and comfort of cuddles. These are not your average luxury brands, these are the “creme de la creme” of brands that, in their most exclusive lines, have come out with what I consider to be “fancy baby scent”. Generally built around a powdery almond accord, these perfumes seem to be having a bit of a moment.  Sometimes the notes listed seem a bit fanciful (i. e. cherry blossom, laurel blossom, etc.)  but on the whole, I think their feel is that of baby’s skin to me.

So, if this Christmas what you crave most of all, and what you wish for most of all for the world, is love and a cuddle,  then here are a few suggestions for you.

-Comète, Chanel Les Exclusifs

Released in 2024 and created by Olivier Polge, it is the most recent scent on the  list and, like for most Chanel’s Les Exclusifs perfumes,  I was very very excited to try it. I have to admit it was a bit of let down. Of course, there is nothing wrong with it, but it didn’t move me nor did it manage, I think, to add anything new to the category of almondy/musky scents. The one thing I would praise it for, is for its decisively bitter almond opening. It is discernible, if fleeting, and seems, to my nose, not to be trying to please immediately. It then settles into a light floral powdery musky scent, very cosy, very plush, very cocooning. Lovely really if a bit on the boring side. I just wondered what made Chanel go in that direction. It’s a 180 turn from their last Les Exclusifs’ release, “Le Lion” in 2019. People who fail to love this will no doubt blame it on “the Asian market” saying that it was developed with that demographic  in mind, while “Le Lion” was clearly meant for a more Middle Eastern clientele. I don’t know. It took me awhile to appreciate “Le Lion”, now I love it, so I will circle back to this one and give it a chance.  The very name “Comète” also seems, incidentally, completely in line with my nativity theme.

-Dans Paris, Celine

I mean, it’s really a vanilla scent. But one that manages to seduce even someone as adverse to sweetness as me. I think it’s the aromatic opening (coriander seeds?) that keeps the sweetness in check. In Guerlain’s l’Art et la Matière collection, there is another vanilla scent, “Angelique Noire” (AN), that uses the same trick of adding an aromatic top note (Angelica seeds in that case, that has the added benefit of also acting as a “vegetal musk” and bridging the sweetness of the composition with the musky elements) to balance out the sweetness. But unlike AN, “Dans Paris” (DP) is in my view more restrained in its sweetness, more subtle. More refined. It’s the perfect balance of musky and sweet. So in my unconscious, the perfect evocation of a cuddly baby’s skin. As a side note, Celine doesn’t reveal the name of its perfumer(s). I always find that rather anachronistic. I have no insider knowledge of course but my money is actually on Olivier Polge, Chanel‘s perfumer and the creator of the previous scent discussed here and the following one from Guerlain, “Cuir Beluga”, before he became Chanel‘s exclusive perfumer. You see how there is a thread there.

In any case, coming back to “Dans Paris”, I just know I feel slightly out of character when I wear this, but it comforts and soothes me.

-Cuir Beluga, Guerlain L’Art et la Mature

Created by Olivier Polge in 2005, it is, according to the sales representative at the Guerlain counter here in Rome, their best seller. The name is rather misleading though. Beluga leather? What do they mean by “Cuir Beluga”? Beluga as in caviar? Fishy leather? A truly odd choice in my view, so forget the name.

If you go on the Fragrantica website, most users will say that there are strong similarities between “Dans Paris” and “Cuir Beluga”. They are right. I would say it’s 85% similar. “Cuir Beluga” is not really a leather scent at all, maybe a soft suede but even that is hardly discernible. The suede is just a suggestion, providing a slight backbone to the scent to avoid it being flat. What is very discernible is the powdery almond facet, which constitutes, with the vanilla, the defining character of the composition.

On the whole, I slightly prefer “Cuir Beluga” to “Dans Paris”, because the sweetness is tamed by a more pronounced bitter almond note. But the Guerlain is 325 eur for 100 ml (I mean, completely mad really) while the Celine is a “bargain” at 250 eur for 100 ml. Crazy I know, this is why I only have samples for both.

So there you go. I am not saying you should buy any of these scents, I am just mentioning that they remind me in a way of the cuddly softness of a newborn and that they somehow manage to evoke the tenderness of maternal love. Really what the world is in need of now is not more unbridled consumerism but for people of goodwill to stand up for peace. So, if you find yourself praying during this season, let it be for peace.

Happy holidays to everyone and my heartfelt wishes for happiness to all!

The post CHRISTMAS CUDDLES: COMÈTE, CUIR BELUGA, DANS PARIS. 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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Amber perfumes can also include incense notes such as frankincense, myrrh or olibanum, sometimes some musks, both animalic (i.e. ambergris) or non-animalic, depending on when they were created or the desired effect,  as well as woody materials such as patchouli. Those are the basic notes that characterise amber scents, which can then be enriched by a myriad of other notes, be it woody, floral, aromatic or spicy.

But instead of providing you here with a long list of amber scents that ought to begin with the famous Ambre Antique by Coty, which dates back to 1905, I wanted to focus on scents that feel particularly comforting when the weather turns cold, without being so heavy as to require frigid temperatures to be worn. A delicate balance to strike. Warm but not too rich. So perfumes that act as the olfactive equivalent of a cup of cocoa or a cashmere sweater. As always, these perceptions are personal and debatable, but if I were to draw a conclusion from the selection I’ve made, is that most contain benzoin, as well as some herbal or spicy notes to balance the sweeter elements of the composition and prevent it from becoming too “flat”, some woody materials to give body and anchor the composition and a moderate use of gourmand raw materials such as vanilla, vanillin or ethyl vanillin.

-31 rue Cambon, Les Exclusifs by Chanel, created by Jacques Polge

Classified as a woody chypre, I start this selection with an exception to the amber list I have just made. No benzoin is listed but there is clearly labdanum, also a resin, and some woody notes such as patchouli, as well as quite strong floral notes and a burst of citruses and aldehydes in the opening. What does it smell like? Like an impossibly chic lady in the 1930s, dressed in a long maroon dress, with a fur stole, leather gloves and carmine lipstick. I’m not that woman and never manage to get out of the house looking immaculate (too much work) but when I’m wearing 31 rue Cambon, I feel enveloped in an aura of luxury and quiet comfort. An olfactive cocoon.

We move now to the benzoin trifecta, all classified as amber scents, all containing heavy doses of benzoin as well as incense-related notes.

–Benjoin Boheme by Diptyque (not sure about the perfumer, maybe the late Olivier Pescheux?)

The easiest to wear, I think, is Benjoin Boheme, unsurprisingly. It is the fresher of the three and the one where the benzoin is balanced with herbal and green notes such as angelica. It’s a joy to wear, won’t smother you in sweetness and will just say, when you smell your wrists: welcome to autumn! (P.S: haven’t tried the new formulation)

-Bois d’Armenie, by Guerlain, created by Annick Menardo

I mean, there are most definitely strong similarities between the Diptyque scent and this one. BA is quieter, less sparkly, has less of a projection but a stronger iris note, to sum it up in one sentence. So a more stately and introverted perfume with, and this may be due to the suggestive power of its name, a feeling of ancient paper (referencing the famous Papier d’Armenie, the little benzoin-soaked paper people in France, and not Armenia actually, burn to perfume their homes). The angelica of the Diptyque’s creation is replaced here by coriander in its role of the spicy element that lifts the composition. Very gentle and ideal to ease you into cool weather.It has just been discontinued, which is quite sad, but I was told it might come back as a limited edition, no doubt at (even) greater cost. But don’t despair, if you have only the Diptyque scent you are 80 % there.

– Akkad by Lubin, created by Delphine Thierry

Akkad is a much more incense-forward fragrance from the get-go, more “exotic” if you will. Olibanum, elemi and styrax all meld together to create this rich intoxicating mixture of smoke and incense, evocative of ancient temples and religious ceremonies held in city states long since forgotten by history. Not in the mystical vein of Avignon by CDG but more of an incense and amber scent built around not only resins but also cold spicy notes such as cardamom and elemi, with a touch of an animalic growl through styrax. Very evocative but maybe best for late autumn.

-Mortel by Trudon, created by Yann Vanier

This one is quite a departure from the previous three benzoin-heavy fragrances we have just discussed, but similarities include the creative decision to include fresh spices to liven  up the composition, in this case, nutmeg and pimento as well as black pepper. Myrrh, olibanum and labdanum provide the smokey incense base and heart, while sweet benzoin wraps everything up in its cuddly embrace. Out of the six scents, this is the smokiest and most “glossy”, not a million miles in terms of feeling from Chanel’s Le Lion.

-Finally to buck the trend, an outlier, the strange Nightclubbing by Celine (they never reveal their perfumer, which is a bit odd).

Nightclubbing is not immediately evocative of a cosy atmosphere you might say, but to this I reply that I don’t really think of partying when I wear this scent. I guess the reference is due to the cigarette smoke/ashtray note that is present through the use of galbanum and other notes. But to me, that’s not really off putting or particularly noticeable, it’s just a new iteration of the iris and smoke theme explored before by Iris Nazarena by Aedes de Venustas (ok, in another league I admit) or Iris Cendre by Naomi Goodsir. It’s just a very “buttoned up” autumn. Ok, it’s not really cosy but it’s a great autumn scent. No real sweetness but the powdery notes that are hard for me to pull off in real heat become manageable with cooling temperatures. See, I knew I’d mange to slip a non sweet offering in an amber selection. Actually, I’m not the most ardent proponent of layering, but this could work very well layered with Bois D’Armenie. They are linked by iris and a smokey aspect but take a different route.

What are your favourite scents for early autumn? Are they also amber scents? After all, we all picture comfort and cosiness differently. Let me know…

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One of the current political issues occupying media pundits is the upcoming presidential elections in the United States. Lots of people are wringing their hands worried about the outcome in November and following polls very closely. But anyone with an ounce of memory will recall that polling predictions were spectacularly wrong during the 2016 presidential election, predicting an inevitable victory for Hillary Clinton. We all know what happened. This begs the question: how can pollsters get it so wrong?

One explanation is of course that people are not honest about their intentions. It’s not a surprising phenomenon. After all, since our childhood we are reluctant to share information that we think will reflect poorly on us or get us in trouble. From your mother’s queries about how many sweets you had before dinner to, later in life, questions ranging from your weight or age, to reading preferences, political inclinations or religious habits, to name but a few, these questions don’t always elicit an honest response. Most people have in mind an idea of what they should reply or want to communicate to others, while their true feelings or habits might be quite different.

The social media world we live in has of course only compounded this issue, as people are constantly advertising their tastes and habits online, creating a digital version of themselves that reflects their imaginary fantasies about who they should be.

So, as a perfume lover with a sizable collection, it made me think of how this phenomenon also affects perfume tastes that are touted online. If one doesn’t consider “influencers” that may have ulterior motives at times for promoting this and that perfume but focus solely on genuine perfumista’s Instagram feeds, I wonder how many people talk about certain perfumes because they genuinely like to wear them versus because it is trendy in the perfume blogosphere?

I reflected about my own choices. Although I do not keep a daily log of which scents I wear and although I clearly wear a lot less perfumes since I’ve started creating scents, I still have a rough idea of which scents I wear the most. Not all perfumes are going to be the kind you wear every day. It is easier to wear Un Jardin sur le Nile by Hermes than say Cuir de Russie by Chanel or L’eau Trois by Diptyque. But there will be the day when only one of these “more challenging perfumes” speaks to you. Or you may just want to smell the scent without wearing it for a full day. And some perfumes, especially if you are studying perfumery, are good to have as a scent reference to understand their construction. With all of this said, I still suspect some people talk about scents they think they should like but don’t really wear, as it makes them feel more sophisticated to be in line with the arbiters of good taste.

For the sake of self-criticism, I have looked though my own collection for scents that I admire but never wear…

1. L’air du Desert Marrocain, Andy Tauer

I think I already mentioned this, but to me, this is testosterone in a bottle. Beautiful but unwearable.

2. Shalimar, Guerlain

It’s hard to wear a monument. Beautiful but not for me, although I find it fascinating to deconstruct. For a full review check my article on Chanel’s Le Lion versus Shalimar’s comparison.

3. Portrait of a Lady, EdPFM

I know the whole “frag com” will disagree, but I don’t find POAL very enjoyable to wear, beautiful as it may be. It shouts and I prefer a lady with more manners.

4. Cuir de Russie Chanel

A fantastic evocation of a bygone world. Mesmerizing but hard to pull off a on a day-to-day basis. Maybe if I drove an Aston Martin and wore leather gloves…

5. Sa Majesté la Rose, Serge Lutens

Queen of roses. I don’t really have an explanation, I just find it too baroque, so I look at it in awe but never wear it.

6. L’eau des Immortels, Voyages Imaginaires

So an immortelle soliflore is challenging and needs subzero temperatures to work. Hot sand in a bottle, I would need to live in a different time zone to appreciate wearing it.

7. Woman, Ormonde Jayne

I want to love this one but really, I never reach for it. On paper it’s my jam. Hemlock absolute, green and woody. But it doesn’t sing to me. I regularly try it to see if it gels. So far, no luck.

8. Le Cri,  Parfum d’Empire

This is a real beauty, a poem in a bottle, but something about the powdery aspect of this rose, iris, patchouli combo rubs me the wrong way and I don’t wear it often but smell it and smile.

9. Dryad, Papillon Perfumery

Well, a narcissus woody chypre, what’s not to like? The worthy descendent of Vol de Nuit.. But while the Guerlain is indeed “dated”, it is a work of art, period. You feel lucky just to still be able to smell this.  Dryad, on the other hand,  is a very well done “modern vintage” scent. And sometimes, that is even harder to pull off.

10. Ostara, Penhaligon

An ode to jonquille flower and narcissus. Easter in a bottle if you will. But something slightly sour about the composition makes it hard for me to wear. I love smelling it and if I was chic enough to live that way, would enjoying scenting my fan or handkerchief with it to have an occasional whiff of meadows in the spring.

So there you go, my guilty confession of scents I admire, and am very happy to have but don’t really wear very often (discussions about consumerism for another post). Something to think of in our age obsessed with online image. For me, deep down, perfume is personal. Wear what you want for yourself, choose something that speaks to you, that touches you, not someone else.

For anyone with a perfume collection: let me know your list, you know you have one!

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