Shanghai sample raffle (newsletter-subscriber exclusive): the winners are Marc, Adrienne, Lee, Aurélie, Jonah. I’ve contacted you via email.

Now and again, walking down a street in Paris, I catch a whiff of Shalimar. According to the latest bestseller lists—compiled by companies whose entire business rests on the arcane practice of counting doors and tracking fragrance sales—Guerlain Shalimar remains among the top ten best-selling perfumes in France. If that is true, then excellent. Few perfumes deserve to be worn, loved, and admired as much as Shalimar.

What makes Shalimar extraordinary is its paradox. It is sumptuous, yet startlingly modern; ornate, yet almost linear in its construction. One could even call it a precursor to the Sophia Grojsman style: a bold block of high-impact materials, softened and ornamented with delicate flourishes.

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For the past twenty years, Bois de Jasmin has been my home. It has grown with me on countless journeys through perfumery, cultural curiosities, writing, and life’s unexpected turns. Many of you have been reading since the early 2000s; others joined along the way. All of you made this space what it is: a place shaped by scent, curiosity, beauty, and thoughtful conversation.

As I prepare for my upcoming trip to Ukraine and work on a new project, I feel the pull toward a different kind of writing, deeper, more personal, more expansive than a traditional blog format easily allows. Which is why, after much deliberation, I finally created a Substack, Bois de Jasmin Circle.

So what is my Substack about?

In short:

It’s a space where creativity, scent, and culture help us survive chaos, told through my journeys in Ukraine and around the world. As a journalist, I’ve worked in and written from conflict zones, and those experiences changed how I understand beauty, ritual, and the role of creativity in dark times.

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At Notes Shanghai, the Born to Stand Out booth was impossible to miss. A blaze of red, pop-art prints, and crowds three rows deep—all trying to get a whiff of the brand’s latest releases. I admit that I hadn’t heard of this Korean house before the fair, but a perfumer friend insisted I stop by: “They’re doing something interesting,” she said. She was right.

The founder, Jun Lim, guided me through several perfumes, but the one that immediately caught my attention was Black Crème, a new creation by Quentin Bisch. If you know Bisch’s style—those bold, ambery-woody harmonies that manage to be both extroverted and impeccably polished—you’ll recognize his hand here at once.

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I’m delighted to announce a new online seminar dedicated to one of my favorite flowers—osmanthus. It’s a completely new course based on my recent research and studies of this unique perfume note.

During this 1.5-hour class, we’ll explore osmanthus in all its beauty and complexity. Together, we will:
• Learn how osmanthus is processed and what to look for perfumes with this note  
• Train our noses through guided smelling exercises
• Learn how to detect notes and identify accords in perfumes
• Practice different techniques for scent analysis and memorization
• Discover the most beautiful osmanthus perfumes I’ve encountered—including many new creations I smelled during my recent trip to China
• And, as a special treat, I’ll share a recipe for osmanthus honey I learned from a tea maker in Hangzhou. Can be used for other flowers.

I’m preparing a trip to Ukraine, and I’m raising money to buy art supplies for Kyiv’s Children Art School. The proceeds from this seminar will support that initiative.

This is brand-new content, distinct from my previous osmanthus classes. It reflects the latest discoveries and insights from the vibrant contemporary perfumery scene I experienced in China.

If you love flowers, perfumery, or simply want to refine your sense of smell, this class will be an inspiring and sensory journey.

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes (live on Zoom)
Price: €65 per participant
Small class size to keep it interactive
Date: November 15, 2025, Saturday, 12:00-13:30 EST/18:00-19:30 CET
Replay available for registered participants

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Shanghai greeted me with the shimmer of rain and neon lights, and within hours of landing, I was already on stage at Notes Shanghai, a major perfume exhibition, speaking about the future of niche perfumery.

I shared a thought that stayed with me throughout the fair: the future of perfumery will belong to those who can tell stories with sincerity. The industry does not need more polished copies of Parisian classics; it needs new voices, new references, and new ways of translating memory into scent. In Shanghai, I felt as if I was watching that future take shape.

Once my presentation ended, I wandered through the exhibition hall. The first day seemed lively, even as the exhibition hall was still in the final setup stages. Brand owners spoke with visitors, indie perfumers put the final touches on their displays, buyers compared notes. The mood was relaxed, almost festive. I have been to many fragrance events, but Notes Shanghai stood out. It felt alive, spontaneous, and genuinely joyful. Every stand was like an invitation to discovery.

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