Radiance: 2 posts

The Idea of Radiance and What It Means in Perfumery

Radiance in perfume is an elusive quality. The best way of understanding it is to envision a candle burning in a dark room, its glow lifting the dark shadows. A radiant fragrance is not necessarily a strong smell—it follows the wearer at a few paces, but it’s neither heavy nor overpowering. Capturing this duality seems impossible, but perfumers are adept at creating illusions.

Calice Becker is one such creator, and her fragrances illustrate the idea of radiance. Her Tommy Girl contains a green tea accord so luminous that it seems fluorescent. Another trendsetter is Becker’s Christian Dior J’Adore, a layer of flower notes as tightly woven as the millefiori ornaments of Murano glass. Perfumery students learn the craft much like artists, by copying the work of the masters, and when I was trying to achieve the variegated radiance of J’Adore, its complexity and nuances mesmerized—and confounded—me. Despite the conventional saying that too much knowledge kills the mystery, the experience made me appreciate both Becker’s craft and J’Adore’s lingering glow.

Continue reading →

Perfumes That Glow : Radiance

Happy 2017! I thought that it would be fitting to start the year by talking about radiance. Radiance in perfume is an elusive quality. The best way of understanding it is to envision a candle burning in a dark room, its glow lifting the dark shadows. A luminous fragrance is not necessarily a strong smell – it follows the wearer at a few paces, but it’s neither heavy nor overpowering. Capturing this duality seems impossible, but perfumers are adept at creating illusions. So in my FT column, Mesmerisingly radiant fragrances, I describe how the radiant effect is produced and give some of my favorite examples.

radiance

Calice Becker is one such creator [known for her radiant perfumes], and her fragrances illustrate the idea of radiance. Her Tommy Girl contains a green tea accord so luminous that it seems fluorescent. Another trendsetter is Becker’s Christian Dior J’Adore, a layer of flower notes as tightly woven as the millefiori ornaments of Murano glass. Perfumery students learn the craft much like artists, by copying the work of the masters, and when I was trying to achieve the variegated radiance of J’Adore, its complexity and nuances mesmerised – and confounded – me. Despite the conventional saying that too much knowledge kills the mystery, the experience made me appreciate both Becker’s craft and J’Adore’s lingering glow. To continue, please click here.

What are some of your favorite radiant perfumes?

From the Archives

Latest Comments

  • Valentyna in What Do Perfume Concentrations Mean?: Is that Niral on your photo? I’m on the fence whether to buy a bottle now. It’s beautiful, but fades away within an hour from my skin and I am… September 28, 2023 at 5:19pm

  • Aurora in Pink Berries or Pink Peppercorns in Perfumes: Pink pepper is so popular, it is inthe top notes of Le Couvent Fort Royal and as you would expect Fragrantica got confused and describes it as wild berries. I… September 26, 2023 at 2:54pm

  • Judith R in Feel-Good Perfumes: Although traditionally summer is the time for lighter fragrances, I enjoy the lightness of L’Eau de Hiver in winter. This past summer, I wore Love Coconut almost exclusively; the scent… September 25, 2023 at 7:22am

  • Luv Max in Christian Dior Dune : Perfume Review: I have been a lover for Dune since in the nineties… I only wear it in winter , it gives that rich aunty feeling. Dune it’s one of my favourites… September 24, 2023 at 3:16pm

Latest Tweets

Design by cre8d
© Copyright 2005-2023 Bois de Jasmin. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy