White Florals: 21 posts

Few perfumers navigate the intersection of creativity and technical prowess as deftly as Dominique Ropion. His track record reads like a résumé designed to impress even the most jaded observer: Dior Dune, Givenchy Amarige, Thierry Mugler Alien and Lancôme La Vie est Belle. I had the privilege of working with Ropion at IFF, where I discovered not only his brilliance but also his generosity as a teacher. Which, of course, makes me a suspiciously biased judge. And yet, years spent smelling everything from the sublime to the regrettable have, I hope, earned me a modicum of distance.

All the same, I couldn’t resist a visit to 27 Rue Marbeuf on a recent trip to Paris, where the Aphorismes by Dominique Ropion boutique gleams like a Fabergé egg in its display case. Ropion has partnered with Habib Al-Sowaidi, founder of Le Royaume du Parfum International, a company known for developing gilded concepts and equally gilded packaging. Judging by the boutique’s hyper-luxurious décor and the prevalence of oud and creamy musks in the collection, the aesthetic here leans toward a particular idea of opulence. Let’s call it “majlis meets Place Vendôme.”

The collection comprises six perfumes, each with names that suggest either simplicity or whimsy: A Rose is a Rose, Crazy Garden, Encens Insensé, Innocent Tuberose, My Clémentine, and Oud à l’Amour. We are told they offer “modern takes on classical fragrance families.” This promise intrigued me. Ropion is not the sort to do things by halves.

And indeed, each perfume is immaculately constructed. The ingredients are superb. The compositions shimmer and glow. They last for hours and leave trails that are as finely calibrated as a line of perfectly placed pearls. Even Oud à l’Amour, the collection’s heavy-hitter, has a transparency that makes it more Veuve Clicquot than vintage port. My Clémentine is a sunny splash of bitter orange with the fizz of champagne bubbles, and it stays that way far longer than physics should allow.

But something was missing. These perfumes are models of elegance and restraint. Impeccable, yes. But I found myself searching for a pulse. Once the blotter was set down, I struggled to recall anything beyond the flawless execution. At first, I blamed myself. Perhaps I had become too critical. But then I smelled Prada Purple Rain and Serge Lutens Cracheuse de Flammes and felt the old jolt of excitement return. So I kept revisiting Aphorismes, searching for the elusive spark.

It came faintly in Innocent Tuberose. Ironically, the most predictable of the group. A lush, creamy white floral that demonstrates why Ropion is a master of this genre. It opens with a refreshing hit of citrus, like an iced finger bowl, before plunging into a riot of petals and musks. A bracing green note of cardamom and blackcurrant leaf cuts through the cream, providing just enough contrast to make the richness feel less like dessert and more like dinner at a Michelin-starred spa.

As the hours pass, what remains on the skin is a soft blur of petals anchored by woody notes that evoke cold roots and moss. It’s still a white floral, still unmistakably Ropion, but tempered, like an indulgence that’s been given a gym membership.

Fans of Frédéric Malle’s Carnal Flower will find Innocent Tuberose an easy pleasure. I should know; I wore Carnal Flower on my wedding day, and I still reach for it with fondness. Does Innocent Tuberose unseat it? Not quite. Where Carnal Flower has those jagged edges that make it human, Innocent Tuberose is smoother, more polished, and perhaps a little too perfect. Like a face that has never known a sleepless night.

And then there’s the price. As always with perfection, it doesn’t come cheap.

Aphorismes by Dominique Ropion Innocent Tuberose includes mandarin, grapefruit, bergamot, orange blossom absolute, ginger, cardamom, pink pepper, cassis, muguet, tuberose, ylang ylang, jasmine sambac, lactones, Cashmeran, cypriol, vetiver, ambergris, musk. Available directly from the boutique and Jovoy in Paris. Very expensive.

With the holidays behind us and still too many winter days ahead, it’s important to find ways to add a splash of color to the grey, cold mornings. I reach for my brightest dresses and scarves and add swirls of saffron and paprika to my food, evoking sunshine and warmth. Or I rely on white floral perfumes to create a vivid ambiance.

White flowers may call to mind bridal veils, but there is nothing prim and pastel about the scent of tropical blossoms like tiaré, frangipani, ylang ylang, tuberose or jasmine. They have a voluptuous aroma reminiscent of warm skin, coconut milk and petals sticky with nectar. The synesthetes among perfumers swear that white flowers smell purple and pink, rich and saturated, and it’s true that wearing a white floral perfume makes me feel as if the day is brighter.

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One of the paradoxes of perfumery is that to create a good smell, you need a bit of funk. A strawberry accord won’t smell convincing without a sulphurous accent. Recreating a dewy white blossom requires the same substances that are present in horse sweat. There is even a space in every perfume lab devoted to materials with strong, reeking odors, and it’s appropriately called “the stinky room.” Next to the roses and vanillas in a perfumer’s palette, notes reminiscent of dirty hair, musty fur, burnt toast or decaying fruit have their place of honor–costus, musks, civet, pyrazines and many other pungent ingredients. They may be used in small quantities, but they’re important enhancers, giving vibrancy, texture and spice to an otherwise conventional fragrance.

Traditionally, the raunchy notes in classical perfumery were of animalic origin—musk, civet, and ambergris. Today they have been replaced by their synthetic analogs, but they play the same role, warming up a composition and giving it a lush character. Chanel No 5 wouldn’t be the marvel that it is without a cocktail of musks that lingers under the layer of champagne-like aldehydes, rose and jasmine. In Hermès’s Calèche, a whisper of sunwarmed skin keeps this refined blend from becoming icy and aloof. Even more unexpected is Cartier Déclaration, a citrus cologne with a shot of cumin, a spice with a distinctly sweaty odor. For a proper bombshell you could turn to Schiaparelli Shocking, which transforms musk, honey, and civet into a symphony of ripeness.

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As a counterpart to my article and video Three Men’s Fragrances for Women : Modern Classics, I would like to talk about women’s fragrances for men. In a way, this is a more complicated topic, because men’s fragrance styles are more conservative and limited than those intended for women. On the other hand, I’m constantly inspired by my readers here who experiment and wear different types of perfumes, and I wanted to offer a few words of encouragement to those who’d like to follow their lead.

First of all, if you like certain types of scents, disregard their gender classification. The one unexpected benefit of social distancing these days is that it gives you space to try something that you wouldn’t otherwise. Also, reconsider fragrance notes and their associations. The reason I selected tuberose for my example is because it can be adopted by anyone, men and women.

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What flower evokes all things lush and sensual to you? To me, it would definitely be tuberose. This blossom has many elements that make it complex and voluptuous, from the sweetness of its fruity facets to the creaminess of its coconut facets. Tuberose contains lactones, hence the coconut effect, but it also includes indoles, aroma-molecules that lend it a particularly smoldering and intriguing character. So nuanced is tuberose absolute that with few adjustments it can be made into a proper perfume. On the other hand, so distinctive is tuberose that a clever blend of coconut and another white floral can give a believable tuberose effect to a floral bouquet.

Talking about tuberose, I think that it makes sense to expand the discussion and include a few more excellent examples as well as to highlight tuberose scents that would work for men. This note lends itself to experimentation.

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