I’m delighted to bring back my newsletter! Here you’ll find reflections and stories I don’t publish anywhere else—behind-the-scenes notes, sensory explorations, and previews of projects as they take shape. As a welcome gift, I’ve prepared a short guide to the art of cologne: it includes a simple accord you can recreate at home, along with a carefully chosen selection of remarkable colognes to discover. Subscribe here.

This autumn, I am launching a new seminar, Fragrances that Influenced History—a journey through perfumes that not only shaped how we smell, but also how we understand art, fashion, and society. These are the first two parts of a longer seminar, each one hour in length, designed to introduce you to the milestones of modern perfumery. The class is interactive and its size is kept small to ensure that everyone can participate comfortably.

Fragrances That Influenced History

Location: Online, Zoom (recording available)

Date & Time: 1h

Fragrances That Influenced History Part 1 September 20th, Saturday 1:00pm-2:00pm EST/6:00pm-7:00pm CET   SOLD OUT 

Fragrances That Influenced History Part 2 September 28th, Sunday 1:00pm-2:00pm EST/6:00pm-7:00pm CET   SOLD OUT 

Part I: The Dawn of Modern Perfumery
We will begin with the late 19th and early 20th centuries—the moment when modern perfumery was born. You will discover Coty’s La Rose Jacqueminot and Guerlain’s Jicky, perfumes that marked the transition from traditional essences to a new, modern aesthetic. We will discuss how synthetic materials transformed perfume creation, and how these innovations paralleled the bold experimentation in visual arts and literature. You will learn what accords are still used today and how niche perfumery continues to be inspired by the legendary perfumes of the 19th and early 20th century

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My newsletter is back! You’ll receive content I don’t share anywhere else — behind-the-scenes notes, sensory musings, and glimpses of work in progress. As a thank you for being part of my newsletter community, I’ve created a short guide on the art of cologne, including a simple accord you can try yourself and a curated list of exceptional colognes worth sampling. My hope is that it inspires you to smell more deeply and find joy in these timeless compositions. Subscribe here.

I’ve always been fascinated by the way perfume travels. A vial of rose attar distilled in Kannauj might find its way to a perfumer’s bench in Kyiv, while the scent of pomelo blossoms perfuming a courtyard in Hanoi could inspire a new fragrance accord in Tokyo. The history of perfumery has always been one of exchange of ideas, raw materials, and traditions. That’s one of the main reasons I became interested in aromatics and devoted more than 20 years to studying them.

This October, I will be continuing this journey as I travel to China. I’ve lived and worked in different countries in Asia, but this is going to be my first trip to China. Before I travel to Beijing and Chengdu, I will start at Notes Shanghai 2025, the premier international exhibition dedicated to fine fragrance. From October 16–19, the West Bund International Convention and Exhibition Center will transform into a meeting place for more than 200 fragrance brands from around the world, alongside forums, cultural programs, and the live judging of the Golden Osmanthus Awards.

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Чай та османтус: Ароматна спадщина Китаю (українська версія)

When I traveled in Vietnam, I sat at a low wooden table in Hue and learned incense-making from a master. It rained outside and the scent of blooming osmanthus filled the studio with its languid fruity aroma. The master ground woods, resins, and spices before binding them into sticks with makko powder. The recipe, he explained, had Chinese origins: agarwood, sandalwood, clove, borneol. These were ingredients once carried along the great trade routes, linking temples, courts, and homes. Watching him, I realized how much of perfume’s history rests on such exchanges.

China’s scent culture is vast. It ranges from temple incense to osmanthus blossoms in autumn, from precious agarwood to the steam of a teacup. Western perfumery rarely bottles these traditions directly, but their influence lingers, shaping some of the most interesting fragrances of the last decades.

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From Agarwood to Osmanthus: Perfume Journeys through China (English)

Коли я подорожувала у В’єтнамі, я сиділа за низьким дерев’яним столиком у Хюе й навчалася мистецтва виготовлення пахощів у майстра. Надворі йшов дощ, і аромат квітучого османтуса наповнював майстерню своїм м’яким фруктовим ароматом. Майстер розтирав деревину, смоли й прянощі, а потім з’єднував їх у палички за допомогою порошку макко. Рецепт, пояснив він, мав китайське походження: агарове дерево, сандал, гвоздика, борнеол. Це були інгредієнти, які колись перевозили великими торговими шляхами, що поєднували храми, двори та домівки. Спостерігаючи за ним, я зрозуміла, наскільки історія парфумерії тримається на таких обмінах.

Китайська культура запахів величезна. Вона охоплює храмові пахощі й осінні квіти османтусу, дорогоцінне агарове дерево й пару від чашки чаю. Західна парфумерія рідко прямо втілює ці традиції, але їхній вплив залишається відчутним, формуючи деякі з найцікавіших ароматів останніх десятиліть.

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Guerlain Shalimar L’Essence (українська версія)

When a house like Guerlain marks the centenary of its most famous perfume, expectations run high. Shalimar is more than a fragrance; it is a myth. Born in 1925, Jacques Guerlain’s creation was radical in its structure: a dazzling bergamot opening tumbling into smoke, balsams, and a warm, animalic vanilla base. It was perfume as sensation, unapologetically modern and deeply sensual.

Shalimar L’Essence, launched in 2025 by Delphine Jelk, does not attempt to recreate that audacity. Instead, it revives the formula of Shalimar Millésime Vanilla Planifolia (2021), a limited edition that quickly became a cult favorite. Fans of that release will be pleased to know that L’Essence brings the same opulent, liqueur-like vanilla into the permanent collection.

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