Lists: 145 posts

Thank you very much for your interest in my Ukrainian Perfumery Seminar, which I will run with Olga Gritsenko on March 14th via Zoom. We still can accommodate a couple of people.

March 14, Friday,  12:00-13:00 EST
50€ Book Now (recording available)

The proceeds will benefit Kyiv’s Children Art School, which offers free art classes to children and supports their healing process. Thank you for your generous support. Donate Now

Every spring, the hills near Aubrac, a village in the department of Lozère in southern France, are draped in a carpet of daffodils. Narcissus poeticus is renowned for its fragrance, and the narcissus of Lozère has such a sweet, rich aroma that it’s one of the few varieties used in perfumery. Its essence is also one of the most expensive, since not only does a kilogram of narcissus absolute require a whole field of flowers, the process of obtaining the aromatic substance from the petals is complex and time consuming.

The result, however, is prized, because distilled narcissus has a fragrance unlike any other blossom. It smells of sun warmed petals, but also of leather, warm spices and earth. It never fails to amaze me how such a delicate spring flower can hide an autumnal aroma and such a range of nuances.

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Mimosa is a winter flower that holds the promise of spring. One of my most vivid childhood memories is seeing Georgian florists in Kyiv set up their mimosa stands in the last weeks of February. My mother would buy a big bouquet whenever we passed by and bury her face in the yellow flowers. Mimosa is happiness. Mimosa is a ray of sunshine.

In Belgium, mimosa comes either from Italy or France, and when the florists receive it, just like the Georgian mimosa vendors of my youth, they also display it in the street. How can anyone resist a yellow splash of mimosa? Even more inviting than the color of this flower is its scent. It’s delicate yet surprisingly persistent, filling my entire apartment with its nuances of violets, almonds, and cucumber peels. The temptation is to look for a similar interpretation in a bottle of perfume.

One of the classical interpretations is found in Jo Malone’s Mimosa and Cardamom, where the light, creamy aroma of the mimosa flower blends with the cool freshness of cardamom, creating a bright, uplifting effect. Powdery floral notes frame the mimosa and meld into the soft musky base. While the mimosa impression is not the most natural, it’s nevertheless close.

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My wedding outfit wasn’t white. It was green, because in the western part of India where my husband’s family originates and where we were married, it means the color of life, spring and rejuvenation. Since then I have been paying more attention to this color, and the scents associated with it. In perfumery green can be suggested by a variety of materials, from naturals like violet leaf and galbanum to synthetics such as leaf alcohols that smell of freshly cut grass.

Green notes, however, can be difficult to wear, which is why, though this perfume family has many loyal fans, it remains small. We prefer our scents of freshly cut grass and new leaves in the air, rather than in the bottle. Nevertheless, certain green fragrances have become classics. One is L’Artisan Parfumeur Premier Figuier. It creates its signature fig accord with the clever combination of ivy, leaves and galbanum. The latter is a fennel-like plant that produces a pungent smelling essential oil. When carefully dosed, however, galbanum conjures up the vivid colors of spring—young buds, new leaves, damp earth.

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If I had to pick only one perfume to wear throughout winter, it would be neither a smoky incense nor a warm amber. I could even survive the cold days without sumptuous white florals or dark spices. I couldn’t, however, go through winter without a citrus cologne. More precisely, my ideal winter fragrance is based around the zesty, bright note of mandarin. In preparation for my Citrus and Cologne classes, I decided to offer my perfect citrus selection.

The reason I pick citrus for these months is that it feels uplifting and bright on days when nothing else does. In addition mandarin is unique because it’s the only citrus essence with a pronounced floral facet. Mandarin shares aromatic compounds with orange blossoms, tuberose and Concord grapes, which is why even the simplest mandarin compositions have an unusual complexity.

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Lavender is one of the most misunderstood perfume ingredients. “Too simple” is a common response from many who’ve long grown to associate it with aftershaves and soaps. Among perfume materials, lavender may not have the femme fatale allure of jasmine or tuberose, but in terms of versatility, the essence derived from the tiny violet flowers outflanks much more exotic blooms. You can find it in fragrances all over the perfume map.

The scent of lavender captures the essence of summer, and few visitors to Provence in August are unmoved by the heady aroma wafting from the fields. This experience inspired perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena to create Brin de Réglisse for Hermès. Brin de Réglisse marries lavender with licorice, salty with sweet. It sounds unusual, but the combination works perfectly. You can close your eyes and smell the sun warmed grasses and the salty Mediterranean breeze of the French Riviera.

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