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Hermessence range is soon to be joined by Brin de Réglisse. It is a 7th fragrance in the line, which already includes Rose Ikebana, Poivre Samarcande, Ambre Narguilé, Osmanthe Yunnan, and Paprika Brasil. While the name means “a blade of licorice” (as in “a blade of grass”, a small quantity), the composition was inspired by lavender. In the interview the perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena gave to L’Express, he described how he wanted his lavender to be intense and dry, like the lavender one smells in the South of France, when the strong cold wind (mistral) blows through the area in June. His idea was to streamline lavender and render it as a “clean line.” As he concludes, “Nothing is more complex than simplicity.” Thanks to Paola for the link.

Photo from Moosey’s Country Garden, a beautiful website about gardening.

Neiman Marcus is now featuring the limited edition fragrance by Hermès, Calèche Fleurs de Méditerranée. Originally created in 2003 by Jean-Claude Ellena, Calèche Fleurs de Méditerranée is inspired by the Mediterranean gardens and their scents–rose, jasmine, mimosa. The fragrance, airy and luminous, is based on the notes of Moroccan mimosa, Turkish rosa damascena, Egyptian jasmine, with the additional notes of beeswax and heliotrope. It is very much in the elegant and streamlined Ellena style. Only 2500 bottles of Soie de Parfum will be available exclusively at Neiman Marcus.

Moreover, Parfum-Echecs reports that Un Brin de Réglisse, a composition based on the notes of licorice, will join the Hermessence range, which already includes Rose Ikebana, Poivre Samarcande, Ambre Narguilé, Osmanthe Yunnan, and Paprika Brasil.

Photo from Osmoz.

“The story of Chanel No 5 begins in Moscow in 1912 with perfumer Ernest Beaux’s studies of the aldehyde used in Houbigant’s Quelques Fleurs. It continues in La Bocca and Cannes, France, and then is almost derailed by competition from an unlikely source,” begins the article From Rallet No1 to Chanel No5 versus Mademoiselle Chanel No1 by Philip Kraft, Christine Ledard and Philip Goutell.

Published in October issue of Perfumer & Flavorist, it presents a fascinating account of the birth of Chanel No5. One can learn why Beaux was interested in aldehydes and how Coco Chanel decided to launch her own line of fragrances (breaking the agreement with Pierre Wertheimer of Parfums Chanel) during the WWII. Moreover, the piece offers the reconstituted formulas for Rallet No1 parfum and eau de toilette as well as mysterious Mademoiselle Chanel No1. Available for purchase from the Perfumer & Flavorist website.

I have to mention my own small involvement in this piece, which was consisted of providing some historical materials as well as a sample of Rallet No1 from my personal bottle. I have long treasured this gem, and I was glad to finally break open the seal for the purposes of analysis. It is certainly great to see it on the P&F pages.

As the Flavors and Fragrances 2007 Conference brochure states, “The Osmotheque, the International Conservatory of Perfumes, was launched in 1990. Its vocation is to put together an amazing collection of 1700 perfumes (400 of them almost forgotten fragrances: jewels of perfumery). Most of them are reformulated as closely as possible to the originals by «Osmothecaires», famous perfumers such as Jean Kerléo… As one of the most relevant «Osmothecaires», Patricia de Nicolaï, herself also manager of Parfums de Nicolai, will be happy to show you the most famous perfumes which have been keyed by novel synthetic materials at their time. These important creations include: ‘Fougère Royale’ of Houbigant, ‘Rose Jacqueminot’ of Coty, ‘Trèfle Incarnat’ of Piver… and many many more.”

“The Influence of Synthetic Materials on the History of Perfumery –A Smelling Trip into the Past” is one of the presentations during the conference which will take place on 24-26 September, 2007 at Imperial College in London.

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Elegance is one of Chanel’s hallmarks, and the new packaging donned by Coco Mademoiselle illustrates this perfectly. 7.5 ml pearlized white purse-size flacon will contain the parfum version, while the sleek gold-and-white compact is intended for the limited-edition solid perfume. Lacking the sharpness of the EDT and the EDP versions of Coco Mademoiselle, the parfum makes me appreciate its luscious rose and peach set against the backdrop of patchouli and transparent mosses much more. Even if it might not sway those who are not Coco Mademoiselle fans, the richer concentration is undeniably striking. If you have tried the solid perfume, please comment. I am curious to know who it compares to the original. Although the non-alcoholic versions of fragrances are rarely produced these days, I find the idea of wearing solid perfume very appealing given its retro spirit.

The parfum (7.5ml) is priced at $100.00, while the solid perfume (8 g) is at $120.00. Available from Neiman Marcus, Saks 5th Avenue as well as directly from Chanel.com.