i love aldehydes: 20 posts

Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Sicily provides an interesting example of using a heavy dose of aldehydes (effervescent aroma-materials made famous by Chanel No 5)  in a modern composition. Created by Nathalie Lorson for Dolce & Gabbana in 2003, Sicily rests its floral-aldehydic heart upon the vanillic oriental base. The result is an unexpectedly seductive juxtaposition of soapy notes and powdered honeysuckle, which gently allude to the sun tan oil before segueing into the creamy sweetness of sandalwood. …

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Pure White Linen is a younger sister to Estée Lauder classic White Linen, a fragrance that should be mentioned in the course of any discussion of great American perfumes. The elegant simplicity of the composition created by the perfumer Sophia Grojsman in 1978 is fascinating. While White Linen appears to be built in bold blocks of aldehydes, florals, woods, amber and musk, the entire arrangement is so beautifully balanced that one cannot but admire its unconventional form. Pure White Linen weaves the elements of the original in such a manner that the resulting fragrance retains the classical Lauder character while nevertheless possessing the modern aesthetic sensibility. …

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Poignantly elegant and refined, Lancome Climat is a beautiful arrangement in which green notes are set against the lustrous glow of aldehydes and then blended into the waterfall of flowers. It touches with its ability to remain like a piece of gossamer fabric floating in the wind, while possessing a decadently sensual richness afforded by the animalic notes on which Climat rests its diaphanous form.

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

“Aldehydic mist on white petals” immediately predisposes one to think of fragrances like Chanel No. 5 (1921) and Lanvin Arpège (1927). Just like Coty Chypre (1917) and Guerlain Mitsouko (1919), itself an offspring of Chypre, set the gold standard for the variation on the chypre genre, Chanel No.5 with its cocktail of aliphatic aldehydes, reminiscent of metallic dust and candle wax, became the inspiration for many aldehydic florals. However, Véga is a Guerlain, both in its joyful rendering of the chilly aldehydic theme and the vanillic warmth pervading its elegant form. As it smiles through the radiant veil of flowers, Véga makes sweet promises, many of which it fulfills.

Composed by Jacques Guerlain in 1936, Véga was recreated by Jean-Paul Guerlain for the opening of the renovated La Maison Guerlain in the summer of 2006, thus initiating a yearly tradition of bringing back a long lost Guerlain classic from the past. …

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Serge Lutens La Myrrhe is the essence of the moment when the sunlight enters through the stained glass windows of an old church, bathing its cold stone in iridescent glow and lending a jewel-like splendor to the liturgical vestments and the vessels of the altar. The contrast between the light and the dark is what makes the fragrance one of the most intriguing compositions resulting from Serge Lutens and Christopher Sheldrake’s partnership.

The classicism of La Myrrhe (1995) is of misleading nature as it orchestrates its accords in a modern manner. The opalescent white veil of aldehydes that unfolds in the top accord almost hints at the floral waterfalls that are about to cascade softening the chilly breeze. Yet, instead of bergamot, rose, jasmine and ylang ylang of classical aldehydic compositions, La Myrrhe’s icy aldehydes become overlaid with sweet citrus, before falling into the heart spiced with anise. ….

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