Its symbolism is based on ears of wheat, the emblem of wealth and fertility since ancient times. Epidor is a bucolic fragrance that evokes harvest time, a season of utmost importance for farmers in the French countryside a century ago. A joyful, sunny period, it was also a rare opportunity for young people to meet and kindle romances. To illustrate this special atmosphere, Epidor has included a generous amount of tonka bean, which releases the aromas of vanilla, new mown hay and almond.

The head note is very musky, while the orange blossom heart develops a soft floral accord of jasmine and violet. The base is highly concentrated in tonka bean (coumarin) with facets of fresh-cut hay, frangipane and vanilla, leaving a persistent, suave fragrance trail.

The ripe wheat swayed yesterday in the summer breeze. The blond sheaves now lie scattered on the ground and the laborers have filled their jute sacks with the golden grain. The village girls lay down their sickles, and in a shady copse, quench their thirst in the stream. They’ll dance tonight to celebrate harvest’s end. A peddler came by yesterday, and now, their skin is fragrant with orange blossom, mingling with jasmine and violet. Their rough smocks have a musky scent, and notes of fresh-cut hay and frangipane tart swirl in the air. While darkness descends upon the fields, they close their eyes for a moment, giving way to their dreams.

• Top Notes: Violet, plum
• Middle Notes: Jasmine, orange blossom
• Base Notes: Cedarwood, sandalwood, tonka bean, vanilla
• Created: 1912 (original) / 2017 
• Perfumer: Thomas Fontaine

The futuristic freshness of Javanol, a sheer sandalwood molecule, is at the heart of the new fragrance pair from Escentric Molecules

For Escentric 04, perfumer Geza Schoen took inspiration from the grapefruit accents in Javanol. The result is a uniquely fresh interpretation of a sandalwood fragrance, fizzing with crisp, bitter topnotes of pink grapefruit peel. Juniper and pink pepper give an extra shot of freshness, and marijuana brings out the softer quality of the grapefruit pith.

The heart is orris with a ‘fresh soft rose’ that Schoen composed from four different rose materials. The drydown is balsamic and woody with Javanol in combination with the somewhat sweeter sandalwood molecule, Polysantol. 

• Perfumer: Geza Schoen
• Created: 2017

Exotic, complex notes that merge together into a beautiful oriental woody abstraction.

Rising from a snow-covered landscape, delectable vapours of green citrus fruit, peppermint-frozen magnolia, crystal clear moss and musk. A woody amber accord provides a touch of warmth.

The Muse: Egyptian Geranium

A very special variety of geranium -- not to be confused with the red blooms that grace window boxes --, Pelargonium graveolens, whose name means “sweet-scented”, yields one of the most versatile essences in perfumery. Distilled from the leaves of the plant rather than its flowers, it has long been used as a fresh rosy note, hence its vernacular name, “rose geranium”. Ever since the late 19^th century, it is one of the key materials of the masculine fougère family. In Pelargonium, the perfumer Nathalie Feisthauer draws geranium from the depths of the fragrance pyramid to display its complex facets.

The Scent: Pelargonium

A strikingly elegant still life in scent, Pelargonium portrays its namesake ingredient like one of the mysterious floral compositions of Dutch Golden Age paintings. Described by Nathalie Feisthauer as “aromatic, with a crushed-leaf facet, less fruity and more balsamic than rose, almost incense-like”, geranium Egypt acts as the central motif of this intriguing composition.

The perfumer starts by stretching a canvas of cool orris notes on a neat cedar-wood frame. Then she paints a dark, smoky background of vetiver Haiti, guaiac wood and moss.

Shot through with glints of green cardamom, the golden light of Calabrian bergamot suffuses the scene, caught by richly textured ingredients that bring volume and contrast to the composition. The herbal sweetness of carrot enriches the orris accord; ambery clary sage suggests the softness of velvety leaves.

Lemony, peppery, incense-like elemi resin enhances both the fresh and balsamic facets of geranium. As a haze of musks smooths out its edges, Pelargonium’s stately bouquet takes on a spare, abstract beauty.

• Top Notes: Bergamot, mandarin, clary sage, black pepper, Sichuan pepper, cardamom
• Middle Notes: Egyptian geranium, orris, carrot seed, elemi resin
• Base Notes: Cedarwood, vetiver, guaiac wood, musk, moss
• Perfumer: Nathalie Feisthauer
• Olfactive Group: Aromatic 
• Created: 2017

A rose garden surprised by the first frost. Powdery accords defined with aquatic nuances.

• Top Notes: Frosted mandarin, pink pepper, lychee, watermelon
• Middle Notes: Rose, violet
• Base Notes: Sandalwood, ambroxan, heliotrope
• Olfactive Group: Powdery floral
• Perfumer: Nicolas Bonneville
• Created: 2016

Glycolierral®

Though fragrance chemistry can’t yet say “green” in quite as many ways as Nature, today its variegated palette goes far beyond “grass” or “Granny Smith”. Thus, Givaudan’s herbaceous Glycolierral® captures the cool scent of a crushed ivy leaf – hence the name given by Givaudan to the molecule, from the French word for “ivy”, lierre.

THE SCENT: Thinking Green

Say it with a long “o” – Shisõ – and in Japanese, it means “modern thought”. With a short “o”, it trips over the tongue with the uniquely complex flavor of the shiso leaf. An iconic herb in Japanese cuisine, shiso is seldom featured in fragrance. But its smell – a blend of mint, basil and cumin with a metallic flash -- has long fascinated Bertrand Duchaufour. In shi_sõ, he spins it into an arrestingly modern take on a classic genre, the eau de Cologne, replacing citrus with a kaleidoscope of green notes. The zesty bite of cardamom. A sprig of cool spearmint. Lemony verbena. Raspy blackcurrant. Soapy almondy anise. Tart rhubarb. Glycolierral® wraps the bracing blend in a sweet, milky, sap-laden effect.