Synthetic Nature

Synthetic Jungle

Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle 2021

"Interesting perfumery really started at the end of the 19th century, because there were some synthetics available. Perfumery as we know it today has big doses of synthetic, and furthermore, if you want to recreate nature, you need synthetic.
I love nature, it really needs to be preserved, don't get me wrong, but this idea that everything from nature is great and everything from man is awful is a kind of new fascism."
Frédéric Malle, Interview with The Perfume Society, 14.10.2021

"Synthetic Jungle" is a genuinely honest perfume - it does not pretend that no aroma chemicals were used to create it in all its beauty and freshness.

Who doesn't know this... almost every perfume sales associate recites the little mantra:
"Here are almost (!!!) only natural substances in it, that's why the scent is much higher quality, of course, it has its price."
A promotional flyer is pulled out and the customer sees the sacred pyramid before her:
"Lemon from Sicily, mandarin from Corsica, sandalwood from India, lily of the valley from Georgia..." - everything supposedly soooo natural and very expensive.
Almost none of these advertising claims are true.
Anyone who REALLY wants something 100% natural must look into the alternative sector, which occupies a very broad space here on Parfumo, as more and more users are testing and really enjoying these "artisanal scents". (Good for them!!!) These are real niche products from non-industrial production that have nothing to do with the mainstream we encounter at Douglas, etc.
What I find cool and brave about Malle is the fact that he does not promote his expensive edition scents with the trendy natural narrative, but clearly admits that modern, industrially produced perfumes cannot do without the often negatively portrayed synthetics. Even "Jicky" contained the artificial vanillin that made Guerlain seem so innovative at the time. It really depends on HOW synthetics are used and what effect is to be achieved.
"Synthetic Jungle" starts with a huge dose of galbanum "in your face".
I love this material and suspect that it was collected somewhere in the Alborz Mountains near Karaj in Iran. But perhaps the chemistry experts among us know more about galbanum here... can it be synthetically replicated?
After the galbanum blast, a sweeter accord of jasmine and lily of the valley immediately sets in, playing with all facets of the two materials: green-fresh, wet, green-dark-steamy, jasmine-animalic, white-radiant, white-clean-synthetic.
In terms of impression, the scent now reminds me of classic models like "Alliage".
After a while, a slight patchouli note joins in, grounding the scent beautifully and making it an unpretentious companion for hours.
No fluff, no sweetness, no unnecessary ballast. A very clear formula, a path through the jungle of modern perfumery, which personally does not excite me as much as it did 15, 20 years ago... -
No, this is not a "everything was better in the past" lament, but rather a hymn to Anne Flipo and Monsieur Malle, who dared to compose and market a consistently green, fresh scent without caring about current trends.
This is how I envision a true "edition scent" - and that's why it ticks "all the right boxes" for me.
Perhaps "Synthetic Jungle" will appeal even more to perfume lovers
- I wish it that!