Talc IUNX 2018

When Mark Behnke from ‘Colognoisseur’ compiled his top 25 list of new releases for 2019 a few weeks ago, Olivia Giacobetti's fragrance ‘Talc’ landed in second place, just behind ‘Weinstrasse’ by Chatillon Lux, which Mr. Behnke declared the ‘Perfume of the Year 2019’. ‘Weinstrasse’ seems to be a rather special, but certainly original perfume, which cannot be said of Olivia Giacobetti's scent. Her trademark is not exuberance, the wild mixing of divergent notes to achieve a shrill effect. No, what characterizes Giacobetti's art is her transparent yet present style, the silky yet robust texture of her compositions, their refinement, and perfect blending. She is truly not a scent punk, rather a haute couture perfumer with a penchant for understatement. And the adjective ‘sublime’, no matter how snobby it may sound, is well-deserved for all of Olivia Giacobetti's fragrances - especially ‘Talc’.
But let's take it step by step.

When I read about the new IUNX scent on Mark Behnke's site, I was already a bit intrigued, as a new Giacobetti fragrance has become a rare event. Far removed from the increasingly short-winded and hectic perfume market, Madame takes her time and completely withdraws from the madness of today's marketing strategies. She can afford to: she has a name and presumably a loyal clientele. One store is enough for her. Online, her fragrances can only be ordered directly from her, as well as a part of her portfolio from another Parisian shop. That's it.

Since I have been a big fan of Olivia Giacobetti's creations since her L’Artisan days and also really like rice, iris, and ambrette notes, I was quite sure that I would enjoy ‘Talc’. Mark Behnke's enthusiastic praise only added to my anticipation, and soon after, the fragrance was mine - untested, one of those unloved ‘blind buys’ that I had actually forbidden myself, having been wrong a time or two before.
But I was not disappointed!
‘Talc’ smells fantastic. However, you MUST like powder, talcum powder. Anyone familiar with the wonderfully old-fashioned smelling Italian talcum powder ‘Felce Azzurra’ will have a rough idea of the direction the IUNX scent is heading.
‘Felce Azzurra’ smells much more fougère, distinctly of lavender, nutty-powdery-sweet coumarin, and light musky clouds. ‘Talc’, on the other hand, smells more modern: rice absolute, white iris powder, cedar, and ambrette seeds form a perfectly balanced, minimalist quartet that you may not have smelled exactly like this before, but certainly something similar. A Giacobetti fragrance is, as mentioned, usually not a paragon of originality, but her scents are always exceptionally well made. This is also true for ‘Talc’. The few notes are extremely well coordinated, with the iris powder initially taking on the role of the protagonist. Flanked by aromatic-dry rice notes, it rests on a bed of light woods and subtly scented ambrette seeds reminiscent of grappa and musk.
With so few main players, it’s hardly surprising that the scent development is not particularly dramatic, but it is not linear either. The ambrette seeds unfold a rather surprising volume in the base and give the fragrance what it previously lacked: body.

Which brings me to the inspiration. Olivia Giacobetti writes on her website:

“Talc by IUNX is inspired by Butoh, a Japanese dance form characterized by extreme slowness, poetry, and minimalism.”

When looking at images of this Butoh dance, the inspiration becomes understandable: the dancers are usually completely powdered white, giving them a statuary, almost petrified appearance. The thick layer of powder and the slow movements allow their muscle and facial expressions to stand out particularly well, creating an impressive contrast - lifeless minerality on pulsating skin.
And indeed, the fragrance behaves quite similarly: a powdery layer of iris, rice, and cedar settles over the warm musky body of the ambrette seeds. This creates the abstract olfactory idea of powdered skin, not necessarily perfumed skin, rather fragrant skin.
Powdered skin with ‘Felce Azzurra’, on the other hand, smells much more perfumed, and that's how it should be. After all, in earlier eras, people often tried to cover body odors with scented powder. With ‘Talc’, that certainly does not work. It will not neutralize a strong sweat odor, as it is far too transparent and delicate for that. A dense powdery musk cloud like ‘Felce Azzurra’ can manage that, at least for a while.
No, ‘Talc’ rather requires clean skin and washed clothes. Only then can the fragrance wrap around the wearer like a veil, caressing them.

Thus, 'Talc' also has no excessive projection, remaining close to the body and developing a radiance of up to an arm's length with generous application. Close to the body, the fragrance remains perceptible for a long time, surprisingly long for an EdT. It even clings excellently to clothing.
Since I had already expected that ‘Talc’ would not be a scent powerhouse (Olivia Giacobetti's fragrances are all rather understated, moderately present works), I immediately ordered the 150ml bottle, but I was not prepared for such a gigantic flacon. It is taller than a wine bottle, resting in a cylindrical black foam case that certainly does not fit in any normal shelf. Where to put this monster?
I still don’t know. For now, it just sits on my dresser, but I thoroughly enjoy using it generously - such a giant bottle easily yields more generous amounts than a pretty mini bottle with a small amount of extrait inside...

However, over-perfuming with ‘Talc’ is likely to be difficult - the fragrance is so inoffensive that it is, at least for me, a true pleasure.
Many other fragrances force me to my knees with their annoying longevity and booming loudness - not so with ‘Talc’.
The scent has a really wonderful, effortless presence, like all Giacobetti fragrances, actually.
But I’ve already mentioned that...