09/28/2025
Sapho
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Sapho
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The perfume of the land where milk and honey flow
Judith Muller was born in Hungary and spent her childhood and youth in the care of her wealthy Jewish family. She dreamed of becoming a perfumer when the Second World War broke out and shattered her dreams. The family fled to Israel and the young woman initially served for a time as a sergeant in the Israeli army. There was a shortage of cosmetics there, so Judith decided to set up her own cosmetics company to supply the army. After her first attempts, she wrote: "I found out I knew more than nothing but less than something aubout beautician's work." She decided to go to Paris to study the art of perfumery. In 1964, she returned to Israel and opened a cosmetics institute and perfume factory in Haifa. Judith had already developed a strategy for her work as a perfumer in Paris. She sought inspiration for her creations in the traditional writings of the Jews, using mainly locally sourced raw materials, which she processed using modern methods. She remained true to this concept throughout her life. She pursued the approach of creating perfumes that relate to certain personalities in the Tanakh. This is how 'Judith' came about, and this perfume is not named after its creator, but after the mythological avenger who first seduced and then massacred the Assyrian general Holofernes. Those who do not have the pretty scene in front of their eyes may enjoy the picture of Artemisia Gentileschi, who lovingly reproduced it in all its gory detail. The perfume was born in 1975, a tart combination of desert rose and herbs of Carmel with a hint of oakmoss and musk. I found the list of perfume notes on Cleopatra's Boudoir. Top notes are aldhyde, fruity notes, bergamot, hyacinth, lemon and orange; heart notes: Jasmine, carnation, orchid, iris, desert rose, cyclamen and ylang ylang; base notes: Oakmoss, sandalwood, musk, amber, cedar, benzoin, caramel and cinnamon. I have to admit that I can't understand the details of this. For me, Judith is an oriental chypre, harsh, powerful, overwhelming, not for the faint-hearted, rather for the more bloodthirsty among my sisters and thus does full justice to its namesake.
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