Madagascan cinnamon
Bergamot
Indian papyrus
Indonesian patchouli
Italian lemon petitgrain
Madagascan geranium
Persian galbanum
Provençal lavender
Virginia cedar
09/08/2022
Intersport
115 Reviews
Translated · Show original
Intersport
Top Review
19
Vaporized?!
Corps Volatils was part of the brand conglomerate under Nicolas Chabot, alongside the reactivated traditional brand Le Galion and the synthetic pop venture AETHER. The concept behind it was simple: originally 12 selected synthetic fragrance materials, all of which, as far as I understand, are from International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF), and 12 'all natural' counterparts, which in turn come from the now IFF-acquired Laboratoire Monique Remy (LMR), a significant player among French industrial distillers.
The mono fragrance idea itself is nothing new; Helmut Lang's Velviona (2001), named after the Givaudan fragrance Velvione®, was probably the starting point. Velviona never saw a reissue, but similar to other solo synthetic creations, replicas from domestic chemical kits sometimes circulate. Consequently, it would also be appropriate to mention the fragrance chemists involved in the development of such releases, but welcome to the secretive world of industrial perfumery. The corporate signature must suffice for now. This is different for the 'naturals' - here, business cards are readily presented, as in this case, that of Julien Rasquinet. Explicit authorship is likely also given, as, unlike the synthetic releases, according to the company, always two 'natural' substances are used. Distilled Geranium relies on an Egyptian geranium oil 'LMR Geranium Oil' alongside an American cedar extract 'LMR Cedarwood Heart'. These are mentioned, but questions about mixing ratios, dilutions, i.e., points that were overseen by the respective authors, remain open.
1 plus 1 plus ?
Distilled Geranium is a rather direct, reduced, geranium-heavy scent in a pink-dark green hue. Slightly woody, like the stems of wild-growing scented geraniums, with a peppery sharpness and medicinal freshness. Distilled Geranium reminds, albeit in a more muted way, of symbolic anti-mosquito sprays that rely on citronellol, a component that is also strongly represented in Egyptian geraniums, or of cosmetic products from various 'corporate-organic' supermarkets like Wholefoods & Co in the USA. Cinnamon, menthol, and mint-like notes are part of the complex scent profile of the mentioned geraniums from the Nile and are also clearly discernible here. This is not the bright mint-geranium note, as found in Robertet's (perhaps THE competitor to LMR) Geranium Heart, which indeed reminds one of Geranium Pour Monsieur (2009); rather, it is a darker, cinnamon-like mint, reminiscent of L'Anarchiste (2000) or that combination involved in the Italo-Techno-Fougère Action Uomo (1990) and recently revisited with Eau de Minthé (2019).
The presumed interplay of the two components and its effect on perceived notes remains at least speculatively the most interesting aspect. Do the impressions of bergamot and especially patchouli really only come to light through the pairing with the cedar extract, thus drifting the scent into almost jazz-heavy fougère territory? So, a kaleidoscope, despite only two fixed mirrors? Perfumer Rasquinet claims in the also co-published booklet 'Geranium in Perfumery' (Nez, 2021) that the scent is '… bolstered by lavender, cedar and patchouli' - is there perhaps more at work than just the two components as indicated by Corps Volatils?
The patchouli impression slightly clouds Distilled Geranium for me; whether through actual addition or through the chemical magic of the official contents. Finding out will be tedious; although only launched in 2020, only four of the 'synthetic' scents can be found on the manufacturer's website, in 50 instead of 15/30 ml (the threads of the initially advertised 'refillable' 30ml bottle seem to be leaking and may not quite match the external lab/techno/function aesthetic - is that where the 'volatils' in Corps Volatils comes from?), and there is no trace of the 'naturals' program; Distilled Geranium seems to have been discontinued, which unfortunately speaks to the shelf life of such concepts and flirts with industry giants. The continuous and presumably mandatory references to manufacturer trademarks and licenses push the project, similar to the Nez Notebooks, a bit too much towards being an orchestrated, chic, and in most cases also carefully edited marketing product - I would have wished Rasquinet's minimal composition a few more years, a sympathetically cool, dark green rose geranium.
As a comprehensive and openly accessible article on scented geraniums, "Blerot, B., Baudino, S., Prunier, C., Demarne, F., Toulemonde, B. and Caissard, J.C., 2016. Botany, agronomy and biotechnology of Pelargonium used for essential oil production. Phytochemistry Reviews, 15(5), pp.935-960." provides a good overview of the various scent facets of this classic ingredient.
The mono fragrance idea itself is nothing new; Helmut Lang's Velviona (2001), named after the Givaudan fragrance Velvione®, was probably the starting point. Velviona never saw a reissue, but similar to other solo synthetic creations, replicas from domestic chemical kits sometimes circulate. Consequently, it would also be appropriate to mention the fragrance chemists involved in the development of such releases, but welcome to the secretive world of industrial perfumery. The corporate signature must suffice for now. This is different for the 'naturals' - here, business cards are readily presented, as in this case, that of Julien Rasquinet. Explicit authorship is likely also given, as, unlike the synthetic releases, according to the company, always two 'natural' substances are used. Distilled Geranium relies on an Egyptian geranium oil 'LMR Geranium Oil' alongside an American cedar extract 'LMR Cedarwood Heart'. These are mentioned, but questions about mixing ratios, dilutions, i.e., points that were overseen by the respective authors, remain open.
1 plus 1 plus ?
Distilled Geranium is a rather direct, reduced, geranium-heavy scent in a pink-dark green hue. Slightly woody, like the stems of wild-growing scented geraniums, with a peppery sharpness and medicinal freshness. Distilled Geranium reminds, albeit in a more muted way, of symbolic anti-mosquito sprays that rely on citronellol, a component that is also strongly represented in Egyptian geraniums, or of cosmetic products from various 'corporate-organic' supermarkets like Wholefoods & Co in the USA. Cinnamon, menthol, and mint-like notes are part of the complex scent profile of the mentioned geraniums from the Nile and are also clearly discernible here. This is not the bright mint-geranium note, as found in Robertet's (perhaps THE competitor to LMR) Geranium Heart, which indeed reminds one of Geranium Pour Monsieur (2009); rather, it is a darker, cinnamon-like mint, reminiscent of L'Anarchiste (2000) or that combination involved in the Italo-Techno-Fougère Action Uomo (1990) and recently revisited with Eau de Minthé (2019).
The presumed interplay of the two components and its effect on perceived notes remains at least speculatively the most interesting aspect. Do the impressions of bergamot and especially patchouli really only come to light through the pairing with the cedar extract, thus drifting the scent into almost jazz-heavy fougère territory? So, a kaleidoscope, despite only two fixed mirrors? Perfumer Rasquinet claims in the also co-published booklet 'Geranium in Perfumery' (Nez, 2021) that the scent is '… bolstered by lavender, cedar and patchouli' - is there perhaps more at work than just the two components as indicated by Corps Volatils?
The patchouli impression slightly clouds Distilled Geranium for me; whether through actual addition or through the chemical magic of the official contents. Finding out will be tedious; although only launched in 2020, only four of the 'synthetic' scents can be found on the manufacturer's website, in 50 instead of 15/30 ml (the threads of the initially advertised 'refillable' 30ml bottle seem to be leaking and may not quite match the external lab/techno/function aesthetic - is that where the 'volatils' in Corps Volatils comes from?), and there is no trace of the 'naturals' program; Distilled Geranium seems to have been discontinued, which unfortunately speaks to the shelf life of such concepts and flirts with industry giants. The continuous and presumably mandatory references to manufacturer trademarks and licenses push the project, similar to the Nez Notebooks, a bit too much towards being an orchestrated, chic, and in most cases also carefully edited marketing product - I would have wished Rasquinet's minimal composition a few more years, a sympathetically cool, dark green rose geranium.
As a comprehensive and openly accessible article on scented geraniums, "Blerot, B., Baudino, S., Prunier, C., Demarne, F., Toulemonde, B. and Caissard, J.C., 2016. Botany, agronomy and biotechnology of Pelargonium used for essential oil production. Phytochemistry Reviews, 15(5), pp.935-960." provides a good overview of the various scent facets of this classic ingredient.
11 Comments
Rivegauche
