Kovex

Some perfumers and scent houses have a recognizable handwriting that often docks to the same receptors in our brain. I'm not thinking only of the famous Guerlinade but much more of perfumers like Francesca Bianchi, Annette Neuffer, Elisavet Isabella Sacky, Kurkdjian to name just a few.

A few years ago I didn't pay enough attention to the name of the artists behind the scents. Until two events happened almost in time and I noticed that I had now reached a new level.

It was one of the many trivial fragrances under some brand name that I forgot again. I smelled it and knew immediately that it was a Geza Schön creation. And lo and behold, I had typed correctly. Proud to have recognized a perfumer for the first time, I realized that I had trained my sense of smell well by now and was now able to vary my approach to fragrances.

The second event was that I noticed that the name Bertrand Duchaufour was most prominent in my collection. Without specifically searching for his scents, more of him came in the course of time, only one thing I didn't know yet: his handwriting.

It was the same with The Tycoon. Never heard of the brand St Giles, let alone the scent, part of a sample pack, so again such a random lucky hit, which we all chase after, don't we?

The Tycoon begins with a refreshingly alcoholic light green Barbershop note, but from the outset radiates an elegant casualness that is more reminiscent of life experience than youthful rebellion. Citrus aromas, which rather give away their sour notes than give away their summery-fruity tangyness, hardly have a chance against the growing galbanum. Its light green, pastel notes emerge like the fresh shoots of grasses on the first days of spring.

For me, a fragrance he couldn't fit better than March. The month that can not decide whether it still belongs to the winter or rather initiates the spring. When the morning air is cool, when the first rays of the sun are still fighting against the gusts of wind, the tycoon is bursting with energetic cool green freshness, which fortunately lacks any possible flower sweetness.

For me, the tycoon connects two differentiated sensory impressions that one can have of a person or his scent impression. On the one hand there is this tart, almost dry and brittle light green freshness, which conveys a certain objectivity and distance, which should do justice to a tycoon, because of the renunciation of sweet parts. On the other hand, the fragrance is so straightforwardly clean, well-groomed and clean that one automatically wants to indulge in the seriousness of the wearer in a feeling of familiarity. Two impressions, which at first sight don't want to belong together, but which create an interesting tension between closeness and distance.

The Tycoon is a very persistent smell, which survives a long working day without problems, whereby a smell development hardly takes place here. With a discreet presence, it provides its wearer with a constant aura of solid solidity and unpretentious stylistic confidence, which conveys life experience as well as a certain authority.

The bottle is of simple, straight-lined elegance and an accuracy that does justice to its content

The creative director responsible for St Giles, Michael Donovan, has engaged Bertrand Duchaufour for all his 5 works, but this was apparently only a temporary project, because some of the scents, like the tycoon, are already officially no longer available. With a little luck you will find what you are looking for in selected British perfumeries.

Meanwhile, I can usually recognize them blindly even with a handful of perfumers. On the one hand there is the style, the raw materials used, but also the personal preference of the creative.

Bertrand Duchaufour also has a handwriting, but I still don't know which one it could be. Many of his creations are too different and independent. But all his fragrances have one thing in common: they appeal to me in a special way, inspire and fascinate me. Probably he has a super secret additive - a kind of pheromone for scented junkies - which he adds to his works. Something's gotta be in there. I just don't know what it is yet.

I thank Ergoproxy for the sample.

If you take a look at my collection you will notice that there are mainly fragrances with autumn/winter orientation. This is not due to the fact that I like the cold seasons so much (on the contrary: if it were up to me, spring and summer would alternate constantly), but to the fact that I have simply not found any summery scents so far that would let me go to my knees in ecstasy.

This has changed with the discovery of Coros. At this point many thanks to Ergoproxy who left me this sample.

The brand Acqua die Sardegna, little known in this country so far, was founded in 2008 by Mauro Aprea, after he had previously moored as commander of a ship in Alghero - Sardinia, fell in love with the island and the idea of capturing the history of Sardinia on the basis of the element that was closest to him: water.

Various lines were created (Klassik, Maijda and Scalo Porto Cervo) to enable visitors to Sardinia to take home some of the impressions they had gained. Crystal clear seawater whose surf strikes the cliffs of the rocks overgrown with broom, the smell of white myrtle at dawn of a new day, lush saffron on the milky fields of the hinterland, fig leaves on the narrow paths interspersed with woody aromas along untouched beaches with their typical smell of seaweed. While each of these lines goes its own way, they all have in common to capture the mysterious beauty of Sardinia.

This is also expressed in the design of the flacons. While the containers themselves are supposed to remind one of a sea wave, the lids are supposed to evoke associations with a bollard in the harbour to which the ships are attached.

The new "Sandalia Luxury Collection" line created in 2017, which also includes the fragrance Coro discussed here, is the spearhead of Acqua di Sardegna's fragrances, also in terms of price. A line which tells of the mysterious myths and legends of Sardinia, the fall of the fairies (Domus de Janas), prehistoric tower buildings (Nuraghe) and the Obsidian valley (Monte Arci), whose black colour of the semi-precious obsidian is found in the colouring of the bottles of this line.

The fragrance Coros refers to the prehistoric rock tombs Domus de Janas (houses of the fairies) from the time of the Ozieri culture about 5 - 6 thousand years ago. Legend has it that fairies, sheltered by fig trees between cistus and mastic bushes, told secrets and spun gold threads that are symbolically depicted on the front of the Coros bottle.

Coros opens with gentle hesperidias that are less reminiscent of a typical citrus attack than of opening a window of the beach house when the morning sun blows the aromas of the surrounding Mediterranean vegetation through the window with its first warmth. In addition the humid surf of the sea which in its turn is able to strengthen the fresh impression.
Already after a short time the typical green and unsweet smell of figs appears, whereby I can hardly distinguish fruit and leaf olfaktorisch. I like that very much, the smell of figs has only become conscious and familiar to me through this hobby. The fig processed here shows itself in an uncanny creamy facet embedded in a delicate green fruit sweetness. The resins mentioned in the heart note with their quite citric, but also spicy peppery aromas complement the fig perfectly to create the above-mentioned image of a Mediterranean landscape. This fresh spring-like impression now remains for hours until Coros ebbs away in the sensual and musky perception of ambrette and very light patchouli.

The bottle and especially the fragrance look very noble and valuable. You can feel the quality of the ingredients. Here no bad synthetic bites (synthetic is not bad per se!), but the happy moments are produced, when you - arrived on holiday - finally make the first course to the seashore, suck in the fresh and unusual Mediterranean air of the surroundings and unite all the impressions. Vacation captured in a bottle.

Now that I've found a perfect summer fragrance for myself in Coros (a bottle was already allowed to move in with me), I'll probably have to get to grips with this interesting brand in order to make my collection more balanced with regard to the seasons. Anyway, the odds are not bad. After well over a thousand tested fragrances, finally an olfactory experience in a class of its own again. I'm thrilled.

The marketing strategists haben´s simply on it. Something new is needed. Who wants eau de toilette, eau de parfum, perfume, perfume Intense? The upsurge will be silly sometime. I'm sure there's more to it, don't you?

To judge the ancient art of alchemy soll´s. The study of the properties of substances and their different reactions to each other is predestined for application in the perfume industry. Alchemy. Basically geht´s about chemistry and pharmacology. Just a little more mysterious. But beware: Hermetica also uses natural raw materials.

Revolution number 1: combining synthetic and natural fragrances

The mode of action of the originally applied alchemy can of course only be achieved if the perfect molecular-chemical connection with the skin can be established. The global Symrise Group has spared no expense or effort to develop the unique patented technology Innoscent ™ for this purpose. Only with it has it been possible to bring natural philosophy and synthetics into harmony. This is impressively represented on the brochure in the form of a chemical formula of the three fragrances in combination with terms such as "revelation", "enlightened" and "the first day on earth". The name: Source1. I'm gonna pee my pants.

Can there be more? Oh yes, it can!

Revolution number two:

Alcohol-free. Can you believe it? As a perfume junkie, he's already on the gas, could that be the end of all lasers? Finally no more the constant sniffing at the wrist or shirt collar? Alcohol-free without withdrawal symptoms?

Only the hard-core self-test helped. As expected, Source1 has an oily consistency and can therefore be worn in the sun, according to the manufacturer. Even has caring properties. That would have almost become revolution number 3, if it weren't for the oil stains...

Enough revolutions. In principle, it smells like the fragrances mentioned above. You don't have much to expect. A top note does not really exist, I don't want to talk about a development at all. It is a woody ambered scented oil with citric-spiced colouring. Not unpleasant but nothing special at all. Goes to every season and for both - oh no, there is now a third sex - so ok: all sexes. Maybe others can think of more. I don't. It's definitely good for layering. With Molecule01. Or something.

Whether my early childhood passion for everything Japanese or the marketing department of The Merchant Of Venice evoke my associations cannot be said with certainty. In any case, for me Asian Inspirations embodies the essence of Japanese culture like no other fragrance.

The basis for the strong need of the Japanese for harmony was already laid in Japan's first constitution in 604 AD. It was a kind of law, which also regulated many questions of manners and courtesy to create harmony. It was also the time when Buddhism reached Japan and, together with the influences of Taoism and Confucianism, led to a syncretic and harmonious coexistence with the ancient Japanese religion Shinto. The goal always remained the same: Harmony

The pursuit of this harmony is evident in many areas of public life. If you want to fathom the less public life of the Japanese with all its rituals, polite phrases and etiquette in an original way, you have to go to the mountainous hinterland of Japan.

Asian Inspirations takes me on a journey to traditional Japan, far away from the big cities. A narrow road leads along a hilly road between countless small densely overgrown mountains. From time to time the vaulted, golden roof of a temple flashes out of the dark green overshadowed slopes. Countless water landscapes. The teahouse nearby is deliberately kept very simple to give its guests the opportunity for inner contemplation. The air has now become clearer and more humid. The splashing of water is omnipresent, yet there is a soothing, almost inert silence in the air.

Asian Inspirations starts off with an extraordinary green-spicy freshness that immediately reminds me of clear mountain water that, on its narrow path through the densely overgrown banks lined with mosses and herbs, runs crystal clear into a pond of koi carp.

While a delicate carpet made of the finest suede leather is the basis for the fragrance quite early on, the other spices, herbs, woods and resins do not even try to fight for supremacy. Vetiver also subordinates itself, although it serves as an unsweet, stable framework next to the flanking woods, to which deep green spices and rounding mild resins are added.

Everything merges into a perfect symbiosis that radiates calm and serenity but also a quiet authority.

Asian Inspirations is a rather soft fragrance with moderate sillage and medium shelf life. But here I find these characteristics perfectly balanced and in harmony with the fragrance. After 4-5 hours he has withdrawn very closely and leaves behind a delicate melange that has something gently meditative about it.


Since the scent has neither flowery nor sweet parts in it I see it almost more on the men's side against my previous commentator, although the statistics (see right) speak against me ;)

The concept of being in perfect harmony with nature, of allowing peace to return and of finding one's way to oneself seems to me to have been excellently implemented here. A concept that should work even better in today's hectic and fast-paced world. It does for me.

At the beginning of my perfume days, when I was still unregistered and sneaking around here, I was drawing my perfume samples for lack of knowledge of a souk, mostly on online platforms. This led to the fact that I came ignorant partly at Vintage samples (and these naturally also used up), for which or other lovers would surely give a fingertip. Okay, sei´s drum. It served the olfactory expansion of my consciousness, so all is well.

Like many newcomers, the Top100 was my first orientation aid. I quickly realized that Guerlain was occupying a special position here. Vetiver was completely unknown to me and my curiosity was aroused all the more because this scent of vetiver grass roots had never consciously entered my nose

When I opened the cap on the vintage mini bottle, I didn't know that this was going to be the beginning of a great passion for fragrance. It was my first actively worried rehearsal.

*

When the 21 year old Jean-Paul Guerlain set off for his uncle's company on a spring morning in 1958, he had no idea that he would receive the order to achieve great things.

His uncle Jean-Pierre Guerlain, who ran the company together with his brother Jacques, watched with suspicion as Carven's vetiver fragrance, launched in 1957, became increasingly popular. The fact that Guerlain had not created an independent men's fragrance since the appearance of Mouchoir de Monsieur in 1904 prompted him to commission his nephew to modernize the fragrance palette

Inspired by Carven's Vetiver, Jean-Paul wanted to create the smell of a gardener. Tobacco and grass should be the central scents. He was symbolically inspired by the Gitanes-smoking gardener of a friendly family.

*

Carefully and curiously I probably trickled the original version of Vetiver on the back of my hand. The prelude was slightly aldehydic. It reminded of the cool, hazy freshness of a foggy morning in the country. The way in which mandarin, coriander, nutmeg and wood played a green-fresh and at the same time hoarse cello based on the smoky vetiver grass root was unique. Later, Jean-Paul created a salty-ashy note, unique at the time, which smelled golden and clear like semi-dried tobacco leaves.

*

When Jacques, who was still chief perfumer at the time, smelled his nephew's creation for the first time, he got goose bumps, so authentic was the gardener's theme. When he told the then Guerlain spokesman - a certain Roja Dove - about it, it was decided, contrary to the original plan, not only to expel Vetiver in South America, where Vetiver grass had been known since 1840 and was used in many ways.

From unconfirmed sources (Long live the legend!) it emerges that Vetiver went through three reformulations. Launched in 1988, the version is still considered today by connoisseurs to be the roundest and greenest in the best sense of the word (whereby vetiver oil smells smoky rather than leafy green). It unfolded a rough, wind-blown, natural warmth from dried grass and moist roots that clung to a minimal soapiness.

The version from 2000 had a brighter and friendlier appearance with intensified citrus fruits and tree moss, as a replacement for the tender oak moss, which fell victim to the allergen regulation. However, this version was gratefully accepted by all those who had their difficulties with the typical soapiness of many scents of bygone times.

The currently available version (the one with the green wooden lid) has all potentially allergenic ingredients expelled. Rumour has it that the change to the current version was accompanied by the unification of flacons in 2016.

Here fresh, green-juicy vetiver has the sceptre in its hand from the very beginning. Citrus notes, as spicy and fresh as a sunny spring morning after a rainy night. The warming morning sun is reflected in the dew drops on the meadow. The grass on the damp-steamy ground stretches towards the sun with lust. While over time nutmeg and pepper contribute a little seriousness, the fragrance always appears clean, serious and strikingly masculine.
While many vetiver fragrances focus on the smoky, spicy notes, which can sometimes be quite harsh, Guerlain has succeeded in giving the vetiver a green lightness and freshness that make it perfect for the warmer days - and perhaps for this very reason.

Even if Jean-Paul sometimes claims today that the formulation is still the same as it was then, I take note with a wink of the eye and am pleased that this grandiose classic has been very successfully reformulated into the present day. I would also like to recommend it to younger people, who want to counter the current fragrance taste. From my point of view, he may have completely discarded associated opaduft attitudes.

After the test of my vintage rehearsal, I first approached the subject via Guerlain's "Vetiver Extreme" (which is supposed to appeal to a younger clientele). All the more reason for me to be happy to be at the original today.