What’s inside a perfume? Where do the raw materials we use come from? How is a fragrance composed? We’ll tell you, without filters and without haste.
Every raw material has a story. Here are the ones we love most and why we choose them.
The bergamot we use comes exclusively from the Calabrian Ionian coast, where the microclimate gives the citrus fruit a unique radiance. It is the first note you notice when you spray one of our perfumes: fresh, sunny, and slightly spicy. We love it because it opens the composition without ever being intrusive—like a discreet smile.
The rose is the soul of many of our compositions. We use Bulgarian Damascena Rose absolute, hand-picked at dawn when the petals are still covered in dew. It takes about four tons of petals to obtain just one kilo of absolute. In our laboratory, we treat it with respect, letting it breathe before blending it with other accords. It is not just a flower: it is a distilled emotion.
Oud — or agarwood — is perhaps the most controversial and fascinating raw material in perfumery. Ours comes from an artisanal distillery in northern Laos that only processes naturally infected wood, without chemical forcing. It has a smoky, leathery profile, with sweet nuances of dried fruit. A single drop is enough to completely transform a composition.
Jasmine is a theft. Its flowers must be picked at night, when the aroma is most intense, because sunlight degrades the essential oils. We work with a small producer in Grasse who reserves the best batches for us. In the laboratory, we use it sparingly: a trace of jasmine can illuminate an entire accord without ever becoming the protagonist.
Ambergris is a rarity: a secretion produced by sperm whales that drifts in the ocean for years before washing up on beaches. Today, we use an ethically identical synthetic alternative—Ambroxan—which gives compositions a warm, saline, mineral trail. It is our preferred fixative because it does not flatten the notes but envelops them, prolonging their persistence without altering their character.
The iris — or rather, its rhizome — is the most patient ingredient in perfumery. After harvesting, the rhizomes must be dried for at least three years before they can be distilled. This long rest develops a molecule called irone, which imparts that powdery, elegant, almost tactile note we love so much. In our laboratory, batches of iris are smelled every month to track their development. One cannot be in a hurry with iris.
Three interesting facts about the world of artisanal perfumery that you might not know.
It happens often: you smell a perfume on a blotter and fall in love. Then you try it on your skin and… it’s different. It’s not a defect, it’s chemistry. The skin’s pH, body temperature, and even diet influence how a fragrance develops. Warmer skin amplifies the top notes and makes the base notes evaporate faster. Dry skin holds fragrance less effectively. This is why every creation of ours is tested on multiple people before being finalized. A perfume is never the same for everyone — and that is its magic.
In our laboratory, after compounding a formula, we let it rest in dark glass demijohns for a minimum of four weeks. This process is called maceration: the molecules of the various essences bind together, the edges soften, and the notes blend. It is like letting a wine decant after bottling. Skipping maceration means selling an immature perfume, which will behave differently on the skin after a few weeks. We are in no rush.
Every perfume is built like a pyramid. Top notes are the first you smell and the first to fade — citrus, aromatic herbs, light spices. They last from 5 to 30 minutes. Heart notes emerge later and are the character of the perfume — flowers, fruits, warm spices. They last from 2 to 5 hours. Base notes are the foundation, what remains on the skin for hours — woods, resins, musks, vanilla. A good perfume is a balance between these three levels. Too much top and it disappears immediately. Too much base and it doesn't evolve. The art lies in the balance.
In our laboratory, there are no assembly lines. Every ingredient is smelled, evaluated, and tested. Every formula is written, rewritten, left to rest, and revisited. We don’t manufacture perfumes—we cultivate them. And like everything living, they need time, attention, and a pinch of imperfection to make them human. Because a handmade perfume is recognizable: it is never the same twice, and that is precisely what makes it special.
