Brazil’s Massive Fragrance Market

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Kafkaesque

Glass Perfume Bottles–Swedish art. Source: pixels.com

Brazil‘s roaring fragrance market is the largest in the world, and the country has an incredibly strong perfume culture. I thought it would be interesting to take a closer look at the figures, what sells, who buys, and the best-selling fragrances for both men and women.

As always, I would like to stress that I have no background in finance, economics, marketing, or anything remotely mathematical in nature. I do not claim to be an expert on any of those things, there are limits to how comprehensive I can be in a single article, and I write about what interests me, as well as what I have access to. If you are more interested in another country, you can always check my prior pieces on the U.S. and international fragrance markets, the late 2013 U.S. industry figures, the global fragrance market, and the celebrity perfume industry. Finally, please note that all of my articles focus on the commercial fragrance markets, not the niche one.

THE OVERALL ECONOMIC FIGURES:

Photo: Luxuryactivist.com

Brazil is a country that adores fragrance and, as a result, it is the largest perfume market in the world. Every research group I’ve seen makes that last point, often in a tone of great admiration. To quote a Cosmetics Design article from March 2014:

By 2013 Brazil was already the most valuable fragrances market in the world, worth more than US$6 billion, built on the back of high per capita consumption as Brazilians use, on average, three times more fragrances by volume than consumers in the U.S., the next most valuable market.

It is such a valuable market than five of the major fragrance houses in the country (being Givaudan, IFF, Firmenich, Symrise and Takasago) invested around R$160 million in Brazil in recent years, making Sao Paolo one of the most important cities in the world in terms of development of fragrances, behind only New York and Paris.

IFFs rising stock prices. Source: FoxBusinessnews.com

The aromachemical giants’ investment has paid off. If you read my prior pieces on U.S. and global sales, you will see that each company points to Brazil as one reason for their strong sales in the emerging markets. In a few cases, those emerging market figures have helped boost the company’s overall bottom line quite substantially.

The Luxury Activist website has compiled some overall figures for the beauty industry in Brazil, based on reports from Euromonitor and a wide variety of other sources:

Top Beauty segments in Brazil in 2012 by sales

Hair care products: 4 billion US$

Alcoholic Fragrances: 2.7 Billion US$

Men’s Shaving products: 2 Billion US$

Deodorants: 1.7 billion US$

Bath products: 1.7 billion US$

Children beauty products: 0.6 Billion US$

Alcoholic Fragrances and deodorants have been growing by 15% every year on the past 5 years.

source: girlandboything.com

According to a recent Premium Beauty News article, Brazil’s fragrance industry is so profitable that it is actually one of the driving forces for the growth of the global market as a whole:

Brazil was among the fastest growing markets in the last five years, with CAGR [Compound Annual Growth Rate] of 13.6% in local currency terms. While growth will slow over the next five years, Brazil will retain leadership of the global fragrance market, forecast for sales of $5.1 billion in 2017.

For Brazilians, wearing fragrance has become a daily ritual, with 90% owning and 84% wearing it regularly. [Emphasis in the original.]

WHAT SELLS & WHO BUYS IT:

The Cosmetics Design report talks about who is buying perfume and the reasons why. It mentions how men play a key role in terms of perfume sales, “consuming 48.7% of fragrances by volume.” Furthermore, even the poor buy a lot of perfume, almost as much as the very richest households in terms of overall quantity. What drives all this? The article quotes a finding by the Canadean research firm that consumers seek “‘to affirm particular visions of femininity or masculinity, including the use fragrances [sic] to deliberately break gender stereotypes[.]'” However, consumers are also motivated by a desire to try novel, new scents and/or to pamper themselves.

Natura fragrances. Source: their website.

Most of these scents are not expensive ones. According to Euromonitor, 90% of fragrances purchased by the Brazilians are mass-market creations! As a whole, two national brands control 60% of the market share, Natura and O Boticario. Remember the aromachemical companies and the R$160 million that they’ve spent on expansion? Well, according to the Euromonitor, they’re making fragrances for the Brazilian national companies, in addition to creating some for international brands.

I found a 2010 Euromonitor PDF report which gives a little more information on perfume sales and, in particular, best-selling brands:

Megan Fox ad for Avon’s Instinct. Source: trendhunter.com

In common with many other categories in Brazilian beauty and personal care, fragrance sales are typified by a very low presence of premium brands. In Brazil, the premium segment accounts for a mere 6% of the total fragrances market, and the best-selling brands are primarily those from mass-priced direct sellers such as Avon and Oriflame. This is in stark contrast to most other countries with a value market of equal size to Brazil: in the USA, for example, premium brands accounted for 79% in 2008. The difference stems again from the high taxes on luxury goods in Brazil, and also the comparatively far lower disposable incomes. [Emphasis added by me.]

One of Natura’s boutiques in Brazil. Source: naturabrasil.fr

While most perfume sales in Brazil center on mass-market local creations, the more recent Euromonitor report indicates that there is a possibility for consumers to start buying international and more expensive fragrances from the premium sector. Generally speaking, and based on what I have seen when the term is used for American sales, the “premium” sector seems to center on fragrances in the US $60-$80 range, while luxury appears to be defined as those priced at a little over $100. However, that is merely my personal observation, and is limited to U.S. pricing.

Brazilian pricing is significantly more inflated because the country imposes a whopping tariff on imported goods. The tax is well over 40%, so many consumers go abroad to purchase their high-end perfume. “In fact, the average price for premium fragrances in Brazil is more than double that of the US, at over US$100 per 50ml.” So, when the Euromonitor is talking about Brazilians possibly move away from mainstream, local scents into more expensive perfumery, there is a definite obstacle in their path.

Source: blog.jellyweb.com.br

On the other hand, Sephora has recently arrived in Brazil, and is sure to have an impact on sales of “premium” fragrances. The Euromonitor states:

While there are undoubtedly difficult challenges for premium fragrance brands to overcome in order to get a strong foothold in Brazil’s fragrance loving-market, Sephora’s presence is sure to shake up the field. As the use of fragrances is deeply embedded in the country, Brazil is forecast to not only have the highest volume per capita in 2016, but also to be the third highest spending country in per capita terms, behind only the Netherlands and Switzerland. [Emphasis added by me.]

PREMIUM FRAGRANCE BEST-SELLERS: THE TOP 30 FOR MEN & WOMEN:

I find all these numbers and figures useful, but they don’t really give me a good sense or feel of what it is like for the average perfume lover in Brazil. I don’t know Portuguese, so I’m hindered in trying to get a more micro understanding of the culture, but I found it interesting to browse the perfume section of Sephora Brasil‘s website. There, they have the horrifying Nicki Minaj perfume bottle, along with Joop!, Taylor Swift‘s Wonderstruck rollerball, and Azzaro men’s fragrances. Sephora also seems to have an exclusive for Guerlain (La Petite Robe Noire seems to be successful, as it is everywhere) and Armani creations.

What gave me a slightly better sense of what is going on was the Luxury Activist‘s list of best-selling fragrances. I assume he is talking solely about international “premium” perfumes, since the other reports listed above state that 90% of fragrances purchased by the Brazilians are mass-market creations and only 6% are “premium” brands. So, do keep that in mind when you read the list.

According to the site, Brazil’s Top 30 best-selling women’s (premium) fragrances in 2012 are:

J’Adore – Christian Dior with 4.9% of market shares
212 VIP – Carolina Herrera
Flower by Kenzo – Kenzo
CH – Carolina Herrera
212 Carolina Herrera
Hypnôse – Lancôme
212 Sexy – Carolina Herrera
Lady Million – Paco Rabanne
Ange ou Demon – Givenchy
Ck One – Calvin Klein
Dolce & Gabbana – Dolce & Gabbana
Ck Be – Calvin Klein
L’Eau d’Issey – Isssey Myake
Tommy Girl – Tommy Hilfiger
Gabriela Sabatini – Gabriela Sabatini
Amor Amor – Cacharel
Black XS for her – Paco Rabanne
Very Irresistible -Givenchy
Nina – Nina Ricci
Armani Code for women – Giorgio Armani
Dior Addict 2 – Christian Dior
Angel – Thierry Mugler
Diesel Fuel for Life for Her – Diesel
Anais Anais – Cacharel
Kenzo Amour -Kenzo
Femme – Montblanc
Eternity – Calvin Klein
Amarige – Givenchy
Lolita Lempicka – Lolita Lempicka
Organza – Givenchy

Source: boots.com

In analysing the top 30 of best selling feminine fragrances, here is what we can say from a olfactory taste point of view. 40% of these fragrances are floral fragrances. J’Adore by Dior, Very Irresistible or Anais Anais are the floral spectrum of brazilian women taste for florals. Anaïs Anaïs has been in the top selling fragrances for decades in Brazil, along with Chanel N.5 and the modern florals like J’Adore and Very Irresistible, have taken the lead.

Nevertheless, we can see that Orientals and modern orientals represent now 32% of best selling fragrances, which is new. In deed, Fragrances like Hypnôse by Lancôme, Black XS for Her and even Angel by Thierry Mugler, have found their place in a market getting more and more mature and sophisticated. […][¶]

At last, we can see that brands like Carolina Herrera, Paco Rabanne and Givenchy have several fragrances in the top 30. These 3 brands invested the brazilian market for a very long time and they are very powerful there. [Emphasis added by me.]

Enrique Iglesias for Azzaro Pour Homme Photo: Steven Klein. Source: fashionwindows.net

For the men, the Luxury Activist has this top 30 list for 2012:

Azzaro pour homme – Azzaro
Ferrari Black – Ferrari Profumi
One Million – Paco Rabanne
212 Men NYC – Carolina Herrera
Joop! Homme – Joop
212 VIP – Carolina Herrera
Kouros – Yves Saint Laurent
Polo – Ralph Lauren
Hugo – Hugo Boss
Polo Blue – Ralph Lauren
CH Men – Carolina Herrera
212 Sexy Men – Carolina Herrera
The One for men – Dolce & Gabbana
Black XS – Paco Rabanne
Acqua di Gio pour homme – Giorgio Armani
Montblanc – Montblanc
Polo Black – Ralph Lauren
L’Eau d’Issey pour homme – Issey Miyake
Fahrenheit – Christian Dior
Lacoste Essential – Lacoste
Armani Code – Giorgio Armani
Tommy – Tommy Hilfiger
Le Mâle – Jean Paul Gaultier
Dolce & Gabbana pour homme – Dolce & Gabbana
Kenzo pour homme – Kenzo
Ck One – Calvin Klein
Diesel Fuel for Life for him – Diesel
Euphoria Men Intense – Calvin Klein
Eternity for men – Calvin Klein
Play – Givenchy

The masculine market is more traditional with best sellers like Azzaro, Polo, Kouros, Fahrenheit or even Hugo. All fragrances with more than 20 years old. Carolina Herrera, Paco Rabanne and Calvin Klein have also a strong dominance. 3 main olfactory structures share the market. Little advantage with Aromatic structures leading the market by 42%, followed by Woody fragrances by 31% and Orientals for 27%.

One Million ad. Source: toptenplus.com/

The arrival of One Million by Paco Rabanne at the 3rd place represents a new entry, which is less aromatic and more oriental despite of some woody and yet fresh-aromatic start.

The Luxury Activist has the most detailed, lengthy list of anything I’ve seen thus far, but the Perfume Shrine has something rather similar for the female best-sellers, though not for the men. According to the Perfume Shrine (which is using NPD information and the testimony of two individuals, including Renata Acshcar who runs Brazil’s Museum of Perfume), the top 3 best-sellers for men in 2012 were:

Source: tienda.murlana.es

Paco Rabanne pour Homme
Polo by Ralph Lauren
212 Men (Carolina Herrera)

What I found more interesting there was the discussion in the comments. Specifically, the concrete example from one Brazilian, “Henrique/Rick,” about just how much more expensive the “prestige” fragrances can be in Brazil:

About the taxes, to have an idea of how much more we pay, a normal Carolina Herrera Scent in the 100ml bottle can easily cost the price of a Chanel Exclusif in USA (and a Chanel Exclusif in the 200ml bottle cost something around 430-440 dollars).

It’s obviously an astronomical difference from the prices of the same products in America. As Henrique/Rick stated in his comment, without that huge tariff, Brazilians would undoubtedly spend even more than they already do.

ALL IN ALL:

Brazil’s passion for perfumery across every socio-economic strata leaves many other countries in the dust. The only thing stopping it from having even more explosive numbers is their taxes. Without that, Brazil would probably be the answer to niche perfume houses world-wide, as would several other Latin American countries in similar situations. (Mexico is another strong market for commercial fragrances and for scented products as a whole. Argentina also has a difficult tariff problem.)

Companies who want to get ahead should — and undoubtedly will — follow the path of the aromachemical giants and invest more heavily in Brazil.

The Perfume Industry & EU Regulations

Posted on May 26, 2014 by Kafkaesque

There is a new Reuters article on what is going to happen with EU perfume regulation, and I found it interesting for reasons other than the usual repetition of how oakmoss is going to be banned. What is significant about the piece to me is what certain perfume houses said bluntly, what others did not, and the tonal shift amongst some industry leaders. So, I’m going to spend some time analyzing how various perfume brands are reacting to the EU proposals, now versus the past. In terms of actual regulatory news, the Reuters article talks a little about the small 90-day window for public consultation which just ended on May 14th, and the next steps in the legislative process. I’ll cover that, too.

BACKGROUND:

Oakmoss or tree moss.

Let’s start with some background if you’re unfamiliar with the convoluted details of the EU situation. As noted in my prior piece on perfume regulation, a 2012 Advisory Committee had offered certain draconian suggestions to the EU regulatory body on widespread restrictions of 12 ingredients. These were mere suggestions, but, as noted in a 2013 post I wrote, it had already led the perfume industry to begin changes to formulas of existing perfumes. To bring you up to date on the current situation, and to put it in a nutshell, the EU is currently:

planning on completely banning oakmoss, tree moss, and HICC, a synthetic that replicates the smell of lily of the valley (or muguet).
deliberating on how much 9 other key, very essential ingredients should be restricted and to what levels they should be limited. As the new Reuters article explains, these other ingredients include citral, found in lemon and tangerine oils; coumarin, found in tropical tonka beans; and eugenol, found in rose oil.”
deliberating on what sort of perfume labeling should be required.

Now, all of this is the exact same situation we faced when I wrote my earlier piece back in February of this year, but part of what the new Reuters article talks about is the public reaction to those proposals and the results of the consultation window where the EU sought opinion from those in the industry and its citizens. The article is called “Perfume industry braces for tough new EU rules” and was written by Astrid Wendlandt and Pascale Denis. It also talks about what the next steps in this process will be, but I found it interesting primarily for what I think it reveals about the various perfume companies and industry leaders, like Frederic Malle, Chanel, and LVMH.

THE PERFUME INDUSTRY RESPONSE:

Frederic Malle. Source: Paris.com

My favorite quote from Monsieur Malle in the new article pertains to the EU’s plans to restrict citral, though to what level we do not yet know:

“If we ban citral from perfumes, of which certain elements are allergens, we should ban orange juice. It is absurd. We should not ban nature, only learn how to live with it,” said Frederic Malle, who founded the French luxury perfume company Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle. [Emphasis added.]

Monsieur Malle also informed the reporters that he is already reformulating his fragrances:

Frederic Malle said he was forced to reformulate about a quarter of his scents due to the upcoming EU regulations, leading to extra costs – but costs which he found difficult to quantify as they also represented time invested to rework the formulas.

“It can take more than six months to reformulate a perfume, and a minimum of some 30 tests … and this is precious time that cannot be spent on creating new perfumes. So to protect a small portion of the population, we are making the rest suffer,” he said.

Note how very candid, blunt, and frustrated his comments are, and then compare them to the very gingerly worded, rather generic e-mail statements issued by Chanel and LVMH in the article. Chanel is quoted on the issue of the oakmoss ban which is going to severely impact several of its most famous fragrances, particularly Chanel No. 5. In talking about the oakmoss ban, the article states:

Source: entertainment.desktopnexus.com

Such mosses could be found in Chanel’s No.5 and Dior’s Miss Dior but the brands have been working on using altered versions, stripped of the molecules atranol and chloroatranol, regarded as potential allergens by the EU.

“Adapting is a challenge but it is precisely the talent of our “nose” to be able to preserve the qualities and olfactive (scent) identity of our perfumes while also taking into account new regulatory constraints,” Chanel said in an e-mailed statement.

That’s all Chanel seems to be willing to say on the record, which is consistent with prior articles where they have either refused to comment entirely, or the reporters have implied that Chanel doesn’t want to talk about what it’s doing to its perfumes in response to the EU situation.

As for the other luxury companies, the Reuters piece only had this to say:

Hermes as well as Dior and Guerlain – [the latter 2] both owned by LVMH – have also been preparing themselves for the new rules by progressively changing their formulas.

“The European Commission approach guarantees the security of consumers and preserves Europe’s olfactive heritage,” LVMH said in an e-mailed statement. Hermes, Dior and Guerlain declined to comment. [Emphasis to names added by me.]

Mitsouko, a LVMH fragrance from Guerlain that has already been impacted badly by EU/IFRA regulations. Photo source: Guerlain.com

LVMH’s comments demonstrate a distinct change in tone, if you ask me. Back in the earlier Reuters article that was the focus of my January 1, 2013 post on the widespread split in the industry, the journalists said this:

LVMH, which owns Dior and Guerlain, and Chanel are lobbying Brussels to protect their perfumes, many of which were created decades ago.

“It is essential to preserve Europe’s olfactory cultural heritage,” LVMH told Reuters in an emailed statement.

What a difference. Before, we had an industry leader demonstrating a willingness to fight and telling journalists that it was lobbying Brussels in order “to preserve Europe’s olfactory cultural heritage” against the proposed EU regulations. Now, we now have the exact same company saying that it is the European Commission’s approach which “preserves Europe’s olfactive heritage.” There is a night and day difference between those two LVMH statements.

My guess is that companies do not want to appear to be working against regulations that have been presented as protecting consumers. You and I know that the EU regulations are based on iffy science and the mere possibility that some tiny, minute portion of the population may perhaps, one day, maybe, hypothetically get a skin rash — but the general public does not. The way all of this is being presented on the surface is that the EU is kindly and benignly working in the public good. Companies may not want to risk the negative PR from appearing to be against regulations that are ostensibly intended to protect consumers. In truth, their fears aren’t wholly illogical. It’s not impossible to imagine tabloid headlines from ragsheets like the Daily Mirror or News of the World screaming, “Greedy Chanel wants to keep its massive perfume profits from Chanel No. 5 even if it makes consumers sick!”

Chanel’s jewellery window at Le Place Vendome. Photo: my own.

I think that is the only explanation for why some brands refuse to publicly discuss the EU changes at all. Consider Chanel’s bland statement on how its noses are talented enough to compensate for the total oakmoss ban in its most famous fragrances, and then compare it with Frederic Malle’s outraged bluntness on the complete idiocy of the situation. Do you think Frederic Malle doesn’t have the most talented noses who could also deal with the oakmoss situation? He does, but he’s willing to publicly stand up for the perfume makers in this battle perhaps because his company is not a multi-national conglomerate that puts out everything from skin care to fashion and expensive diamond jewellery.

His business is limited primarily to perfume, so he is in a much more life-and-death struggle. And he’s said so, bluntly. Back in that earlier Reuters piece which I keep talking about, Malle said:

“If this law goes ahead I am finished, as my perfumes are all filled with these ingredients,” said Frederic Malle…. The impact on luxury perfume brands as a whole would, he said, be “like an atomic explosion and we would not have the means to rebuild ourselves.”

Chanel’s 1932.

Here, in the current 2014 Reuters article, Malle talks candidly about how he is already reformulating his fragrances. Contrast that to what Chanel and others had to say in the earlier Reuters article:

Chanel declined to comment on whether it has ever changed the formula of its world-famous perfume, as did Guerlain, Dior and luxury brand Hermes, which all make high-end perfumes using natural ingredients.

“No comment” in this context pretty much speaks volumes, if you ask me.

I’ve seen the same divide in article after article. Frederic Malle is consistently the most blunt and critical; LVMH (owner of Guerlain and Dior) is never critical but is usually quite direct about its views of the EU regulations; Chanel sometimes makes a rare, always bland statement that never attacks IFRA or the EU, and is never about anything of any significance whatsoever; and Hermès lets the other luxury manufacturers fight its battles.

L’Oreal’s La Vie Est Belle, by Lancome. Source: myfdb.com

In the meantime, L’Oreal essentially smirks in the corner and appears not to give a damn, perhaps because a good chunk of its creations for such brands as YSL, Lancome, Viktor & Rolf, and many others are rather synthetic concoctions. The earlier 2012 Reuters article is much more tactful than I am about L’Oreal, probably because they aren’t nursing a serious grudge against the company as I most definitely am for what they’ve done to YSL perfumes. So, Reuters says only:

L’Oreal, however, already uses many synthetic ingredients in its perfumes and is thus keeping a low profile on the issue, industry representatives said.

Other companies making perfumes on an industrial scale for luxury brands, such as IFF, Givaudan and Firmenich, are less concerned about the SCCS proposal because they can rely on synthetic materials and make new perfumes using them but the restrictions, if enforced, would force them to reformulate many of their scents on a scale never seen before.

Givaudan and L’Oreal declined to comment for this report.

Pierre Sivac, President of IFRA. Source: Cosmeticsbusiness.com

Yes, I’m quite sure that Givaudan declined to comment…. Speaking of the aroma-chemical giant, and its toady servant, IFRA, I found it interesting that the new Reuters article on the current situation did not discuss the perfume industry’s supposed representative. In fact, there was not one single mention of IFRA in the whole piece. Yet, IFRA was positively bowing at the EU’s feet back in February, rubbing their hands approvingly at the proposed restrictions. The Reuters piece from back then that I talked about in part in my previous post has IFRA’s president saying:

“We broadly welcome the proposed measures,” said Pierre Sivac, president of the International Fragrance Association [IFRA], the perfume industry’s self-regulatory body…. which is financed by scent makers such as Givaudan, New York-listed International Flavors & Fragrances and Germany’s Symrise [….] [Emphasis added by me.]

THE NEXT STEPS IN THE PROCESS & LABELING:

So, what is happening now and in the upcoming months? Well, according to the new Reuters article, we should get a report in July about the results of the open discussion period and what issues were raised. The article says,

[t]he consultation triggered more than 200 responses from industry players, consumers’ associations and researchers, which the EU said was a relatively high number.

“This has stirred quite a lot of passion,” said Hudson of the European Commission.

The Berlaymont building in Brussels, headquarters of the European Commission. Photo and source: acmphoto.photoshelter.com

The European Commission’s headquarters at the Berlaymont building in Brussels. Photo and source: acmphoto.photoshelter.com

Then, in August, a proposed amendment of the 2009 Cosmetics Regulation act with the new rules is expected to be sent to individual EU member nations. In September, a final version might be sent to the overall EU Council and Parliament. At that point, there would be 3 months in which the governing body or individual members could oppose it. I assume at the end of that time, roughly in December 2014, the whole thing would come to a final vote, but I’m rather hazy on how the EU legislative rules work. The bottom line, however, seems to be that January 2015 will be the start of a different perfume landscape.

Two issues remain open for further discussion and fine-tuning before they are submitted to any legislative body for consideration. Specifically, the question of how much 9 of the 12 targeted ingredients (like the citral mentioned above) should be restricted, and then the exact nature of labeling that will be mandated. With regard to the latter, the new Reuters article states:

The regulations will also require perfume makers to inform consumers about potential allergens contained in their products but it has not yet decided how this will work in practice and how many of them should be labelled.

It has raised the number of ingredients that must be labelled from 26 to more than 80 and is looking at ways to allow perfume makers to provide information about them on the Internet or through smartphone scans to avoid having to cram them on the package.

80 seems like a lot, but it’s a little less than the 100 which the Advisory Committee initially suggested a long time ago. What always amuses me about the labeling situation is what happened in 2005 when consumer groups forced an EU amendment requiring perfume companies to list 26 potentially allergenic ingredients on their bottles. According to the old Reuters piece, the perfume companies did so… in Latin!

Part of the problem for perfume companies when it comes to label lists seems to be that they don’t have any intellectual property protection. As the old Reuters piece explains:

Most perfume brands are reluctant to label their products. Unlike artists and writers, perfume creators have no intellectual property rights to the fragrances they compose for big brands, and so perfume brands fight hard to keep their formulas hidden.

Of course, it’s always possible to ascertain the ingredients in a particular fragrance by putting it through highly specialised machines that will detect not only the various elements, but the proportions thereof. That’s how cheap copies and fakes are already made. Yet, obviously, things become much easier if the full list is provided by the company itself under mandate of law. The proportions may not be there, but everything else would be.

If perfume companies are going to be forced to label their products down to the smallest minutiae, it seems only fair that parallel legislation be pushed through to confer intellectual property protection at the same time. Unfortunately, I haven’t heard of any such proposals. If any of you have, I’d love to hear about it.

In the midst of all this, perfume lovers have little choice but to wait and see how events transpire. This brings me to the Parfumo Petition which I told you about some weeks ago. It was delivered to Brussels on May 14th with 2,500 signatures. A press release statement recently sent to me by Angelika Foerster of Parfumo reads:

From the standpoint of the individuals fighting on behalf of the art of perfumery, 2,500 signatures cannot be overlooked in Brussels or dismissed as “insignificant”. Moreover, the campaign is ongoing and additional signatures will be collected after the petition is submitted. “The issue will not go unnoticed in EU everyday routine”, Foerster foresees. “We’ll continue to buttress our point of view with more and more signatures. The only thing that will stop us is if the commission acknowledges our position and thus revises the bill in an acceptable way.” Accordingly, signatures will continue to be collected at http://www.parfumo.de/petition – in favour of perfume and against overregulation.

In short, the petition is ongoing, so if you haven’t done so already, please sign it and spread the word. It doesn’t matter if you’re not an EU resident. “Signatures by non-EU citizens are welcome as per the Commission’s request for input from ‘any interested parties’.”

In the meantime, Hermes, Dior, Guerlain, Malle, and many others are already changing their perfumes. Over in the Middle East, it seems that IFRA/EU-like regulations are going to be adopted in places like the United Arab Emirates, with ripple effects already impacting Amouage’s production of its attars.

By one estimate, over 9,000 perfume formulas are going to be changed when this is all over, if they haven’t been already. In my opinion, that is probably a very conservative number, in part because it comes from the agenda-driven IFRA group. Given that there are well over 1,000 new fragrances which hit the market each year and the significant role of the 9 key ingredients which are being targeted for reduction, I suspect that overall figure may be higher. In short, 2015 may herald a new year in more ways than one.

Oriza L. Legrand Vetiver Royal Bourbon

Posted on May 24, 2014 by Kafkaesque

Source: Source: hdwallsource.com

The sky was green, swirled with mists of vetiver, mint, and herbs, but blackness hovered just on the horizon. Storm clouds of cade brought tar and campfire smoke, while leather, styrax and resins seeped up from a ground made earthy with brown tobacco absolute. A fine layering of wet leaves and moss lay strewn around, a last lingering sign of fall. A single small tent was visible in the vast expanse of blackened greenness, shining a golden ambered light. None of these things, however, could detract from the Aurora Borealis swirling all around, from the smoky vetiver and mint called Vetiver Royal Bourbon.

Vetiver Royal Bourbon is a newly released fragrance from the ancient house of Oriza L. Legrand (hereinafter just “Oriza“). It originally debuted in 1914, but it very much has the feel of a modern niche fragrance. In fact, it is rather like a lighter, thinner cousin to Profumum Roma‘s Fumidus, though there are definite differences. The similarity to a very bold, edgy, extremely distinctive scent like Fumidus makes Vetiver Royal Bourbon rather an amazing feat, given that the perfume is exactly 100 years old and has been only lightly re-tweaked for the modern era by Hugo Lambert, the nose behind the “new” Oriza fragrances and one of the brand’s two co-owners.

Source: Oriza L. Legrand.

Vetiver Royal Bourbon is an eau de parfum and part of Oriza’s relatively recent Soliflore Collection, a collection where all the fragrances are designed to highlight one specific note. The name in the title should tell you which one is the focus here, but Vetiver Royal Bourbon has a much larger ingredient list than you might expect. The perfume includes:

Top Notes: Peppermint, Thyme & Absolute Vetiver
Heart Notes: Cistus Labdanum [Amber], Iris, Vetiver Bourbon & Sandalwood.
Base Notes: Essence of Cade, Leather, Styrax, Immortelle, Tobacco, & Oakmoss.

Source: hdwallsource.com

Vetiver Royal Bourbon opens on my skin with vetiver, vetiver, and more vetiver. However, it is thoroughly intertwined with mint, aromatic herbs, and a eucalyptus-like mentholated camphor. The very green mix is followed by hints of smoky and phenolic, tarry blackness from the cade, as well as even lighter touches of brown tobacco. The whole thing is sprinkled with a subtle booziness that is quite hard to explain. It’s definitely not the single malt Scotch whisky of Fumidus, but it’s not really like purely ambered warmth, either. It lies somewhere between amber and the “bourbon” in the perfume’s title.

Source: wallpoper.com

At times, something about the overall opening combination feels very much like a vetiver and patchouli duet to me. The true, original, black patchouli note that was so common with hippies in the 1970s could be very green, with nuances of both peppermint and camphorated menthol. The really absolute, undiluted versions also have leathery, tobacco, and oily, turpentine nuances, as demonstrated by Farmacia SS. Annunziata Patchouly Indonesiano. In contrast, more ’80s-style patchouli was golden-brown-red, warm, woody, often infused with an ambered touch, and sometimes a little boozy.

Both styles of patchouli with all of their characteristics are reflected here with Vetiver Royal Bourbon’s opening bouquet, though the notes are subtle, and aren’t all equal in terms of their prominence. To be clear, Vetiver Royal Bourbon does not actually contain patchouli — of any kind. But the peppermint, cade, amber, tobacco, styrax all manage to replicate various aspects of the note, even if it is in indirect form. The only thing which is missing is the sweaty dirtiness of black patchouli. That is most certainly not visible in Vetiver Royal Bourbon, not by any means.

Vetiver roots, the primary source of the aroma. Photo: Herbariasoap.com

One of things I find interesting about Vetiver Royal Bourbon is how the vetiver plays off of the other notes. Vetiver can smell like a variety of things, depending on the place from which it is sourced or how it is treated. It can be earthy, dry, grassy, minty, rooty, mineralized, or sometimes a little like lemongrass. On my skin, Haitian vetiver frequently manifests a strong mintiness, something that not everyone else experiences.

Here, Oriza has used actual peppermint to accompany the note, which rather leads to a situation where I’m getting double the dose. It’s a little bit of a problem for me, as minty vetiver is really not my thing and, in fact, even mintiness from patchouli can be a bit difficult for me. With Vetiver Royal Bourbon, each and every time I mention the note, you should assume that it smells of both vetiver and mint. The two things are really inseparable in Vetiver Royal Bourbon, from the very start of the fragrance all the way until its dying breath.

Yet, there is much more going on in the perfume’s opening moments. Under the top layer of green vetiver-mint, there is a subtle touch of earthiness, no doubt from the tobacco, followed by campfire smoke from the cade, burnt resins dominated by the styrax, and tarry, blackened leather. The oakmoss is subtle, but it adds to the story, too, conjuring up images of wet leaves festooning the ground in a damp, very misty, foggy countryside on a fall day. Much more apparent is that streak of boozy amber that I talked about earlier.

Source: Facebook page of “Amazing Landscapes, Nature, Animals and Places.” Photographer may be Nergis İnan.

It all reminds me strongly of Profumum‘s famous (or, perhaps, infamous?) Fumidus, though there are sharp differences. There is no Laphroaig whisky here, no saltiness, no diesel touch, and no passing suggestion of a compost heap. The sense of something peaty from the vetiver is more muted, as is the black rubberiness from the cade. As a whole, Vetiver Royal Bourbon feels greener, more herbal, and slightly more medicinal, especially for the first hour. Fumidus doesn’t really have anything comparable to the eucalyptus-like camphorated note that is evident here, and the mint that I experienced is probably limited to my weird skin chemistry and the tricks it plays with vetiver in general. Plus, even then, the mintiness was milder.

Photo: My own.

Fumidus feels like a much black scent as a whole. While there is a definite streak of that in Vetiver Royal Bourbon, thanks to the cade and styrax, it feels much less substantial or heavy here. Fumidus has birch tar conjoined, arm in arm, with the vetiver, but the balance is different in Vetiver Royal Bourbon. I think the cade note trails in 3rd place in the Oriza scent behind the vetiver-mint. Then again, cade is very similar to birch tar. One perfumer told me that he sees cade as a more masculine note than its olfactory cousin, while I think it has a more turpentine-like quality. The thing is, both Fumidus and Vetiver Royal Bourbon demonstrate quite a bit of the latter.

In Oriza’s creation, the cade’s turpentine nuance starts to awaken 20 minutes into the perfume’s development, along with a certain tarriness. Black leather and sticky, smoky, styrax join it, as they seep upwards to coat the pungently green, minty vetiver. The end result is to substantially weaken the impression of patchouli, and it soon fades away entirely. The perfume also becomes much less earthy, though an occasional hint of thick, slightly dirty tobacco absolute lurks at the edges.

“Novemthree” by Olaf Marshall. Source: vitaignescorpuslignum.blogspot.com

From a distance, Vetiver Royal Bourbon’s predominant bouquet now is of a chewy, dense, slightly dirty, minty, smoked vetiver. And, by and large, it remains largely the same way until its very end, with only a few exceptions. As a soliflore, Vetiver Royal Bourbon is never going to be a complex, twisting, morphing creature. It is a very linear scent, but there are changes to the secondary notes, their prominence, and the perfume’s sillage. It’s largely a question of degree.

One of the bigger changes pertains to Vetiver Royal Bourbon’s weight. It opens as an incredibly light fragrance, sheer, and feels quite insubstantial at first. The perfume is miles away from Fumidus in this regard, as the Profumum scent has great opaqueness, heavy oiliness, and density. In contrast, the Oriza scent feels as light as air, even though the actual notes are relatively strong. Vetiver Royal Bourbon doesn’t have Chypre Mousse‘s forcefulness, but it feels more potent than many others from the line, including Muguet Fleuri.

The odd thing is how that wispiness changes. Vetiver Royal Bourbon never gets into Fumidus territory, but it does grow deeper, richer, and fuller over time. The first hint of it arrives after 20 minutes, as the labdanum, tobacco, and styrax stir in the base. An hour and a half into the perfume’s evolution, Vetiver Royal Bourbon’s leathery quality grows more pronounced in the foundation. Up top, the cade’s turpentine and smokiness start to overshadow the aromatic, herbal and mentholated camphor notes. Once in a while, there is almost a burning feeling to the scent, as though a vetiver wildland had been covered with black pitch and tarry asphalt, then set on fire. The perfume now feels much heavier that it did at the start, though Vetiver Royal Bourbon is still a light fragrance as a whole. To put it bluntly, Vetiver Royal Bourbon is no longer anorexic, because the vetiver has been fed a meal of richer notes.

Source: wallpapervortex.com

By the end of the 4th hour, the labdanum is in full bloom, turning Vetiver Royal Bourbon sweeter and much warmer in feel. The various smoky, tarry, leathered, and turpentine undertones are in slow retreat. Vetiver Royal Bourbon is now primarily a minty vetiver scent cocooned in a warm, golden embrace with milder, increasingly muted smokiness and blackness. There is a slight powdery quality to the fragrance, but it’s really more of a texture than any actual powder. It’s almost as if the labdanum amber is a bit grainy, if that makes any sense.

Source: Source: hqwide.com

Over time, the ambered glow fades on my skin, and Vetiver Royal Bourbon turns into a minty vetiver duet. It’s as though the vetiver has been purified, set free of both the smoky, blacker, leathery elements and of the labdanum’s warmth. What is left is a scent that very dark green in visual hue, and largely limited to pure vetiver. I’m afraid its mintiness is too much for me, especially as it demonstrates a tiny medicinal touch on my skin with lingering traces of mentholated camphor. In its final moments, the perfume is a mere wisp of vetiver greenness. All in all, Vetiver Royal Bourbon consistently lasted over 9 hours on me: 10 hours with 3 small sprays, and just under 9.5 with 2.

I have worn and tested Vetiver Royal Bourbon four times in total. On all of those occasions, I never detect any immortelle. Not at any point on my skin. The perfume never varied in its core essence or in the structure that I’ve outlined here today, but there were two very minor differences. In one test, the booziness of the amber was significantly less noticeable. In another, the earthy, tobacco, and oakmoss undertones were even more muted and subtle.

I have the very vague, wholly unscientific sense that heat was the deciding factor in the last circumstance. More of Vetiver Royal Bourbon’s subtle nuances came out in the heat, while cooler temperatures (and higher air-conditioning levels) squashed some of the elements. And, as with a number of Oriza fragrances, applying a greater quantity of the fragrance seems to amplify some of its base notes.

There is great purity in Vetiver Royal Bourbon’s vetiver focus, as well as a triumphant celebration of its minty and smokier aspects. All of that makes it a little too much for me personally, but that is merely a question of individual tastes and the fact that I don’t love vetiver in such concentrated amounts. Fumidus was too much for me as well, though I respect it just as much. In both cases, it is the mintiness of the vetiver that is my difficulty, not the blackness, tarriness, or smokiness. I think those things are very well handled in Vetiver Royal Bourbon.

In fact, the Oriza perfume would be a great alternative to those who struggled with the much greater quantity of smoky birch tar in Fumidus, as well as its thick, oily density. I can’t see many people wearing Fumidus in summer, but Vetiver Royal Bourbon’s lightness makes it a fresher alternative that you could definitely pull off in the heat.

Alexander Skarsgård by Ralph Mecke for GQ Style German. Source: iloveromancenovels.blog63.fc2.com

As a whole, I think the perfume is unapologetically masculine in nature, and the handful of raves that I have seen for the scent on Oriza’s Facebook page all come from men. One chap stated how much he appreciated the vetiver’s darker facets, the lack of earthiness, and the perfume’s overall refinement. Another asked about the eucalyptus-like note, and I have a vague memory of someone else talking about the smoky leatheriness. I mention these comments largely because there are no other reviews for the fragrance that I can share with you. Vetiver Royal Bourbon is too new to have a Fragrantica entry, and no-one has tried it on Basenotes.

Oriza is a house whose creations sometimes have a very vintage feel, but Vetiver Royal Bourbon is a fragrance that could have been launched today by another niche house. It simply does not feel like a fragrance that was released 100 years ago, not by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, I’ve spent a good deal of time amusing myself with thoughts of people’s reactions back then to the smoky, leathery, Fumidus-like vetiver in a world where Jicky, L’Heure Bleue, Phul-Nana, powdery florals, and scented waters ruled the day. Vetiver Royal Bourbon must have been completely revolutionary for its time, but it fits in perfectly in today’s modern world.

Vetiver Royal Bourbon is very affordable for a niche scent, especially for 100 ml of eau de parfum. The perfume costs $125 or €90, which is less than the €120 price of its other Oriza siblings outside the Soliflore line. It is currently available on Oriza’s website and at a variety of European retailers. (See the Details section below.) For American readers, I’ve been told that Vetiver Royal Bourbon should be available next week (or at the beginning of June) at Luckyscent, a site which is now carrying the full Oriza L. Legrand line, including the lovely soaps and candles.

So, if you love smoky, minty vetiver, do give Vetiver Royal Bourbon a try. I think it’s very well done.

Disclosure: Sample courtesy of Oriza L. Legrand. That did not influence this review, I do not do paid reviews, and my opinions are my own.

DETAILS:

Cost & Availability: Vetiver Royal Bourbon is an eau de parfum that comes in a 100 ml or 3.4 oz bottle, and costs $125 or €90. It is available directly from Oriza’s e-store. A great sample set is also available but it does not include the Soliflore range of fragrances, such as Vetiver Royal Bourbon. In the U.S.: Luckyscent now carries the full Oriza L. Legrand line, and should be receiving Vetiver Royal Bourbon this upcoming week or at the start of June 2014. It will cost $125. Oriza is also carried at New York’s JuJu s’amuse. It has two locations, and I’ve provided the number for one, in case you want to check whether they do phone orders: 100 Thompson Street New York, NY 10012, with Ph: (212) 226.1201; but, also, 1220 Lexington Avenue (at 82nd Street), New York, NY 10018. Other vendors in Europe: Oriza’s perfumes are also sold at Paris’ Marie-Antoinette (which was my favorite perfume shop in Paris), as well as one store in Sweden. In the Netherlands, the Oriza line is carried at ParfuMaria, but VRB is not yet listed. Germany’s First in Fragrance also carries the Oriza Legrand line, but it is the same story there. Both stores should eventually get the fragrance. Oriza L. Legrand is also sold at a few places in Japan. For details on those retailers and the Swedish store, you can check Oriza Points of Sale page.

LM Parfums Ultimate Seduction

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Kafkaesque

She was the image of sweetness, softness, and femininity as she walked in the garden. Young, but sure of herself, confident, and at ease. She didn’t need a man to be content, though there were plenty who sought her. She didn’t follow the dictates of fashion, though she wore elegant clothes. She simply did what made her feel happy, seeking comfort, simplicity, and softness in her life.

Photographer: Carl Bengtsson. Source: fashionproduction.blogspot.com

That is the woman I imagine when I wear Ultimate Seduction, the latest fragrance from Laurent Mazzone and LM Parfums. It is a pure parfum extrait that was just released and whose essence is that of a very approachable, simple, sweet fruity-floral. For me, it radiates youthful femininity, and it has done so since I first tested the fragrance 8 months ago in Paris. Back then, Ultimate Seduction was called Lost Paradise, and Laurent Mazzone told me the inspiration and thought behind it. Contrary to my impressions of youthful innocence, the backstory is one that is all about a steamy love affair, and a sophisticated woman intent on seduction. The recent photo campaign that was released to accompany Ultimate Seduction’s launch underscores that point:

Source: Laurent Mazzone & LM Parfums.

Source: LM Parfums.

As you can see, there is a definite theme behind the text and images. Laurent Mazzone told me the story he saw in his head for both Ultimate Seduction and the woman who wore it. My memory is a little hazy as to all the specific details, so I apologise in advance to Monsieur Mazzone if I get some parts of it wrong, but the story is important in explaining certain aspects of the perfume that he created.

Marion Cotillard photographed by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott for French Vogue, September 2010. Source: Glamscheck.com

Marion Cotillard by Mert & Marcus for French Vogue, September 2010. Source: Glamscheck.com

The woman in Monsieur Mazzone’s imagination wore Ultimate Seduction as a tantalizing suggestion, discretely wafting out from under a little black dress, on her way to meet her lover. (The clothing may be my own extrapolation, or it may have come from Monsieur Mazzone who is heavily involved in the fashion world and who had come to attend Paris Fashion Week.) Regardless of the clothing details, the gist of the story is that the woman was elegant, fashionable, worldly, strongly confident, and on her way to a steamy rendezvous with her lover.

Ultimate Seduction was meant not only to express her own sweet femininity and to drive her lover wild, but to also symbolise the juicy passion of their hot affair. And juicy sweetness is a strong part of the fragrance’s essence, thanks to the following perfume pyramid:

TOP NOTES: Pink pepper, black currant, orange
HEART NOTES: Violet, iris, rose
BASE NOTES: patchouli, amber, blond wood, cedar, praline.

Blackcurrant or cassis. Source: The Perfume Shrine.

Ultimate Seduction opens on my skin in a blast of tangy tartness, infused with juicy, fruited sweetness. There is a lovely heaping dose of black currants which I’m used to calling cassis, so I’ll stick with that term. The fruit can sometimes smell sharp, indolic, and, on some unfortunate people, reminiscent of cat pee or urine, but that is not the case here. Instead, it is merely a sour tartness that feels very green and incredibly bright.

The cassis is accompanied by a host of other notes as well. There are: blood-red roses dripping with heavy, syrupy, purple patchouli molasses; fruity pink peppercorn berries that occasionally have a peppery blackness to them; and ripe, juicy oranges. The whole kaleidoscope of bright, tart, sour, juicy fruitiness rests upon a very thin foundation of dry cedar. In the background, there are hints of a silky vanilla note that dart about, though the note quickly retreats into the shadows to await later developments.

Fruit molasses or jam. Source: Shutterstock.com

The floral elements are completely overshadowed on my skin in the opening moments by the fruits and patchouli. The cassis, in particular, grows stronger after a few minutes, adding a truly necessary tartness to counterbalance the other, sweeter elements. I’m a bit dubious about the pink peppercorns which used to be a big trend about 5 years ago in perfumery, but it is a subtle touch. Unfortunately for me, the purple, syrupy fruit-chouli — one of the notes that I like the least in perfumery — is quite profound. Regular readers know that this sort of patchouli is one of my bête noires, especially when combined with roses, and it is the main reason why I had such an immediate, instantly negative response to the fragrance when I first tried it 8 months ago.

Yet, I want to say clearly that Ultimate Seduction is much better than the “Lost Paradise” that I encountered that day long ago in the Hotel Costes. It is much tarter, tangier, brighter, and, for the first hour or so, much greener and crisper as well. Ultimate Seduction feels better balanced, more well-rounded, with better body and more elegance. The company says that the perfume has not been changed in terms of its notes since the time it was called Lost Paradise.

However, it does acknowledge that it smells slightly different in terms of its nuances, and explains that maceration is the reason. Ultimate Seduction has had 8 months to steep, strengthen, and grow deeper. Perhaps, but I am convinced that Ultimate Seduction is significantly tangier and tarter than it was, and I have to wonder if the sweetness, patchouli, and rose levels have been modulated down a notch. Don’t get me wrong, the perfume is still very sweet in its opening phase — too sweet for my personal tastes, even now — but it’s no longer the cloying tidal wave (with overly gooey fruitchouli roses) that it was back then. In all honesty, even with my patchouli issues, there are times when I thoroughly enjoy Ultimate Seduction’s opening. It’s all thanks to the cassis, which is a simply beautiful touch here in its almost mouth-watering tartness.

“Flower spiral” by Sarah Cheriton Jones via fineartamerica.com

As noted earlier, the floral elements are quite overshadowed at first. I don’t smell any iris on my skin, now or at any point. Yet, occasionally, there are wafts of a dewy, rather metallic violet note in the background. It’s akin to a small firefly being buffeted about by multi-coloured Mistral winds of sour-tart black currants, oranges, red peppercorn berries, and purple fruitchouli roses. The violet simply can’t withstand the strength of the other notes, though it makes more of an effort to do so later in the perfume’s development.

Another very subtle note that appears after 30 minutes is something that seems almost like a lemony-bergamot tonality. There is no bergamot listed in the notes, but I detect something that differs from the tart, crisp acidity of a blackcurrant. It really smells more like a citrus note, though it is subtle. Whatever the source, it helps to add further brightness to the fruited bouquet.

Remember Monsieur Mazzone’s story about the woman discreetly wafting her seductive scent for her lover? Well, the word “discreetly” is important because Ultimate Seduction opens as a soft scent, before turning quite intimate. The sillage is not enormous: 2 sprays from an actual bottle gave me 2 inches in projection; 3 sprays gave me 3 inches. I don’t think a greater application would yield much more than that, because Ultimate Seduction is intentionally meant to be something akin to lingerie.

Photographers Mert & Marcus, photo campaign for Brian Atwood. Source: hommemodel.blogspot.com

Photographers: Mert & Marcus, for the Brian Atwood campaign. Source: hommemodel.blogspot.com

Granted, Monsieur Mazzone wants it to be very sexy lingerie that you would wear to meet your lover, but lingerie nevertheless. To that end, Ultimate Seduction feels very gauzy and airy, even in the opening moments. The force of the sweet, tart, juicy fruits is strong, but the perfume itself is surprisingly lightweight, right from the start. Frankly, I found the degree of sheerness to a little surprising for an Extrait de Parfum or Pure Parfum, but Ultimate Seduction has stellar longevity to compensate.

I’m afraid I don’t see any of the torrid heatedness, insanity, obsession, madness or toxicity that Ultimate Seduction is meant to represent. To be fair, there are few fragrances that conjure up even half of those things for me. My beloved vintage Opium is one of them. In my opinion, if there were any fragrances in the LM Parfums line that would qualify for those terms, it would absolutely and unquestionably be the gorgeous, intoxicating, heady, but also strangely comforting Sensual Orchid, not Ultimate Seduction. In fact, my review for the former was expressly all about a woman dressing (or, rather, undressing) to seduce her lover, as represented by this image:

Gisele Bundchen by Mert & Marcus, for Vogue Turkey March 2011.

Try as I might, nothing I smell in Ultimate Seduction conveys to me the sort of imagery that the several Mert & Marcus photos up above represents. (And, yes, I really love Mert & Marcus.) Instead, I see this woman:

Photographer: Carl Bengtsson. Source: fashionproduction.blogspot.com

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the latter, and she’s a beautiful woman with great softness and elegant femininity, but she symbolises a very different sort of perfume than the one Ultimate Seduction is meant to be. My point is that the marketing for Ultimate Seduction may lead you to think that it is a very different scent than what actually appeared on my skin.

Part of my difficulty is that fruity-florals with jammy patchouli always seem like very young, youthful scents for me. They are safe, approachable, and can be well-done on occasion as Ultimate Seduction is, but the entire genre simply does not scream seduction, sophistication, lustiness, or even edginess to me. Ultimate Seduction is a highly feminine, soft, sweet fragrance with a very traditional mainstream profile, but it has been done in a very refined, smooth, seamless way. It’s the quality that speaks out, not the scent itself.

As a side note, while I think that most fragrances can be unisex on the right person or with the right attitude, I think Ultimate Seduction skews quite feminine. I really can’t see a lot of men wearing it — unless they truly adore sweet fruity-florals — but perhaps I simply have strange associations in my head for the genre.

Ultimate Seduction has 3 distinct stages, and it is the very long, final drydown phase which is the loveliest in my opinion. The opening stage dominated by the tart cassis and other elements slowly segues into a secondary bridge phase, where the vanilla rises up from the base to merge with the fruity-floral elements and thereby create a transition to the final phase centered all around a creamy, slightly dry, very smooth, tonka vanilla.

Stage Two begins precisely at the end of the first hour, as the vanilla blankets everything, softening them, diluting the tartness of the cassis and the heaviness of the fruited patchouli. Oddly, the one exception seems to the violet note which makes a brief reappearance and feels a little more metallic. It is short-lived, however, and fades away after another 20 minutes. The orange sinks into the base, while the black currant’s green tartness begins to weakens. 90 minutes into the perfume’s development, it feels more like a suggestion than anything else.

Photo: my own.

All the notes start to blur into one, overlapping, losing their distinct edge and clarity. Ultimate Seduction feels like one of those images where everything has filtered through a soft lens, and all the shapes have been blurred out. Even the patchouli rose feels more muted, almost as if it had been tamed by the vanilla. The loss of the tart, sour tanginess is a real shame, but the weakening of that syrupy sweetness almost makes up for it. What’s left is an increasingly abstract fruity-floral with a lusciously silky, airy, vanilla mousse, and only occasional whispers of green tartness.

Photo: my own.

By the end of the 2nd hour, Ultimate Seduction is completely blurry, and evokes soft clouds made of the almost translucent, pink, ethereal petals. Words keep running through my head for the next few hours like a litany: “Soft. Petals. Feminine. Soft, soft, soft!” I keep imagining a sea of petals, all pink, white, peach and cream, with a touch of lingering fruity redness. The perfume itself now smells like a misty cloud of pink, abstract fruity-rosiness with vanilla. The whole thing has a seamless smoothness that is impressive, even if hazy perfumes are not my actual cup of tea.

In fact, I’m honestly a little surprised to like Ultimate Seduction as much as I do, particularly given my reaction to “Lost Paradise” all those months ago. One reason is that the perfume definitely gets much better after the opening hour, even if the tartness has largely dissipated. A bigger reason is that there is something very easygoing, approachable, and uncomplicated about the scent. Some days, I just want to put on a smooth, expensive-smelling fragrance, feel good, and not have to analyze the bloody thing. The main reason though is the smooth softness that I keep talking about, and that wonderful, silky, but slightly dry vanilla. The two things together somehow manage to make the perfume feel almost like the lingerie that it’s meant to partially represent. And, like lingerie, by the middle of the 3rd hour, Ultimate Seduction is an very intimate scent that lies just fractionally above the skin.

In the second stage, the petal-soft combination of fruity rose and vanilla is subtly counterbalanced by an undercurrent of dry woodiness. It is a very muted, quiet note that runs through the base, but it was noticeable in 2 of my 3 tests of Ultimate Seduction. It occasionally smells of cedar, but, most of the time, it’s merely an abstract dryness and woodiness. I wish it were a little stronger, to give Ultimate Seduction a bit more of an edge, but it sometimes it feels like a ghost, disappearing for a while before reappearing again in the background. Then again, I don’t think this is a perfume that is meant to have any “edges” at all.

Photo: my own.

The final, very long drydown phase begins roughly 3.5 hours into Ultimate Seduction’s development, and is all about the vanilla. The perfume is now primarily a vanilla scent, infused with fruitiness. The rose is now merely an abstract, amorphous floralacy, and it lurks at the edges alongside the equally abstract dry woodiness. Once in a blue moon, the black currant’s tartness is noticeable, but it’s generally too well-blended into the general “fruitiness.” The best part is really the vanilla note. I think it’s lovely because it’s not one of those traditional, very gooey, cloying, sweet vanillas. It really feels more like tonka, actually, which brings me to another point.

You may have noticed that I haven’t mentioned “pralines” once in this review, even though that is what is actually listed in Ultimate Seduction’s notes. For me, “pralines” have a very different aroma (and taste) than what I detect here. I associate the term with a more buttery, more caramel-like nuance. It’s nuttier and substantially sweeter than the note in Ultimate Seduction which smells instead like a really silky crème anglaise sauce mixed with abstract fruitiness. Ultimate Seduction is not a gourmand fragrance on my skin, thank God, and the notes are too carefully calibrated to be as sweet as the praline fragrances that I have tried in the past. Its primary characteristic at this point is petal-soft creaminess, more than anything either overt or sweet.

Source: popularscreensavers.com

Over time, the vanilla begins to change. At the start of the 5th hour, it turns drier, and there are the first hints of graininess. It’s not powdery, but more like grainy tonka texture, if that makes any sense. For the most part, though, it’s still extremely creamy, soft, and smooth at this point.

For the many, many hours which follow, Ultimate Seduction is all about the tonka, lightly flecked by fluctuating, increasingly insignificant amounts of abstract fruitiness. Sometimes, the cassis returns to peek out, while at other times it is the orange (which takes on a rather neroli-like aspect). Once in a blue moon, the woody cedar shows up. Generally, though, Ultimate Seduction is merely a soft tonka scent with a slightly grainy, occasionally powdered texture that has only the smallest strands of abstract fruits.

Ultimate Seduction lasted just under 14 hours in most of my tests of the fragrance. In its final moments, it was only a smear of soft sweetness. For the majority of its life, Ultimate Seduction was primarily an intimate, discrete scent on my skin, but it was still easy to detect up close until the start of the 9th hour. After that point, however, I had to make some concerted effort to find it, by putting my nose actually on my skin and sniffing hard. Yet, I was surprised to see that the most minute traces of the scent lingered on tenaciously each time I wore the fragrance. On one of the occasions when I used 3 sprays — and I was using an actual bottle, not an atomizer — I was rather shocked to smell Ultimate Seduction 16th hours later. It took effort and concentration, but there is no doubt the perfume was still there. And my skin eats perfume much faster than the average person.

Source: LM Parfums.

The longevity stems from the fact that Ultimate Seduction is one of the LM Parfums’ handful of pure parfums, and thus comes with a high concentration of fragrance oils. Ultimate Seduction shares the same pricing structure as some of its other siblings from the Extrait line, like Sensual Orchid or Chemise Blanche. It costs €195 or $225 for 100 ml of concentrated perfume. The perfume was released in Europe a few weeks ago, so it’s already available for purchase there. For American buyers, Osswald should be getting it in a few weeks.

Ultimate Seduction is not my personal style or genre, so it’s not a fragrance that I would ever have gotten for myself, but I enjoyed the times I wore it. It’s very approachable and easy-going, and there is something incredibly appealing about its uncomplicated smoothness. Its superior quality is what I think makes it stand out amongst others in the same genre.

I think Ultimate Seduction will work for people who really enjoy very soft, discreet, fruity-florals. It’s not an edgy, complex, complicated, or revolutionary scent, but it is a very refined, smooth take on the genre. I think it’s infinitely better, more elegant, and more luxurious than, for example, Guerlain‘s badly named Chypre Fatal which is actually the furthest thing possible from a real chypre, and is instead another fruity, patchouli-rose scent with vanilla. There are big differences between the two fragrances — beyond just the fact that Chypre Fatal is dreadfully insipid, flaccid, boring, simplistic, and obnoxiously over-priced — but I’m talking about overall genres or general profiles.

In short, if sweet fruity-florals with a tangy opening and a soft, creamy finish are your thing, give Ultimate Seduction a sniff. At the same time, I have to add, if you’re really looking to seduce with an over-the-top, divaesque, truly sensual fragrance with even greater creamy smoothness and enormous lushness, then I urge you to give Sensual Orchid a chance as well. It was my very first exposure to the LM Parfums line, and I loved it from the start. I think it’s really stunning.

Disclosure: Ultimate Seduction was sent to me courtesy of LM Parfums. That did not impact this review. I do not do paid reviews, and my opinions are my own.

DETAILS:

Cost & Availability: As noted above, Ultimate Seduction is an extrait that comes in a 100 ml bottle for €195 or $225. In the U.S.: Osswald NY should get the perfume in a few weeks. You can check their LM Parfums page at that point to see if Ultimate Seduction has arrived in store. Outside the U.S.: Ultimate Seduction is currently available from several European vendors, with more to follow shortly. At this time, you can buy Ultimate Seduction directly from LM Parfums and Laurent Mazzone’s separate perfume retailer, Premiere Avenue, which currently has a 10% off code for the fragrance until May 20th, 2014. The same 10% discount also applies to the 5 ml decant sample of Ultimate Seduction which is normally priced at €19. In terms of other retailers, Ultimate Seduction is currently available at First in Fragrance (which is also selling a sample, though perhaps smaller in size), Paris’ Jovoy, and the Netherlands’ ParfuMaria. In the U.K., Harvey Nichols is the exclusive distributor of LM Parfums, but I don’t see Ultimate Seduction listed on their page at this time. The LM Parfums line is also available at Essenza Nobile, the Netherland’s Silks Cosmetics, and Italy’s Alla Violetta. In the Middle East, I found most of the LM Parfums line at the UAE’s Souq perfume site. It should also be sold at any Harvey Nichols in the area, as that is one of the LM Parfums’ distributors. For all other countries, you can find a vendor near you from Switzerland to Belgium, Spain, Lithuania, Russia, Romania, Croatia, Azerbaijan, and more, by using the LM Parfums Partner listing. Laurent Mazzone or LM Parfums fragrances are widely available throughout Europe. Samples: In the U.S., you can obtain a sample from Osswald, once the perfume arrives in their store. Their Sample Program is based on the price of the fragrance with a 3-order minimum and free domestic shipping. A sample of a fragrance in Ultimate Seduction’s price range ($200-$299) is $6 for a 2 ml spray vial. Outside the U.S., some of the sites listed above, like First in Fragrance, sell samples as well. ParfuMaria has quite an extensive sample program that you may want to look into.