Orientals are, in my opinion, the most exotic and sensuous perfumes of all. There is something about them which seems to trigger a very basic animal attraction and creates a lot of presence. Women who wear oriental perfumes are never afraid to turn heads. It was really the House of Guerlain which started it all with classics like Vol de Nuit and L’Heure Bleu but some later orientals like YSL’s Opium and Klein’s Obsession have also found lasting appeal.

Orientals are right at the heart of my perfumery roots. As a trainee perfumer in Paris I spent over a year working exclusively on oriental bases for master perfumers to use. Bases are “ready made” mixtures of raw materials which perfumers use to speed up their formulation work – they are like perfumes within a perfume and my job was to create oriental bases. The bases can be extremely complex in their own right and when well done really enhance the quality of the perfume. The experience I got from this work has stayed with me all my professional career and I am extremely sensitive to the subtleties and nuances surrounding the oriental family of perfumes.

When I was asked to participate in this project I decided that I wanted to work with the spirit of the original orientals. The idea was always to go deep into the odour area and not be afraid of it. Too many orientals today seem almost shy of themselves and, in my opinion lack any authenticity. But I didn’t just want to go down the retro route. I wanted all of that original power but I wanted to layer some modernity into the structure. The central theme is based around vanilla extracts, tonka beans, benzoin, myrrh, sandalwood and patchouli - these are the key elements of my oriental structure and give the fragrance its soul. I wanted to emphasise that exotic nature with a spice character and I used one of my favourite combinations of clove and cardamom to which I added just a trace of nutmeg. This gives a dry freshness to the theme which I “moistened” a little with Chinese geranium and ylang ylang from Madagascar. There is a lovely perfumery “trompe d’oeil” in the body of the perfume – a light touch of a beautiful aniseed, almost liquorice note which has been created purely through the interaction of the ingredients - there is absolutely no aniseed at all in the creation. For the top of the fragrance I’ve used a trio of essential oils - mandarin, lemon and bergamot - which give an incredible lift to the opening effect. Both the bergamot and the mandarin are Italian sourced but the lemon is an Argentinian oil which gave me the sharpness I was looking for. It’s a stunning start.

I really enjoyed this project. It brought back lots of memories for me re-reading my notes from all those years ago. The fragrance is just as I envisaged it with the modern freshness combining with the overall theme and leading you in to the rich world of a true oriental perfume. I hope you enjoy the experience.