The task was to express 2 styles of composition with their particular raw materials or ideas, and everything in a wearable modern form. I didn't want to mix 2 formulas but to express with modern materials (our times, not their), if possible, 2 universes. For those who know the subject this exercise can reveal a lot of fun discovering the quotes, for those who are less interested by fragrance history it could be just a modern, pleasant accord.
For Ernest Beaux I took the Chanel No5 idea thought around ylang-ylang, aldehydes and the sweet notes (the crème vanille as Beaux said referring to Shalimar). The jasmine and the rose notes are modern, as Roudnitska would have probably done. Following the idea given by Polge with his new version of No5 I wrote a modern shape built around a tiaré flower idea, with elements from No5 and No22 (plus Gardenia) and with the drydown notes reduced.
Having a bouquet already "modernized" in terms of freshness and clarity, as Roudnitska did for the lily of the valley, I thought to bring a touch of irony putting on the fragrance the melon "spécialité maison" found in Parfum de Thérèse. An irony because Ernest Beaux was more into other type of fruits. And an irony because you wouldn't expect a melon growing in No5. After that I brought even more notes that were used by Roudnitska and the concept of "across the perfume" like in ballet. So, citronellyl acetate, helional and indol were added to create the sparkling notes of a famous masterpiece and a very light chypre note. They can be smelled from the start because of the contrast with the flower but their amount will not turn the perfume into a chypre fruity. In the end I put a very small dose of cumin just to quote the master.
To resume my sketch
- a vanillic tiaré-ylang aldehydic note plus a melon plus a chypre touch and some accents.
No5 seen in a Roudnitska mirror, but in 2008
It opens with a short Roudnitska ouverture, then goes into Chanel ylang accord (the "hesitation walz" between No5 and No22) then new Roudnitska elements appear opposed to the very powdery Chanel touch and in the end it recalls a known chypre fruity accord.
Here you have the list of ingredients (In this first sketch I took out the orris, sandalwood note and the coumarine)
Bergamot ess
Lemon ess
Ethyl caproate
Hexyl acetate
Melonal, 1%
Cumin ess, 1%
Aldehyde C12 L, 10%
Ylang - ylang extra
Methyl Salycilate, 10%
Methyl Benzoate, 10%
Dimethyl anthranylate, 10%
Citronellyl acetate
Geraniol
Phenylethylalcohol
Helional
Hedione
Indol 10%
Amyl salicylate
Benzyl salicylate
Cis 3 hexenyl salycilate
Decalactone delta, 10%
Undecalactone gamma, 10%
Ethyl vanilline
Vanilla Bourbon SB abs
Maltol, 1%
Patchouli Indonesia ess
Vetiver Haiti ess
Sandalwood Mysore ess
Oakmoss, 10%
Ambroxan, 10 %
Ambrettolide
Ethylene Brassylate
The formula can be perfected with more ingredients in the woody-chypre section and another aldehyde plus the very small top raspberry used by both perfumers and even cardamome.
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Fragrance is the 8th Art - Octavian Coifan - Le Parfum est le 8ème Art
