À la rose

Initially extracted from Tibetan musk deers, natural musk has been banned in perfumery since 1973. Synthetic molecules designed to replace it appeared at the end of the 19th century, so today there is a wide selection of musky notes with an olfactory palette ranging from fruity, to woody to animal facets. Musks are very persistent and relatively non-volatile base notes. They have been extensively used in detergents and fabric softeners, and are commonly referred to as white musks because they evoke the scent of soft, fluffy clean linen, and conjure up a feeling of tenderness and comfort suitable for all kinds of fragrances. With their inimitable mellowness highly appreciated by the general public, today musky notes are present in the vast majority of women's and men's perfumes.

Sweet pea is either a white or a colorful flower from a climbing plant native to southern Italy. Its papillote-shaped petals reveal a very delicate, sweet, honeyed scent, also found in honeysuckle or orange blossom but without the distinctive floral facets. Sweet pea is a mute flower, which means that its fragrance cannot be naturally extracted. By blending different ingredients, Francis Kurkdjian re-created the scent of the white sweet pea, the most fragrant of the family. The result is a fresh, soft and delicately powdery floral note, with subtle honey undertones.

Also called the May rose - because that is the month of its flowering - the Centifolia rose Pays blooms in Grasse, in the south of France. It is the other variety used in perfumery, along with the Damascena rose. Its name, "one hundred leaves" in Latin, is explained by its numerous overlapping petals. Particularly delicate, it flowers only once a year which explains its rarity and its high cost. The roses are picked by hand, early in the morning. Too delicate to be distilled, the harvested rosa Centifolia blooms are extracted with volatile solvents to obtain an absolute. This rose absolute is used in the heart and base notes of a perfume. Its generous and complex rose floral notes stand out by their beautiful petal-like effect and honeyed facet.

In perfumery, only two varieties of rose are used for their fragrant properties: rosa damascena and rosa centifolia. The Damascena rose or Damask rose's appeal lies in its highly distinctive honeyed accents and slightly spicy scent. Originally from Persia, this very old variety is the most used in perfumery. It is now cultivated in Bulgaria, Turkey or Iran. Different perfumed products, such as rose water, rose oil and rose absolute, are obtained by using various methods of extraction, each with their distinctive olfactory characteristics. Rose oil is obtained by steam distillation. The Bulgarian rose has fruity facets with hints of pear, lychee and raspberry.

Despite its readily identifiable and popular perfume, the violet is a mute flower, as it is impossible to extract its perfume naturally. Only the leaves and stems can be used for extraction. The green scent of spicy cucumber they exude is antithesis to the flower's scent. To reproduce the fruity, gourmand and slightly woody fragrance of its petals, Francis Kurkdjian uses odorous molecules called Ionones (ionos means purple in Greek), discovered and made available to perfumers at the end of the 19th century. In feminine perfumery, the violet lends a powdery facet or a gustatory sensation that blends beautifully with rosy notes. Its green facet is widely used in men's fragrances.