Gentle Fluidity Gold and Silver

The nutmeg tree can reach 15 meters in height and punctuates the landscape of Indonesia and surrounding countries. When ripe, the orangey-yellow fruits of the Myristica Fragrans implode and release an ovoid nut, covered with small irregular hairs, called mace. Once this membrane is removed, dried and ground, the nuts are steam distilled and give off a spicy, dry note like grated wood, reminiscent of the smell of an old book. A complex top-to-base note, prized among others for its role in the composition of woody and oriental fragrances for men and women.

Few people know this, but vanilla bean extract naturally has woody, leathery, almost animal accents. To smooth this dark side, Francis Kurkdjian has recreated his own vanilla accord. A more airy, gourmand and slightly spicy interpretation. The round, enveloping aspect comes mainly from vanillin, the main olfactory compound of vanilla, also used in food flavors for its particularly soft and sweet side. This accord brings comfort and sillage.

English Gin is emblematic of the taste of juniper berries, with its particular and striking aromatic flavor. In perfumery, the fruits of Juniperus Communis lend this same sensation of striking freshness. This shrub is present in Northern Europe and the Balkans. When ripe, the small blackish berries are dried before being steam distilled. The resulting oil offers a fresh, aromatic, spicy but also woody and slightly resinous top note. It can be found in colognes, men's fragrances and some women's perfumes; Francis Kurkdjian uses it to amplify certain floral notes such as the rose.

While there is a multitude of amber woods, their common denominator is the strength they bring to a fragrance. The range of possible tonalities is as vast as with musks. Some of them replace the animal effects once used, namely ambergris, a sperm whale excreta. Each major supplier of raw materials offers its own amber wood developed by synthesis. They are called Ambroxan, Ambrocenide, Cetalox or Cashmeran. Francis Kurkdjian's amber wood accord combines these synthetic notes with natural ingredients such as patchouli, sandalwood, cedar and vetiver. It contains multiple facets, powerful, dry, enveloping and rising. Its ingredients amplify the scent's sillage and hold.

It is not uncommon to come across this small aromatic herb in our gardens. Coriandrum sativum was already appreciated in ancient times. In perfumery, its leaves give a very particular oil with strong green metallic notes. The steam distilled seeds are commonly used. The resulting oil is fresh, zesty, slightly peppery and very floral, close to freesia. Francis Kurkdjian has even identified solar overtones due to the presence of linalool.

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.