Absolutely Magazine: November Issue: Heaven Scent by Lawrence Roullier White

Two new launches, and ones to watch; Electimuss & Perris Monte Carlo.

There have been many milestones in the relatively short history of modern perfumery. The 1920’s, with the birth of the flapper, gave us Chanel Number 5; the genius, genre-defining scent that is still the world’s number one best-seller. The 1990’s saw the fashion for calone, a fresh, fruity, watery molecule, which spawned a whole generation of clean cologne-type fragrances: Escape, Eau d’Issey. Themselves reactions to the fad for complex, heady power fragrances of the 1980’s, blockbusters such as Poison and Giorgio Beverly Hills. 

More recently the vogue for independent perfumeries has seen people search out signature non-mass market scents which communicate individuality and the wearer’s honed sense of style. Launching in the UK this month is the über-elegant Perris Monte Carlo Perfume Collection, a new perfume house which focuses on the authenticity of ingredients and the artistic structure of the scent; perfumes for the cognoscenti. 

Intense, dark and mysterious; oud has been traded for millennia. Oud’s unusual natural history – it is an internal resin created by a diseased tree to protect itself – has resulted in the near extinction of naturally growing aquilaria trees. Now carefully and responsibly farmed, Oud Imperial by Perris is one of the few genuine, non-synthetic oud fragrances one can buy in confidence. The clever construction of this scent belies its key ingredient, not the potent animalistic aroma one would expect of oud, but an elegant, warm, woody, rich and refined concoction; groundbreaking stuff. 

Taif , due to its paradisal location and extraordinary micro-climate, produces perhaps the most prized roses in the world and after extensive searching in the region Perris has found the best of the best. Rose de Taif is a light, wearable scent which is modern and clever; piqued with spicy nutmeg and clove and brightened with a soupcon of sparkling citrus. Rose de Taif is destined to become a classic, a perfume which transitions perfectly from day to night; an often overlooked consideration when selecting scent. 

Off the coast of Madagascar the island of Nosy Be is home to the most fragrant of flowers, the incredibly intoxicating ylang ylang - the ‘perfume tree’. So intense is the aroma of this plant that the island is known as the ‘Scented Island’ and the smell is said to hit you as soon as you hit the tarmac. True to form Perris’ Ylang Ylang Nosy Be uses the island’s finest hand-selected blooms and the resulting scent is as sensually sensational as one would expect; a little citrus sits at the top, with a heart of jasmine and a warm, rich amber and vanilla base. 

Through careful cultivation the patchouli produced on Nosy Be is also ranked amongst the best in the world; Perris’ Patchouli Nosy Be pops with pink pepper, ripples with bitter cocoa and oozes with rich creamy vanilla. Those that say they do not like patchouli perfumes should try this; it will open your eyes. 

Derived from the Latin word meaning 'to choose the best' new British perfume house Electimuss takes inspiration from ancient Rome. To the Roman man and woman fragrance was an essential part of everyday life and leaving the house without wearing perfume would have been social suicide.

Electimuss‘ Saggita is made with the golden champaca flower, hailing for the Himalayas this soft, white blossom is mixed with a honeyed apricot and the bright fizz of yuzu and bergamot. Definitely one for the romantic, Saggita is Latin for arrow and it is said that one of Cupid's five arrows was made from champaca wood. 

Electimuss‘ Rodanthe is also steeped in romantic imagery, the Romans believed that the rose was created by the goddess Diana who turned the beautiful nymph, Rodanthe, into one so that she could escape her overly amorous suitors. There will be no such escape for the wearer of this seductive scent. Rodanthe is packed with robust Bulgarian roses and, combined with psychotropic moonflower, it is vibrant and otherworldly; perfect for the modern goddess with a touch of earthy patchouli keeping it grounded. 

Perris Monte Carlo and Electimuss are two of our current top-tips for trendsetting companies to watch; perfume history in the making.