Re-Construction
Perfumery is about expressing thoughts on scents. In that sense I was quite expressive this weekend. Besides the usual stuff like sample making, filling international shipment boxes with little l’air du….boxes, answering mails and sending samples to the world (you guess right: It wasn’t a relaxing weekend in a sense), well besides this usual stuff I found finally time to work on re-constructions of a wonderful natural fragrance: Hyacinth and lilly of the valley (muguet).
Re-construction doesn’t mean copying, more trying to catch one line and bring it into contrast. For the hyacinth line I came up with something involving hydrocinnamic aldehyde, anethol and cyclamenaldehyde for a green line, jasmin, lilial,bergamot, ylang and salicylates, with some rose, clove, phenylethylalcohol supporting. Quite complex for one line. The lily of the valley is similar complex and on a slightly leathery, woody base the whole thing gets, as W. pointed out rightly, somewhat sweet, with an undertone that is somewhat shocking.
The whole soup is nice, somehow, but needs clarification and less compromises: A brave knight, cutting through the wilderness of too much side branches, setting free the true colours I want to see. I want more green, more crying blue flowers, more dirt in the back. And I still haven’t found time to touch my oil colours to match my thoughts with a paint-brush.
In order to have the true fragrance master in front of my nose, I bought a little hyacinth pot, smelling so wonderfully, so intense, and misteriously green. Nature doesn’t seem to make too many compromises! Thus…back to the lab, paint the scent picture in loud colours, without compromising! In the mean time, working on the flyer for the rĂªverie au jardin….
Picture: Snapshot on hyacinth
January 22nd, 2007 at 11:55 am
wow, that’s exciting - I really crave green scents lately and have been playing around with them myself but I am more into the impressionistic department and do not aim at mimicking nature but creating an impression of a natural form or shape and one of these for example is a mixture centered around benzylsalicylat, cedarwood, ionones and lots of different green spices - it is just a lovely walk in the forest after a cold summer shower - a bit suffocating and feels slightly unbalanced but this is the exact same feeling I get when I walk in the forest after a cold shower (as in heavy rain, not bath shower). But I also admit this is a great exercise for a perfumer. And a challenge too. Looking forward to your further thoughts on these natural re-constructions - they are always amazingly informative. hugs, k.
January 22nd, 2007 at 12:11 pm
Talking suffocating, Konstantin….I always have a hard time with the salicylates-lilial lines. It becomes easily breath taking in a negative sense! And you are absolutely right about the excercise for a perfumer. Nature is the best playground to train and get inspiration! Now, for me, the goal is not to copy nature, but to understand a fragrance and see how it can be bent or transformed into something man made. Without loosing all its beauty.
Have a fragrant day and good luck with your spicy green forest.
January 22nd, 2007 at 12:58 pm
I find your insights fascinating, dear men.
What I wouldn’t give, to be a moth in your labs…
Still, one can be easily overcome by the intensity of certain compounds.
They seem to have a life of their own…
Be well, and soldier on !
Love to you-
January 22nd, 2007 at 5:44 pm
My dear Chayaruchama
I do not know whether you would like the sometimes infernal mixture….Some call it milles fleurs or something like that… in my little room it is sometimes more like a horse stuble with some old hyacinths in the middle. hehehe. And overcoming is easy, indeed, right now the horse stable features a big portion of aldehydes, too! Greetings and a warm evening to you.
January 25th, 2007 at 8:05 am
Andy, I don’t know if I can stand it if you do a Hyacinth perfume - I do love that flower, and I am sure that yours will be truly amazing! I can hardly wait!
January 25th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
WEll, dear Flora, I am not so sure here! I think that baby is pretty abstract, far away from the hyacinth in my garden in May, and it is quite vague, intermingling with lily of the valley and some earthy-woods. more about it later…after I have shown it to my dear friend Vero. Greetings to you