The word niche perfumery has lost its meaning. An independent fragrance maker breaks down what separates artistic fragrance from the rest.

The fragrance world is a larger universe in the end and there are still many bright stars putting a light to what is beautiful in perfumery — interesting, creative work being done with quality ingredients and with a distinct point of view. That’s my definition of “niche”. We have our favorites.

The “violacciocca”, or Brompton Stock, as it turns out emits a sweet, narcotic fragrance. A bold hit of clove, a touch of dark honey, and, of course, green, stemy notes. Carnation comes immediately to mind for the explicit clove note.

You hear a lot about “aquatic fragrances” this time of year but what does that actually mean?
It’s the height of the summer and those most fortunate who have access to the seaside, ocean, lake (or even a kiddy pool) can get a good whiff of cool, watery scents. Whether they’re briny or soft, aquatic notes are varied but are equally employed to create many modern perfumes.

In the occasion of the latest edition of Pitti Uomo men’s fashion shows in Florence, we’ve created a new series of evocative perfume campaign images entitled, “WHO ARE YOU WEARING?” with a debut reception at Flow Store on Wednesday June 14th, 2023

When we arrived in Italy last spring we were so overwhelmed by the countless local botanicals that it inspired us to start this Scent Journal. One of the early entries was of Irises. The Iris Palida, native to the Tuscan hills surrounding Florence and legendary perfumery ingredient, grows spontaneously since before recorded history, eventually becoming the symbol of the Italian city. Now, we’ve visited a historic grower of the famed iris to learn about its cultivation and place in perfumery.

A new sweet, soft scent sweeps across the Tuscan hills as chilly spring morphs towards warmer temps. Acacia trees, or more correctly, Robinia, grow spontaneously and abundant here. Their elegant flowers make for a graceful entrance for the more dramatically flamboyant blossoms that will soon take center stage. The conical clusters of off-white flowers dance gracefully in the sea breeze and, as they mature, land to create a fragrant petal ground cover.

Puffy, muppet-like yellow pompoms, covering tall trees with its feather shaped leaves, swaying in the coastal breeze coaxes us out of winter slumber. There’s nothing frivolous about the fragrance they emit. No matter how whimsical their appearance, the scent is very sophisticated and a precious perfume ingredient.

The leaves of the lentisco plant are beautifully scented when you break them. The first thing that dominates are fresh, green woodsy notes, not unlike galbanum; an important ingredient in perfumery (and another “favorite”) that has similar intense green and woodsy notes.

Upcycled ingredients are among the more recent trends to emerge in modern perfumery creation. To reuse an otherwise discarded material to extract essential oils is technology at its best and a welcomed manufacturing practice for the environment.