Your Perfume Passport

You don’t need to board a flight, catch a train, or drive a car… just a whiff of these city-inspired fragrances is enough to take you places.

Paris, Tuscany or New York… Where would you like to go today? Perfumers turn to many things for inspiration—emotions, milestones, fashion, luxury, star ingredients, celebrities... And sometimes they turn to cities that leave an indelible mark on their olfactory senses, leading to their fancy being captured in a bottle. Strap on your seat belts as L’Officiel sprays on you the addictive spirit of some of the most desirable cities in the world.

L’Officiel India DigitalRead L’Officiel India in the digital libraryEvery issue and every cover story, on TCG Media.Read now

Tuscany

Walking through Tuscany is like letting your olfactive senses have an affair with the fascinating aromas in the air—of intoxicating vineyards, sweet rosemary, juicy tomato, spicy sage, fresh mint and tranquil lavender, all resting under the shade of olive trees. What’s not to love?

Salvatore Ferragamo Tuscan Soul

Tuscany has always been a source of creativity and vision for designer Salvatore Ferragamo. A unisex fragrance, Tuscan Soul revokes the scent of the region with notes of bergamot, tomato leaf, petit grain, magnolia blossom, orange blossom, iris flower and fig tree blended with Sicilian and Calabrian citrus accords. The collection of four fragrances (Bianco di Carrara, Vendemmia, Viola Essenziale and Convivo) explores the beauties and traditions of the Tuscan land.

Estée Lauder Tuscany per Donna

This floral-oriental perfume by Estée Lauder, resonating with notes of rose, citrus and Mediterranean herbs, along with jasmine, carnation, honeysuckle and peony, is a ticket to the aromatic landscapes of Tuscany.

Paris

There is something hopelessly romantic about this city with effortlessly chic people, architectural wonders, history-seeped museums and churches, cobbled streets, roadside cafés. And of course, those lovers crowding the river Seine, stealing kisses in front of the Eiffel Tower.

Issey Miyake L’Eau d’Issey

When Japanese designer Issey Miyake launched his first fragrance, he turned to Paris for inspiration. The conical bottle, designed by Miyake himself, is based on the view of the moon behind the Eiffel Tower, from his Paris apartment. The floral-musky-woody fragrance stars notes of lotus, freesia, rose water, fresh peonies, carnation, precious woods, osmanthus, tuberose, amberseed and musk.

Nina Ricci Love in Paris

A woman in love in the most romantic city in the world was the muse of Nina Ricci’s Love In Paris, a soft floral fragrance. One whiff and you’re transported to the joyous spring-time accord of rose. Fresh and spicy, thanks to the unusual pairing of bergamot and star anise, it is delicately feminine with notes of apricot and jasmine, and leaves behind a woody, musky trail.

Lancôme Trésor Midnight Rose

Parisian midnights are the stuff of legend. Lancôme’s Trésor Midnight Rose, which comes in a resplendent purple glass bottle adorned with a satin rose, is inspired by Paris at night, when the sky blushes with an exhilarating violet glow. The fragrance entices and charms with notes of intense rose absolute, bold raspberry, blackcurrant, jasmine and peony, spiced with pink pepper and a dash of musk.

Van Cleef & Arpels Midnight in Paris

The glittery dark blue glass flaçon of Van Cleef & Arpels’ Midnight in Paris is reminiscent of the Parisian starry night. Directly inspired by an eponymous watch from the design house, Midnight in Paris, a masculine scent by Van Cleef & Arpels, is a contemporary fragrance with fresh, luminous leather and floral notes.

S.T. Dupont 58 Avenue Montaigne

Using the legendary address of its flagship boutique as reference, S.T. Dupont celebrated over 140 years of savoir-faire as well as their admiration for Paris with the launch of the fragrance duo, 58 Avenue Montaigne. Glamorous, addictive and enchanting, the notes are sparkling and distinctly sophisticated. The scent has heady masculine notes like marjoram, sage and pepper, while its fruity-floral character is balanced with a musk and patchouli base.

New York

It is said that arriving in New York City is like being plugged into electricity. There is something pulsating, enigmatic and urbane about this city. With its Broadway shows, celebrated museums, rocking nightlife and iconic architecture, there’s never a dull moment in The Big Apple.

Carolina Herrera 212 Women

The cocktail of gardenia, mandarin, bergamot, white lily, sandalwood and musk comes in a sleek metal bottle. In the olfactory world, nothing is as evocative of the vibrant nightlife of New York as the 212 universe, created by Carolina Adriana Herrera for the brand Carolina Herrera. It comprises 212 Men and Women, 212 Sexy, 212 NYC, 212 VIP. Herrera says of her NYC fixation, “I love New York, I can’t get it out of my system. I love its strength, vitality, magnetism, I love everything about it. It’s been the source of inspiration for me.” Why 212? It’s the original Manhattan telephone area code.

Rio

Tropical climate, sunny days by the beach, beats of samba drums ringing in the air and some exotic cocktails… This Brazilian coastal city embodies the quintessential carefree holiday spirit.

Escada Rock’in Rio

A young fruity fragrance, inspired by the ultimate holiday cocktail—the Piña Colada. Top notes of tangerine and papaya give it a fresh, tropical zing, bringing the smells of Rio to life, while the sweet heart notes of sugarcane and peach deliver the essence of the brand to the fragrance.

Jaipur

It is believed that at the end of the 19th century, when the Maharaja of Jaipur was to receive the Prince of Wales, he painted the city pink, the traditional colour of welcome, a colour that is synonymous with the city now. Exquisite royal gems, opulent embroidery, colourful bazaars, stunning hilltop forts and glorious palaces with a rich royal past, all of these and more have made this city one of the world’s most desirable places to visit.

Boucheron Jaipur Bracelet

Spray on some to get into the world of opulent luxury of erstwhile Indian royalty. A lucky charm, the Jaïpur Bracelet bottle has a shape that is essentially a refined version of the famous cabochon. This jewel case, made of pale pink tinted glass, is a tribute to the Pink City’s palaces, sculpted like a hanging bracelet. With its amethyst cabochon, the institutional colour of the House of Boucheron, the bottle, curved like a woman’s form, celebrates the softness of nude skin. Amidst the effervescence of citrus fruits balanced by violet leaves, basil, and the heart of lily of the valley and hyacinth, there’s the silky sheen of marigold, known as the carnation of India.

Grasse

This beautiful city in South of France, was—and still is—the world capital of perfumery. Local farmers mastered the art of cultivating delicate flowers such as jasmine, rose and orange blossom—known for their aromas. To complement the extraordinary ingredients from Grasse, adventurous perfumers travelled overseas to lands as distant as the Far East in search of magnolia or to Madagascar for vanilla. Thus, the perfumers’ palette of scents was enriched and modern perfumery was born.

L’Occitane La Collection de Grasse

Perfumer Karine Dubreuil, who trained at the Roure School of perfumery in Grasse, created this fragrance collection inspired by her childhood town. The simple clear glass bottle, takes after the traditional perfume bottles of Grasse perfumeries. To create this collection, L’Occitane composed exclusive fragrances that unite ingredients from lands near and far. Magnolia from the Far East, blackberry from the South of France, green tea from Japan, bitter orange from Tunisia, jasmine from Grasse and Egypt, bergamot from Italy, vanilla from Madagascar, narcissus from France… The list of extracts chosen for this collection is eclectic and whisks you away on a wonderful dream-like journey.

From the April 2014 issue of L’Officiel India.