2022 Esxence – The Art of Excellence Best of Show part 2: + new launches and trends giveaway

July 7, 2022December 25, 2022

Ermano “Through the mirror” wall at the entrance of Esxence at MiCo 2022 Esxence ©ERMANO

The 12^th edition of Esxence – The Art Perfumery Event “Through the mirror” neon halo at the entrance of the MiCo Milan Congress Center was not only the coolest spot to take pictures, but also a reminder of the values the Art of Perfumery System must promote to address a better future.

Elegance and Uniqueness at Esxence 2022 was everywhere as was the concept that Beauty is going to be more and more unconventional and inclusive. Discovery, or better research for new natural and synthetic raw materials saw an unprecedented speed-up in the past 3 years, specially driven by a new Consciousness of the customer for sustainability. Social distancing taught us to enjoy more Intimacy, and this hopefully will help us regain the Mystery of Fragrance as a pleasure to be covetously shared only with our inner circle. In a nutshell, less fog horns, more emotion.

Strolling four days through the best of 2022 Esxence, I discover many fragrances landing on the shelves next fall, and others recent releases I didn’t have the chance to smell yet that helped me identify all the trends mirroring the above-mentioned principles.

Photographer and perfumer Christele Jacquemin showing her creations at Esxence 2022 ©ERMANO

Escapism at Esxence 2022

Perfume has always been a flying carpet for us and we close our eyes and let imagination our free. Travel limitations in Covid19 times made it even more necessary, obviously boosting fragrant escapism. Among the most exquisite and avant-garde discoveries the photographer-perfumer Christele Jacquemin was remarkable. Pictures and emotions from her travels are skillfully rendered juxtaposing innovative raw materials (more than 90% natural) and impressive balance (no wonder her Impermanence was an Art & Olfaction Award 2020 finalist). Inspired by her “buen retiro” in Murcia, a place in Spain renowned for its Art Nouveau architecture, Echoes of Silence is an awesome woody-aromatic featuring a unique rosy artichoke concrete.

Hima-Jomo beautiful display ©ERMANO

Another exciting Asian-inspired finding is Hima-Jomo (which in Tibetan refers to the “Holy mother” Himalaya). Perfumer Delphine Thierry concocted for the French brand four mostly natural fragrances conveying the primal beauty of the less knows Tibetan villages. Strong raw materials like Timur pepper, jatamansi and incense from Himalaya cast you immediately through the traditions, spirituality and kindness of Tibetan communities. Winter in Manaslu remarkably combines mint with star anise and Himalayan cedarwood to let you inhale the freezing air from the top of the world. (see Karl’s review of Summer in Paro here, where there is a draw).

Nobile 1942 display in gold and pastel colors at Esxence 2022 featuring Petali e Spade ©ERMANO

Nobile 1942 takes us to a more fictional trip to China with the new addition to the Premium line Petali e Spade (petals and swords) by Antonio Alessandria. The climax of Zhang Yimou’s House of flying daggers epitomizing strength through fragility translates here in aldehydic glares of Chinese osmanthus over a caramelized mineral amber trail.

Olfactive Studio founder Céline Verleure – The brand new Dancing Lights ©ERMANO

Olfactive Studio creative director Céline Verleure introduced me to Olfactive Studio Dancing Lights(reviewed by Emmanuelle) (Sidonie Lanceisseur), a shimmering cold spicy floral inspired by the mysterious aurora borealis captured by Norwegian photographer Frøydis Dalheim. The pairing of mint, caradamom and syringa over a coniferous base makes it unique.

NŌSE perfumer Timur Sodolov and his assistant ©ERMANO

Esxence 2022 also marked the debut of cool brands like NŌSE, a line founded by Russian perfumer Timur Sodolov. The Russian landscape inspiration and a great research for unusual raw materials made it stand out, along with an environmental conscious recyclable pack. Their Les Amours du Nord СТЕПЬ #1 (Steppe #1) is a gorgeous honeyed tobacco contrasted by absinth and mossy woods.

Via dei Mille displaying the new introduction Kore Sacra ©ERMANO

Mediterranean destinations are a never-ending source of inspiration where citruses and especially neroli are the ultimate trigger to a blasé summer lifestyle. Bright examples are Perris Montecarlo Neroli Mediterraneo as part of the Italy Collection mixing fizzy ginger and Timur pepper with the best Calabrian neroli and Francesca Bianchi’s sophisticated Libertine Neroli leaving a neo-seventies animalic chypre trail. A thirst-quenching take on this Italian fragrant journey is Laboratorio Olfattivo Viaggio in Italia Collection Arancia Rossa (Jean-Claude Ellena) with orange flowers and tangy passion fruit making blood orange pulp euphoric. In the same line, the latest Via dei Mille Kore Sacra from the Kaos collection with its lively pomegranate and aromatic incense brings to life unexploited Sicilian villages and its customs rooted in the Greek legacy. The new Aedes de Venustas Corfu Kumquat (Ilias Ermenidis) sweeps you from Sicily straight to Greece at dusk for a fizzy cocktail of citrus, kumquat, bergamot and tangerine over a woody patio.

The new UÈRMI Solaro Collection ©ERMANO

To enjoy this mood at best, bring out your caftan, retro sunglasses, a gaudy Sardinian coral necklace, and start dancing barefoot. If your fancy a less flamboyant but equally glamorous style, you can put on your solaro suit and a panama hat while sipping your daiquiri.

The Solaro fabric and elegance is the inspiration behind the new UÈRMI Solaro Collection created by Pierre Gueros. L’Isola che non c’è (The island that doesn’t exist) is as effortlessly chic as the green/ivory suit where lemon and incense play warp and weft, blended by the peppery, salty accents of elemi hinting the sea breeze.

I also sensed an emerging micro-trend for tropical escapes, where solar white flowers blend with fruits, mineral hints and powdery, soft woods. It’s the case for example of Pierre Guillaume sensual Intime Extime, Maison Tahité Cacao in the sun (Lucien Ferrero) where just a pinch of cocoa powder is sprinkled on top of red fruits and glowing florals, or the playful sunny tuberose Isabey Avant et Après (Marie Schnirer).

Return to Nature

The evolution of fragrant escapism leads to digging a return to nature and to the true values it represents: more environmental awareness of course, but also living in a less intensive and hurrying way, enjoying the small things and enabling a deeper connection with ourselves, and other humans as well. We are entering in the golden age of natural perfumery as more and more brands embrace this olfactive art which is also supported by a search for new natural raw materials, innovative extractions, natural isolates and bio-derived sustainable essences.

Gwenaelle Chauvin and Thierry Bernard from Parfumeurs du Monde – Vetiver and resins on display (waves to our EIC) ©ERMANO

Since 2016 Parfumeurs du Monde has brilliantly kept up the values of sustainable and fair natural perfumery, so I was really happy to meet them again and see the line has grown with a new packaging and creations like the graceful Nam Chaa (Nathalie Feisthauer) built around a gorgeous white floral tea accord.

Hiram Green’s latest Arcadia (fabulous review Lauryn) is brilliant and unfolds a complex agrestic floral harmony brightened by French lavender that let you understand how nowadays a natural perfume can be way more than a mix of aromatic oils. Same applies for Tanja Bochnig of April Aromatics which I happily met in Milano. Her Lost in roses (reviewed by Ida) is a radiant soliflore with crisp fruity hues holding impressive texture and performance. Another 100% natural brand worth smelling was Floratropia, a line inspired by natural elements cleverly rendered in beautiful chiaroscuro by perfumer Delphine Thierry using ethically sourced materials. Plentiful of hot and cold spices, flowers and vanilla like a colorful Indian market, Le feu totally lit my fire.

Voyages Imaginaires co-founder and co-perfumer Isabelle Doyen ©ERMANO

The ÇaFleureBon team was lucky enough to spend a full morning with Voyages Imaginaires co-founder Isabelle Doyen. Enjoying an overview on the whole collection with the in-house perfumer and sharing impressions on the precious natural raw materials she used was priceless. Moreover M.me Doyen made me happy disclosing a secret I was wondering about since a year: it’s a verdant quality of buchu leaves she used to render the fig accord in L’Echappée Sauvage. A secret is revealed, but I promised to keep my lips sealed on what’s coming next. Trust me though, it’s simply gorgeous!

TOBBA founder and perfumer Jasper Li ©ERMANO

The green wave runs great in natural/synthetic perfumes like ERIS Parfum Green Spell (Antoine Lie) with its bourgeoning mix of crisp tomato, fig and violet leaves. While distancing we couldn’t hug humans, but we could hug trees and feel their wisdom and compassion. Cypress and conifers give back their peaceful resinous aura as can be sensed in the beautiful Force by debuting line TOBBA from Hong Kong. The founder, artist Jasper Li juxtaposes Chinese traditional smells with abstract touches in effortless essential harmony.

Oceans couldn’t be missed as part of this new green awareness, and olfactory speaking, a new marine wave lies ahead, but very different from the ‘90s loads of calone. From the adventurous seabed covered in minerals, mosses and algae, the cold sprays of marine creatures carrying ambergris are distilled in greatly evocative perfumes like the violet laden Masque Milano White Whale (Christian Alori) and the tuberose infused Cristian Cavagna Murice Imperiale (Arturetto Landi).

Giuseppe Imprezzabile of Meo Fusciuni ©ERMANO

It was so good to talk with Perfumer Giuseppe Imprezzabile, as known as Meo Fusciuni about those past years and how he kept his balance planting and nurturing some osmanthus trees that brought him the memory of a trip to Laos. “They taught me beauty through patience. Those past years weren’t wasted, and in the end I told myself I’m still plenty of time to enjoy love and life”. He distilled this lesson of balance in what’s to me his masterpiece, the breathtakingly beautiful Encore du temps radiating the fruity melody of tea-like blossoming osmanthus over a deep, serene, and mellow sandalwood bed.

And to top it off with flowers, I couldn’t help but surrender to the call of the wild blooms smelling Anatole Lebreton L’Eau Guillerette. Brightened up by lemon and impertinent lilac, lily of the valley here is pure light-heartedness. Last but not least, let me add the Isabey Gardenia candle (Patrice Revillard) with its intoxicating mushroom hints.

Anatole Lebreton and his L’Eau Guillerette ©ERMANO

Classics Reloaded

In daunting times, nothing offers certainties to hold onto like the classics. Of course we’re in the XXI century, and yet oozing an acquainted charm, nowadays classics are asked to be sustainable, more wearable and modernized with contemporary raw materials.

Jacques Fath Vetiver Gris will be on the shelves next October ©ERMANO

Who better than Jacques Fath could fulfill our needs for a new staple in the Gentleman’s wardrobe? Fath’s Vetiver Gris perfectly fits this bill with its invigorating bitter orange and grassy galbanum opening smoothed by the chicest iris sprinkled nutty vetiver. Please check Emmanuelle Varron’s Best of Show to read the full story of how perfumer Jean-Christophe Herault met Fath’s creative director Rania Naim.

Speaking about iris, I was lucky enough to meet the guy behind the restoration of L’Iris de Fath, perfumer Patrice Revillard who gave me a preview of the more affordable and brighter eau de parfum version soon to be released next fall. Gosh, stay tuned for it is as gorgeous as the iconic parfum.

If you have class, you can’t help but putting it in whatever you do. Namely intended to be a more immediate line, Fragments by NVC the perfumers were not named initially see Ida’s review) aims to capture the spirit of those past years through small fragments. Classical themes (oud, aldehydic florals and tobacco) are rendered here by thousand layers in line with the brand’s DNA resulting in a ton sur ton seeming simplicity. Tobacco lovers will swoon over Fragments of visual purple – Purpureum (Cristiano Canali) with the opulence of peppery gourmand tobacco.

Frassaï was a great discovery in many ways, starting from the founder Natalia Outeda. We talked about raw materials as well about how her granddad came to Argentina from Italy. Her latest introduction Victoria (Irina Burlakova) has everything to die for, and though using high-tech natural extractions like a stunning pink litchee nat-neo–Jungle Essence to build a dazzling fruity overture, the big tuberose bouquet oozes the glamour of Fracas and perfumes from the ‘40s. It perfectly renders so the classic femininity and strength of Argentinian writer Victoria Ocampo.

The erotic glamor of the golden ages of perfumery is the inspiration behind ONSKAD Parfums. As the founder Virginie Dhoye says, the goal of a perfume is to flirt with yourself first of all. Classic yet sharp like a Bauhaus piece of furniture, 30 (Léa Hiram) is a thrilling leathery tobacco pour elle Marlene Dietrich could easily wear.

More recently the feeling of classics reloaded seems to apply as well to perfumers, as some theoretically retired got back in the lab and now are composing beautiful new creations. The latest one to be back on track is Master Perfumer Jean-Louis Sieuzac who added to the Nishane Time Capsule Collection the cardamom laden mystical oud Kredo.

MiCo Milano Convention Center was so vast I’m sure I missed some noteworthy perfume house, so please check out reports from my fellow Çafleurebon colleagues, Emmanuelle Varron and Karl Topham. And my first report

All pics are mine

Ermano Picco – Editor

Thanks to the generosity of brands that Ermano met at Esxence 2022 The Art of Perfumery Event, we have a draw with a travel spray of Nobile 1942 Petali e Spade and a Christele Jacquemin Discovery Set for one registered reader in the EU, USA, UK. You must register or your entry will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what surprised you in Ermano’s Esxence 2022 The Art of Perfumery Event review and where you live. Draw closes 7/10/22.

There is so much work that goes into these Esxence 2022 event reports that the more detailed and original comments will count twice-Michelyn

Others to follow @christelejacquemin @hima.jomo @inspiration.libre @nobile1942 @olfactivestudio @noseperfumes.eu @perrismontecarlo @francesca_bianchi_perfumes @laboratorioolfattivo @aedes_de_venustas @uermi_perfumes @pierreguillaume_parfumeur @maisontahite @isabeyparisparfums @parfumeurs_du_monde @hiram_green @aprilaromatics @floratropiaparis @voyagesimaginairesparfums @erisparfums @tobba_official @masquemilano @_cristiancavagna_ @meofusciuni_parfums @anatole_lebreton @jacquesfathparfums @fragmentsbynvc @frassai @onskadfragrances @nishane.official

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