Essential Parfums Divine Vanille Review (Olivier Pescheux) 2019 + Luminous Vanilla Draw

October 25, 2019October 25, 2019

Essential Parfums Divine Vanille (Photo: Despina Veneti)©

Since my meeting with Géraldine Archambault, founder and creative director of Essential Parfums, last March, I’ve been curious about Essential Parfums Divine Vanille. During our informal discussion, Géraldine emerged as a woman with a deep knowledge of the fragrance industry, as well as a creative director who knows exactly what she wants – and, most importantly, how to achieve it. Her first five fragrances were all contemporary, uplifting, utterly enjoyable compositions centered around a basic ingredient, created by some of the world’s most renowned perfumers (The Musс was composed by Calice Becker, Rose Magnetic by Sophie Labbé, Orange X Santal by Natalie Gracia-Cetto, Nice Bergamote by Antoine Maisondieu, and Mon Vetiver by Bruno Jovanovic). What’s even more commendable is that Essential Parfums always manage to meet two additional standards: true focus on sustainability, and widely affordable pricing.

Géraldine Archambault of Essential Parfums & Olivier Pescheux of Givaudan (Photos courtesy of Essential Parfums)©

Géraldine may be giving carte blanche to the perfumers she’s working with, but not before she fully communicates the olfactory result she aims for. When I asked her seven months ago what her vanilla fragrance would be like, she answered me in one – decisive – word that it would be “different”, adding (after my eagerness to know more): “it will be neither a heavy oriental, nor excessively gourmand/sugary sweet; it will certainly be based on beautiful naturals!” For Essential Parfums Divine Vanille, she worked with Givaudan’s VP Perfumer Olivier Pescheux (his oeuvre includes several beautiful scents for Diptyque), who created a bright and airy, but substantially complex and evolving, vanilla-centered fragrance – one that easily transformed my initial curiosity to sheer delight.

Grace Kelly dressed in vanilla-white (Photo: Getty Images)©

The “star of the show”, the precious Madagascar vanilla, is present at every stage of the scent’s evolution – well-behaved, self-confident, at ease with her own sensuality (the film critic in me can’t help thinking of Grace Kelly while writing this!) Like a wisely generous performer, the vanilla does not seek to overshadow the other ingredients; instead, she works harmonically with them, creating fascinating aromatic alchemies that ultimately highlight all her own exciting facets. At start, the vanilla absolute welcomes a generous dose of warm, electrifying cinnamon (encompassing both the plant’s sweet spiciness, and the woodiness of its bark), a touch of tingly black pepper, and the unique floralcy of Chinese osmanthus (with all its apricot/peach, and leather nuances). The opening is as exhilarating as one could hope for, altogether spicy, balmy, bright and delicious, with undercurrents that range from a chai latte vibe (the combination of the spices with the vanilla’s creamy, lactonic aspects), to a fascinating mixture of blond tobacco, sweet hay and suede leather (the interaction between vanilla, osmanthus, clary sage, and the emerging coumarin and patchouli).

Watercolor illustration of Vanilla Planifolia (Published in Sabor Magazine, November 2015)©

As the woods, resins and incense develop, the vanilla becomes smokier, and profoundly sensual. The stunning tonka bean from Venezuela acts as the vanilla’s ideal co-star, contributing its almond-like aromatic properties, and a booziness that resembles spiced rum. The astonishingly green Indonesian patchouli is a crucial balancing factor at this stage, providing a counterpoint to the sweet, richly balsamic Laotian benzoin. Reading the notes list, one might expect the fragrance to transform into a full-bodied, robust oriental; however, the alchemy between vanilla and resins colors the fragrance with only a light amber shade. The scent’s drydown is largely a vanilla one-act show (after all, she deserves it for being so well-mannered!), and it’s a long, smooth and comforting one, due the presence of a fluffy musk base.

“Dans la vanillère, homme et cheval” by Paul Gauguin (via guggenheim.org)©

Regarding ecological and social responsibility, Essential Parfums Divine Vanille achieves a small triumph: the main raw materials – vanilla, cinnamon, pepper, clary sage, osmanthus, patchouli, benzoin, tonka bean, cedar – are all natural, and many of them also sourced in a sustainable manner, as part of Givaudan’s “Innovative Naturals” program. Through the latter, the vanilla producers in Madagascar, the tonka bean collectors in Venezuela, the benzoin harvesters in Laos, and the patchouli farmers in Indonesia are being aided by teams of experts so as to source steady quantities of the respective raw materials, in a way that will protect the natural environment. Last but not least, apart from providing training on sustainable production, the aforementioned program includes contributions to the local producers’ communities in the form of income management assistance, as well as health and education facilities.

Different stages of vanilla production in Madagascar (Photos: Getty Images)©

Infused with the luminous sensuality of sun-warmed skin, and a contagious joie de vivre spirit, Essential Parfums Divine Vanille is a fragrance accessible to all, even to those who tend to shy away from its main ingredient. Wearing it with abandon for a full week since I arrived at my home country, Greece, I’ve received longer, tight hugs from friends and relatives than ever. Yes, they’ve missed me, but they also loved that smell.

Notes: Clary Sage, Cinnamon, Black Pepper, Osmanthus, Incense, Vanilla, Tonka Bean, Benzoin, Patchouli, Cedar, Musk.

Disclaimer: I’d like to thank Géraldine Archambault of Essential Parfums for my bottle of Essential Parfums Divine Vanille. The opinions are my own.

– Despina Veneti, Senior Editor

Thanks to the generosity of Essential Parfums, we have a draw for a 100ml bottle of Essential Parfums Divine Vanille for one registered reader in the USA or EU. You must register here or your comment will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what you enjoyed most about Despina’s review, if you have a favorite Essential Parfums fragrance, and where you live. Draw closes October 28, 2019

Available in the USA @indigoperfumery where you can order a sampler set of all Essential Perfumes for $20.

Divine Vanille was mentioned as a Best in Show in Ida and Michelyn’s Esxence 2019 report here

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