Parfumeurs du Monde Petite Fumée (Bertrand Duchaufour) and Les Larmes d’Aden (Thierry Bernard) 2021 + the New Natural draw

December 9, 2021December 9, 2021

Parfumeurs du Monde Petite Fumée and Les Larmes d’Aden – bottle pictures ©Parfumeurs du Monde – collage ©Emmanuelle Varron

If you are a regular reader of ÇaFleureBon, the universe of Parfumeurs du Monde is familiar to you: created in 2016 by perfumer Thierry Bernard and his partner Gwenaëlle Chauvin, the 100% natural high perfumery brand was love at first scent at Esxence 2017, especially for Michelyn Camen, our editor-in-chief, and was voted our “2017 Best Natural Perfume House”. With eight fragrances in the inaugural collection, Parfumeurs du Monde officially launched six new perfumes, with new branding and bottles, recently at Jovoy Paris and presented two previous creations revamped by their authors.

photo courtesy of Parfumeurs du Monde ©

The perfume house was founded a winning team of perfumers (Thierry Bernard, Isabelle Gellé, Eric and Jean-Claude Gigodot, Clémentine Humeau, Michel Roudnitska and Perrine Scandel) and added four superstars: Ellen Dahlgreen, Bertrand Duchaufour, Nathalie Feisthauer and Alexandre Isaïe Helwani (also our colleague, a perfumer and ÇaFleureBon Contributor).

From left to right: François Hénin, Parfumeurs du Monde team, Bertrand Duchaufour and Alexandre Isaie Helwani 2^nd December 2021 Parfumeurs du Monde new fragrances official launch at Jovoy Paris – all pictures ©Emmanuelle Varron.

Tjärn (Ellen Dahlgreen) brings us to Sweden: “Tjärn is hidden in the deep Nordic forest. On an autumn evening, the moon shines through the leaves and lights up the dark pond. The scent of moss, wood and berries meets my fire: I am waiting for the majestic ribbons of the Northern Lights.” Notes: lemon, black pepper, cardamom, melon, birch tar, Virginia tobacco, cedarwood, raspberry, geranium, oakmoss, patchouli, benzoin, vetiver.

Nam Chaa: Nathalie Feisthauer takes us to Koh Tao Island in Thailand: “Sitting on a Kapock cushion, I put down my book. My senses jostle between the tea plantation, the rice terraces and the wooden house. The Nam Chaa reveals its beauty in such majestic scenery. The coriander dances with the ginger, the black tea is dressed with warm and gourmand exoticism: everything seems light and new in this jungle-covered hill.” Notes: bergamot, lemon, grapefruit, coriander, ginger, jasmine, champaca, black tea, mate absolute, cedarwood, vetiver, vanilla, tonka bean.

Makeda (Alexandre Isaie Helwani): “Vanilla and sandalwood, warmer than the finest gold; rose and osmanthus shinier than cascades of rubies; a sparkly zest of bergamot, the immortal greenness of lentisque and the purr tobacco and labdanum smelling of sunkissed skin – Makeda is an olfactory hymn to the legendary beauty of the Queen of Sheba.” Notes: bergamot, mandarin, lentisque, pink pepper, iris butter, rose, ambrette, osmanthus, vanilla, sandalwood, tobacco, labdanum.

Androgyne 16020 (Isabelle Gellé) was inspired by Amelia Earhart: “Kansas, in the 1930’s, an American woman breaks all taboos: her haircut is masculine; her clothes combine leather and parachute fabric. She is today’s woman but also the first genuine androgynous woman… “. Notes: cardamom, yuzu, mandarin, leather accord, violet, juniper berry, vetiver, patchouli, birch.

Parfumeurs du Monde Izwe (Perrine Scandel) got an extra jasmine facet compared to its 2017 version.

Parfumeurs du Monde Tundzha (Jean-Claude and Eric Gigodot) reworked version was given a more gourmand and fruity (peach) facet.

If you counted correctly, two new fragrances are missing… The choice for my review was not easy, because all the Parfumeurs du Monde creations took me on a journey and are absolutely delicious to wear on my skin. I was to choose one… I finally review two, as it was impossible for me to single out Bertrand Duchaufour and Thierry Bernard creations, because they also recalled me some personal memories.

Bertrand Duchaufour Parfumeurs du Monde Petite Fumée – Palo santo scene ©Univers Quantic – Bertrand Duchaufour and bottle courtesy of Parfumeurs du Monde – Montage and collage ©Emmanuelle Varron.

For Parfumeurs du Monde Petite Fumée (Little Smoke), Bertrand Duchafour’s inspiration came from a novel written by Carlos Castaneda, The teachings of Don Juan: a Yaqui way of knowledge (which is, in French, translated as L’herbe du diable et la petite fumée). While studying anthropology at UCLA, Carlos Castaneda met a Yaqui Indian from the province of Sonora, named Don Juan. It is unknown if he was a kind of wizard, or a man of wisdom, but Don Juan became his mentor and taught him to tame the Datura Inoxia root, also known as the devil’s weed. The evocation of a shaman and initiation rites quickly made Bertrand Duchaufour think of an association between Tolu balsam and the Palo Santo; thanks to the renowned Stéphane Picart (specialized in the sourcing of raw materials), the French perfumer was able to use a Palo Santo of exceptional quality, from which he dissected the various milky, woody, powdery and menthol facets perceived, to give Parfumeurs du Monde Petite Fumée its own olfactory reading. Palo Santo, that my father often used to “purify” the rooms in our apartment, inevitably reminds me of childhood, and that smelling smoke that seemed so mysterious to me.

Bertrand Duchaufour inspiration: Carlos Castaneda novel The teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui way of knowledge – ©Pocket.

The opening is indeed very fresh and tangy, thanks to the cardamom, accentuated by a spicy trio of black pepper, molle schinus CO2 (an extraction of American pepper) and pink pepper. Progressively, the incense brings its smoky, woody and comforting notes, while amyris adds a dry and leathery, almost wild peak. , Parfumeurs du Monde Petite Fumée warms up on the skin, becoming almost incandescent over the minutes: the different facets of Palo Santo evoked by Bertrand Duchaufour awaken, especially the milky and powdery notes, giving it a touch of roundness, but still with its surprising minty notes in the background. Without ever getting carried away, this Amazonia-inspired scent sails unhurriedly, sticking to the skin in an intimate and spiritual communion. Finally, Tolu balm and styrax bring a sensual and warm drydown that plunges me into introspection. Petite Fumée is a surprising fragrance, both intense by the raw materials that compose it, but also very secret, curled up on the skin, without being noticed by those around us. Bertrand Duchaufour takes us on a journey through time, both initiatory and free from all constraints, in an olfactory universe reminiscent of the 60s …

Notes: cardamom, black pepper, pink pepper, schinus molle CO2, palo santo, frankincense, amyris, clove, Haitian vetiver, Tolu balsam, styrax.

Thierry Bernard Parfumeurs du Monde Les Larmes d’Aden – Honey pot ©Pixabay – Thierry Bernard portrait and bottle ©Parfumeurs du Monde – Montage and collage ©Emmanuelle Varron.

Parfumeurs du Monde co-founder Thierry Bernard (and a perfumer) has already created three fragrances for his brand. With Parfumeurs du Monde Les Larmes d’Aden (Aden Tears), we are going on a trip to the port of Aden, in the South of Yemen, a place of important trade exchanges since Antiquity, strategically placed between Africa, India and Europe. Thierry Bernard wanted to pay homage to the caravans that travelled through the desert to transport incense and spices to the most distant regions. Incense is at the center of his inspiration (and also refers to the tears of incense that ooze on the bodies of trees, almost fossilized), and that’s why he chose to reproduce as faithfully as possible the Temple of Jerusalem Ketoret incense, rich in 11 ingredients, for some almost impossible to find. For example, the sea nail operculum, a small shell from the Dead Sea. But thanks to Alexandre Isaie Helwani’s help and knowledge, Thierry Bernard was able to recover a small vial, and was so inspired by it that he was finally able to compose an incense closed to the famous Ketoret.

Parfumeurs du Monde Les Larmes d´Aden is a voluptuous fragrance that reveals itself from the first seconds. Thierry Bernard immersed his incredible incense accord in a beewax absolute with a sweet roundness, stripped of its animal facets thanks to a luminous neroli and an opulent jasmine, both juicy to perfection, and a structuring cedar wood. Always at the center of the fragrance, incense acts as a matchmaker between white flowers and a crackling, almost green galbanum, which creates a unique contrast on my skin. Light, smoke and earth: Les Larmes d’Aden plays on three strong directions, three expansive and daring facets, like the convoy leaving from the port of Aden then crossing arid, lush and mysterious landscapes. In less time than it took for the caravans to reach their destination, the myrrh is revealed, with its balsamic and sweet notes raising the temperature, getting involved with labdanum, for a delicate animal facet, energized by a sparkling blue ginger. As I rest my nose on my wrist, I am almost stunned by so many opulent and intense smells, as if I had been lying on a bed of spices and incense.

Les Larmes d´Aden reminds me of the stories my mother told me of her trip to Jerusalem, where she was carried away by the mystery of the place. Myrrh, galbanum and frankincense also compose several scents that she wore in my childhood, which awakens in me inevitably sentimental memories of extrovert and intense fragrances that unfolds generously.

Notes: beeswax absolute, cedarwood, neroli, frankincense, jasmine, galbanum, myrrh, labdanum, blue ginger.

Disclaimer: A huge “merci” to Jovoy Paris for the launch party and Parfumeurs du Monde for the samples provided for this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Emmanuelle Varron, Senior contributor

Thanks to the generosity of Thierry Bernard, we have a Parfumeurs du Monde Petite Fumée OR a Parfumeurs du Monde Les Larmes d’Aden 50 ml bottle to win for one registered reader in the USA, EU or UK. To be eligible, please leave a comment on what you feel about Emmanuelle’s reviews, if you are familiar with Parfumeurs du Monde, where you live and which of the two perfumes you choose for the draw. Draw closes 12/13/2021.

Please read Parfumeurs du Monde fragrances reviews of Senior Editor Ida Meister (Brin de Peau, which also was awarded a Best of Scent 2020), Contributor Alexandre Isaie Helwani (Üjan), our beloved Sr. Contributor Robert Herrmann (RIP) (Kashi, Tsingy and Izwe and Agua Nativa and Tundzha) and former Natural Perfumery Contributor Einsof (Val d’Orcia and Agua Nativa, Kashi, Izwe, Tsingy and Tundzha).

Available on Parfumeurs du Monde and Jovoy’s websites.

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