The Different Company Rose Poivrée, Bois d’Iris and De Bachmakov by Ida, all original bottles©

Several suggestions were generously offered me recently regarding topics about which to write. I gave them each deep consideration – and then came up on my own with some long-loved eaux de toilettes from The Different Company: three vastly differing iconic ones which have perhaps lapsed from the general public memory. I’ve been delighting in these all summer long. There has historically been a lot of criticism swirling around them, especially in the earlier years when they initially appeared controversial, and currently as well – in these days of desired monster sillage and beast-mode scents. Each of my flacons hails from its year of release and would be considered vintage – because nearly everything has undergone reformulation, tweaking or a definite facelift since then. From an artistic and historical point of view, I thought that I’d review them and give one of our readers an opportunity to sample them all – as part of an olfactory education. I lovingly refer to these earlier fragrances as The Different Company Trio That Time Forgot. They are Rose Poivrée (by master perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena, The Different Company’s nose and co-founder along with Thierry de Baschmakofff (b) Bois d’Iris, also by the master; and (c) De Bachmakov, by Monsieur Ellena’s brilliant daughter, perfumer Céline Ellena Nezen.

 Jean-Claude Ellena provided by perfumer, photos in the collage by Ida

In 2000, Jean-Claude Ellena wanted to compose perfumes as he wished them to be – not according to someone else’s brief. He collaborated with art director Thierry de Baschmakoff to elegant minimalistic effect: exquisitely heavy rectangular glass flacons which were classic yet modern. The earliest ones were ensconced in a black leather jacket of their own, which further enhanced their individuality. Some fragrances were notably more ephemeral than others – in contrast with today’s eaux de parfums, which are longer lasting and often weightier in scope. This coincides with Monsieur Ellena’s creation of Angéliques Sous La Pluie for Frederic Malle (2000) and shortly before his illustrious career heading the house of Hermès. Since then, many fine perfumers have contributed their beautiful compositions. While I love and admire many of them, I still hold a torch for the earlier works because Monsieur Ellena chose to tread a different path according to his own aesthetics. It was a first.

The Different Company Rose Poivrée(Jean-Claude Ellena) 2002: Is Rose Poivrée the perfume people love to hate??? You certainly would think so, given the very famous bloggers who pronounced it fascinating, but nothing they would ever want to wear themselves. They each agreed that it was a work of art – and some of those bloggers are now classically trained perfumers. Thank heavens Editor Ermano Picco and I are on the same page, because we both adore it. Rose Poivrée commences with a beautiful, prickly bite of black and pink pepper, accompanied by nose-tickling coriander; it’s wonderfully quirky, and still smells innovative 22 years later. Rose is far from generic despite the employment of lovely absolutes: never syrupy, it is bookended on the opposite side by a hefty dose of civet and sweetly smoky vetiver. Some regard Rose Poivrée as a cross-pollination between a ‘sour rose’ and ‘dirty laundry’: I’m not amongst them. For me, it is an utter delight of piquancy, composed of quality components and it has stood the test of time – retaining its contemporary character (it was reformulated in 2020; I’ve not smelt the more recent iteration) and a puckish sense of surprise. In this day of intensely oud-heavy fragrances, Rose Poivrée continues to hold its own as a maverick trailblazer, with its animalic growl. It’s also completely genderless. If it sings on you, wear it proudly. Notes: black pepper, pink pepper, coriander, Damascus rose, rosa centifolia,vetiver, civet

 The Different Company Bois d’ Iris (Jean-Claude Ellena) 2000: Bois d’ iris, how do I love thee: let me count the ways. The Different Company Bois d’ Iris is an aquarelle étude awash with delicacy and finesse, the queen of subtlety. It is beautiful in the way that Japanese paintings from the Edo period are: a graceful representation of the natural world. Bois d’ Iris is an ephemeral iris, poised somewhere between Olivia Giacobetti’s 1999 Hiris for Hermès and Maurice Roucel’s iconic 1994 Iris Silver Mist. Hiris has a lipstick-powderiness sweetened with honey, although it does not cloy; Iris Silver Mist is all sepulchral rhizoma aridity in comparison. Jean-Claude Ellena’s oeuvre is as tender as can be, as silvery iris is gently sweetened with an herbal/rosy geranium and the equine floralcy of wayward narcissus – just a pinch. A little bergamot to whet the palate as introduction. Vetiver and cedarwood smell downy, interwoven with fluffy musk.  The Different Company Bois d’ Iris is fleeting, admittedly – but so charming that it makes the perfect pillow spray, pre-sleep anointment. The sort of fragrance that is celestial as a cloud into which you walk after spraying liberally. Everywhere. Notes: iris, bergamot, geranium, narcissus, cedarwood, vetiver, musk

Céline Ellena Nezen image via Luckyscent / The Different Company De Bachmakov by Ida©

The Different Company De Bachmakov (Céline Ellena Nezen)2010: Bracingly crystalline as an ice floe, The Different Company De Bachmakov is what it’s like to be pressed against the flinty bosom of Hans Christian Andersen’s Snow Queen. Young Kai is mesmerized by her, as well he might be – she is all cool elegance, distant as the mountaintop and twice as compelling. Perfumer Céline Ellena Nezen demonstrates a sleight-of-hand which showcases her development over the five years since her first fragrance for The Different Company, Jasmin de Nuit (a magnificent heady jasmine and one of my favorites). De Bachmakov is a study in contrasts, how opposing aromas can combine felicitously in a prismatic fashion: the briskness of bergamot is wed to spices both warm and cool (nutmeg, coriander), followed by a fleshy/woody fig (a dichotomy in itself), the minty freshness of icy shiso and a cool white freesia embedded in a soft cedar and delicately ambery base. What commences as tonic concludes in a chilly powderiness which is oddly comforting and comfortable. I fell in love with De Bachmakov 12 years ago, at first spritz; for others, it tends to grow on one. Notes: bergamot, coriander, nutmeg, fig, shiso, freesia, cedar, amber

All reviews based upon flacons which I purchased and are part of my collection. My nose is my own…

~ Ida Meister, Deputy and Natural Perfumery Editor

Deputy Editor’s Note: To enjoy Senior Editor Lauryn Beer’s favorites here

Editor-in-Chief’s Note: Please read Ermano Picco’s inclusion of The Different Company Rose Poivrée in our Modern Masterpiece Series

Sel a Vetiver is also included in our Modern Masterpiece Series and was written by former Managing Editor Mark Behnke

Sometimes it’s good to sample the original versions of lesser-known scents, so Ida is offering 4 ml. decanted glass flacon samples of all three The Different Company fragrances (Rose Poivrée, Bois d’ Iris and De Bachmakov) for one  registered reader in the US. ONLY. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what intrigues you about these scents based on Ida’s reviews. What are your favorites from the brand? Draw closes 8/16/2022

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