Best of Show Esxence 2023 Iridescent photo courtesy of Esxence

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where—” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.
“—so long as I get somewhere,” Alice added as an explanation.
“Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, “if you only walk long enough.”

“In that direction,” the Cat said, waving its right paw round, “lives a Hatter: and in that direction,” waving the other paw, “lives a March Hare. Visit either you like: they are both mad.”
“But I don’t want to go among mad people,” Alice remarked.
“Oh, you can’t help that,” said the Cat: “we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.”
“How do you know I’m mad?” said Alice.
“You must be,” said the Cat, “or you wouldn’t have come here.” Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Outside Esxence 2023 where the theme was Iridescent photo by Karl

My colleague Senior Editor Karl Topham perfectly conveyed all the fabulous and yet overwhelming sensorial and emotional overload that experiencing Esxence 2023 (here). The priceless energy of feeling surrounded by people who suffer (and enjoy every second) from the fragrant beautiful madness, from different sides of the fence, with buyers, creators, noses, corporate, content creators and  consumers make for a bubble of energy that, this year, was iridescent. The phenomenon of iridescence, characterized by the shimmering display of luminous, ever-changing colors, perfectly mirrored the ever-shifting and evolving world of perfumery, and returning home, after carefully organizing my samples, my memories, and my notes, I took a step back and saw that the iridescent theme, somehow, unconsciously guided and grouped my steps, my choices, and my picks for my favourites this year.  So here it is, my best hunts of this year, grouped into deeply subjective colorful synesthetic clusters:

Best of Show Esxence 2023: The deep, the luscious, the opulent: The REDs (photos from the brands and the two in the middle are by Nicoleta)

I love roses – be they bright, dark, sweet like confiture, spectral and dusty or delicately blooming, covered in incense or spiked in patchouli, engulfed in oud, or just shining bright soliflores – I just love them all! As a dead-serious rose aficionado, and I say this with extreme care and responsibility, I might have just found some serious new contenders for the all-time top of my favorite roses:

First, on my list – she is dazzling, she is fun, she is giving main character b***h energy –  she is THE QUEEN, a rich, fun, opulent jammy rose from Eau de Boujee, made by the amazing Pia Long and Nick Gilbert.

Parfums Dusita had one of the most beautiful stands, a whimsical wonderland awash in a sea of natural roses. There, I met Parfums Dusita Rosarine for the first time, a mouthwatering rose of May infused with Pissara Umavajani’s trademark elegance and complexity.

Rose on the shore from Tobba – an earthy, airy, mineral, and cool rose unlike anything I have smelled before, from a brand that deserves all the attention.

Pepper Satin from Eila – a satiny, soft, silky bouquet built around a pink fresh rose. Beautiful, understated, and as comfortable as a second skin.

Also, special mention to Maroc Maroc and their Jardin Mille Roses – a rose-infused water with raspberry and loukoum notes that smelled just as pampering as it felt on the skin.

 Best of Show: The ceremonial, the ritualistic, the enlightened: the WHITEs (photos courtesy the brands)

The fragrances that intrigued, challenged, and opened the doors to otherworldly landscapes, both through the power of scent and very on-point concepts were:

Andreas Wilhelm (Art & Olfaction finalist) from Perfume Sucks picked the theme of conspiracies for his latest collection and built the three fragrances using the principles of Fibonacci numbers, composed with ingredients that stand in golden ratio to each other: Wealth 4181 (if you want to literally smell like you are made out of money, as it’s based on a headspace analyze of fresh printed Swiss francs with fancy powdered iris and posh musks); Fuel 0987 (give me fuel, give me fire, give me that which I desire: racing at full speed into the abyss with a mixture of gasoline and oud); and Flash 0021  (a mushroomy truffle that sends you on an LSD trip, with popcorn notes to enjoy while your bad choices in life flash before your eyes).

The Creator was the tarot card that I draw at the Argentum stand. Air, sugar, spice, and everything nice with this innovative fragrance that is created without chemical solvents, in a patented technology of water plant emulsion that mixes oil, water, and fragrance to create a superfine, milky microemulsion that offers a unique sensorial experience when applying the fragrance with added skin and hair benefits. Plus, the packaging is absolutely beautiful with a detachable silvered talisman hidden in the cap and spot-on visuals.

I am an incense freak, so of course Freakincense drew me like a magnet to the Coreterno stand. Translating as “eternal heart” the lifestyle brand was conceived in Rome and born in New York and is inspired by the mysterious world of rebellious poets and engravers of long-forgotten pasts. In my imaginary (for now) haunted villa in which I will spend my wisdom days, surrounded by Victorian exquisite clutter (as Freddie Mercury would have said) and at least ten cats, I need at least 20 Coreterno candles burning on my mantle. Straight on my wishlist, it goes.

The concept for the brand Roads was born in a theatre, the seed being the idea of using scent on stage to create atmospheres for a play. A very interesting panel discussion during Esxence 2023 featured the founder of Roads, Danielle Ryan, and focused on the perfumery of the future (you can watch it here).

Conceptually fresh (filtered through the creative soul and mind of Rola Haddad) and olfactively flawless (again, shout-out to Nathalie Feisthauer, Michelyn’s Best of Scent Perfumer of 2022) L’or Paris was one of the finds I am smitten with. My favorite was Oud Latte, a comfortable, sleek, and urban modern reinterpretation of the ambery, woody spicy genre.

 Best of Show Esxence 2023: The bright, the radiant, the happy: the YELLOWs photos courtesy of the brands

More than ever, I feel drawn to airy, radiant scents that make me feel alert, awake, and ON. Come the yellow-ness I feel from zesty fruits, the freshness of sunny florals, or just the warmth and energy of some spices it matters less. The effect I crave came, and came in large doses, from these beauties:

Composed by Maxence Moutte using 90 % natural ingredients, Le Jardin Retrouve Osmanthe Liu Yuan is a ray of sunshine in a bottle that feels just as joyous as stone skipping, each bounce coming out brighter, with citrusy zest, ripe apricots, and airy osmanthus. I loved running alongside this crystalline river, flowing in a garden of eternal sparkling delights, and couldn’t help but diving my nose in it each time I passed the stand (which reflected the spirit of the brand beautifully with the intricate magic world woven by – Cristian Marianciuc).

Smelling Room 1015 Sonic Flower made my inner Blondie burst into the lyrics of “Atomic Blonde” from the first seconds. Lipstick, powder, crushed flowers, skin & stage lights all the way ON.

Parfum Buro’s Butter me up feels like eating a croissant, eye half closed, in a cozy boulangerie near the boulevard Saint-Germain. A deliciously naughty grownup gourmand that slides on the skin with pink pepper, jasmine, and vanilla.

Burdin Amoroso by Nathalie Feisthauer paints the image of a Mediterranean garden bathed in golden sunshine, with sweet figs, bergamot, and vetiver. Relaxingly joyous.

A special shout-out to Manos Gerakinis Pivoine, which I smelled at Esxence 2023 for the first time. I usually don’t swoon at blushed peonies (read this with Morticia’s tone talking about pastel colors) BUT this is such a weak-in-the-knees, sigh-inducing, hyperventilating- gasp-for-air-and-bring-the-salts PRETTY peony I am at a loss for words. Extra benefit: it made me feel like an Olympian goddess for the countless hours it lingered on my skin (might have been Hera, as the show was so crowded, but not complaining, on the contrary, it has added benefits.

 Best of Show Esxence 2023: Shades of cool: the calm, the spiritual, the natural – GREENs & BLUEs

Each time I got lost in the maze of nearly 300 exhibitors, I was happy to cross the J-scents stand and test as much of their over 20 perfumes of the line (note to the organizers – the app should come implemented with its own GSM system for the next edition). I loved Hisui (inspired by the mysterious green and white colors of Jade, the national stone of Japan); Sumo Wrestler (an unexpected floral that bears the scent of bintsuke (hair oil) subtly floating from the hair of sumo wrestlers and their self-explanatory best seller, Roasted Green Tea.

EDIT(h) fragrances, born from SHUNIKU, the Japanese stamping signature culture, and their Green Velvet – a bittersweet green spicy floral.

Nissaba is a brand that makes 90% natural perfumes, with no colors, or additives, vegan, cruelty-free, with a low carbon footprint, and focused on purpose, sustainability, and giving back to the local communities of harvesters. My favorite was Provence – an aromatic green fragrance that pays homage to the aromatic plants cultivated in altitude around the Durance Valley.

Reiner Perfumes – a brand created by a plastic artist, with each perfume inspired by a painting. My heart melted into the cool waters of Guaynabo – a fragrance inspired by the scent of freshly sun-dried skin after a swim in the waters of the Caribbean Sea by Miguel Matos.

Nicoleta Tomsa, Senior Editor

For our US and EU readers we have a gift bag of assorted samples from Nicoleta’s Best of Show Esxence 2023. To be eligible you must be a registered reader. Please leave a quality comment with what perfumes/brands from Nicoleta’s Esxence Best of Show 2023 captured your imagination and where you live. What color  tones attracted you the most. Draw ends 04/13/2023.

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