drom Fragrances and The Color Association of the United States collaborated on a presentation of beauty and fragrance trends for  Fall 2013. The concept was “what’s old is new again” and the forecast looks at how traditional colors and concepts are being reinvented. “Our perfumers were excited to work on fragrances for the Color Association again,” said drom marketing manager Renato Roque. “It’s a really fun project for them because they can go wherever they want to go with the fragrance and be creative without any constraints.”

The Fragrances…

FARM STAND– by perfumer Agnès Mazin. The colors in this story represent the stages of evolution that a fruit or vegetable undergoes on its journey to ripeness. The hues reflect the unexpected colors of harvest vegetables, which become more commonplace as new varieties of local produce are introduced. Mazin combined the vibrant, uplifting scent of tomato leaf and the rich earthiness of moss to celebrate Mother Nature’s garden bounty.

Top Notes:            English Rhubarb, Green Bell Pepper

Middle Notes:       Jersey Tomato Leaf, Fresh Basil

Base Notes:          Tree Moss, Sandalwood

GALACTIC– by perfumer Tom Hogan. The color palette is a prism of subtle cool tones. Gunmetal and silver grays feel fresh against softened teal and pale cool pink. Surface finish is explored in this trend, with a noted interest in tarnished metallic, as well as a 3-D application and holographic elements. The scent of Galactic represents traveling at the speed of light through outer space. Hogan designed the fragrance to give a glimpse into the future, with a sense of what might be experienced in the future sub-orbital spaceflights.

Top Notes:            Gun Metal Aldehydes, Sicilian Bergamot, Mineral Water Accord

Middle Notes:       Night Blooming Jasmine, Star Gazing Lily

Base Notes:          Black Amber, Cosmic Musk

TRANSPARENT– by head perfumer Jean-Claude Delville (created Montaigne for Caron and Nectarine Honey for Jo Malone). This is the most politically charged trend in the forecast. The damaged economy and its roots were the initial motivation for this story but evolved into a conversation about transparency- both in politics and in color. There is a synthetic quality to this palette reminiscent of gel filters used in photography, film or even gummy candy!  Delville gave the fragrance a transparent feeling with the scent of lily and an added hint of plum. Sheer in composition, it’s possible to see right through the fragrance to its ethereal background.

Top Notes:            Clementine, Hint of Plum

Middle Notes:       Transparent Floral Bouquet

Base Notes:          Heliotrope, Sandalwood, Vetiver

NEW-TRALS– by perfumer Kevin Verspoor. This story is not a conventional collection of neutral colors. Each has a saturated quality, adding depth and dimension to the tints and tones to which it is paired. There is an underlying smoky, gray-based quality in the palette. Purple has a strong presence, but transitions into a more yellow-based, darkened tone. New-tral has a rawness that captures unpolished metal hues and textures. Verspoor created the fragrance to be evocative of metal mined from a rich mineral deposit still tethered to the earth.

Top Notes:            Metallic Aldehydes, Touch of Ozonic, Birch Leaf, White Grapefruit

Middle Notes:       Cedar Leaf, Brazilian Rosewood

Base Notes:          Sheer Musk, Textured Moss, Amber

 via drom Fragrances.

–Michelyn Camen, Editor in Chief

Editor’s Note: the perfumes were created for a press event and are not available for sale