Photo via Pikrepo

Few elements have greater ability to make us think, sigh, wonder, puzzle and remember than fragrance. A specific aroma or combination of scents can take you on journeys, tell you a story, or make you long for places you’ve never been. For Nathalie Vinciguerra, founder and creative director of Anima Vinci (which translates loosely to “the inner spirit conquers”), fragrance is a “potion” with which to “change our attitudes, our moods, our minds, and our actions.”

Nathalie Vinciguerra 

The former Head of Fragrance Development for Penhaligon’s and L’Artisan Parfumeur, Vinciguerra started her own, sustainable line in 2017.

Sophie Labbe of Firmenich

She called upon an impressive array of talent to create her perfumes, including Thomas Fontaine, Christian Provenzano, Randa Hammami, Sophie Labbe, Fanny Bal, Beverley Bayne and Michel Roudnitska. Each perfume is intended to make you simply feel good.

 

The Spice Seller by Pamela Kay Arca

Sesame Chan, my favourite from the collection composed by Sophie Labbe of Firmenich, is described as a “zen” fragrance, and its easy grace would be perfect for floating in a raft under a paper parasol as you drift past the spice sellers on the shoreline. In both its transparent construction and central notes of ginger and sesame, Sesame Chan has an Eastern vibe that makes me yearn for the music of unfamiliar words called across hot air and crooked, dusty streets.

The fragrance opens with a brilliant sparkle of ginger that smells both fresh and dried at once. The sharp zestiness of the raw root newly sliced is right at the top; a few moments later, the sultrier, spicy powdered notes ushers in sesame, flanked by the nutty-sugar smell of hazelnut. Sweet, chewy cashew peeks through, adding a toffee note.  But before you start thinking this is a gourmand, it soon becomes apparent that Sesame Chan is moving in a less conventional direction, full of roots and spice.

A Court in the Alhambra in the Time of the Moors, Edwin Lord Weeks, 1876

Sesame is what this fragrance is all about, and it really takes over now. This is not the sweet, nutty seed of pastries but the roasted, almost smoky smell of the spice bazaars. Ginger stays dried now; a dustier, pungent root. Now, the composition turns more herbal as vetiver and the surprising addition of an almost dirty, farmer’s market carrot move in. The introduction of these darker, rootier smells is clever and effective; together, they give a momentary impression of tarragon, star anise, even a bit of root beer. But give it a few minutes, and the petrol-loam of vetiver surges back.

As this point, I smell my wrist again. Where the perfume is most concentrated, Sesame Chan is intensely nutty and full of the strangely compelling marriage of sesame, ginger and vetiver. But as the scent travels down my forearm, the sweeter notes peek out around that delicious ginger stem of the beginning resurfaces. Cedar lends its somber burnish in the dry-down, warming and rounded. Now, the ginger, vetiver and Sesame Chan quiet down to the sound of distant voices at days’ end. The scent lingers well into the cooling night.

Anima Vinci line at Perfumarie, New York, photo by CaFleureBon Sr. Contributor Hernando Courtright and brand ambassador©

With Anima Vinci, Vinciguerra has created a line of easy to wear perfumes that celebrate the beauties of living things, living memories and living spirit. For a world turned upside down, they offer graceful restoratives.

Notes: Ginger, cashew, hazelnut, roasted sesame seeds, carrot heart, vetiver, cedar.

Disclaimer: Sample set of Anima Vinci generously provided by Anima Vinci. My opinions are my own.

Lauryn Beer, Senior Editor

Anima Vinci Sesame Chan via Anima Vinci

Thanks to the generosity of Anima Vinci we have a 100 ml bottle of Anima Vinci Sesame Chan for one registered reader in the USA or EU (you must register here). To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what strikes you about Anima Vinci Sesame Chan based on Lauryn’s review and where you live. Draw closes 4/20/20.

Sesame Chan is finalist for the best independent fragrance  award by the Fragrance Foundation UK. Congratulations and Good Luck!

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