April Aromatics Coco n’ Amour
The whole night long I have slept with you
next to the sea, on the island.
You were wild and gentle between pleasure and dreams,
between fire and water.
Perhaps very late
our dreams were united
in the heights or in the depths,
on high like branches moved by the same wind,
down below like red roots touching each other. ~ Night on the Island, Pablo Neruda
Tanja Bochnig of April Aromatics
Award-winning natural perfumer Tanja Bochnig creates fragrances which never cease to delight, from season to season. It has been my pleasure to review many of them over the years, and she continues to move from strength to strength in the process, never settling for anything less than her best effort, reinforced by the finest olfactory materials she can ethically source. I feel strongly about this, and harbor the belief that cutting corners in perfumery rarely leads to anything of quality. This is why – when you pick up a flacon of April Aromatics perfume – you know that it is going to be a thing of beauty.
Paul Gauguin 1891 La Orana Maria (public domain) via Metropolitan Museum of Art
April Aromatics Coco n’ Amour is the most carnal coconut that I have come across in a considerable length of time. There are no scratchy, rough-edged synthetics employed to create this indolic effect, no loud divas screeching for your attention. What you experience, from the initial spritz – is undeniably true in a photorealistic sense. I confess to having been generally averse to beachy, coconut-driven fragrances in the past because they ring false to my nose; plasticky, even. This isn’t strictly necessary, because natural materials which can produce this effect are readily available (and affordable) – and major fragrance houses have come up with beautiful substitutes and/or additions, if that’s what you’re looking for. Coco n’Amour has made this old sinner a believer, recalcitrant convert that I am.
Tanja Bochnig on the beach
Tanja Bochnig finds her personal bliss among the islands of the South Pacific – a locus of détente, reverie, and healing. Surrounded by white sand and seawater, how can one be anything but content? It is here where Tanja feels most at ease, and her desire to convey that to us is readily apparent. At the very top, the perfumer’s beloved pink grapefruit is her introduction of choice, followed by her own mélange of lush tropical fruit. Coconut pulp CO2 has made it possible for perfumers to achieve a long-lasting natural creaminess previously not possible; in combination with a rapturous jasmine and sandalwood, seduction is certain. A precious woods accord leaves some things to the imagination, but it wouldn’t surprise me if massoia bark or lactones were included, as they tend to embellish a luxe coconutty feel. Copaiba balsam is a lovely team player which brings a woody balsamic gentleness to the composition, with just a touch of pepper, and it blends happily with many other elements. As for island love and ocean breeze, that must remain a mystery. Only Tanja knows for certain.
collage by Tanja Bochnig
“The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea.” ~ Isak Dinesen
April Aromatics Coco n’ Amour may have been released this October, but you mustn’t let that prevent you from enjoying it right now. How many times have you yearned for a tropical getaway during a fierce winter? To feel yourself transported during times of duress, to escape your daily cares? It’s not just for summer days: Coco n’Amour is island love all year round.
Notes: coconut CO2, copaiba balsam, sandalwood, jasmine absolute, pink grapefruit, tropical fruit accord, precious woods accord, island love, ocean breeze (Perceived note: massoia wood/lactone)
Thanks to the generosity of Tanja Bochnig we have a 15ml travel bottle of April Aromatics Coco n’ Amour for one registered reader in the EU or USA. You must register or your entry will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what sparks your interest about Coco n’ Amour from Ida’s review and where you live Do you have a favorite April Aromatics perfume? Draw closes 10/28/2023
All images are from April Aromatics unless otherwise stated
Editor’s Note: Tanja Bochnig was Ermano’s 2020 Best Natural Perfumer of 2020, Irisistible was in Ida’s top 10 Best Perfumes of 2018 and Agartha was in Michelyn’s Top 25 Best Perfumes of 2016. When former Managing Editor Tama Blough (RIP 1/9/2015) was in hospice care, Tanja Bochnig kindly agreed to create a limited edition San Francisco Rose to honor her and donated the profits to Tama’s care.
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