Corps Volatils Magnified Narcissus 30 ml and Altered Leather 15 ml, picture by Emmanuelle.

An enigmatic name, futuristic bottles, and a highly refined visual universe: my first contact with Corps Volatils (via Instagram) was full of question marks. I was thrilled when I learned that Creative Director Nicolas Chabot was behind the brand. He is the man who (re)launched Le Galion in 2014 after several decades of slumber retuning it to its “made in France” former nobility. M. Chabot also introduced Æther, a brand dedicated to 100% synthetic perfumes, launched early 2015 when  synthetic perfumes were not  highly regarded.  Nicolas Chabot is a perfume enthusiast, both respectful of the past but always in search of the tomorrow’s perfume. This is exactly how Corps Volatils is positioned: 100% natural… and 100% synthetic.

Nicolas Chabot, picture by Sylvie Manfray

His idea was to offer fragrances that are identifiable by a single raw material. A way to democratize the often-complex perfume notes, introduce the basics of perfumery  to those who cannot put a name to a fragrance and give a faithful but revised and “tailor-made” version of these natural notes. Corps Volatils summarized in one word: Hypernature.  Thanks to the progress of science, it is now possible to extract completely new facets of raw materials which is accomplished thanks to an artistical and technological exclusive partnership with IFF-LMR Naturals. This is it:  24 creations, 12 composed of 100% exceptional natural raw materials, and 12 others with 100% synthetic molecules. To wear alone, or in pairings.  All the fragrances were composed by IFF perfumers: the 12 “natural” by Nicolas Beaulieu, Caroline Dumur, Jean-Christophe Hérault,  and Julien Rasquinet.

 photo courtesy of Nicolas -The Brand’s motto

The 12 “synthetic” creations are jointly composed by Jean-Christophe Hérault and Domitille Michalon-Bertier.  These 24 fragrances (which were two years in the making) are linked to the scientific vocabulary in the perfume world: “We wanted to put synthetic materials in the spotlight“,  says Nicolas Chabot, “because they are often drowned in formulas”.  The “100% natural” creations focus on two ingredients, each of them with subtle nuances exalting the raw materials’ richness. When I received the 24 samples, I spent a lot of time  smelling them, mixing them and pairing them. Real surprises, discoveries.

Corps Volatils Magnified Narcissus, photo by Roberto Greco

Corps Volatils Magnified Narcissus (Caroline Dumur):  Try  to imagine smelling 24 samples in a row. Each had merits, but when it came to the 100 percent natural Magnified Narcissus, I stopped everything. With a very lively, spicy start, it is a million miles away from any flowery scent. A very aromatic mandarin note, with some hints of pink pepper giving a spicy side to the whole. But very quickly, the narcissus unfolds, dark and mysterious. I imagine it in the shade of a huge oak tree, in a vast forest, just after a long summer storm. The ground is wet, harsh, but the narcissus does not let itself get bogged down. On the contrary: its petals open, revealing a narcotic power, slightly honeyed. The pink pepper then brings some aromatic notes, all in freshness. A duality that plays on the skin for a long time and gives warmth. It takes a few hours for Magnified Narcissus to finally settle down, thanks to vanilla and tonka bean which delicately bring roundness to its most ardent notes. Its trail becomes more discreet, with the skin as the ultimate refuge. It is a very subtle, almost aristocratic fragrance. Narcissus often evokes perfume from the past, but here modernized by  the lynchpin accord and enhanced by pink pepper.

 Of course, I  immediately thought of Roberto Greco (the photographer for the brand)  Porter Sa Peau, the sublime narcissus created by Rodrigo Flores Roux (who has also worked closely with M. Chabot). Two quite different interpretations, one intimate and the other vivacious, but in both the flower is at the heart of creation.  

Magnified Narcissus notes: mandarina oil LMR, Neroli oil Tunisia LMR, narcissus absolute LMR, pink pepper Co2 LMR, vanilla pod extract Co2 LMR, tonka bean LMR.

Corps Volatils Altered Leather,  by Roberto Greco

 Corps Volatils Altered Leather: Corps Volatils goal is not only to magnify the raw materials but also to play with them; I inevitably sought in the “synthetic” creations that would give a new dimension to Magnified Narcissus. I did not take long to find it, as its mysterious universe had fascinated me. Being a leather lover, I could only opt for Altered Leather. Composed of a unique synthetic note developed by IFF, it is a suede leather, quite chic, the one you can smell when you walk through the door of Parisian shoemakers. A little waxed, velvety but also quite animal. Like any synthetic molecule, it remains linear and is gives itself without restraint. Combined with Corps Volatils Magnified Narcissus, you get a huge sensual scent, almost indecent. A very spicy leathery floral that brings my imagination to the stables of a castle. Beautiful and noble perfumed ladies ready to set off for a horseback ride, and rush into the forest of the estate. Full circle… Altered Leather note: IFF Suederal LT.

Corps Volatils refill, picture by Roberto Greco

Corps Volatils was created to be in sync with the 21st century and to ensure that everything related to its perfumes remain eco-friendly. The 30 ml bottle (in recyclable glass) is therefore refillable, with 50 ml refills available for all creations. The components are sourced and composed in France, manufactured in Grasse and the packaging is 100% recyclable. The prices are very affordable with only small sizes (15 ml and 30 ml); it’s therefore easier to have a few and thus create your own scented alchemy.

Corps Volatils  30 ml bottles, © by Roberto Greco

Among the 100% natural creations, I was also captivated by Corps Volatils Fractioned Patchouli, a minty patchouli, with boldness. I appreciated Distilled Geranium (hugely floral, woody, and dandy-powdery like), Enhanced Pepper (a spicy amber with a powerful clove) and Liquified Amber (a very bright, aromatic and slightly greedy amber). Among the 100% synthetic, Expanded Carbon (a woody amber with leathery notes), Overdose Cologne (a very lemony aromatic), Supercharged Musk (its name says it all!), Cloned Ambergris (a soft leather) and Encapsulated Sun (reminiscent of tropics) gave me lots of pairing ideas. Michelyn paired Extracted Jasmine (Caroline Dumur) with Synthesized Citrus that contains the molecule nootkatone© for a fresh breezy non indolic jasmine that feels like summer in the Mediterranean, a great escape from the 16 inches of snow that blanketed NYC.

All artwork by Roberto Greco, unless otherwise stated.

Emmanuelle Varron, Senior contributor

Edited by Michelyn Camen, Editor-in-Chief

Thanks to the generosity of Nicolas Chabot, we are offering one Magnified Narcissus + one Altered Leather 30ml bottle pair (70 Euros each) and two samples sets of all 24 fragrances  to three registered readers in Europe, the U.K. and the U.S. You must register here for your comment to count. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what interested you about Emmanuelle’s review of Magnified Narcissus and if pairing two fragrances is part of your perfumista routine. Which two of the twenty four would you pair? Draw closes 02/06/2021.

Available at Corps Volatils.

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