Esxence 2024 14th Edition Metamorphosis ©Ermano Picco
Esxence 2024 14th Edition – The Art Perfumery Event on March 6th opened its doors at the Allianz MiCo center, at the heart of the Milan City Life district. The event aimed at both professionals and simple perfume lovers showcases a top selection of niche perfumery as well as insightful and engaging talks on perfume culture, markets, and innovation. Moreover, over the years it has proven to be a must-see litmus test for new trends.
What’s become the main event for artistic perfumery gathered in a venue of 14.000 square meters over 360 brands from 30 countries all over the world, including 121 brands from Italy. Noteworthy is the growing presence of brands from Estonia, Australia and far East countries like China, Korea, and Japan that only in recent times joined the game. Stats prove an unprecedented turnout of 12.000 attendees, including international professionals lured also by a full calendar of insightful talks and workshops, and perfume lovers that stood with their umbrella under the pouring rain for hours to enter the show on Saturday for a brief tour.
Ermano lost in flowers at the entrance of Esxence 2024 14th Edition ©Ermano Picco
“Metamorphosis” is the chosen theme that marked the latest edition. Conceiving a fragrance as a metamorphosis, a natural evolution can be found in the perfumer’s palette through the decades, or in the way perfume offers boundless new sensory stimuli reflecting an ever-changing world.
“Much time has passed since the first edition in 2009, and now we can state we’ve become a unique international reference. We contributed to the identity of niche perfumery, promoting a new awareness and the evolution of consumers” – affirmed Esxence co-founder Silvio Levi, who since 2019 is also the mastermind behind the Essencional Study Center. Indeed, the steadily growing number of fragrance lovers in the niche perfumery market is undeniable.
The first breaking news this year was after five years of absence, our beloved EIC Michelyn Camen was going to attend the show, so you can imagine how excited I was I could be able to hug her again finally. I was also happy to see again independent US perfumer Amber Jobin, who I met at Esxence 2018, and had a brief talk with her as well, remembering our beloved Robert Herrmann who’s always in our hearts, and seems to be even closer when we catch whiffs of big aldehydic florals.
Laurent Mazzone Fil d’Or launch party at Gattopardo; Laurent Mazzone at the center, and perfumer Vincent Ricord on the right. ©Laurent Mazzone
Before delving into a proper Esxence 2024 14th Edition Best of Show with the top new discoveries I smelled strolling through the booths, let’s talk about the parties, that’s always where people in Perfumeland have fun, but also make the most fruitful encounters, where the unexpected magic happens. The main party I attended this year was the launch event for the Fil d’Or line Laurent Mazzone set at Gattopardo, the iconic Milanese club housed in an early XX century former church. On March 6th, a lucky parterre of exclusive guests could attend the breathtaking performance of acrobats swinging in the air between huge crystal chandelier scattering thousands of reflections all over the audience. Then Mr. Mazzone along with perfumer Vincent Ricord (who created Fil d’Or #1) talked about the three extrait de parfum dedicated to the savoir faire and elegance of French Haute Couture. Fil d’Or #1 is a mellow fruity-floral fading to smooth blonde tobacco inspired by silk, while #3 is a comforting woody fragrance sandalwood lovers will dig, that’s inspired by the warmth of cashmere. My favorite is all the way #2 that renders the chic of tuxedo through a deep Turkish rose drenched in a mouthwatering davana and myrrh liqueur to make Gala Nights even more glamorous.
Nobile 1942 Neapolitan Casinò party at Cascina Cuccagna; up right Creative Director Stefania Giannino with perfumers Miguel Matos, Maria Celeste Lombardo, and Cristiano Canali. ©Ermano Picco Esxence 2024 14th Edition
Never change a winning horse! So on March 7th was the turn of Nobile 1942 that replicated last year’s successful arrangement at Cascina Cuccagna for the occasion turned into a Neapolitan Casinò. Card games, lucky charms and numbers from the typical Neapolitan “smorfia” (the popular handbook used to interpret dreams and turn them into winning numbers at bingo) kept the guests entertained along with a sumptuous buffet focusing on typical Neapolitan delicacies. At the end the new fragrance of the I Rituali collection along with Antimalocchio (Maria Celeste Lombardo), and A’Grazia (Miguel Matos) was revealed. La Dea bendata (the blindfold Goddess, that’s the fortune) is a sparkling fruity amber featuring lots of notes from grains, for grains bring money as explained by Creative Director Stefania Giannino. Perfumer Cristiano Canali interpreted the concept using pink berries, black and timur pepper, pomegranate and sugary pizzutella grapes over Turkish boosted by a solid ambery base.
The Esxence 2024 14th Edition official party this time was downtown at MiB Restaurant Café close to Duomo square. The theme was Wild Nature, so the venue turned into a jungle dancefloor where glamorous nocturnal felines left intoxicating trails of perfume, perfectly confirming ancient Greek philosopher and botanist Theophrastus who said the panther is the only animal smelling good by nature.
Prefacing it is humanly impossible to visit even half of the booths and smell everything in four days, and that for sure I missed some breathtaking new launches, now let me get through some exciting discoveries I made at the show in alphabetical order.
Perfumer Delphine Thierry at Argentum booth ©Ermano Picco
Sophisticated British cosmetics house, Argentum recently launched the alcohol-free fragrance collection Parfums Infinis starting from Become, the scent of their fabulous cream, and expanding it to 12 perfumes. As alcohol-free perfumery is a growing segment, I was lucky to step into independent perfumer Delphine Thierry who concocted the creations who guided me through her amazing works. All of the scents wear smoothly with a discrete sillage and a solid lasting power, but the awesome Magician stunned me with its vibrant piquancy of black pepper, clove bud, and chili pepper scattered over an ambery pot of intoxicating myrrh and resinous labdanum evoking ancient medicinal balms.
Perfumer Céline Perdriel with her creation Cèdre Figalia for Atelier Materi ©Ermano Picco
Don’t be fooled by the name like I almost did at first. Calling Atelier Materi Cèdre Figalia a fig scent would be way too simplistic. I was pleased to meet perfumer Céline Perdriel who took me by hand through the creation of this uplifting Mediterranean woody symphony. The opening conjures the dappled sunlight falling on fig leaves, with moist hints rising from the ground carrying the aromatic smile of basil. Majestic Cedarwood takes the center stage smoothed by whiffs of lactonic tonka beak, and textured by the a coup de theater, a touch of spinach absolute (it smells so complex!) lending a ferruginous chypre and hay-like vibe.
Baruti founder and perfumer Spyros Drosopoulos debuted three new creations. Following the iris laden Dama Koupa created for his partner, as the snuggly name might suggest, Laurakimou is the fragrance he created for his daughter Laura, a smile inducing floral bouquet served with red fruit jellies. Other launches are the meditative Mono No Aware currently an exclusive for the Japanese market, and Hot Cotton perfectly rendering through an overdose of aldehydes and musks the vivid sensation of ironing linen sheets.
Ermano with Boujee Bougies founders Pia Long and Nick Gilbert ©Ermano Picco Esxence 2024 14th Edition
A new brand I was eager to discover is Boujee Bougies. Founded by independent perfumer Pia Long and creative director Nick Gilbert, also known as the Olfiction team. Their amazing candles line expanded lately with matching fine fragrances, which latest introduction is the exquisite Infleurno. Inspired by the myth of Persephone, the fragrance renders her farewell from the underworld spreading flowers and spring all over with a firecracker eau de parfum. Magnolia and osmanthus make the pillar of this floral chypre opening with tangy grapefruit, yuzu, and bergamot twisted by the sulphurous juiciness of blackcurrant and passion fruit. Her earthy nature though lays in the unique chypre drydown veined by translucent incense swirls.
After playing with patchouli and the Rolling Stones, Francesca Bianchi gets once more inspired by music with The Mariner’s Rhyme. The record playing this time is Sailor’s tale by King Crimson, that is liberally inspired by Coleridge’s The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner. The fragrance marks a further evolution of Mrs. Bianchi’s style keeping her drama in the aromatic citrus and razor blade metallic accents of incense, but gaining an unprecedented atmospheric sheerness and balance blowing like sea-storm wind for a very diffusive ozonic chypre scent.
Frassaï Dormir al sol beautiful display ©Ermano Picco
Solar notes are trendy right now, specially talking about floral fragrances. While white flowers usually make a winning pair with them, mimosa unexpectedly amplifies the wellbeing sensation associated with them. Solar radiating power in Frassaï Dormir al sol (Sleeping in the sun by Irina Burlakova) starts with the uplifting fruity greenery of the yellow pompoms, melting later like honey leaking on skin for a pampering vibe that dries down to a comforting bed of soft hay.
In Astra Wega ©Ermano Picco
Classics are an endless source of inspiration, like guiding stars in the turmoil of an ever-shifting market, and rose and gourmand are the constellations we have to look for with our nose up in the fragrant skies to find Wega, the upcoming creation by In Astra founder and in-house perfumer Sofia Bardelli. Wega perfectly balances the radiant crispness of freshly blooming roses covered in opalescent dew drops with the girlish coquetry of a macaron accord tinting the drydown with icy sugar and almond powder.
L’Horloge de Flore was one of the lines bringing a fresh interesting concept related to reconnecting with nature. Inspired by Linnaeus “Horologium Florae”, literally the flower clock where the botanist market the stats for many blooming species as a metaphor of time in our modern lives. Perfumer Hélène Prévot interpreted flowers at their olfactive paroxysm, that’s the moment when they exhale their most beautiful scents. The four fragrances bear the grace of classic French perfumery, with little contemporary touches like in En un tour de cadran mixing a feminine light tobacco with the nutty freshness of fennel seeds.
Meo Fusciuni showing his latest creation Last Season ©Ermano Picco
Perfectly in accordance with his impermanent poetry, after a hiatus of suspended delicacy with the floral Encore du temps and the diaphanous Sogni, the latest creation Last Season brings him back to the roots of his inspiration, fascinated by the untamed force of nature shaping wild landscapes. This also marks Meo’s (Giuseppe Imprezzabile) return to a darker palette in smoky greys, silvery incense, maize touches of fruity chamomile, and the moist saltiness of underwater greenery that he uses in fauvist style to render details of the Scandinavian coast.
Chinese brand Tombstone booth ©Ermano Picco
Last but not least, I was somehow attracted as much as I was repulsed by the new Hong Kong based brand Tombstone. Nothing can trigger attraction into a Gemini (as I am) like something pulling both sides of the twins, so I decided I needed to check out the work of this young creative group. Tombstone concept is deeply rooted in the Asian cultural approach to death, which is part of the natural circle of life, as opposite to western Christian cultures for which it is a dramatic departure. As soon as one makes up with this, the line exudes a fresh and ironic creative approach that translates in interesting fragrances, though a bit rough like the fierce osmanthus centered Sweet Coffin that boosts the animalic side of the Chinese iconic flower pairing it with moldy cedarwood and a dead water accord, which for a while brings the illusion of decay fading then to a mellow woody drydown
Ermano taking a break after 4 days of Esxence at MiCo ©Ermano Picco
Esxence 2024’s unbelievable stats prove that the world of niche perfumery is growing exponentially, and maybe it’s even time to change its labeling with something more suitable to the current market. My only regret is that having such a brand list with lots of newcomers and upcoming creations, I chose to focus on booths and totally missed the dense agenda of insightful talks and round tables scheduled. That would have needed four more days for sure!
Ermano Picco – Editor
Please read Michelyn’s Esxence 2024 14th Edition report here, Ida’s here, Lauryn’s here and Danu’s Part 1 here
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