Michele Marin and H.H. Prince Alex Postiglione Ne Min Gy of Limbin by Ida, Extra Virgo Oracle perfume photo via Michele Marin, Michele Marin and Ida © Ida at Pitti 2023

In your own bosom you bear your heaven and earth,
And all you behold, though it appears without,
It is within, in your imagination,
Of which this world of mortality is but a shadow. ~ William Blake

One of the joys of attending Pitti Fragranze 2023 was encountering H.H. Alex Postiglione, the perfumer and founder of Extra Virgo – and listening intently as he regaled me with his passions. He initially guided me through his collection of Forbidden Botanica, each parfum inspired by a provocative olfactory material such as marijuana, tobacco, coffee, cacao. After we had explored these together, he then introduced me to his most recent release, Extra Virgo Oracle – a collaboration between talented Italian perfumer Michele Marin and himself.

Extra Virgo Booth at Pitti via Michel Marin

One fascinating aspect of Extra Virgo parfums is their exceptionally high concentration of natural components: 70-80%. Some of the plants (one of the founder’s great passions) are cultivated in family sanctuaries around the world to which he fondly refers as his “secret gardens” (it sounds better in Italian, though, as giardini segreti, no?). Each of the fragrances are intense, impassioned; they murmur, sotto voce – of that which lies between heaven and earth. Captive to their mysticism and sensuality, I immediately envision the writings and paintings of William Blake – classical yet visionary. These perfumes linger for hours upon the skin and in the hair with a wanton asceticism. All feel profoundly resinous (several include various forms of incense), and the true animalics which are employed are vintage, be they civet or castoreum. Precious ouds are dosed artfully and impart a woody animalic facet which deepens the compositions without dominating them. In fact, many vintage absolutes and essences appear in Extra Virgo parfums, bestowing a richness which is inimitable. Quality is paramount, and this is apparent straight away.

William Blake, When the Morning Stars Sang Together common use

“Creating perfumes has been my dream and passion as long as I can remember. I believe scent TRANSCENDS time and space, is a symbol of peace and a connection with higher knowledge that can connect us with our planet and with ourselves. plants and human kind have been entwined since the dawn of time and the scent of plants, minerals and animals is somehow their soul, their energy. the sensuality of the perfume world is a chance to spread positive vibrations and meaningful changes.” ~ Alex Postiglione

via Michel Marin©

A recent conversation with perfumer Michele Marin revealed Prince Alex’s source of inspiration for Extra Virgo Oracle. The creative director “imagined an ancient vision of an Oracle that contained within itself the archaic, powerful and spiritual world of Mother Nature. Oracle therefore represents all human and ancestral strength and wisdom.” Michele feels honored to work with Alex and “make his dreams come true.”  Clearly these two are a match made in heaven; one needs this sort of synergy in order for alchemy to occur. There have been moments when I smell a tension between creative directors and perfumers (quite literally), and how it affects the fragrance with which they are involved; not so here.

In Extra Virgo Oracle, luminosity is wed to an amalgam of contrapuntal materials. A pinch of aldehydes heighten diffusivity and expansion as citrus notes lead us along to the herbal/spice path garlanded with cinnamon, sage, piquant juniper berry, terpenic, jammy cypress, and lemony/spicy elemi. Oracle’s base is complex, grounded in the balsamic, resinous woodiness of olibanum (frankincense), the sweetness of mellow Texas cedarwood, blissful touches of birch, and a circumspect dollop of the ever-potent cade. Vintage Indian patchouli’s loamy earthiness uncovers camaraderie with grassy vetiver; a satiny sandalwood allies itself to a musky cocktail. Both terrestrial and celestial aspects converge eloquently – proof positive of William Blake’s veracity: in our own bosom we do indeed bear our heaven and earth. Extra Virgo Oracle is among the finest fragrances composed in 2023, and an absolute honor with which to anoint oneself.

Notes: aldehydes, orange, mandarin, juniper berry, cypress, sage, cinnamon, elemi, Texas cedar, olibanum, birch, cade, patchouli, vetiver, sandalwood, musks

Sample kindly provided by Alex Postiglione – many thanks! I cherish it.  My nose is my own

~ Ida Meister, Deputy and Natural Perfumery Editor

Extra Virgo Animal Café was an Art and Olfaction Finalist 2022 and was by reviewed by Contributor Danu Seith-Fyr

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