Photo of DelRae Roth of Parfums DelRae sent to CaFleureBon for this tribute©

We had heard whispers that American Creative Director DelRae Roth of Parfums DelRae was closing her fragrance business after 19 years before it was known to the general public. We were deeply saddened. Another top quality, exquisite independent niche/ indie house was elbowed out of the market.  DelRae worked with only two perfumers throughout her career and every bottle speaks to her love of two cultures-San Francisco and France.  I contacted her directly for her thoughts and I reached out to Maitre Parfumeur Michel Roudnitska for this tribute, who honors us with his introduction.-Michelyn Camen, Editor in Chief

Photo of Michel Roudnitska sent to us by Michel

“I am really heartbroken by this news, and disappointed that her business could not be bought by another company. It seems that now some prestigious niche brands have to be bought by the majors and even then can lose their soul or die…I met DelRae just one year after the launching in 2000 of “Noir Epices” by Editions de Parfum Frederic Malle in Paris. DelRae Roth was from San Francisco and a designer who wanted to start a creative niche brand in the US. She had no special experience in the field of fragrances but she seemed very passionate and with a real refined taste, so I finally accepted to compose the 3 first fragrances of her line. It has been for me a real pleasure to work with her because we had the same kind of sensibility and she was respectful of my liberty of creator.  Thanks to her confidence I could create one of my favorite fragrances “Bois de Paradis” on which I have been working for nearly 2 years…  Her concept was very qualitative and without concession, so I am really sad that she cannot keep on doing her business. It’s a great loss for the perfume community.”-Michel Roudnitska (who has been a longtime friend to CaFleureBon: my first interview on our starting date March 22, 2010)

Photo via DelRae

Amoureuse (2002): Sensual, heady, and entirely female, gorgeous Amoureuse is equal parts Joan Holloway and Jeanne Moreau, its fragrance as sexy as a direct gaze. With its honeyed, cardamom-tinged white florals, its languorous beauty takes me by surprise every time.  A sultry amalgam of tuberose, jasmine and lily, and thick trickle of honey, Amoureuse could have been as overwhelming as a huge 80s bombshell. But Michel Roudnitska’s elegant restraint and balance of fresh and opulent notes is exquisite: the jasmine is green and girlish rather than feral; the tuberose creamy but not fleshy. A splash of juicy mandarin adds a piquant counterpoise to the lush florals and syrup.  I could be having my most bleary-eyed, bad hair day, but one dab of Parfums DelRae Amoureuse, and I swear I’d see Nigella Lawson looking back at me in the mirror. The most seductive perfume I’ve ever smelled, and one of my absolute favourites.-Lauryn Beer, Sr. Editor

Michelyn’s bottle circa 2008 of Bois de Paradis

Parfums Bois De Paradis (2002):– It wasn’t an apple that tempted Eve, it probably was her scent. And she would smell like Michel Roudnitska’s frankly sensual and intriguing perfume for Parfums DelRae. Bois de Paradis is a warm blend of woods, blackberry, fig, rose, amber, and spices that undulates like a snake, beckoning you to abandon all thoughts of heaven and flee into the wilderness; who wants to be ignorant even in paradise? It is a Modern Masterpiece.- Michelyn Camen, Editor in Chief (photo dated 2014)

Photo apped by Ermano

Emotionelle (2006): I was reading Octavian Coifan saying “I’ve never seen such a huge and hyper realistic melon note…”, I couldn’t help but digging for more. Emotionelle exudes the symphony of ripe melon in such a colorful way, its musky sweetness, juicy floralcy and earthy aftertaste feels seductive yet uplifting. Keeping one step ahead of decay, Emotionnelle heady ripeness is disconcertingly realistic, taking me back to childhood summers in the Po Valley, where you can get the best melons in Italy. This magic comes from the family terroir, the rose and plum maternal chypreness of Le Parfum de Thérèse and the juicy brightness of Diorella, Michel Roudnitska takes to a next level to render a youthful mirage I long for and will really miss. –Ermano Picco,  Editor

Photo apped by Marianne

 Coup de Foudre (2012): I am not a minimalist by nature. Most of my rose perfumes are complicated beauties. However I have fallen prey to the pure beauty of a single rose, that perfect rush that comes when you inhale deeply with your nose pressed into the center of a bloom on the bush. It is like a flash of lightning, love at first sight, a “Coup de Foudre”. Yann Vasnier wrote this love letter to the Rose de Mai grown in Grasse by using premiere quality natural oils from Givaudan’s Orpur collection. The nose-tickling open, the deeply floral heart, and velvety dry down remind me of a long gaze at a Rothko painting when the blocks of color blend into a unified whole. Every collection needs a perfume that captures the perfection and purity of a single rose; Parfums DelRae Coup de Foudre would be my choice- Marianne Butler, Senior Contributor

Photo via DelRae

Wit (2014): Who wouldn’t love a signature scent called Wit? But when the fragrance behind the clever name turns out to be a stunningly lovely, retro-edged floral, it becomes irresistible. Centered on daphne cneorum, Wit, by Yann Vasnier, is timelessly elegant. The spring-like, effervescent opening of lemon, mandarin, mimosa and greenery recalls old-school stunners like Jacomo Silences or Chanel 19. But the hypnotizing daphne, heart, with its citrus-y, intoxicating sweetness, has a modern sensuality. Augmented by ylang and narcissus, and brightened with laurel, Wit is the embodiment of its name: sophisticated but carefree, provocatively pretty, yet restrained: the perfect fragrance for a masked ball flirtation at Versailles. –Lauryn Beer, Sr. Editor

And the last (hopefully not for long) words are DelRae’s about working with Michel and Yann. DelRae is also a Fine Artist.

“I introduced myself to Michel Roudnitska completely out of the blue in the year 2000. Keep in mind that this was before the niche perfume explosion. I was not from the perfume world and was an American woman! And yet, from the beginning, Michel was open to working with me and my ideas. He invited me to come to work at his home office in Cabris, in the south of France, where I stayed at he’s family’s fabled estate, Maison Blanche. I met his lovely mother, Thérèse. Actually, it was Thérèse who suggested I name my business Parfums DelRae. Those weeks of work at Maison Blanche are cherished memories. What a dream come true. Michel showed such extraordinary openness and generosity. I am so very proud of our work together.” —DelRae Roth

“Yann Vasnier is just such an amazing perfumer. With every project I presented to him, he responded with immediate understanding and enthusiasm. His style and sophistication make him such a delight to work with. We created some stunning perfumes together. In a business as competitive as this, Yann’s exceptional natural talent, thoughtfulness and sincerity are truly unusual. He really shines.” —DelRae Roth

Parfums DelRae (in the below links Michel Roudnitska mentions some of the ingredients from his father’s garden that played an important role in his Parfums DelRae’s compositions, dates from DelRae):

Eau Illuminée 2002

Amoureuse 2002

Bois de Paradis 2002

Début 2004

Emotionelle 2006

With Yann Vasnier:

Mythique 2008

Panache 2010

Coup de Foudre 2012

Wit 2014

DelRae, we wish you all the best. Please know what you have brought to us is more than our most cherished fragrances. With thousands of new releases a year, we return to your masterpieces again and again.

Disclosure: all bottles and samples from our own collections

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