Spoturno Alphée

Legacy and heritage must be notions that weigh heavy on the mind of Veronique Spoturno.  As the great granddaughter of Francois Coty – a man duly celebrated as the father of ‘parfumerie moderne’ – she has the reputation and the access to his intellectual assets (his outlook, family crest, almost all of his original formulae) to create a house that celebrates and reveres his past whilst also pushing the form into new and different shapes. So, hers is very much a family story, one she carefully recounted at Paris Perfume Week, where, alongside her in-house perfumer Christopher Sheldrake, she presented the backstory of her Corsican family’s roots alongside her deft collection of eau de parfums.

 

L-R: Perfumer Christopher Sheldrake, Veronique Spoturno and Francois Coty (formerly Francois Spoturno)

When you properly digest the back story and realise the impact that Coty had on the world of perfume (the insanely popular rose soliflore La Rose Jacqueminot, the first ever chypre perfume, Coty’s Chypre and his pioneering relationship with glassmaker Rene Lalique) it makes complete sense that Veronique’s collection would smell decidedly ‘classical’. Admittedly, it’s an awfully tawdry word to describe an exploration of such game changing olfactory culture but, given her roots and inspirations, the perfumes sort of have to exist as part of an existential timeline.

In throwing back to such luminaries and innovations of the past, they were always going to smell a little retro in comparison to the modern market of 2026. But they are all, in truth, impeccably realised. Sheldrake’s work is pointed and clear and he’s as astute working in the dense, loaded florals of 1921 and Barbicaja as he is in the more modernist, spicy amber leanings of L’Âme du Phénix or the airy, molecular allure of Alphée.

 Spoturno currently offers four eau de parfums and one extrait de parfum of 1921

In fact, it proves pretty hard to talk about Spoturno Alphée without first acknowledging that its perfumer is illustrating in a very well-worn style. Ostensibly it’s a combination of crisp, neroli and jasmine loaded summer breeze. Sheldrake’s palette is clean and pervading, with ambrofix and musks enabling the life span and lift of the perfume. He doesn’t avoid the bitterness of the neroli and he resists sweetening the base in an attempt to counteract the sharpness. Instead, he builds this mineral, cooling breeze effect – which is likely a collection of high quality hedione, myrtle and juniper berries – which has a neat, weightless effect; delivering longevity without even a suggestion of heaviness.

It’s the floaty, monied smell of summer restraint. It speaks of freshly pressed linen shirts and short shorts; of designer sunglasses and long, languid seafood lunches overlooking a picturesque marina. If the perfume itself feels timeless it’s likely because it is properly vacationing and operating at a slower pace with little to no obligations. I guess the modern version of such confidence would be: the out of office is on and emails are definitely not being checked for the entire duration.

 Spoturno Alphée on deadwood. Photo by Oli.

In Spoturno’s parlance Alphée is a tribute to Alphée Dubois, a medal engraver and Grand Prix de Rome winner who was the spiritual father of Francois Coty and grandfather to his wife Yvone. Made to evoke their happy years, it’s expressed as the memory of a cruise along the rocky coasts of Corsica towards the Sanguinaires archipelago. And this is what I mean about Spoturno, its roots run that deep. There is so much wonder and history locked into the concepts but at the same time, if you knew nothing of it, the fragrances all stand alone as beautiful smells of recognisable quality.

 

 Spoturno Alphée bottle details, shot in evening light during a heatwave. Photo by Oli.

As a neroli lover, Spoturno Alphée stuck out upon first meeting: its concept and delivery is crystalline and easy-going and – as seems to be my subconscious want – I came away from another trip to Paris with another orange blossom-y obsession. But in terms of density, it’s just the tip of the Spoturno iceberg. If you have even a passing penchant for retro-modernism in perfume: Seek! Them! Out!

– Oli Marlow, Editor

Notes: Bergamot, Bitter Orange, Mandarin, Myrtle Leaves, Juniper Berries, Jasmine grandiflorum, Neroli, Pink berries, Coriander, Nutmeg , Vetiver, Ambrofix, Musks

 Disclaimer: A bottle of Alphée was sent by Spoturno for review.

 All images by Oli unless otherwise noted.

Thanks to the generosity of Veronique Spoturno and Spoturno, we have a discovery box available worldwide, for a registered reader. You must register or your entry will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what sparks your interest based on Oli’s review and where you live. Draw closes  6/4/2026

Please enjoy Ida’s review of Barbicaja here, J Wearescentient’s review of Spoturno 1921 and L’ Âme du Phénix here. Ermano Picco selected Spoturno 1921 as one of his top ten perfumes of 2025

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