AI generated image inspired by Oz Parfum LILITH sombre héroïne Nicoleta
“I think that my search for aesthetics has always been present, and my medium has manifested itself through smell and perfume. If I had chosen a different path, I might have been a musician or maybe a poet. But I am also very visual and have always been attracted to paintings. I am a fan of Soulages – the “painter of outrenoir”, and have always admired how he plays with light and its absence.” – Pierre Bénard Ségu
In his blood with Catalan and Basque roots still flows the the story of the two Spanish immigrants who met and fell in love during the Civil War. The love of nature was a seed passed on through the maternal line of the family, and Pierre Bénard Ségu took his passion for flowers, perfumes, colors, and sounds and made it bloom, expanding and opening up new circles of energy around him. An artist on an alchemical quest, a creative soul with a scientific background as a biochemist, an olfactory scenograph, a classically trained perfumer, and a perfumery educator who passes his passion for perfumes forward. All of it is encompassed under one name, as OSMOART – osmo – as the Greek word for smell and perfume and osmos, meaning thrust, impulse, reciprocal influence.
Pierre Bénard courtesy of the brand
“To be close to nature, to be at the source.
The one that fills the most beautiful bottles with perfumes.
This is living, this is love.” – Pierre Bénard Ségu
OsmoArt was created in 2003 and started out as an association whose activities branched out of the aphorism of “perfumes, colors and sounds” as the credo for an interactive sensoriality, inspired by a verse in the poem “Correspondences” by Charles Baudelaire “Les parfums, les couleurs et les sons se répondent” (perfume, colors, and sounds). For over two decades, OsmoArt has been an innovator of multi-sensory and synesthetic experiences focused on culture, creative expertise, education, and last but not least – olfactory research and development. At the twentieth anniversary (also known as the porcelain wedding), Pierre Bénard Ségu started a new artistic project: the Oz Parfum brand.
Through the Oz Parfum brand, Pierre distills the message of his own ideal of independent, authentic, cultural, and artistic perfumery, shifting between all the angles and roles that perfumery holds in his life – perfume as art, as connection, as addiction, in a permanent quest for an aesthetic that mirrors his inner world.
Japanese stamp, from Pierre’s collection
“Lilith is a goddess of air and wind, she is my vector of odors, my carrier of perfume. I associate her with a modern geisha. I I really like Japanese Shintoism and the balance of light and shadow that exists in Japanese culture.” – Pierre Bénard Ségu
Oz Parfum LILITH sombre héroïne is the first personal creation by Pierre Bénard Ségu for Oz Parfum. It is shaped like a soliflore, a fragrance built around a single flower, the heart of tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa), the perfumer’s emblematic flower. Tuberose 月下香in Japanese means that the flower smells under the moon.
Ampoule of Oz Parfum LILITH sombre héroïne
In Japan, the beauty industry is more inclined to subtle rituals, leaning towards the graceful application of cosmetics, so instead of a spray sample, we have something tactile, fragile, and poetic, all in one. To encapsulate the spirit of the perfume, in a “dose of the perfect drug”, the sample is held in a breakable ampoule, with a roll-on that adds a new layer of sensual and personal discovery to the simple gesture of applying perfume.
Bottle design of Oz Parfum LILITH sombre héroïne
Pierre chose the name APOCALYPSE for the bottle concept, diving deep into the word’s true essence. Apocalypse, far from its often misunderstood doom-laden connotations, goes back to its ancient Greek roots (apokálupsis), meaning a discovery, an unveiling of sorts. It’s about peeling back layers, revealing what’s beneath—a revelation in the truest sense. This bottle is a nod to traditions and spiritual dances, drawing inspiration from Samā’, the mesmerizing dance of the whirling dervishes. The tactile bottle is crafted from the finest Limoges porcelain and is an invitation to play, to interact, to get lost in its motion. It’s cradled in a “Hana” flower case, with the four petals that open up being formed out of photographic cards, each telling a piece of the story.
“Tuberose is my emblem.
I fell madly in love with it.
For the perfumer that I am,
She represents all flowers.
And for the man that I am,
She represents all women.” – Pierre Bénard Ségu
“Un Noir Désir” photographed by Pierre Bénard Ségu
Tuberose is the “femme-fatale” of the perfumery world, with many legends woven around its deeply seductive aroma, and countless words have been whispered, over the centuries, trying to capture, tame, and decipher its bewitching effects. A dangerous temptress, linked both to sex and death, it was said to heat the blood to such a degree that virgins were prohibited from walking through gardens in which it grew, for fear they would lose reason and modesty; used in wedding bouquets, or as offering to gods, in various religious ceremonies; as scented amulets strategically placed underclothes, to attract lovers, or, at the opposite spectrum, used in funerals, or to cover the smell of death. A toxic flower, inconsumable, like lily or lily of the valley and narcissus, it’s clear that tuberose comes with a plethora of associations, both the poison and the cure, and it is no wonder tuberose is one of the most polarising flowers used in perfumery. And, if you are a fan of “The Smurfs”, like Pierre is, the anecdotal reference he gave me when asked about interesting, lesser-known facts on tuberose, is: “To save his people (the dark smurfs) from the curse of the “Bzz” fly, Papa Smurf concocts numerous preparations in his laboratory before finding the supreme antidote: TUBEROSE POLLEN” – bet you didn’t know that one!
Pierre Bénard with tubéreuse shadows
But for the ones in love with it, there is no greater delight than finding a new perfume that tries to capture its ever-shifting beauty. As a tuberose-centered perfume – Versace Blonde, made by Nathalie Feisthauer, was one of my first “grown-up scents”, my relationship with the “evilest of flowers” is long, complex, and quite passionate. Add to that that my pen name is Lilith, you can imagine my excitement over the launch of Lilith, the perfume. For me, the scent is circular, an ouroboros rotating, and starting with the tail – the déjà vu (already seen) – a gut-wrenching feeling of familiarity, mixed with indigo melancholia, with the cool cardamom and icy facets of menthol molecules, that give it the cold blue hue of the evening hour, where everything is erased, as it ends, leaving room for something new to bloom. In the heart, the déjà vécu (already lived) blooms around a three dimensional tuberose, each facet brought to life, from the underwater roots of water jasmine and fragile lily, moving up the green stem with entwined bouquets of roses, jasmine, and ylang, all acting like magnifying glasses that amplify and reflect the various facets of tuberose. In the dry down, we move to the déjà rêvé (already dreamed), a sweet comforting embrace made of silky sandalwood, the powderiness of sweetened vanilla, and ethereal musks. Dark she is but lovely – Lilith sombre héroïne is a tuberose that awakens dormant forces and desires and puts your inner demons to sleep. To be worn, dreamed, and lusted over, as she spins.
I would love to see crowdfunding campaigns being introduced into the world of perfumery more frequently, as they provide an educational glimpse into the lesser-known parts of bringing a concept to life. It’s like a diary we can look at in real-time: the influences behind the concept, how they merged, moved, and evolved, the mood boards, the word clouds – to mention but a few. It’s interesting to zoom in on the details we tend to overlook: from the sample presentation to the packaging of the final product – the immense amount of work and numerous design studies and tests that go into it.
LILITH, sombre héroïne is not in production yet, but you can play a part in bringing this dream to life: the crowdfunding campaign for the perfume is still open, with a few days to go. There are many tiers of rewards, grouped in 10 “halos”, that range from art received from the brand to samples, a “Black Magic” box with raw materials used in the perfume, the 125ml porcelain bottle – all the way up to the renowned Pierre’s thematic training “Systematics of scents”. For more details, please access the crowdfunding campaign https://www.kisskissbankbank.com/fr/projects/oz-parfum-lilith-sombre-heroine
Main accords:
The emotion (headspace): cardamom crystal, reflection of narcissus
Passion (chorus): Japanese Madonna Lily, water jasmine dew, exotic ylang fragment, embalmed tuberose heart, diaphanous tears of benzoin, vanilla rice powder
Attachment (wake): sandalwood Milky Way, vegetal amber skin, cosmic musks
Also, check out Pierre Bénard Ségu’s articles on CaFleureBon: Tuberose, a Love Story, BAUDELAIRE: From Matter to Spirit, Out of Africa, Trip to Bulgaria, Life is a Slipstream of perfume and for our Ingredients Bergamot
Disclosure: A sample of Oz Parfum LILITH sombre héroïne was offered by the brand, opinions are my own.
Nicoleta Tomsa, Senior Editor
The “black magic” box of raw materials
Thanks to the generosity of Osmoart we have an amazing prize for one registered reader in the EU, US, or UK:
One dose (sample) of Oz Parfum Lilith sombre héroïne perfume.
A box that holds the magical elements that compose Lilith, arranged in a “Magie Noire” case of 8 bottles of 0.07 fl. oz, containing the following raw materials: 1- Cardamom Crystal; 2- Exotic Ylang Fragment; 3-Water Jasmine Dew; 4- Heart Embalmed with Tuberose; 5- Diaphanous Tears of Benzoin; 6- Sandalwood Milky Way; 7- Vanilla Rice Powder; 8- Cosmic Musk.
A one-on-one online session with Pierre Bénard, in which he will guide one lucky winner through the intricate world of raw materials.
Please keep in mind that the prize will be shipped to you after the crowdfunding campaign objective is reached, in May or early June.
PLEASE SUPPORT THIS CROWDFUNING CAMPAIGN https://www.kisskissbankbank.com/fr/projects/oz-parfum-lilith-sombre-heroine
You must register or your entry will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what sparks your interest based on this project and where you live. Draw closes 3/22/204 .
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