FLOWER by KENZO

The poppy is one of the most vibrantly coloured flowers, so it makes sense that a fragrance it inspires would be invigorating and fresh.

FLOWER by KENZO, which was launched for Valentine’s Day, aims to invent the scent of the poppy, a naturally fragrant-free plant. This is the latest in the FLOWER series, which started in 2000, although KENZO released its first-ever perfume in 1988.

“We wanted to illuminate FLOWER by KENZO, make the poppy smile,” said master perfumer Alberto Morillas, who was one of the creators of the scents. (Read more about the perfumer’s work here, here, here, here and here.)

The eau de vie is a bright red fragrance that opens with a zesty ginger note, has a floral heart and finishes with an orange blossom accord and the Bulgarian rose; the Tonka bean bass line completes the scent.

The eau de parfum, a powdery floral scent, is made of pink pepper essence, Bulgarian roses and violets, magnified by vanilla and white musk.

Like the flower, the design of the bottles is simple, beautiful and delicate, slightly curved with a red vinyl poppy. However, as the film advert–which features South Korean actress Tae-Ri Kim singing “What a Way to Win a War” in the streets of San Francisco–shows, the bottles (and the fragrances) evoke strength and confidence.

Also included in the line are eau de toilette, eau de lumière, l’elixir and a red edition, which is another eau de toilette.