Scent With Care

We hear the word ‘sustainable’ a lot these days, and no doubt it isn’t one we necessarily associate with the beauty industry, more specifically, with perfume. However, recently there has definitely been a rise in sustainable fragrances coming onto the market, thanks to the ‘slow perfume’ movement. But what exactly is that and what does it mean for a perfume to be sustainable? Find out more in our piece Scent With Care

Images Jason Yates

For a perfume to be sustainable, the ingredients should ideally be ethically sourced and traceable. Knowing where the ingredients come from and not harming the environment when gaining them is important, but to take it further companies should be thinking about economically empowering the communities where ingredients are harvested. The packaging should also be eco-conscious and using refillable glass bottles and recyclable cardboard boxes is a good start that some brands have begun to take.

The idea of ‘slow perfume’ is grounded in connection and authenticity; It’s about best ingredients with best practice. Slow perfume is a unique combination of raw materials, it is about allowing people to experience something they haven’t ever experienced through smell, it is about the perfumer telling a story and taking you with them. It is about truly enjoying the uniqueness of the fewer but far more elevated perfumes you choose to wear.

One divine scent brand that is a real leader in slow perfume is Maison Crivelli, who lists slow life and respect for nature among their core values.

Thibaud Crivelli set out from the very start to create a truly sensual experience with his perfumes, wanting you to explore and awaken your senses as he did when making them.

Each of his perfumes is based on a real-life experience of his from all corners of the globe as he is a natural and dedicated explorer; From lavender plains in Provence, via rose and saffron fields in Iran, to vetiver plantations in Indonesia, he met men and woman who are specialists in these precious raw materials.

This led to collaborations based on instinct and emotion which creates a unique connection between the perfumer and those who choose to wear it. However, it is worth noting right from the beginning this is not your usual niche perfume. It has a totally and wonderful subversive element to it. The scents twist from the imaginable perception on first reading.

Find a rose facet melding with salty crashing waves or fresh mint sitting with juicy orange. These combinations are refreshingly unexpected. Which makes for a wondrous journey of exploration. Feel Thibaud Crivelli as he paints his journey for you and collects them in modern bottles made with clean lines. Boxed in white with elegant typeface and a touch of bright colour inside to start you off.

The first perfume in the collection is Rose Saltif Olia, inspired by a seaside stroll through a field of roses exposed to the salty sea air. You certainly get the fresh, honeyed facet of centifolia rose which adds depth to the lighter, spicier notes of the salt and the pink peppercorn, all of this enveloped in silky seaweed. The rose and the seaweed is an unexpected association but it is so delicate and fresh that it works.

Top: Oceanic mist accord, Sea salt, Citrus.

Heart: Centifolia rose, Bougainvillea.

Base: Seaweed accord, Musks, Sea spray accord.

These notes give quite the fresh facet of a rose a real outing, an unusual blend of where flora meets the spray of the waves.

Next in the Crivelli collection is the broody yet enchanting Bois Datchai, inspired by picking berries deep in the smoky forest. The tangy blackberries have a sharp hit of liquorice, contrasting with the warm, woody notes of guaiac essential oil and virginia cedar.

Top: Forest berries.

Heart: Black tea, Birch wood bark.

Base: Ambrette seed, Woods, Smoke accord.

This collection of notes gives a mysterious, nocturnal sense to the fragrance. This of the end of the summer as autumn hits the air, at night picking wild berries in a wood. The sitting and eating them by a warm evening fire as you chat through the night.

Santal Volcanique is another darker scent, coming from scorched sandalwood on the slopes of an erupting volcano; it is sensual, it is rich, and it is explosive. Soft sandalwood melds with warm coffee, giving an intense, slightly spicy facet, that is heightened with the rip-roaring presence of ginger.

Top: Spice accord.

Heart: Coffee, Cardamom, Ginger.

Base: Carbonised ylang ylang, Woods.

What a wonderful coming together of woods that are softly warm coffee for a hint of spice but magical ginger to fizz up the action and take it all up a notch

Fleur Diamantine, as its name suggests, is a floral scent that takes you to a fresh white-flowered garden with a breath of pollen in the air. Potent royal Jasmine sits with neroli and saffron, giving off  an effusive citrusy fragrance, but the overall effect is clear cut and tender.

Top: Mint, Orange flower, Citrus accord.

Heart: Jasmine, Saffron.

Base:  Mosses, Scented woods, Bitter almonds.

This delightful floral brings a freshness with it with that opening of mint at the top, like a light breeze through a flower bed.

Take your mind next to crunching snow with polar ferns, lavender and a cozy shelter, drinking absinthe whilst looking up at the aurora borealis. This is the very experience that Crivelli’s ‘Absinthe Boreale’ is based on, so the first note you get is lavender, but then you experience a few icy aromatics like thyme, sage, rosemary and eucalyptus and a heart of incense resin.

Top: Lemon, Artemisia.

Heart: Incense resins, Polar fern.

Base: Fur accord, Steam accord, Transparent musks.

There is nothing as exciting as taking a vision into a fragrance. The memory set alive with this icy magic potion

Citrus Batikanga is truly a feast for the senses, inspired by a tropical eastern market fizzing with colour and life, you smell the spices and fruits you can imagine would be sold here. Top notes include chilli, orange and pomelo with a heart of sunny, fresh bergamot and fresh vetiver. At its base is the mythical myrrh, both bitter and sweet, dark and fruity.

Top: Red chilli, Pomelo, Orange, Bergamot.

Heart: Bergamot, Vetiver.

Base: Teak wood, Myrrh.

The wonderous ying-yang of spice on fresh Pomelo Orange and bergamot; a new facet in the approach to the brightness of sharp citrus giving it a hot-headed spice

Papyrus Moleculaire is the last of this Crivelli collection and is inspired by the discovery of papyrus root powder and women smoking cigarillos. Papyrus when it usually used has a woody green scent profile, but thinking of it as a powder, the woodiness is emphasised, forming a sawdust-like effect. Coriander and elemi are the top notes here, coaxing the green out of the papyrus, but the heart is where the powdery texture is achieved as carrot seed, amirs and iris fold themselves in. The deep and rebellious tobacco provides a base.

Top: Elemi and Pepper
Heart: Papyrus, Iris, Amyris and Carrot Seed,
Base: Tonka Bean, Tobacco Leaves and Frankincense

This is a brand that strikes the most wonderful balance between, simple, clear exteriors all the way to and amorous sexy luxurious scents, that intrigue surprise, and take you on a wonderful fragrance journey.

And if you enjoyed reading Scent With Care then why not read Eco Painting Here

For more information on Maison Crivelli click Here