We have become so adept that with closed eyes we can hear tuberose, ambergris and even galbanum. However, in perfumery there is still a list of components, the smell of which can be determined only by the very best in perfumery. What smells like gorse, fenugreek, corundum, calamus and nagarmot, first suggested, and then found out Ivan Bezugly.
When you don't know, you miss a lot. Last year I found myself in Mozambique, we left the mainland by boat and sailed to the islands. The captain warned that we would definitely meet dugongs along the way. The group on the boat said "wow" together and prepared to wait patiently. “Wow,” even a five-year-old said, who, unlike me, had a clear idea of who the dugongs were.
Five minutes later, everyone in the boat was on their ears, because the captain ordered everyone to look far and to the right. Right now, something thick, lazy and fearful appeared from the water. Even without taking into account my short-sightedness, I desperately peered into the distance and fantasized for myself a dugong, without having the slightest idea of how he still looked. When I got to the island and the Internet, the first thing I did was google to look at the dugong. “Well, consider it, and did not see it at all,” I sighed. But such a chance, according to the captain, comes once in a lifetime.
With aromas, of course, everything is not as dramatic as with dugongs, but nevertheless, when you find yourself in the company of snobs who openly die more because of illiteracy than out of luck, you want to know exactly what it is - fruit, bark or excrement unknown to science beast. At various times, I came across five components at work that baffled me. I didn’t know what it was, where it was from and how it smelled - which didn’t prevent me from guessing and… in most cases not guessing.
Fenugreek
I imagined: small green leaves with a resinous balsamic scent.
Actually: a spice in the form of seeds, has a sweetish aroma of hay, dried fruit, vanilla, raw mushrooms and wood.
Fenugreek, aka Shambhala and Helba, has been noted in a variety of religions. It was part of the aromatic and healing potions of Ancient Egypt. Prophet Muhammad always admonished: "Heal yourself with helba!" He was highly regarded by Avicenna and Hippocrates. In India, it must be added to curries. Among the Slavic peoples, these seeds were mixed with lovage and sewn into a bag of calico, kept as a love talisman.
In modern Egypt, fenugreek is brewed and called yellow tea - it is believed that it helps the body in thermoregulation: it cools in the heat and warms in the cold. In the same region, for thousands of years, it has been ranked among "women's medicines": Egyptians drink it even in the last months of pregnancy in order to naturally enhance lactation. This is probably why many perfume experts discern in fenugreek the scent of the skin of a happy woman drinking yellow tea carefree.
Firmenich has its own plantations in Morocco. Seeds are collected in April. The extraction of the active substance is carried out with carbon dioxide. The aromatic component - sotolon - in its pure form smells of slightly burnt sugar and maple syrup. Here you are, those very women's skin and breast milk.
Serge Lutan, who feels like a fish in water in the oriental world, masterfully played the note of fenugreek in Santal Blanc in the Indian manner - he smells of shambhala, as expected, languid, soft and warm. The most “non-pink” rose I've ever heard is Rose Barbare by Guerlain. Wild, obstinate, never shy, without all these clichés in the form of dew drops and velvet petals. It was fenugreek that helped to achieve this effect of mature femininity (read also: "Madam Perfumer (or the aromatic capture of male territory") and tightly knit forms, adding meaning, price and life experience to the flower.
Another example, when fenugreek is content with supporting roles, but at the same time completely changes the course of events, is Rose Hubris by Ex Nihilo. A 100% self-confident beauty-rose, for the first time appeared to me with a bud, leaves, a stiff stem with thorns and… a root in lumps of earth, inflated from her own arrogance. For such believability, I ask you to love and favor fenugreek with patchouli, those still hooligans with the right treatment. Tom Ford traditionally inflames passions: he takes not the rarest flowers and spices, but interferes with them in Santal Blush so that even respectable fenugreek begins to smell here like stolen underwear of his beloved woman.
Oriental woody fragrance Santal Blush, Tom Ford with notes of cinnamon, caraway seeds, carrot seeds, fenugreek, white flowers, musk, sandalwood, benzoin and oud.
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Karo corundum
I imagined: the word "Corundum" is firmly associated with the alkaline battery of the same name from childhood. In shape and size, it resembled a chocolate candy in a bright tin shell, a fashionable font, and two batteries that could be secretly licked to test their functionality. In the positive case, the tongue was always pinched, and there was a metallic taste in the mouth.
Actually: white scented flowers.
Perfumery and household "corundum" is united only by the name. Karo corundum (botanical name Leptactinsenegambica) is a plant from the tropical rainforests of Guinea in West Africa. Its white flowers with narrow petals are used to obtain an essential oil that is dark, thick and fragrant. It is an intoxicating floral scent, reminiscent of jasmine, tuberose and ylang-ylang in places, which makes it a member of the "white flowers" family.
And if jasmine with tuberose was not used only by the lazy one, then the Guinean corundum does not appear often on this list. If you briefly walk through the white flowers, then with a general similarity, jasmine is distinguished by frank "animality" (its aromatic components are similar to the substances responsible for the smell of feces), tuberose literally tortures its owner with powdered super-flowery, and ylang-ylang always pulls for spicy. The peculiarity of corundum is that wood is always clearly distinguished in its persistent and rich floral sweetness.
The best years of the flower were in the late 90s - early 00s. I find Pour Elle, Paco Rabanne and Pleasures, Estee Lauder exemplary. Finding them on sale is becoming more and more difficult, eBay and Duty Free shops in various airports around the world are helping out. The flower in Paco Rabanne blossomed bold, sterile, shrill and sharp, while in Pleasures its fragrant side, alarmed by the tropical rain, was the soloist.
From what is affordable and worthy now, this is Shaal Nur, Etro, where a curtsy towards the East is made in a manner characteristic of the brand. The contemplating karo-corundum is played here so subtly that at some point you forget that it is a flower at all. In Hauts Bijoux, House of Sillage, no one crusades against nature - here's a white flower for you, with all the ensuing stuffy, humid, paradise consequences.
Oriental woody fragrance Shaal Nur, Etro with notes of lemon, bergamot, rosewood, coriander, mandarin, tarragon, rose, thyme, karo corundum, petitgrain, incense and nutmeg.
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Calamus
I imagined: in sound I considered it a relative of kaolin and calamine from the pharmacy, but again an error occurred.
In fact: an aromatic component isolated from the rhizomes of the Acorus calamus plant with a centuries-old fabulous reputation.
Marsh calamus grows on very moist soil along the banks of rivers, ponds and lakes in the European part: in the Caucasus, Siberia and the Far East. The homeland of calamus is considered to be India and China, from where it was brought in in the 6-8 centuries by nomadic Tatars, who believed that the roots of the plant cleanse reservoirs and make water suitable for drinking. Hence another common name for calamus - Tatar potion.
The essential oil of this plant is one of the forty spices in the Orthodox Church. Calamus is an integral grass on Trinity: together with birch and maple, it is consecrated and covered with floors in huts. In the countries of Western Europe that escaped the invasion of the Golden Horde, calamus took root thanks to the candied rhizomes, which were brought by merchants as an expensive sweet from Constantinople.
In perfumery, essential oil is used, which is obtained from rhizomes by stripping with water vapor. It has a rich, woody-spicy scent with a recognizable camphor note. Some sources say that if you properly dry the roots of calamus, then during distillation, the oil gives off a little rose.
The first massive Calamus I consider to be Bertrand Duchaufour's masterpiece in Series 1: Leaves for the Comme des Garcons in 2001. Such a shaggy green bunch of tough grass, brutally pulled out of the swamp slurry by the roots. Natural to shiver in its interpretation: wet, bitter, astringent, sometimes sweet from asarone, sometimes musty from underground gases. He was and, perhaps, remains the most believable calamus, for which he was punished by misunderstanding of the public and treacherously removed from production.
The correct calamus of our time is the Black Calamus from Carner Barcelona. As if a sample from a swamp was brought to a laboratory by a specialist, who washed it, smoothed it and combed it before sending it to the herbarium in a beautiful frame.
Jasmin Poudre, Comptoir Sud Pacifique also gave a worthy place to Calamus. Inspired by the Sumerian states and travel along the Euphrates River, the oriental floral scent appears in a completely uncharacteristic version. Despite the presence of such monsters as jasmine, osmanthus and ylang-ylang, the calamus masterfully puts all three on the shoulder blades. In his usual manner, the smell even in such a company becomes disturbing, harsh and unpredictable. It is not surprising: in Baghdad, not everything is calm for a long time.
The aroma of Bois d'Ombrie, of Eau d'Italie inspiration serves Umbrian forest - there is no place for mysticism and fear. Despite its enormous size, the forest instills only calmness and a sense of security. Even the calamus, usually adjacent to the kikimors in the swamp, does not take liberties, remaining velvety, warm and balsamic.
An equally bright side of calamus at Ispart26, Parfumerie Generale. The city of the same name in Turkey is famous for the abundance of a wide variety of roses growing here. Calamus here plays the role of a touching kerosene stove that maintains the light, comfort and warmth of the composition.
Floral-chypre scent PG26 Isparta, Pierre Guillaume with notes of red berries, Turkish rose, Peruvian balsam, calamus, patchouli, olibanum, benzoin and ambroxan.
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Nagarmotha
I imagined: something oriental from the times when Scheherazade told her stories.
In fact: the plant is round, from the genus sedge.
In 2008, when my colleagues in the beauty shop and I went to Paris for the powerful launch of the Magnifique fragrance, Lancome, I don’t remember now what captivated me more - the personal presence of the messenger Anne Hathaway or the presence of a mysterious nagarmot in the composition. Then all the journalists unanimously exclaimed "Manifik!", And deservedly dedicated two pages of the press release to nagarmot.
Then I learned that behind the mysterious name is a completely inconspicuous plant. The essential oil that conquered everyone is extracted from its rhizomes. The tradition of using it as an incense originates in ancient Egypt with a mixture of kyphi, which was burnt three times a day for the sun god Ra. The recipe has survived to this day and is written on the wall in the Egyptian temple of the city of Edfu (in addition to nagarmot, it contains juniper, cinnamon, honey, wine, incense, myrrh, dried raisins and sweet iris).
In India, the tradition of aromatizing women's saris with nagarmotha roots is still honored. And men are advised in every possible way to rub their foreheads with it in order to succeed in love affairs. Bertrand Duchaufour and Tom Ford confessed their love for nagarmot with its warm, woody, earthy scent. It was the latter who called her sensual, incredibly sexy (read also: "It smells like sex here: aromas that turn on with half a turn") and a little "dirty". She rarely appears on the perfumery scene, and if she does, she always shines and disappears from the sale without a trace - this was the case with the men's Xeryus, Givenchy and the women's Magnifique, Lancome.
The essential oil is obtained from tubers by steam distillation. Responsible for the characteristic aroma is tsiperen - a substance with a complex aroma and distinguishable notes of cedar, vetiver, patchouli, cinnamon, incense and oud. Now you can find nagarmotha in many fragrances, and all of them, as one, have an oriental orientation.
The pomegranate bottle of Journey by Amouage is like a jewelry box from around the world - saffron blossoms, snuff and gem rings. L'Esprit Divin, wild-minded but always easy-going, Paul Emilien is impossibly beautiful - especially in the evenings, with an open-air bonfire, sugary tea and pause time. Fragrance No. 6, Eutopie in a bright red bottle is dedicated to the mysterious Russian soul. According to the creator Elodie Polle, only a complex and rich in special effects, nuances and chords of nagarmot could express all the brightness, sincerity, nobility, glamor and traditions of our country. It turned out powerful, noisy, colorful. As we love, and most importantly, we can.
Floral-fruity fragrance Journey, Amouage with notes of apricot, osmanthus, nutmeg, cardamom, jasmine tea, mimosa, honey, cedar, tobacco, saffron, vanilla and nagarmotha.
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Gorse
I imagined: I always knew about gorse (a shrub with bright yellow flowers), because I read Paustovsky.
Actually: a shrub with bright yellow flowers.
The gorse was always there, it bloomed calmly on the sidelines and silently pleased the eye with its cheerful yellowness - just at some point all the perfumers remembered it all at once. As it happened once with mimosa or, say, hyacinth. Only if at least some olfactory information was stored with these flowers in the depths of our consciousness, then with gorse nothing decent comes to mind for most of us. Unless, of course, you are an adherent of the Crimea or the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, where an attentive and discerning mind will certainly remember a plant that has run wild under the scorching sun.
But gorse, only under the name "genista" or "ginestra", is known to absolutely everyone in the Mediterranean region. Mentions of him can be found even among ancient and medieval authors - Virgil, Pliny the Elder and Martial. Depending on the wide area of growth, in Europe there are many varieties of gorse - dye, Lydian, Spanish, prickly. Only a professional botanist can distinguish them from each other, but we, in principle, do not need this: regardless of the species, the gorse smell remains unchanged. Always unpretentious, as if deliberately choosing scanty, arid and rocky lands as decorations, the gorse triumphantly puts on an attire of yellow flowers, filling the hot air around with the smells of honey, sun, hay, mineral soil and meadow grasses.
The essential oil is obtained by steam distillation of those same yellow flowers. The final product has a dense, herbaceous, slightly resinous odor. The floral Ginestra at SantMariNovella turned out to be a real installation: Tuscany at the height of summer, siesta, a tiny Fiat melting in the sun, a shop by the road, faded postcards on a creaky turntable in front of the entrance, it smells of limoncello and hairspray.
At Dolce & Gabbana's Velvet Collection, designers turn to Mount Etna, whose bare and lifeless slopes are embraced by the fearless and ubiquitous gorse. The exuberant yellow color in the scent divides the territory with benzoin resin, beeswax, hand-made leather, lime blossom and violet, making the scent bright, warm and special.
Arethusa, Tizian Terenzi - about fairytale love (don't be too lazy to find the content of the myth about Arethusa and Alfey), sunny Sicily, naked swimming and crispy cannoli tubes. The fragrance Opus III from the Library Collection, Amouage, stands apart: it is not about gorse on a fine Italian afternoon, but about gorse, which stoically survived a sandstorm, rockfall, volcanic eruptions and the end of the world, retaining its signature subtlety and grace.
Oriental floral fragrance Velvet Ginestra, Dolce & Gabban with notes of gorse, lime blossom, violet, citrus, beeswax and benzoin.
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Photo: Getty Images, press archives
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