It's not without precedent that Perfume Shrine occupies itself with all natural perfumes. We had done so in the past and we will do so in the future, hopefully, each and every time guided by the belief that as much as more commercial or more "modern" perfumes, artisanal lines that deal with delicate wonders of nature have a place in a perfume lover's heart when they sing melodiously and with conviction.
The difference is that today I have the distinct pleasure of introducing you, dear readers, to one of the most exquisite and informed lines of them all: the
profumo.it line by Abdes Salaam.
Although Profumo.it is the purveyor par excellence of wonderful, top quality raw materials for the
amateur perfumer (in the Latin sense of the word of lover), as well as for educating oneself with the building blocks of perfumery, the creator himself is shrouded in mystery. Who
is Abdes Salaam Attar?
This Sufi mystic who has such an esoteric approach to perfumery, who mingles the philosophical with the pious, calligraphy and didaches? Who knows how to instill awe and wonder while talking about the famed properties of musk deer (
moscus moschiferous) on the psyche; and at the same time titillate the senses talking about a kit diffuser which emanates a scent purposely created in order to evoke feelings of satisfaction, well-being, and healthiness of good handmade ice cream for the customer shops of the “Fiordiriso & Sapa”?
His perfumes work as Ayurvedic medicine as well as exits to a word of reverie.
That man is French-born Dominique Dubrana and I was honoured to receive a mail from him a while back, stating he enjoyed my work on Perfume Shrine and consequently was lucky to receive samples of his wonderful fragrant creations for appraisal. I was quite impressed with what I smelled and so upon seeing that he was the one natural perfumer who was included in
Perfumes The Guide with enthusiastic commentary by Luca Turin, I smiled an inward smile. I predict he will receive more attention very soon, as he so justly deserves.
The
mignon bottles of 5.5ml are practical as well as cute, as they allow several wearings for anyone to fully appreciate the composition before proceeding into investing in a bigger bottle, usually available in either 16ml (about half oz), 30ml/1oz or 50ml/1.7oz. There are ready-made packages of 8
mignons, each allowing for a diversified experience.
The collection is comprised of several
"Scents of the Soul" in different families, from floral to woody to resinous to fruity, even! Something for every taste and with the sonorous, intensely complex ring of natural ingredients.
Everything I tried was memorable in one way or another, but due to lack of space let me highlight those which made a particular impression.
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Chocolate Amber blends Chocolate and Vanilla with Tonka, "the exotic fragrance of the famous Indian Amber" in a uniquely sensual fragrance. The endorphin rush experienced by nibbling on a
carré of Valhrona is evoked in this fragrance which marries the hay and caramel aspect of tonka with the aphrodisiac and relaxing, soothing notes of vanilla and
theobroma cacao. "Theobroma" is a Greek word, meaning "food of the Gods". It's not hard to see why...The fragrance is ambrosial in feeling and truly like melting real chocolate on yourself to the point that you will want to lick it off. Appetising and well balanced, never veering into too sweet territory, it immediately caught my attention.
16ml for 27.59 euros
50ml for 70.83 (now discounted: 54.17 euros)
Frutti Paradisi I approached with some hesitation, given both my natural aversion to fruit notes in perfumery (with the exception of the hesperide family) and the knowledge that most fruity notes apart from citrus are in fact synthesized in the lab, therefore what was the alternative for an all-natural line? Perhaps due to the curiosity piqued because of the latter reason, I was eager to see what Dominique could do with fruit, fruit tagged as "heavenly", no less. The result caught me by surprise: the exotic apricot fruity aroma of Osmanthus flower absolute served as an inspiration blended with jasmine flowers, vanilla and the absolute from blackcurrant, turning into a multifaceted liquid jewel which shines and sparkles with every twist. Although not my first choice in the line, it is however astonishingly realistic, pulsating with raw energy.
16ml 38.33 euros
30ml 104.17 euros
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Grezzo d'eleganza is a dry masculine composition "for a man who in society does not like to pass unnoticed". The base of precious woods and aromatic herbs, assertive and a bit wild (due to the inclusion of natural castoreum from beavers), is tamed by the underlayed sweet sensuality of vanilla and fresh neroli, while a subliminal touch of mysterious incense and rose confers to the person who wears it a spiritual dimension that still does not overcome the elegance of the aura that emanates from him. The inspiration was a custom creation for an Italian designer and the style of the perfume reflects the approach to his fashion designs perfectly, Dominique confesses.
The composition can still be worn by self-assured women who enjoy an outré approach: I would love to smell it paired with a smoking-style pantsuit and deep claret hued lips. Thus, I very much liked Dominique's analogy of
Grezzo d'eleganza to a "steel fist in a velvet glove".
16ml 38.33 euros
50ml 104.17 euros
Last but not least,
Angelica Water is the type of slightly bitter, herbal composition with a tentatively wistful character which I enjoy a lot. Tagged as "the cologne of angels", it derives this fetching epithet from medieval pharmacopoeia, whenupon Angelica was held to attract the presence of angels and protect people from negative influences. The precious natural essence of angelica with its fine aromatic odour profile, a little like Juniper berries and with the bouquet that aromatizes Chartreuse, is evident in a sparse composition that lets it ring in the resonant frequency of translucent fine crystal of a high lead content under a wet finger. {click to listen to a
sample of glass harmonica in action}
I personally love it!
16ml 25.17euros
50ml 68.33 euros
Prices: valid for USA, but 20% VAT added for ECC countries.
You can order online at
Profumo.it.For another approach to Dominique Dubrana and his art, please visit
Natural Perfumers' Guild Blog.
Pic of mignon bottles and leaf courtesy of profumo.it
Chocolate bars courtesy of beautynews.nyc
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She settled on a trio of natural civet, tuberose absolute and mandarin which Dubrana garlanded with other precious essences. The client, an entrepreneur and owner of Main Street Reprographics, a digital graphics company, named Mona, had asked for something "subtle but killer" - because for her, wearing fragrance is a social act as well as a personal pleasure..jpg)
Mona Lisa by La Via del Profumo doesn't really segregate into billows and notes, but has an amalgamated feel about it, very smooth, very soft, very feminine; the civet-animalic feel is so powdery velvet it gives a soft-focus effect to all the other notes and the florals especially. You can't pinpoint it as a tuberose scent for sure and that's a plus sometimes as too often tuberose scents are so focused on the glorious tuberose they become like a stage performance where only the central diva is noteworthy and all the others are in attendance. Here one has trouble seeing it predominate and it blends seamlessly and delicately. I would think that there was actually a tinctured alcohol with tuberose and civet in use for the composition and the rest of the ingredients are married to it through osmosis. Hardly recognisable as the intense floral of other compositions, it emits a slight hint of coconut. The animalic civet is giving such a powdery, plush feel, I am immediately seduced by my own arm! Mandarin remains succulent and juicy, especially lingering on clothes, a surprising effect given that after the initial outlay Mona Lisa stays very close to the skin. The background has an almondy, tonka bean ambience about it with the individual muskiness of ambrette seeds.
Morning Blossom is built around the noble essence rendered through steam distillation of the flowers of the Citrus aurantium tree (Seville orange or bitter orange tree) which is blossoming under the Mediterranean sun in spring: Neroli. This is the heavenly aroma that greets farmers as they begin another spring cycle and the one which puts me in a joyful, optimistic mood in the final long days of March when I gather the small white flowers to put in little glasses to aromatize the house with an uplifting dose of the coming spring. Discovered in the late 17th century and named after the princess of Nerola, in Italy, the relaxing pale yellow essence 'whose perfume, sedative and relaxing, keeps off from us all material concerns' [1] is weaving its own magic with every intake of breath..jpg)
Samurai produces in me.
It's not without precedent that Perfume Shrine occupies itself with all natural perfumes. We had done so in the past and we will do so in the future, hopefully, each and every time guided by the belief that as much as more commercial or more "modern" perfumes, artisanal lines that deal with delicate wonders of nature have a place in a perfume lover's heart when they sing melodiously and with conviction..jpg)
Chocolate Amber blends Chocolate and Vanilla with Tonka, "the exotic fragrance of the famous Indian Amber" in a uniquely sensual fragrance. The endorphin rush experienced by nibbling on a carré of Valhrona is evoked in this fragrance which marries the hay and caramel aspect of tonka with the aphrodisiac and relaxing, soothing notes of vanilla and theobroma cacao. "Theobroma" is a Greek word, meaning "food of the Gods". It's not hard to see why...The fragrance is ambrosial in feeling and truly like melting real chocolate on yourself to the point that you will want to lick it off. Appetising and well balanced, never veering into too sweet territory, it immediately caught my attention..jpg)
Grezzo d'eleganza is a dry masculine composition "for a man who in society does not like to pass unnoticed". The base of precious woods and aromatic herbs, assertive and a bit wild (due to the inclusion of natural castoreum from beavers), is tamed by the underlayed sweet sensuality of vanilla and fresh neroli, while a subliminal touch of mysterious incense and rose confers to the person who wears it a spiritual dimension that still does not overcome the elegance of the aura that emanates from him. The inspiration was a custom creation for an Italian designer and the style of the perfume reflects the approach to his fashion designs perfectly, Dominique confesses.
Perfume Shrine has always been interested in the developments in the world of perfumery and one sector of that is the perfumers who dabble in Naturals. Much maligned in the past, yet increasingly acquited of accusations of a blinkered approach, it is refreshing to see that they are gaining credence for what they are: simply a different approach and aesthetic. I was reading Anya Mc Coy's, from Anya's Garden line, article on Basenotes and nodding my head in agreement: I also don't see Natural perfumes and perfumers as competing with the mainstream brands. Rather as offering an alternative, which is as valid as ever in the ever-growing fragrance market that has a niche for everything.
), has had a custome-made natural perfume by Dominique Dubrana/Abdes Salaam (from Profumo.it), as he recounts here.
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