The gaze is riveted to the edges of the bottle, the fingers slowly glide over it, the aroma is dizzying… And yet it is not easy to determine what exactly we like so much about perfumes. Although there is no coincidence in this charm.
“When I open a bottle of L’Heure bleue by Guerlain, my mother’s face always pops up before my eyes,” says Laura. “This fragrance with powdery notes seems to me both incredibly feminine and affectionate, like a mother’s hands.” How exactly does this fragrance set our senses in motion? It evokes memories, a powerful mechanism that transports us to the very foundation of our lives – our relationship with our mother.
What worried us so much yesterday determines our choice today. Silent memories suddenly flare up again and seem especially intoxicating if they take us to wonderful moments of childhood. A bedtime story, the first cartoon that was shown in a nearby cinema … These guiding signs guide us to understand what smells we like.
The power of memories
Nina Ricci loves to explore in detail how our senses trigger the mechanisms of memory. Brand director Margerie Barbès-Petit admits: “We play the strings of feeling quite often.” It’s hard to resist Nina, the bottle of which looks like a red apple, and the smell is reminiscent of the magic lollipops from our children’s fairy tales. A round bottle of an apple fits in the palm of your hand just as well as a round pebble stone or an autumn chestnut – one of those that we carried in our pockets in childhood. It is pleasant to the touch and soothes like a favorite toy.
IT IS NOT ACCIDENTAL WE FREQUENTLY APPLY PERFUME RIGHT BEFORE LEAVING HOME: THIS RITUAL GESTURE PREPARES US FOR AN INVISIBLE TRANSFORMATION.
Images of the recent past can also be powerful catalysts for our feelings. “Perfume has a fairly complex composition, but even a single note can evoke memories,” says Frédéric Stenz, founder of the Naemes agency, where perfume names are created. So, the scent of Marry me! by Lanvin tells about the brightest moments of our lives: the first bouquet of flowers, the first kiss… Add to this the bottle in the form of a knot with a bow, “a symbol of love union, a lively pink-scarlet color that recalls the feeling at first sight and the paint of excitement that floods the cheeks of lovers – and our hearts melt. Elie Papiernik, one of the founders of creative agency CentDegrés, thinks so. Another way we can return to our most precious memories and feelings is new versions of legendary compositions, such as Lancôme’s Trésor in Love or Dior’s Eau Sauvage Extrême for men.
Other lives
Even before we get acquainted with the fragrance itself, we examine it with our eyes, we see its image. Often it is embodied in the “face” of the brand – a model or actress that we would like to be like (sometimes without admitting it to ourselves). The identification process takes place naturally, on the verge of the unconscious, and perfume companies perfectly use this mechanism. Thus, the “face” of Parisienne by Yves Saint Laurent, top model Kate Moss, offers an image that is both fragile and rock and roll, adding to this self-confidence and a charmingly provocative note.
“Thirty years ago, a woman rarely changed her perfume,” explains Frederik Stentz. “Today it’s the other way around – and just as easily she changes her image, deciding: today I will be a femme fatale, and tomorrow I will be romantic.” The creator of perfume names continues: “I remember Don Juan’s promise: “I will change you and your destiny,” this phrase perfectly expresses how perfumes help us live many lives.” It is no coincidence that we often apply fragrance just before leaving the house – this ritual gesture prepares us for an invisible transformation. Perfume is that addition to the soul that elevates us, bringing us closer to the ideal image. The bottle symbolizes the magic wand that a grown girl once dreamed of. The aristocratic lightness of Coco Mademoiselle from Chanel helps you feel more elegant, freer, more graceful. Eau du Soir by Sisley, which sounds like a deep accord, the quintessence of eternal femininity, transforms into a diva, the ruler of dreams. Perfume Gucci Guilty by Gucci transforms a woman into a seductive rebel who plays a major role in her exciting life – intoxicating lilac accords are combined with sensual amber notes. Perfume Love by Chloé creates a fragrant aura of a successful woman in love: smooth, caressing powdery notes make an indelible impression. Givenchy’s Play for Her fragrance allows you to temporarily feel like a risky seductress with a taste for life and a love for a daring game: a combination of bewitching floral shades and woody notes creates a captivating image. The seductive Fan by Fendi transforms a woman into a sexy nightclub goer, leaving a floral trail on the dance floor, spiced up with notes of wood and leather. “The clear composition of the composition facilitates the recognition process,” says Rémi Ricord, president of the creative laboratory Drom Fragrances France. “Information is easy to read, an image follows it, and we can apply it to ourselves.”
Perhaps we are excited by that part of the unknown, which is hidden in itself by the beloved aroma – that which takes us away from the usual vision. So, Beauty by Calvin Klein tells the secret of beauty – eternal and always modern.
What seduces men
Gone are the days when a man mechanically unscrewed the cap of a bottle of cologne, absently brought it to his face, and then vigorously patted his cheeks to disinfect the skin after shaving. Today’s man acts almost the same as a woman – with a few nuances. For example, it is worth telling him a beautiful story – and he will want to become its hero, turning into James Bond, who, with just a snap of his fingers, gets everything (1 Million fragrance from Paco Rabanne). “Women want to experience an accentuated femininity in a fragrance – similarly, men, among other things, especially “read” the allusion to the timeless cinematic symbols of masculinity,” says Frédéric Appaire, Paco Rabanne’s director of international fragrance marketing. To advertise Chanel’s Bleu fragrance, director Martin Scorsese filmed the young French actor Gaspard Ulliel against the backdrop of New York. “Men are looking for individuality in fragrances that convey the image of a “bad boy” with a tender heart, a brightly sensual and at the same time noble gentleman,” says Sylvie Polette-Danet (Sylvie Polette-Danet), vice president of Jean-Paul Gaultier Parfums. – Aromas should be intense, extreme, contrasting, with elements of lively freshness. Because they must also carry images of strength and energy.”
Other shores
Sometimes the word itself intrigues us. Exotic to our ears, the name Muscs Koublai Khan by Serge Lutens bears the name of the legendary conqueror of the 1947th century, the grandson of Genghis Khan. And the composition of the fragrance excites the senses with notes of musk, cistus, rose and amber. Another time travel is the New Look XNUMX fragrance by Dior: it seems to take us to the atmosphere of post-war European salons, covered with soft carpets, on which women, the flowers of the universe, stepped.
The seductive fragrance carries a poetic image that can transform everyday life. Housed in a futuristic bottle, Thierry Mugler’s Alien pushes the boundaries of consciousness, allowing you to imagine a future that calls and intrigues. Excitingly fresh and sensual, Voyage d’Hermès by Hermès, like the wind of wanderings, takes you to alluring distances. L’Eau par Kenzo by Kenzo has crystal clear notes of Japanese zither. Ambre Soie by Giorgio Armani immerses us in an oriental fairy tale, endless, like “A Thousand and One Nights”.
The fragrance carries shades that take us to another dimension. Shalimar Ode à la Vanille is a richer version of Guerlain’s original Shalimar, as thick and tactile as fabric. On the skin, this fairy tale comes to life, turning a woman into the heroine of a fragrant idyll.