To demonstrate how he develops an idea, Mr. Ellena digs into his pocket and pulls out a small, curved piece of wood. "Fifteen years ago, I came across this marvelous massoia wood, not well known in perfumery and used in Indonesian cuisine. The odor is startling, unforgettable, mysterious, a sensual riot of exotic spices, fruit and milky coconut. It's what I call a horizontal scent," he says. "It's round, supple, almost carnal, lascivious—in a word, feminine."
— Perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena, from A French Perfumer's Seductive Sense in the Wall Street Journal. He's talking about the new Hermès Santal Massoïa.
It’s feminine? So women are round, supple, lascivious, and horizontal?
Ugh.
Round, supple, lascivious, and horizontal? = blow up doll. I could not resist poking a little fun at that description.
Happy Weekend ahead to all you fine smelling people.
~Dawn
Ya’ll know you’re not allowed to say anything against Jean-Claude Ellena on this blog, right?
(j/k, really)
I thought he cleverly used the reporter’s question regarding differences between the French and the American approaches to fragrance to put down the naysayers who complain his scents have (a) minimal sillage and (b) brief lasting power. Sly one, that JCE.
The top 20 selling French feminine fragrances from last year included Angel, Alien, Opium, Paris, Tresor, and Aromatics Elixir–not an exactly discreet and subtle crowd, eh Jean-Chauvinist Ellena.
I totally understand his standpoint from an artistic sense, though — he’s not trying to make something consumers find “useful” or that fits into their workday needs, but something creative. It happens to fit into what I like, of course
Can’t wait!!! Has anyone tried it yet? The coconut worries me though, there is probably no other note I dislike as much as coconut.
I am waiting for mine!
Looking forward to trying it, though I hope it’s better than Santal Blush (which to me just smelled sort of weak).
Just recently acquired a bottle of my favorite Hermessence, Vanille Galante.
I have a 15 ml of that one. I’ve worn it more than I expected.
Santal Blush ended up smelling like a sibling of ‘Jeu de Peau’ on me…
Thanks for this post, Robin. Do you have JCE’s book?
I don’t!
kinda ashamed for not knowing what massoia is, given that i am an indonesian.. been searching on the web but i couldn’t find its indonesian name, and the pictures i got on google looks too much like cinnamon bark.
i wonder if i could get my hands on some true massoia bark when i go home for christmas!
Check these links — they may help you figure out what it is. Possibly something called “mesoyi” in Bahasa?
http://wannura.wordpress.com/2010/07/08/mesoyi-cryptocarya-massoia-oken-kosterm-kayu-beraroma/
http://blogtercinta.wordpress.com/about/
Thanks for posting this amazing article (in spite of the annoying chauvinism). Now, that’s what I call an office!