I'm always happy to come across connections between perfumery and literature, so I read (and thoroughly enjoyed) M. J. Rose's "novel of suspense" The Book of Lost Fragrances soon after its release, and then I tried the accompanying scent from the independent perfume house Joya. According to the author's website, Rose sent an advance copy of the novel to Joya as a gesture of thanks, since she had been burning Joya candles for ambiance while writing it; the company's owner, Frederick Bouchardy, was inspired to create a fragrance in response to the novel.
The result is Âmes Sœurs (Scent of Soulmates), developed for Joya by perfumer Rayda Vega and described as “an orange blossom wrapped in incense, smoke and musk.” Its official list of notes includes tamarind, grapefruit, and cypress; rose Bulgar, ginger, and orange blossom; and cedarwood, incense, amber and sweet musk.
If you've read The Book of Lost Fragrances, you're familiar with its motif of an ancient Egyptian perfume, preserved through the ages, that has the power to evoke memories of past lives and to bring together reincarnated lovers. Joya's Âmes Sœurs is not exactly the novel's "scent of soul mates," which was a potion blended from — spoiler alert! — frankincense, myrrh, honey, blue lotus and persimmon. Instead, it has taken The Book of Lost Fragrances as a point of departure and turned in a different direction.
Âmes Sœurs begins as a burst of citrus zest with a frosty edge. (Rayda Vega also created Apothia's Velvet Rope, which I recall having a similar chilled-grapefruit note.) This tart introduction lasts for a half-hour or longer on my skin. It's followed by a sheer ginger heart. Ginger is a smell that can go any which way for me, from making me feel vaguely queasy to giving me a sense of ease and comfort; fortunately, this particular ginger has the latter effect. It also lasts for a long time, making a very gradual segue into the composition's base notes. In the dry down, I detect a light, spicy incense; if it were an actual incense for burning, this blend wouldn't create much smoke or leave any sticky residue.
The dry down of Âmes Sœurs is still lightly spiced and resiny, with a mix of orange blossom and cedar becoming more apparent. I like this particular pairing of floral and wood notes, which I've also savored in Maison Francis Kurkdjian's APOM Pour Femme. Here, it is softer and warmer, as the final wave of the fragrance brings out a very subtle amber. Overall, I would have anticipated something darker and duskier from the "Scent of Soulmates," something redolent of ancient temples, but once I adjusted my expectations, I really liked this fragrance for what it is. It's a good balance of freshness and warmth that will suit my mood in summer and early autumn. It's very wearable for either gender, which suits its back-story of a man and woman bound together through multiple lives. And, as an oil, it stays intimately close to the skin and lasts well.
One last note: one of the male characters in The Book of Lost Fragrances wears a scent with notes of bergamot, lemon, honey, ylang ylang, vetiver, civet and musk; according to M.J. Rose, this detail was inspired by Fabergé's now-discontinued Aphrodisia. I'm wondering whether anyone will attempt to recreate this fragrance as described in the book, or whether Aphrodisia is something I need to track down and try!
Joya Âmes Sœurs is sold as 10 ml perfume oil ($28) in a roll-on bottle. A solid version of the scent, in a hand-crafted container of porcelain decorated with 22-karat gold, is being offered as a limited edition of fifteen pieces ($500). Âmes Sœurs can be purchased through the Joya website and at Henri Bendel and Opening Ceremony in New York.
Thank you , Jessica. I have read the book too and wondered if anyone was going to create a perfume inspired by it. I am very interested to try Aphrodisia as well.
LadyM, Both Joya and MJ Rose have stressed that the book was merely a point of departure for Joya’s fragrance, and that it wasn’t intended to be a literal take on the magical scent in the book… which is a bit of a shame, since the results could have been interesting! Still, taking Ames Soeurs on its own terms, I enjoyed it very much.
Maybe they were afraid that any attempt to recreate the magical perfume in the book would inevitably fall far short. I doubt that any real perfume could live up to the expectations.
You’re right, nothing could really live up to the description of that fragrance, not to mention its effects as a “memory tool”!
Oh my, what a blast from the past. My Mum was never very into perfumes, and when she’d get some as a gift from friends she’d always pass it on to me. I was around 12 when she gave me the triple set of Aphrodisia, Tigress and Woodhue, and Woodhue was by far my favorite out of the set. (Loved all three of those crazy bottle caps, though!)
Honey is a note that has never worked on me, so that’s a big part of the mystery cleared up. Aphrodisia certainly was a heady, come hither fragrance, but even then I far preferred Revlon’s Intimate. It would certainly be interesting to revisit that trio again!
Ohlily, I am envious of your 12-year-old self, because I’ve never tried any of those fragrances! Woodhue, in particular, seems to have been a fragrance-lover’s favorite. I’ve heard a few people mention it. sigh!
Woodhue and some other older fragrances are available still from the Vermont Country Store, but I’m not sure about what the chances of thier formulations being that same as the original are. They do seem to have a pretty good selection, though. Well, for them. They’re one of those places that has a little bit of everything and not a whole lot of any one thing in particular.
Sorry so late in getting around to answering this. I have a bit of book review fatigue.
I ordered a small sample of this when I read about it on 1000 Fragrances a while back. I’m mostly saving it for when I read the book, so I’ve only tested a dab so far. I felt that it at least echoed ancient kinds of notes and would be a useful intro for readers who are are only familiar with fruity florals and the like.
Noz, I agree — it doesn’t include today’s popular notes like vanilla, lychee, pink pepper, etc. etc., so it does have those “ancient” echoes!
Sounds intriguing but I don’t use roll-ons or solids
Oh, too bad! I’ve come around to liking roll-ons and solids, although I still like spritzing best!
just read the book 2 days ago–very timely review!
Did you enjoy it? I did! I really liked the mix of suspense and romance and perfume knowledge, not to mention the Paris setting.
Lovely review, Jessica! I was testing it the other day, and while at first I also longed for a darker, smokier perfume as suggested by the book, I ended up enjoying this pretty, coquettish orange blossom.
Your prediction that I might like the book turned out to be true. I didn’t anticipate myself getting into it, but once I started reading, I couldn’t put the book down.
V, I’m glad you’re enjoying it too! I usually have a few books going at once, but I put everything else aside for a few days once I started this one!
I want to read the book. Lovely story about it inspiring the perfumer.
Dora, It’s a really fun read! I whipped through it and was sorry when it ended.
I want to read the book. Lovely story about it inspiring the perfumer.
The perfume sounds lovely. I am allergic to most perfumes because of all the other added chemicals not mentioned above. Would love it if I could buy a “natural” version of perfume. I miss perfume soooooo much and this one sounds yummy.
Now you have me intrigued, I will find my copy and start it soon. Also those mentions of Woodhue, what a great name.