The last time I bought a Papier d'Arménie candle, I had to have it shipped from London. Beautyhabit currently has all 3 variations (Traditional, Rose, and my favorite, Francis Kurkdjian's Arménie) in stock, 220g each for $35. A box of 6 packets of the burning papers is $32.
Back in 2006, Kevin wrote a detailed post about Papier d’Arménie, the traditional French incense papers soaked in an alcohol-based mixture of benzoin and other aromatics. At the time, he sent me some to try, and I’ve since purchased more. I’ve continued to use them from time to time as an easy (and cheap) way to scent my home — all you do is rip a small sheet out of the package, fold it like an accordian, and light it.1 I like the scent best from a room or so away (as Kevin pointed out, it can smell a bit harsh from close up), and I like it even better unburned; a few loose papers will nicely scent a drawer.
Later, I got my hands on some of the La Rose papers (see above) that perfumer Francis Kurkdjian developed for the Papier d’Arménie brand in 2009.2 These smell just fabulous unlit: sweeter, creamier, more floral and less harsh than the original. Burned, I do like them a little better than the originals, but the rose is much clearer in the unlit paper. And again, they work nicely as sachets.
But the reason for today’s post is a more recent discovery, although it was released earlier: the Francis Kurkdjian version of Papier d’Arménie developed for the “Year of Armenia in France” in 2006…
In the late 1800s, Auguste Ponsot, a Frenchman, traveled through Armenia and noticed that many people fragranced and disinfected their homes and businesses by burning benzoin (a resin produced by trees of the genus Styrax). Personal and public hygiene were hot topics at the time in France, and Ponsot felt Europeans, too, could benefit from burning benzoin at home. Realizing most ‘modern’ European families would not go to the trouble of burning raw benzoin, he sought the help of a pharmacist, Henri Rivier, to come up with an easy way to burn the resin.
Rivier dissolved raw benzoin in 90% alcohol, added some “secret” aromatics to the mixture, and soaked paper in the sweetly scented liquid. The paper was put through a saline bath to make it burn slowly. This fragrant paper was then burned and its smoke scented and cleansed the air. The new product was called Papier d’Arménie and became popular immediately. It has been produced for over 120 years in the Paris suburb of Montrouge…
Miss Carlota is a new trio of perfumes from French beauty salon & spa Carlota. Lait Miel is a gourmand fragrance with notes of bergamot, peach, apricot, jasmine, violet, tuberose, heliotrope, tiare, monoi, honey, coconut milk, chocolate, vanilla, dried fruits and caramel; Ambre Musc Santal features citrus, floral notes, patchouli, sandal, cistus, vanilla, benzoin and musk; Rose Jasmin Fleur d'Oranger has the three floral notes of its name in addition to violet, ylang ylang and woody musk.(via osmoz & creassence)
Guerlain will launch the next fragrance in the L'Art et la Matiere line, Bois d'Armenie, in September…