Pelargonium

A baroque and contemporary reinterpretation of geranium that highlights the original grace of this precious olfactory ingredient.

Like a still life of extraordinary elegance, the PELARGONIUM perfume portrays its namesake ingredient as in the mysterious floral compositions of Dutch Golden Age paintings.

“My aesthetic inspiration was an old-school flower that everyone thinks they know, but no one really knows,” says perfumer Nathalie Feisthauer, who paints the geranium from the depths of the fragrance pyramid to reveal its complex facets, using freshly chopped leaves to shed light on the dark woods and resins.

But this 2017 creation is not the red garden geranium variety, but the Pelargonium graveolens Its name means "sweetly scented," and it produces one of the most versatile essences in perfumery. Distilled from the plant's leaves rather than its flowers, this geranium has long been used as a fresh, rosy note, hence its common name "pink geranium."

Here, says Feisthauer, the geranium is less fruity and more balsamic, almost incense-like, serving as the central motif of this intriguing composition. The perfumer begins by laying out a canvas of fresh iris notes over a balanced cedarwood frame. He then paints a dark, smoky backdrop of Haitian vetiver, guaiac wood, and musk. Reflected by glints of green cardamom, the golden light of Calabrian bergamot pervades the scene, captured by richly textured ingredients that lend volume and contrast to the composition. The herbaceous sweetness of carrot enriches the iris accord; ambery clary sage suggests the softness of velvety leaves. Lemony, peppery, and incense-like elemi resin enhances the ensemble, while a haze of musks smoothes the edges.

Notes: Egyptian geranium, iris, cedarwood, vetiver, guaiac wood, musk, green cardamom, carrot seed, clary sage, elemi resin, musk.

100ml format

Online exclusive. Product available exclusively online. Shipping time is approximately 2–5 business days.