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In the latest edition of our series ‘Notes’, we got to talking with photographer & traveller Sayali Goyal of cultural journal, Cocoa & Jasmine. Here, we talk about her inspirations and her journey and offer a sneak peek into her recent collaboration with us.

Our latest edition of Notes features Pierre Kurzenne, the perfumer behind our enigmatic 1020. Influenced by scents from a young age, Pierre decided to pursue his passion by becoming a perfumer. He has a rich olfactive memory and a great sensitivity for scents, traits that make him a master perfumer today. He loves working with natural raw ingredients, particularly sandalwood for its milky, sensual dimension, which he believes works well in perfumes.

Pierre at our launch in October 2016

Could you tell us a little about your journey towards perfumery?
Since a young age, I was very passionate about scents & smells. I was lucky to grow up in the Loire Valley region, a woody area, and we had a big garden where my father planted hundreds of different flowers.
From the beginning I wanted to do something with scents.
After a few years in university I had the chance to meet the right people at the right time!
Let me mention Master Perfumer Guy Robert who gave me the opportunity to work and learn with him as his assistant for 5 years;  he was the creator of well known Dioressence, Madame Rochas, Hermès’s Calèche and Equipage.
Ever since then, I have been working as a Perfumer in leading multinational Fragrance companies, still passionate about smell, raw materials and fragrances…

What’s your strongest olfactive memory?
Oh I have plenty strong olfactive memories and I guess it is the same for most of the perfumers as this is our main task, building bridges between what we smell and our memory.

Actually everybody could became a Perfumer, only a question of training and learning, It take time but if you have the passion, time doesn’t count!
More seriously, yes I have one stronger olfactive memory, it is related to one of our raw material ingredients called Cashmeran. When I smelled first that chemical, right away I remember a holiday time in the Esterel in the South of France where I was spending all my holidays until 18, it is on the coast, a little point on the sea shore when around noon you get a mixture of the musky warm rocks, a dry pine tree and the sea… you have to smell it to understand.

Esterel in the South of France. Source.

Perfumery is a scientific art – could you talk to us about instinct versus science when you sit down to create a fragrance?
For art, there is probably a passion for “beauty”, much apprenticeship is needed, because work never ends in the quest for art perfection. For slog, let’s work. For passion, it frequently means being able to see the intimate interest of the work. But for beauty, the issue is huge.

In the kitchen, “good” means « beautiful to eat »; for music, it means beautiful to hear (we don’t care if the pianist is well dressed or not).  And one can easily understand that for scents, the issue is to make “beautiful scents” as well, which means scents that we admire.
Art is based on intuition, experience, personal emotion, the desire to communicate…
If a scientist wants to move toward art, he or she has to get away from science into technology, whereas the artist who would like to move toward science has to go through technique.
No relationship between art and science… but rather relationships between the applications of sciences (very different from sciences) and the technical component of art (very different from art, even if it is needed).

When it comes to ingredients, it is often noted that Naturals have a more positive public connotation as compared to Synthetics. Could you break down the importance of these ingredients in perfumery?
True, and I understand the public, if you are looking for authenticity, nothing can beat nature! Is there something better than travel around the world and have wonderful olfactive discovery experiences?

But on the hand, when you are smelling something natural, what do you think you’re smelling? it’s “only” a creation of mother nature, a well done composition of several chemical molecules!
When we are using chemicals in our creation, we are not doing more than the nature – well, some of our chemicals don’t exist as it in the nature but most of them do.
There is no way today to have only 100% natural fragrances on the market, first, simply because the natural raw material market will not be able to supply the consumption and in term of art evolution it will be like reversing to the fragrances 200 years ago! When you smell such a fragrance today, it actually smells “old” !
I mentioned in a past interview that the best Rose Absolute you could find on the market actually doesn’t smell a natural dewy rose flower as you could imagine it in the morning, for that composition you will need maybe a trace of the absolute to bring an incomparable richness and the rest will need the art of the perfumer with an excellent chemicals composition.

Could you advise us on how to choose a fragrance correctly?
I think it is very personal, each person can find his own way and in different conditions.Technically I will refer to our Pyramide description, that means having a particular interest to the different moment of the fragrance evaporation, at first you smell the most volatile components which composed the top notes and really give the hook of the composition, then you enter the heart of the fragrance when all the floral characters are developing, then much later, after more than an hour, you can appreciate the dry down, what you will keep on the skin for the rest of the day…

Which one is your favourite Bombay Perfumery fragrance?
Difficult to give an answer different than the one I created with Manan for BP
Objectively I very much the 1020 I did but I have to say I also like the Chai Musk for its chai reinterpretation.

What are the smells you associate with comfort? travel? love?
Comfort is softness, tenderness, milkyness, I will go to oriental accord with soft sandalwood woodyness, Musk that can give cotton aspect, and vanilla for its neverending mildness.
Travel is discovery, I wish I know the next unknown smell I will discover in my next travel..will it be fruity, exotic, a flower, exotic again, a precious wood, or maybe a special extraction technic which open to new raw material ranges…
Love: oh too difficult ! “un peu, beaucoup, à la folie ..” smells of love are smells of happiness, the smell you keep in memory the first time you met a person you loved …

Today, we spoke to master perfumer Jacques Chabert, who worked on our Les Cayes, Seven Islands & Calicut. After a substantial career at prestigious brands such as Chanel, Naarden Quest (now Givaudan) and Firmenich, Jacques founded his own fragrance company in 1992 near Grasse, France. In his beautiful art-filled laboratory, he works on developing creative and cutting edge fragrances, carefully selecting only projects that inspire him and always insisting on using the highest quality of natural ingredients to highlight their beauty and performance in fine fragrance.

Could you tell us a little about your journey towards perfumery?

The fact that I was born in Grasse represents, I guess, a good part of my first journey.

I remember collecting Jasmin flowers in the summer holidays in order to make some money. It was hard work, it made me sweat;  yet my clothes and even my skin were impregnated with the smell of the jasmin flowers until the end of the day. This led me to appreciate the compliments I received on how good I was smelling.

It certainly was the beginning of a new journey for me  as a perfumer-to-be.

What’s your strongest olfactive memory?

Probably  Jasmin for the reasons exposed above. But I remember also, as a perfumer apprentice, when I got to smell Ylang Ylang oil for the first time, I thought “This  is  a perfume on its own!“

Ylang Ylang. Image source.

Perfumery is a scientific art – could you talk to us about instinct versus science when you sit down to create a fragrance?

I have no scientific background to back up my creative career, the way Churchill had no explanation for his longevity apart from “Whisky and Cigars”.  I think however that having a rational, scientific approach may be beneficial for certain applications in perfumery.  As far as I am concerned, I have got to be content with solely instinct.

When it comes to ingredients, it is often noted that Naturals have a more positive public connotation as compared to Synthetics. Could you break down the importance of these ingredients in perfumery?

Up to the end of the 19^th Century, fragrances contained only naturals. They mostly contained citrus for the top notes and resin for the dry downs. The use of synthetics in the 20^th century helped develop a perfumer’s creativity tremendously with, notably, molecules that did not even exist in nature.

Chanel 5 is probably the most famous among them but Jicky before, and Shalimar revolutionized the spectrum of creativity as well.

Today the conscience for naturals is back, very strongly, probably for environmental reasons as most synthetics are derived from petrol.

Could you advise us on how to choose a fragrance correctly?

Certainly not. Choosing a perfume is very personal, it is impulsive and it should remain so.

Which one is your favourite Bombay Perfumery fragrance?

As far as I am concerned I like very much Les Cayes and Seven Islands. 

Seven Islands by Bombay Perfumery

What are the smells you associate with comfort? travel? love?

Comfort : I would say floral notes such as Orange flower, Linden but also soft Leather.

Travel : Perhaps aromatic notes or Chypres but also some florals.

Love : Probably Orientals such as Shalimar or Mitsouko for the” classics” today some combinations of Oud with Rose may be appropriate for this mood although Florals such as Tuberose may be also a good idea.

As part of our ongoing series Notes where we speak to inspirational creators, we sat down with master perfumer Tristan Rostain to decode his approach towards perfumery.

Could you tell us a little about your journey towards perfumery?

My father is a perfumer himself. Although he never pushed me towards perfumery, I had the chance to work in the company he is working for during summers when I was younger. I literally fell in love with raw materials…Frankincense, Sandalwood, Tonka beans…   As I wanted to study foreign languages, I decided to go to the University in Nice, to learn English and Italian. My goal was to be fluent enough to enter the Grasse Institute of Perfumery where perfumery lessons are given in English.

What’s your strongest olfactive memory?

I’ve always been attracted to raw materials over perfumes. Each of them is already a perfume. My strongest olfactive memory is the day I discovered the Gurjum Balsam. It is a woody note but to me it also has an olibanum facet. When I smelled it the first time, it took me miles away from the place I was and brought me back to the church of my small Italian town. I could smell the benches of the church and the mystical censer. That was amazing. I think only perfumes and music have such a power they can make you travel in time and space.

Perfumery is a scientific art – could you talk to us about instinct versus science when you sit down to create a fragrance?

I know nothing about science. I’ve always been really bad in sciences at school. My only approach, when it comes to create a fragrance, is sensitive. Not scientific. I refuse to think like “I can’t put more than 5 grs of Helional in this perfume because the usual dosage of Helional is between 2 and 5 grs”. I don’t want this kind of limits. I always do a lot of research on internet about the subject I am working on. To understand the universe I am about to describe in a fragrance. Colours, places, people… There are a lot of inspiration sources. The only scientific concern in my creation will be to make sure there is no stability issue made by the raw materials I am using. I am not saying this is the good and only way to work. It’s not. But this is how I work. There are so many good “scientific” perfumers, I won’t say science is bad.

When it comes to ingredients, it is often noted that Naturals have a more positive public connotation as compared to Synthetics. Could you break down the importance of these ingredients in perfumery?

According to me, natural raw materials are the most important ingredients in a really good perfume. So I’d rather emphasize on synthetics’ importance than breaking down the importance of the naturals.

It is trendy to think and say natural raw materials are better than synthetics. The truth is they need each other. The naturals bring the richness of the perfume. They make it noble. But synthetics work as a catalyst to channel this richness towards a stable and round perfume. Without synthetics, a perfume would be a bit messy and unstable.

Could you advise us on how to choose a fragrance correctly?

When we go to a perfume shop and buy a perfume, we rarely stay there for hours to wait for the perfume to evolve on our skin. We usually smell it and decide if we like it or not. This is a mistake. Doing it is to choose a perfume only because of its top notes. And they last for a few minutes only. The identity of the perfume comes later, with the middle notes. It is the heart of the fragrance, and the smell you will have on your skin during the day. So my advice is to ask for samples, always. And try perfumes out of the shop, on a regular day, to discover its real identity. Not to judge after the first smell (unless it is really disgusting). That is how we usually do with people. We don’t marry someone after only one look, just because it looks nice. We need to know him/her better before we marry him/her.

What are the smells you associate with comfort ? Travel ? Love?

I would say musky and woody/ambery notes for comfort. They are clean, steady and warm. Typical cocooning smells to me.

When I travel I like to use fresh/citrusy fragrances. Because traveling is a bit exhausting. Citrus notes give me more energy and keep me awake. And they are positive smells which perfectly fit travels because traveling is always a good moment as I love it.

As far as love is concerned I would mention flowers. It is not original but it’s the only truth to me. Rose, Jasmine… They are all captivating and mesmerizing. If I had to mention only one, I would say Tuberose for its strength and richness.

The process of perfumery reflects the merging of art and science. Yet, at the heart of it, are the ingredients. For Bombay Perfumery, we source the finest ingredients from around the world, while paying homage to the rich history of India when it comes to perfumery.

One of the most distinctive ingredients used in our fragrances is Tuberose. Heady with a hint of creaminess, it is sourced from South India and is known for the sensuousness it lends to a fragrance.

The flower was introduced to India via the Phillipines and was then introduced to Europe and has been used in perfumery since the 17th century. It’s revered thanks to its complex and explosive nature. In fact, there’s a certain myth set during the time of the Renaissance. where it was forbidden for unmarried girls to walk through tuberose gardens and expose themselves to the strong narcotic scent that had the power of driving men mad!

Armed with tuberose’s flair, our Moire is a modern interpretation of feminine strength. Contrasted with leather, another forget-me-not scent, the fragrance makes a bold statement.

Great ingredients lie at the heart of Bombay Perfumery. One of our fragrances is Calicut, a spicy & warm perfume for men, where Black Pepper stands out beautifully.

Black Pepper has been revered for its taste & scent since time immemorial. Popularly known as the King of Spices, it is perhaps the most widely used spice across the world.

Archaeological evidence points to black pepper being used since the past 2000 years and its importance has only increased as the years have passed. From Egypt to Rome to the rest of Europe, black pepper has been incomparable in its reach.

In perfumery, it is known for its hot and bracing note as well as its earthy warmness.

Today, we have sourced it from its origin, though the production of black pepper has diversified worldwide. As the key ingredient in our Calicut, black pepper creates an instant recall to something that’s familiar yet so different.

In our latest edition of Notes, we sat down with actor & comic Mallika Dua about the method behind the madness we get to witness.

Tell us a little about your journey.

My recent journey from Delhi to Bombay is just over a year old and it’s mostly got to do with the fact that I studied theatre and then I dabbled in copywriting and then I started making videos online and that’s how I came here.

Your videos and writing reflect a deep understanding of capturing the nuances of people and their quirks, how did you come about being so observant?

Throughout my childhood and even now, any sort of confinement makes me very distracted – in classrooms and other things, I was never focusing on what was being taught but on how people talk, how they dress and behave and that’s just something that has carried over. The weirder the person is, the more intrigued I am!

When you close your eyes and think, what smell do you relate most to Happiness? Discovery? Love?

Happiness would be Tangerine or Jasmine.

For Discovery, I like the smell that the Saptaparmi Trees have, in Delhi, before the winter is about to come – the smell in the air during the festive season, before people start bursting crackers.

Love for me, is any regular perfume that everyone over-applies when they’re in love to appeal to others!

What’s your oldest memory related to smell?

When I was very young and my parents would take us out for a drive or a quick bite and I would fall asleep on my mother’s shoulder and the smell of whatever lotion or powder she had on is my oldest memory related to smell.

If somebody could bottle your personality in a fragrance, what would it be like?

I like musk, something to do with that, for sure.

What’s next on your travel list?

Bali. I’m not fixed on first discovering India and then the world – there are nice places everywhere. For me, getting a break is more important. At times, I just want to go home to Delhi and not anywhere else because it’s so much more relaxing to be in your own house.

Whose work do you follow on social media? Who are you a big fangirl of?

Meryl Streep – she’s unbelievably gifted and that’s the kind of passion and skill I want to have towards my job. I also really admire Priyanka Chopra for her ambition and drive – it’s not easy doing what they do.

What’s on your reading list?

Twitter! Always.

How has living in Bombay been? Has it changed your perspective or reinforced an existing stereotype?

It’s done both. It’s changed my perspective with respect to working hard and having work ethics – just working no matter what the weather conditions are like. In Delhi, it’s like, it’s raining so I’m not working – that doesn’t fly here. It has also reinforced the stereotype that the standard of living in this city is shit.

You have already made your foray into Bollywood, what are your aspirations from it?

I really want to act, that’s what I studied but it doesn’t matter if it’s a film, web show or a short series – the role has to matter & I’m not stuck on comedy, I’m happy to do other things as well but if it’s a film, I would want my role to be very important to it.

Which Bombay Perfumery fragrance do you think is closest to your personality?

Moire! It’s sweet but with a darker undertone.

Choosing a signature fragrance can be tough on sense and sensibility. Not only will all your sensorial organs be working in overtime, there’s that search for the elusive one who’ll live up to your personality & preferences.

We’re breaking it down for you – from notes to families and beyond.

Notes

Each fragrance has 3 categories of Notes – the top, the heart and the base. The top notes are the ones you smell first’ they’re strong and distinctive and usually the ones that help you make the choice if you’re cinched for time.

However, we recommend experiencing the fragrance for a day at the least so you can interact with the perfume as the day unfurls.

The middle or the heart notes are at the center of the fragrance. A balance of strength and subtlety identifies them. Heart notes need to be peppy enough to stand out yet quiet enough to lead the way to the base notes.

The base notes could be regarded as the foundation upon which the perfume is created. Subtle and longlasting, these come into play more towards the end of the day.

A good fragrance has a creative balance of all three types of notes – they need to complement each other and yet need to stand out just so that they cast an impression.

Olfactory Families

A quick guide to choosing a fragrance you may like is through the olfactory families.

Citrusy

Fresh and tangy, this family includes citrus fruits such as lemon, bergamot and orange, among others.

Bergamot

Floral

Romantic and fresh, the floral notes add sophistication and sass to a fragrance.

Aromatic

Earthy and subtly masculine, this family includes ingredients like sage, oak moss, thyme and wood.

Woody

Warm and strong, the subtle woody family features ingredients like patchouli, sandalwood and vetiver.

Vetiver in Haiti 

Oriental

Warm and sensual, the amber or oriental family is distinctive and features ingredients like musks, vanilla and precious woods.

Amber

Evocative of warmth and opulence, the amber family seeks to emulate the golden warmth of the fossil.

Like perfumery, architecture has the transformative power to propel one to the future or remind one of a time gone by. In our latest series, we’ve decoded the link between our fragrances to architectural styles that reflect them the most.

Our men’s fragrance Sulawesi is a conversation between what’s known and what’s unknown. Highlighted by patchouli sourced from Indonesia, the fragrance is elevated by the use of custard apple, which is quite rare in the world of perfumery.

This contrast adds depth to the fragrance, and transports one to a tropical locale reminiscent of Geoffrey Bawa’s inside out structures.

Gardens at the Parliament by Geoffrey Bawa. Image by Harry Snowden. 

The role tropical modernism plays is dual – aesthetically, the modernist form interacts with the surroundings beautifully, but secondly, it’s highly contextual. Distinctive and imposing, modern architecture cut off all ties with the overly-effusive architectural styles that came before it. It made a statement. In comparison, tropical modernism picked up the principles modernism propagated but wove in the story of the locale in its detailing.

Secret Garden House by Wallflower Architecture + Design, Singapore

That’s where we see the connect between Tropical Modernism and Sulawesi. Definitely strong, both are sneakily subtle in delivering their message across.

Lead Image : Jungle House by Studio M27

Travel with us to our favourite cities around India

Since ancient times, Kochi has been a destination. The absolute source for spices like black pepper (you’ll catch a glimpse of it in our Calicut), the port was known to civilizations spanning from Greece to China. Down the years, as trading routes became a matter of political power, Kochi has seen Dutch, English & Portuguese settlements. Today, it’s the commercial hub of Kerala and is one of the country’s fastest growing cities – and all its influences meld beautifully.

VISIT

The end of the year will see the return of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale under the curatorship of artist & co-founder of the Khoj Foundation, Anita Dube. Featuring art from around the world, the biennale is spread across Fort Kochi & Ernakulam, creating conversations between one’s environment and art as is often perceived to be existing within the white space of galleries.

Gulammohammed Shaikh’s Balancing Act on Vasco da Gama Square

STAY

The Tower House in Fort Kochi is a converted 17^th century light house (that sentence is enough to convince us!). Overlooking the Chinese fishing nets, the hotel has an old-school charm that few places can replicate.

The Tower House

EAT

Indulge in coastal cuisine with Nimmy-Paul’s cooking classes. The gourmand couple not only teaches how to cook Keralite fare, but also hosts visitors with home stays & at-home meals.

SHOP

Pepper House is a waterfront heritage space that hosts part of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale. Apart from being an art space, it also contains a library, café and a design shop (where you can buy Bombay Perfumery!)

Image by Surface85

Lead Image by Chiara Goia

Though we believe that if you like a fragrance, you should use it no matter what, at times, a fragrance can enhance & reflect the time you’re wearing it for. A sunny day often calls for freshness & an evening event calls for an air of mystery.

Apart from mood, season often plays a role too. Freshness and summer goes hand in hand on account of higher temperatures, but, in the winters, a more subtle fragrance would cinch the deal.

Day Perfumes

A good thumb rule to start with is, the heavier the fragrance, the less suited for the day. Ingredients like lemon, bergamot, vanilla, orange and peach are fruity, sweet & fresh, making them a great note to have in one’s fragrance – especially in the summer.

During winter, calm ingredients like vetiver, ginger, patchouli and cinnamon add depth to a fragrance.

Night Perfumes

Once again, choosing what to wear at night depends on the weather. Warmer climates call for more tropical yet sophisticated ingredients like black pepper, ginger, musk and jasmine.

Cooler climates call for subtle yet powerful ingredients – think cedarwood, amber and leather for instance.

Like perfumery, architecture has the transformative power to propel one to the future or remind one of a time gone by. In our latest series, we’ve decoded the link between our fragrances to architectural styles that reflect them the most.

South India is known for its statuesque Temple Architecture, with its intricate detailing & monumental size. However, when it comes to modernist architecture, a different kind of structure had taken over the landscape, starting just before Independence and leading up to the 1970s & 80s – Cinema House Architecture.

Image by Sabine Haubitz & Stefanie Zoche, source

Highlighted by its hybridity, the cinema houses are modern yet traditional in their design, inspired by a new vision for India. Cinema houses, especially in the South, are a community centre of sorts, a perfect canvas to play out this modernity. Colour, proportion and nostalgia play out together, much like in Calicut, an ancient trading port from where our men’s fragrance Calicut is inspired. Black pepper, Cardamom, Patchouli & Musk create a blockbuster statement.

Lead image by Sabine Haubitz & Stefanie Zoche, source