The Essential Parfums brand was one of the biggest surprises for me last year. And in an absolutely positive way. From November last year, I gradually introduced you to the collection from Géraldine Archambault’s French fragrance house and was only more convinced and enthusiastic after each post. Launched in 2018, Essential Parfums pursued a precise goal from the very beginning: to reinterpret traditional haute perfumery with a focus on authenticity, sustainability and natural ingredients. The label does not put itself or prominent advertising faces in the foreground, but the true creative minds: the perfumers. The fragrance house gives them absolute creative freedom, a carte blanche, so that they can realize their olfactory visions without restrictions.
I have already presented the entire Essential Parfums line to you on this blog with its creations by renowned perfumers such as Quentin Bisch, Anne Flipo, Sophie Labbé, Bruno Jovanovic, Olivier Pescheux, Nathalie Lorson and Fabrice Pellegrin and can only recommend the brand to you. The fragrances are simply gorgeous and there is something for everyone. Here you can read up, be inspired or simply enjoy:
- On a mission – The Essential Parfums collection
- Mon Vetiver and Orange X Santal by Essential Parfums
- Divine Vanilla and The Musc by Essential Parfums – Divine Minimalism
- Fig Infusion and Patchouli Mania by Essential Parfums
- Bois Impérial, Bois Impérial Extrait and Néroli Botanica by Essential Parfums
Dominique Ropion – a master of his trade
Dominique Ropion loves big ideas, strong accords and precise craftsmanship. A combination that makes him one of the most exciting perfumers of our time. Anyone familiar with his fragrances knows that nothing is left to chance. He combines expressive nuances with fine, gentle ingredients to create atmospheric, harmonious and complex compositions that enchant and seduce.
Born in Paris and trained at the famous Roure-Bertrand-Dupont school in Grasse, he is deeply rooted in the French perfume tradition and has an impressive range in his repertoire. From the lush rose-patchouli fragrance Portrait of a Lady for his friend and fellow student Frédéric Malle to global bestsellers such as La Vie Est Belle for Lancôme or Alien for Mugler. Ropion simply knows how to make a fragrance that stays in the memory.
He is notorious for his perfectionism. He is said to tinker with his formulas down to the last detail, self-critically and uncompromisingly, until everything is exactly as he imagines it. Ropion can be opulent and cool, classic and bold, quiet and also really loud – depending on what the fragrance requires. And that is precisely what makes him so interesting: he does not compose perfumes as an olfactory backdrop, but deliberately for a grand entrance.
Velvet Iris – Dominique Ropion
His latest creation is also the latest addition to the Essential Parfums universe: Velvet Iris. I was able to try the eau de parfum at Esxence in Milan and was more than impressed. I love iris fragrances anyway and this composition is just so special, so unique, so beautiful. Dominique Ropion combined the ingredients turmeric, pink pepper, buchu, iris, galbanum, mastic, suede, labdanum (cistus) and sandalwood and says of the fragrance: “I imagined a woody iris as an ode to the velvety petals of the flower. It resonates with the soft radiance of pink pepper and buchu, unfolding its green facets infused with galbanum. Amber and creamy woods embrace it in an infinitely sensual caress.”
Velvet Iris begins with wonderfully present iris notes and exciting facets that are reminiscent of leaf juice – green, somewhat edgy, fresh and cool. This combination is definitely unusual, but teases out the earthy nuances of the iris perfectly and underlines them in a fascinating way. The creation soon glides into calmer waters. Light, supple suede, delicately flowing and incredibly soft, joins in and blends with the iris to create a beguiling, seductive leather iris, accompanied by dry, subtly greenish accents. I am in love! In the finish, fine, clean woody notes accompany the velvety facets of iris and suede and round off the composition beautifully.
Anyone who immediately thought of Velvet Iris as a warm, lipstick-like and enveloping iris fragrance is in for a surprise: with this eau de parfum, Dominique Ropion presents us with an unusual blend of iris, suede and greenish-fresh notes that will certainly surprise many and hopefully enchant them as much as it did me. Velvet Iris by Essential Parfums is a bright, rather cool and transparent fragrance based around iris that is elegant, modern and clean. Absolutely suitable for everyday wear and the office and, of course, unisex. An eau de parfum that I would definitely wear all year round. A clear recommendation for all those who love iris fragrances and are open to a new, daring direction for this very special ingredient. Simply great!
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