After Gold, Milk and Juice, today it’s the turn of Book – a fragrance series from Commodity that comes in three variants: Book-, Book and Book+. As the name suggests, it’s all about books. Inspired by the rustling of pages and the scent of paper when turning them, perfumers Ketrin Leka and Jérôme Epinette have created a tribute to the time before tablets and e-books, when people still browsed libraries to discover new reading material.
Jérôme Epinette and Ketrin Leka – the noses behind Book
French perfumer Jérôme Epinette grew up in Burgundy, where he was exposed to various fragrances at an early age through his mother’s perfume business. After studying biochemistry in Dijon and training in Grasse, he began his career at Robertet in 2003 and has been part of the Robertet Creative Center in New York for many years.
Epinette is known for his finely composed, minimalist creations that focus on high-quality raw materials and often surprise with a modern twist. He has created numerous bestsellers – including Byredo icons such as Bal d’Afrique and Gypsy Water – and has received the Fragrance Foundation’s Perfume Extraordinaire Award several times. For Commodity, he created Book- from the Personal Collection and Book+ from the Bold Collection.
The Expressive variant Book, on the other hand, was created by Ketrin Leka. Born in Albania, she has lived and worked in New York for many years. Her fragrances are strongly influenced by images – photographs or scenes that evoke feelings and associations in her mind. She also brings this sense of atmosphere to the composition Commodity Book, which takes us on a journey to the New York Public Library.
Scent Space 1 – Book- | Personal
In the intimate personal version, Book, Jérôme Epinette wanted to create “a calmer, more peaceful, and warmer experience” of the original inspiration – “inhaling the scent of dry paper mixed with fresh air.” To achieve this, the perfumer used the ingredients black tea, eucalyptus, sandalwood, cedarwood, vetiver and musk.
Book- starts off cool, fresh, and green, initially reminding me of an autumn walk with my dog through a foggy November landscape in the early morning. Silence all around me. A light breeze blows around my nose. It carries the nuances of freshly cut wood. Light, aromatic, gentle. Added to this is a fine, very gentle smoky note, which I would attribute to the black tea. It rounds off the composition beautifully, underlining the contemplative, almost Asian aura that Book- exudes in a gentle, airy and beautiful way.
Book- is a transparent and delicate blend of refreshing green eucalyptus, subtly smoky black tea and light, creamy woods. Soft, woody, and, thanks to sandalwood and cedar, infused with a subtle, warm sweetness that adds subtle accents to the finish of the creation, Book- is, for me, a wonderful start to this three-part fragrance series by Jérôme Epinette, which perfectly reflects his minimalist and clearly structured style.
Scent Space 2 – Book | Expressive
As already mentioned, perfumer Ketrin Leka takes us on a journey to the New York Public Library, an imposing Beaux-Arts building from the early 20th century. Surrounded by modern skyscrapers, the magnificent building with its two lions at the entrance seems to have fallen out of time. The interior is also more than impressive.
Book lovers can browse through books on site in large reading rooms, and those who prefer to read at home can of course borrow books. For her interpretation of the atmosphere of the New York Public Library, Leka combined the ingredients bergamot, eucalyptus, sandalwood, cedarwood, vetiver and ambergris.
Commodity Book reveals clearly perceptible, fresh, and aromatic eucalyptus notes in the opening, more intense and distinctive than in the Personal version. Greenish-tart nuances of bergamot are added, while sandalwood and cedarwood bring a warm, sweet, coniferous wood note to the composition. Book also has an airy and transparent effect. An unisex fragrance that is absolutely suitable for everyday wear and the office, it is slightly more intense and present than its close relative from the Personal Collection.
Scent Space 3 – Book + | Bold
The third fragrance in the Book series was again created by perfumer Jérôme Epinette. The original vision for Book was “turning the pages and inhaling the scent of dry paper mixed with fresh air.” Epinette wanted to create an “even more expressive experience” in the Bold version, combining violet, eucalyptus, sandalwood, cedarwood, vetiver, smoky notes and musk.
And indeed, Jérôme Epinette achieves what he set out to do. Book+ opens with powerful eucalyptus notes, which to me also carry certain fig undertones. The violet brings delicate powdery aspects to the creation, which somewhat capture the herbaceous cool green of the eucalyptus, while subtle smoky nuances combine with delicate citrus accents in the background. Cedarwood brings a soft and clean woody note to the composition, which is underscored by light, crystalline musk. In combination with sandalwood, the creation gains depth and warmth and gradually fades away.
Book+ is the most intense version of the fragrance, based on eucalyptus, sandalwood, cedarwood, and the source of inspiration: books. Even though the books in my home have a different smell, I can certainly understand the association. Dry, powdery, cool – it is quite reminiscent of the smell of paper, even if it may not be a 100% accurate representation of the smell. But that’s what the art of perfumery is all about. Translating things, moments, impressions into scent, interpreting them and giving them their own character. Jérôme Epinette remains true to his line and, with Book+, creates another exciting facet of this special theme, once again beautifully reflecting his style.
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