312 SAINT-HONORÉ by bdk Parfums

The celebratory side of fragrance is something I’ve covered often when writing about perfume, and it always goes hand in hand with a desire to make memories. The link between scent and recollection is well documented, so it’s hardly surprising that companies turn to this olfactive format when wanting to cement an occasion or even a location. New fragrances that centre around a brand’s journey or particular milestones are a great way to recognise loyalty, but the perfume also has to stand on its own. 312 Saint-Honoré from bdk Parfums is the perfect example of scented celebration meeting stylish sophistication.

It’s incredible to think that nine years have passed since bdk Parfums first launched onto an excited fragrance market in 2016. Back then it was a quintet of fragrances, but it quickly created a loyal following of fans that has meant the company now has stockists around the world, and a burgeoning collection. This is definitely due to the founder, David Benedek, having perfume in his blood. His grandparents had careers in the perfume industry, and so it was hardly surprising that his young mind became filled with the scents and excitement that surrounded them on a daily basis.

David didn’t go immediately into the perfume industry, he originally studied economics and management, but the pull of those childhood memories soon started to draw him back. He studied the artistry of perfumery, immersing himself in the techniques that went into the great fragrances of the past, and then enlisted the help of some of the finest perfumers in the industry to create his collection. It’s worth remembering that his grandparents had their own perfume boutique in 1960s Paris on the fashionable rue Saint-Honoré, and it’s a wonderful family link that ended up being celebrated 60 years later.

The success of bdk Parfums culminated in the opening of David's own boutique on the famous Saint-Honoré on January 24th 2024, on the same street as his grandparents original store, and so a new perfume was needed to commemorate it. Perfumer Alexandra Carlin was tasked with translating the location and the occasion into a fragrance and, in her own words, describes the finished scent as “intimate yet inviting, urging us to reconnect with ourselves, and luminous, embracing the outside world”. It would forever be a marker as to how much David had achieved, and for us it’s a very welcome trip to Paris.

312 Saint-Honoré opens with a truly sparkling rainbow-like hit of pink pepper, angelica root and a note of green galbanum. This feels as if it conjures the diamond-faceted sunlight hitting the glass-fronted boutique, but there’s no time to dawdle. You’re immediately drawn into a sensual blend of orange blossom and tonka bean, with these two ingredients perhaps hinting at a signature that carries through the bdk collection. The development of the fragrance brings in notes of cedarwood and oud, cut with a metallic-edged concrete accord, and this evocatively references both the street and the foundations of this exceptional company. Celebratory fragrances can often miss the mark, but 312 Saint-Honoré is a delicious destination.

312 Saint-Honoré is available from the bdk Parfums website at bdkparfums.com, and also from Harvey Nichols, priced at £190 for 100ml. You can also click on the image below to read my interview with David Benedek from July 2023. [Sample provided by Phoenix Beauty]