When we think about the process of creating a perfume it often ends up becoming a romanticised image of a pair of hands holding a mound of jasmine petals, or a perfumer surrounded by a bank of meticulously laid out essential oils. What we don’t usually consider is that the intimate process of creating a perfume can actually also be a means of dealing with personal trauma and managing mental health. One perfumer that has spoken openly about his past and present struggles, and how they feed into his creativity, is Matt Meleg - and this shines radiantly through in his exceptional Tobacco Frankincense & Cardamom fragrance.
It is strange that at a time when many “niche” perfume companies are experimenting with animalic fragrances one of France’s most respected, Guerlain, chose to discontinue one of theirs. Oriental Brûlant was part of the Elixir Charnel range and arrived on the scene in 2008. It made no excuses for its overtly provocative nature and labdanum lovers were in their element with large doses of this highly sexual ingredient. Designed around women’s actual and desired sexual styles, the Elixir Charnel range was a difficult one to market but, out of the original three, where did the inspiration for Oriental Brûlant actually come from?
When Guerlain introduced the Elixir Charnel range in 2008 there were quite a few raised eyebrows at the news that this prestigious house had entered the controversial arena of "sexual" scents. With a collection aimed quite clearly at women with very distinct and adventurous sexual styles, it blew the lid off the most famous and respected historical perfumery. Sex has always sold, that is the undisputed law of retail, but what would Aimé Guerlain have thought? I hope that he would see it as a bold move to modernise a traditional style, and maybe even chuckle at the same time. So what exactly is "Elixir Charnel"?
