Stephan Matthews

Showing posts with label Grasse Institute of Perfumery. Show all posts

Monday, 29 June 2026

L'EAU DE ROSE by 1000 Flowers

A bottle of L'eau de Rose from 1000 Flowers and Jessica Buchanan

When an existing perfume company is looking to extend their fragrance collection, it more than often ends up taking the form of a complex new scent. However, that doesn’t always need to be the case. Many ingredients that are used in perfumery can be thought of as a fragrance in themselves, made up of a multitude of facets, and so the decision to launch a singular floral water can be a welcome change. That is exactly what Jessica Buchanan of 1000 Flowers has done with her L’eau de Rose, and the result is an uplifting scent that is perfect for mind, body and the imminent arrival of the hot weather.

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Monday, 8 September 2025

FIGUIER SAUVAGE by 1000 Flowers

A 10ml bottle of the new perfume Figuier Sauvage by Jessica Buchanan and 1000 Flowers

Succulent fruits, bursting with overripe juices, is what many people think of when autumn shows its face. The days of warm breezes and sand between your toes are replaced by woolly jumpers and the click of the heating. These fruity aromas also appear regularly in the new perfume releases at this time of the year, partly as a hark back and partly to signal the approaching festive decadence. Now, overly sweetened fragrances are not to everyone’s taste, and even including a fruit in the name can be troublesome. Thankfully Jessica Buchanan of 1000 Flowers has dared to challenge preconceptions with the textural Figuier Sauvage.

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Monday, 25 March 2024

ORANGE BLOSSOM PETAL by 1000 Flowers

A bottle of Orange Blossom Petal perfume by 1000 Flowers

Many fragrances take their names from singular ingredients or, as became the fashion when Jo Malone London started the trend, a combination of defined notes. Who can ever forget Lime Basil & Mandarin? This is a great way to focus the customer on the style of fragrance that they are going to smell and, in the case of singular names, the star ingredient. However, there is always the risk of preconceived ideas based on previous smelling experience. So, when 1000 Flowers launched Orange Blossom Petal, they cleverly implied a delicacy to the usual robust orange blossom, and the result was a delightful semi-floral experience.

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Monday, 10 July 2023

ENCENS ET CREDRE by 1000 Flowers

A bottle of Encens et Cedre wellness water by 1000 Flowers

There are certain fragrance styles that forever feel as though they’re pushed to the limit with overwhelming volume and aggression, and so finding one where the perfumer has deliberately gone in the other direction is always an absolute joy. Delicacy and contentment mixing with a feeling of intimacy and fascination may sound like a combination that is impossible to achieve, but I’m happy to say it has. Encens et Cedre is the latest release from 1000 Flowers and, under the ever-inspiring eye of perfumer Jessica Buchanan, sits seamlessly alongside her existing “eau de bien-être” fragrances to create an unrivalled trio.

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Monday, 11 April 2022

RAW GOLD by Thomas De Monaco

Attempting to make changes to an established industry is always difficult, especially when we’re talking about the perfume industry. There are so many expected stages, including everything from the process to the final reveal, that it can often feel like a new fragrance is just the latest off a conveyer belt of launches. There are companies and individuals fighting this perception, actively trying to do things differently, and their successes absolutely deserve to be celebrated. One such partnership is Thomas De Monaco and Fredrik Dalman. They’ve challenged both convention and communication in their first joint venture, Raw Gold.

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Monday, 7 March 2022

FLEUR VERTE by 1000 Flowers

I’ve never been able to pin down a particular season that I love over the others, and I think that’s because each of the four have their own individual appeal. Summer is the time for hot weather and shorts, autumn means watching the leaves turn from green to brown, and winter definitely sees the appearance of Christmas trees and spices. However, spring always feels like it’s the start of something new. The first blossoms on the tree, the daffodils pushing through, but all with a very present touch of crispness in the air. We’re not far off the start of spring now, so what better way to get in the mood than with Fleur Verte from 1000 Flowers.

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Thursday, 27 May 2021

FLEUR DE LAVANDE by 1000 Flowers

As we slowly begin to exit the rules that have governed us for over a year, we do it in the knowledge that there are others who are not so lucky. Their lives are still restricted and many don’t have the freedoms that we now do in Britain. It’s because of this uncertainty, and also because we’ve all been on a long voyage of self-discovery, that many of us are now reaching for “simpler” products. Overly blended fragrances are being glossed over in favour of a purer style, and none embodies this more than Fleur de Lavande from 1000 Flowers. The archetypal soliflore, it’s time to take a scented journey to the town of Grasse.

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Thursday, 4 March 2021

ROSE GERANIUM & PETITGRAIN by 1000 Flowers

Over the past twelve months the main thing that I've learned about myself and my surroundings is how refreshing simplicity can be. Having the metaphorical rug pulled out from under us all threw our preconceived ideas and entrenched habits out of the window as well. What we were left with was almost the essence of what we all individually needed, and personal lessons have been learned that shouldn’t be forgotten. Perfume has a habit of being complicated and shrouded in mystery, and so finding a scent that revels in this idea of simplicity is rare. That is until you discover the exquisite Rose Geranium & Petitgrain from 1000 Flowers.

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Thursday, 30 July 2020

RACINE DE VETIVER by Jessica Buchanan

When we think about the scent of certain ingredients our minds often unconsciously latch onto the smell of a fragrance that shares its name. How many times have you seen companies launch perfumes with gardenia, sandalwood, even oud proudly displayed on the front of the bottle? These are all blends of ingredients that give a scented experience that may, or may not, mirror the smell of the original. One perfumer who has excelled at harnessing, amplifying, and exploding an ingredient is Jessica Buchanan with her latest fragrance called Racine de Vetiver. Forget your preconceptions because you’re in for a real treat.

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Thursday, 2 July 2020

4711 REMIX COLOGNE by Alex Lee

Summer is the time of the year when we all hunt out the latest effervescent spritz to accompany us through another beachside holiday or weekend getaway. This year might see our vacation being considerably closer to home, but that doesn’t have to stop us creating our own little bit of sunshine. The fragrances that come out at this time of the year are all traditionally designed to uplift and energise us, and there is one company that has once again absolutely delivered on this promise. Now in its third year, Mäurer & Wirtz have released their latest 4711 Remix Cologne, and this time it’s a twist on the classic lemon.

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Thursday, 16 April 2020

ST. PAUL'S by Exaltatum London

The job of a perfumer is to take a jumble of ideas and turn them into a fully formed fragrance. Now, when you work for a large company you can find yourself caught in the middle of many egos all wanting a say on the finished scent. However, as an independent perfumer you are solely accountable to yourself, and so the finished fragrance can often be closer to the original concept. One perfumer that has shown herself to be the mistress of translating emotion and place into scent is Eglija Vaitkevice of Exaltatum, and her latest fragrance takes the wearer on a journey to baroque London. It's time to visit St. Paul's.

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Monday, 19 August 2019

PERGOLA by Exaltatum London

The fact that our reaction to fragrance is so personal is one of the reasons why it can often be so difficult to gauge how a perfume will be received. Many companies launch scents with very specific stories and, if the customer doesn’t engage with them, they can end up overshadowing the actual fragrance. Exaltatum London has overcome this by simply relating their scents to the inspiration and encouraging the customer to draw on their own memories and experiences. The company’s current collection of three fantastic fragrances are all created by Eglija Vaitkevice but, within the trio, Pergola truly is theatrically majestic.

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Monday, 15 July 2019

RÉGLISSE NOIRE and ROSE CASSIS PARADIS by Jessica Buchanan

The road to becoming a perfumer is an incredibly varied one with choices and sacrifices needing to be made from the very beginning. One of the biggest decisions though is whether to train privately or as part of an institution, or even to dispense with formal training all together. When Jessica Buchanan took the brave leap to move from western Canada to Grasse she really did put all of her eggs in one basket, but she was determined to succeed. Twelve years later she is the founder of her own company, 1000 Flowers, and the creator of the exquisite fragrances Réglisse Noire and Rose Cassis Paradis.

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Monday, 8 April 2019

STEPHAN'S SIX - JESSICA BUCHANAN

After originally training as an aromatherapist, Jessica Buchanan moved from her native Canada to train at the Grasse Institute of Perfumery. Internships at Robertet and Mane followed and finally, in 2010, she launched her own perfume company in the heart of Grasse. Nine years after founding 1000 Flowers I thought it was time to find out a little more about Jessica during “Stephan’s Six”.

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After twenty successful years as an actor, I decided the time was right to begin a new career, and that was in the perfume industry. Scent had always been a passion of mine, and working alongside a new group of creative minds ended up being the perfect fit.

As a Brand Consultant, Evaluator, Copywriter and New Business Advisor, the variety of work is exciting, and definitely draws on my acting background. Every day brings new challenges, experiences and delights to a workplace that is crammed full of new releases, evergreens, and fading classics.

This website brings together my ramblings on all aspects of the perfume industry from bottle design to fragrance, companies to noses, and everything in between.

Opinions are my own and do not in any way represent the views of the companies mentioned. Where products or services have been provided by the companies it is stated at the end of the article.

Companies and readers are welcome to contact me by using the Send Me A Message option below.

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Monday, 29 June 2026

Monday, 8 September 2025

Monday, 25 March 2024

Monday, 10 July 2023

Monday, 11 April 2022

Monday, 7 March 2022

Thursday, 27 May 2021

Thursday, 4 March 2021

Thursday, 30 July 2020

Thursday, 2 July 2020

Thursday, 16 April 2020

Monday, 19 August 2019

Monday, 15 July 2019

Monday, 8 April 2019