One of the continuing trends in the niche fragrance market is the appearance of the “self-taught perfumer”. Originally you had to go to one of the established perfumery schools, or work under a master perfumer, to perfect your sensory muscles, but all of that has now changed. With the ever-increasing online courses, as well as in-person taster sessions, the secret layers of the industry are being peeled away to allow a more diverse offering to customers who are hungry for originality. Now, the results from self-taught perfumers are very variable, but the release of Soapy Heart by Shloksha shows what’s possible with commitment.
For every perfume release that is trumpeted as the latest “must have” fragrance there are thousands that, for one reason or another, never get to see the light of day. These can be rejected submissions, modifications of the same scent, or even creations that the perfumer chooses not to release. However, during a perfumer’s training they also make fragrances as experiments and these rarely get to be tried by anyone outside of the course. One such perfume is Marari by Thomas O’Brien, his graduation piece from The Perfumery Art School. So, it’s time to discover what secrets this unreleased oriental fragrance holds.
Unless you’ve been living on Mars you can’t have escaped the momentous decision taken by the BBC to cast a lady as the new Doctor Who. Well, the world is still spinning after Jodie Whittaker’s debut on Sunday 7th October but she isn’t really the first woman to try and conquer space and time. Earlier this year Marina Barcenilla released Out Of This World, a fragrance that brought together the scents of the universe along with a healthy dose of Marina’s imagination. A die hard Doctor Who fan, a space scientist, and an award-winning perfumer, I was curious to see whether Out Of This World would send me into orbit.
When Marina Barcenilla won Best New Independent Fragrance for India in the 2016 Fragrance Foundation Awards it set in motion a complete rebranding of her company, gained her industry recognition, and also a loyal following of perfume fans that were fascinated by her approach to scent. The Perfume Garden, which she had launched in 2011, was renamed Marina Barcenilla Parfums and at the time she said, “while the name has changed the ethos remains the same, to create the finest fragrances using what nature has to offer.” Two years on I think it’s time to revisit India and see exactly why it became an award winner.
Christmas is the season of the limited release with companies trying to reward and attract in equal measure. The thought of acquiring something special from your favourite brand sends gifting budgets rocketing but also means that expectations are seriously raised. Will they live up to the hype? One section of the market that seems to be more successful is the “independent”, possibly because they create in smaller quantities but also because they can make their Christmas offering truer to their own style. Marina Barcenilla Parfums has released three Christmas products this year and every one of them is a winner.
The success of any company lies in the ability to connect with a variety of customers. New businesses often launch with a single product or a single range and then struggle to move outside of that original market. Romilly Wilde had a clever idea when they appeared in 2016, and it was one that has gained them fans in both the skincare and fragrance market, as well as nominations in the highly coveted 2017 Fragrance Foundation Awards for Best New Fragrance In Limited Distribution and Best New Independent Fragrance. So, let's take a closer look at Romilly Wilde's debut scent, Idle, and the creative duo behind it.
Renaming and rebranding is one thing, but taking your company outside of its original fragrance style is completely different. This is the situation that Marina Barcenilla finds herself in with the release of her first perfume under the Marina Barcenilla Parfums label. Four weeks ago, on 1st November 2016, The Perfume Garden changed its identity but took five of the most popular perfumes with it. With one of these being the FiFi Award winning India there were high expectations for the new company's debut fragrance, Black Osmanthus. Would a new name signal a new style or would it just be a case of "the emperors new clothes"?
I think by now it's common knowledge that I'm never happier than when I'm messing around with perfume ingredients. So you can imagine my response when Marina Barcenilla invited me to one of her Perfume Workshops in Glastonbury. I didn't need to be asked twice. Marina runs The Perfume Garden, which is soon to become Marina Barcenilla Parfums, and this year she won a coveted FiFi award for her perfume India. The difference between this and other workshops that I've attended is that Marina's is wholly natural, not a synthetic in sight. So, how would I cope without my aldehyde c11 or my amber?
You might not have heard of Marina Barcenilla, but you've probably heard of her award winning perfume, India, which won Best Independent Fragrance at last week’s Fragrance Foundation Awards. Born in Spain, her desire was to try and create a perfume range grounded solely in traditionally extracted ingredients. Would her perfume memories for "Stephan's Six" include any surprise synthetics?
