It’s almost a rite of passage, every girl in her teens gently wants to foray in the wonderful world of perfumes. Those first scents, often a gift from a loving parent (hi mum!) seem to have taken on a an almost ritual and iconic reputation, try imagining how many teenage girls started their journey into the art of fragrances with a bottle of Tommy Girl, D&G Light Blue, DKNY Be Delicious or any of the Cacharel offerings. Fast forward some fifteen years, and my taste has well evolved from that first bottle of Ralph my mum got me for my 15th birthday. After a little pit stop to dabble in the realm of commercial hits such as J’Adore and Ange ou Démon (remains an all time favourite!), I’m succumbing to the mysteriousness, elegance and uniqueness of niche perfumes.
One of the first brands on my list to discover was Editions de Parfum Frederic Malle, a brand that has been blazing the trail for niche perfumes worldwide these last few years. Seeking to create specific fragrances to suit certain emotions, moments or stories, Frederic Malle shuns commercial perfumes that aims to please as many as possible, and only works with other noses that can captivate his olfactory idea. These collaborations are always true partnerships, as he lets the noses take a co-leading role and have their name grace the bottle as well.
His latest partner in crime is Dominique Ropion, a master nose and one of his closest friends! Together, they set out to create a fragrance that would empower the person wearing it without being too overpowering, and that would last all day long, a constant reminder of that strenght. Nothing short of indelebile! Editions de Parfum Frederic Malle Cologne Indélébile* was born.
Clean yet multi facetted, this modern, unisex take on a traditional Eau de Cologne starts of in the morning with a strong zesty note from Calabria, a real olefactory flashback to Italy with the support of orange blossom and néroli oil. As the day goes by, the citrus-y boost makes way for a noon-time heat of begamot and narcissus absolute. And this is when the magic happens… The base of the scent is crafted around a combination of precious musks. Whereas a single musk note often turns sour on my skin, the white musk part of the base lingers long on my skin, like a long lazy afternoon on the beach, combining that warmth of the sun on my skin, clean crispiness of the air and the salt kick that comes through. It also has this truely personal way of developing on my skin, making it feel as if this scent was created as a labour of love, especially for me (one can always dream…)
As we ease into Spring, the Cologne Indélébile has taken up a prime spot in my fragrance collection, and I have a pretty little spot reserved right next to it for the Frederic Malle Lys Mediterranée. To be continued …
Available from now
Available in Belgium at Senteurs d’Ailleurs
Worldwide available at Frederic Malle
Jade marble collection jar – available here
Leen Loves Style 
“An expression of artistic beauty”, I adore that expression, it completely encapsulates the love, emotions and artistry that go into making a niche perfume!
Sounds wonderful! I love that niche perfumes are gaining popularity. My first job was fragrance consultant for our only local department store. It was so much fun and I learned a lot about scent, but it was all mainstream scent — ck one, Eternity, White Diamonds (I’m revealing my age, LOL). When I was first introduced to scents created by great noses as an expression of artistic beauty, I was blown away (Olivia Giacobetti). For years I’ve been turning my nose up at mainstream scents, but have you noticed how the tides are turning? Giorgio Armani’s Si, for example, has unexpected notes, and a trip through the men’s counter at our Dillards turned up one or two unexpected scents as well. It’s so much fun! Thanks for sharing this new-to-me scent. I’ll keep my eye out for it.