30 January 2018

The Remix: Exploring the rise of bespoke fragrance

The new niche.

[R]ear Window. That’s what I named my new perfume last week. Yes, my very own scent – an Emma Firth special. I have to admit I was a bit apprehensive before my workshop with the Experimental Perfume Club (which offers apprentice and expert masterclasses from its lab in east London). I’m something of a fragrance snob – I’ve worn Chanel Chance for the last five years (Coco Mademoiselle seven years previous to that). That’s one relationship – despite temptations – I wasn’t quite ready to let go of. Could I really join the custom-blend tribe?

It’s that time again...! This month we’ve selected a great blend recently created at the lab by Rob called Venice Lido. Robert visited the lab before Christmas and wanted to create a classic Italian Cologne, opening on fresh notes and leading to a sophisticated drydown of leather, tobacco and wood. Venice Lido has bergamot, neroli, a touch of ionones (for the parma violet effect), leather, patchouli and tonka bean. We loved it so much that we’ve selected it as the fragrance of the month! Great story, great blend, great name. Robert you can expect to receive a bottle of your scent at home soon, on us of course?@robshiret well done!! ??????
A post shared by Emmanuelle Moeglin & Team (@experimentalperfumeclub) on Jan 20, 2018 at 1:47am PST

After sniffing my way through a selection of perfumery accords (or blends) I made notes of each one – from first impressions (smells like a fresh spring morning or your granddad smoking a pipe) to olfactory notes. Next up, a Tinder-style rating occurs of each smell to find my “signature”. I’m drawn to the warm, oriental and woody scents. “It’s quite, er, sensual,” I giggle (explains eventual sexy Hitchcock film reference). I’m converted. I won’t be giving up Chanel altogether but this is a suitably me; a welcome addition to my beauty cupboard. The entire unique olfactory experience is also very fun and instructional.

“All sessions will carry an educational purpose,” Emmanuelle Moeglin, founder of Experimental Perfume Club, tells Hunger. “The one-to-one consultation with our perfumer focuses more on the creation of one’s bespoke fragrance whereas masterclasses are more about the learning process and the olfactory journey before creating a fragrance.” Bespoke beauty in the past has been too expensive to put most off, but with an hour and a half workshop for £95 it’s more accessible to the general public.

Thank you @anglokanphile for visiting our lab a few weeks ago and sharing your story! Love this gorgeous photo of our favourite little corner of the Lab. Thanks again Jaime! ?
A post shared by Emmanuelle Moeglin & Team (@experimentalperfumeclub) on Dec 27, 2017 at 2:44am PST

DIY perfume is being hailed as the ‘new niche’. Why the sudden surge of interest? “This is an interesting time for the perfume industry,” Moeglin says. “After years of domination by the big mainstream brands, niche brands have carved themselves out a growing territory – to the point that niche is now no longer niche. Fragrance is one of the most personal beauty items and bespoke is the perfect answer to making a scent completely exclusive to someone.”

New bottles have been delivered and we are rather taken with them. Come and have a play with them when booking a one-to-one Le Petit Parfum appointment! This workshop is very different to all other workshops, the only one working with blends that define specific corners of perfumery. We are adding new blends to the mix, allowing you to compound with greater details. And remember to use the code 'FIRSTYEAR' valid for another two days for any vouchers and experiences purchased on our website. We are celebrating the first year of the lab and we are giving a little 10% off to say thank you for following us! ?
A post shared by Emmanuelle Moeglin & Team (@experimentalperfumeclub) on Nov 27, 2017 at 11:58pm PST

“There is a clear tendency to prefer deep, strong, sensual notes (such as woody, oriental and leathery) over brighter fresher notes such as citrus,” according to Moeglin “This may be explained by the fact that people want their fragrance to be noticed and be long lasting. Citrus and fresh scent is much less likely to stay long and make a significant impact on your surrounding. This also correlates with the trends for oud and big woody and oriental fragrance within the mainstream market.”

“Floral notes are still a must for most people,” she adds. “But what’s interesting is to see men not being shy anymore to use rose and jasmine in their fragrances. But we’ve also noticed that people’s creations change from one season to the other.”

For more information head to experimentalperfumeclub.com. You can follow on Instagram @experimentalperfumeclub.