Omani fine perfumery house Amouage has launched The Essences, a trio of fragrances developed as a tribute to time.
According to Amouage, this latest release, revealed during this year’s TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes, opens “a bold new chapter” in its history. The three perfumes – Reasons, Lustre and Outlands – represent three aspects of time: past, present and future.
Each fragrance is highly concentrated containing 30% pure perfume oils that underwent a six-month ageing process, including a double infusion with sandalwood chips and oak wood barrels, resulting in a deep, layered fragrance experience.
Housed in an original, refillable bottle – the first new design introduced by the brand in 15 years – The Essences, according to Amouage, represent “a pinnacle of olfactory artisanship”. Each 100ml The Essences fragrance has an RRP of US$450 and will be available in travel retail from November.
Amouage Chief Creative Officer Renaud Salmon said: “For me, The Essences are about shaping a magical future for the olfactory world. They embody Amouage’s commitment to continuously reinvent, elevate and redefine what perfumery can be.
“I feel that, at Amouage, we have a responsibility to create magic. One way of doing this is by embracing the transformative power of time. Time is what gives an object its true value, time is what shapes and sculpts all our lives. Time is the essence of everything. That’s why I knew it had to be at the centre of our Amouage Essences.”
The woody, spicy Reasons is the work of perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour with top notes of cardamom, hazelnut, cinnamon and Schinus Molle. Heart notes include patchouli, pine, amber, cypriol and davana on a base of benzoin, cistus, sandalwood, cedarwood, vetiver, myrrh, oakmoss and musks.
For the woody, floral Lustre, perfumers Julien Rasquinet and Paul Guerlain focused on light, with top notes of cardamom and orris, and heart notes of patchouli, sandalwood and cedarwood.
Cecile Zarokian structured the woody, ambery Outlands with unexpectedly light-hearted, bright citruses, emphasised by candied lemon. A multifaceted patchouli is followed by amber.
The Essences bottle was five years in the making, with a design echoing that of jars used by apothecaries in ancient times, “a conscious nod to the original practices of perfumery”.
The glass bottle is covered with a layer of matte, sand-coloured ceramic, with top-to-bottom sculpted ridges recalling the shifting sands of the Omani landscape. Viewed from above, the ridges take on the form of the Amouage emblem, a 12-pointed shield, reminiscent both of the face of a clock and of the solar sign at the gates of the Sultan of Oman’s palace.
Beneath the magnetic cap, a crown motif underlines Amouage’s royal origins and underneath each bottle a medal features the scent’s key information, such as batch number and content and a geometric graphic representing the perfume.
According to the brand, it reflects not just the artistry of The Essences, “but also the next stage of the evolution of Amouage’s aesthetic – an organic, contemporary vision that stays true to the House’s roots while looking ahead to a vibrant, dynamic future”.
Amouage Global Head of Marketing and Communications Adras Komar commented: “We see a clear shift in consumer demand for perfumes that are aged, and that have higher concentrations. With 30% oil concentration The Essences are falling into a category that is reflective of the recent shift in consumer desire.”
Click here for an interview with Renaud Salmon on celebrating Amouage’s Omani heritage in global travel retail, with details on how the fragrance house plans to captivate global travellers with exclusive launches and immersive experiences that showcase its Omani roots. ✈
