MAISON FRANCIS KURKDJIAN PARIS - Reflets d'ambre

The amber accord is one of the most mythical accords in perfumery. It combines round, warm notes like vanilla with powerful, aromatic resins like cistus labdanum. Here, it's tinged with leathery facets, darker, more intense facets that can evoke suede or birch tar, a note used to waterproof the Cossacks' boots in Russia. This results in a powerful, leathery amber accord that is resolutely sensual.

It is often called pink pepper and yet its tree, native to South America, does not belong to the pepper family. The very pungent tasting berries of the Schinus terebinthifolius, commonly known as Brazilain peppertree, make it a popular spice. In perfumery we use either the pink pepper oil, obtained by distillation, or the CO2 extract: when subjected to very high pressure, this gas turns liquid and transports the fragrant principles without heating the ingredient, which preserves the sharpness of these fresh spices. The spicy, slightly sweet and floral pink peppercorns are used as top and heart notes. They brighten up citrus fruits and add vibrancy to heady flowers.

Known by its Latin name as jasminum grandiflorum, the jasmine used in perfumery is surprisingly potent and multi-faceted, ranging from orangey-floral, solar, fruity (banana, strawberry, apricot), to animalic and spicy. Jasmine has an astonishingly complex structure for such a fragile flower that needs to be harvested very early in the morning before the sun spoils its fragrance. Its scent can only be extracted with volatile solvents and is very expensive due to its low yield of essential oil. Its kaleidoscope of nuances blends perfectly with other flowers as well as woods or ambery accords.