Cover Story
Finding your signature fragrance with Amouage
Creative Director Renaud Salmon tells a story of scent
6 Minute Read
Everyone can relate to the powerful and transportive effects of fragrance. Our bespoke scents and everyday perfumes emphasise a sense of identity, and act as an emotive extension of personal style. As we enter the festive end-of-year era, our focus on fragrance only expands — from giving an exquisite glass vessel of perfumery to a loved one, to redefining our own unique scent wardrobe for a suite of celebrations ahead. But how well do you know the history of the gorgeous concoction you may be gifting? And who is it destined for?
Our bespoke scents and everyday perfumes emphasise a sense of identity
Harrolds has long admired luxury fragrance stalwart Amouage for its legacy of faraway smells and immersive storytelling through perfume. Today, we’re sitting down with Creative Direct and Chief Experience Officer Renaud Salmon to discuss the memory-evoking nature of perfumery, and the role it plays in punctuating our lives. Hopefully, we can inspire you to gift tactfully this Christmas, selecting a perfume with notes, quirks and hallmarks that match your special someone’s deepest desires.
For those unacquainted with your signature perfume, how does Amouage reimagine middle eastern fragrance expertise in a modern context? What do you embody and represent as a luxury brand in 2022?
Due to the Middle Eastern heritage, historically fragrance notes like oud, rose, frankincense, saffron and musk have been very liked in the region. The region is subject to international influence and at Amouage, we have noticed a strong appetite for notes that are not traditionally very present in fragrances from the region (for example: orris, citruses, and some flowers). What matters is the construction, and, at Amouage, we are proposing these as part of very rich, generous and quite potent compositions, which opens the horizons to exploring different ingredients.
Our mission towards our clients is to enable them to stand out from the crowd with the highest quality fragrances produced in the world. Our mission towards the industry is to become trailblazers of the art of perfumery, to use and embody a knowledge of the trade that makes Amouage unique and to spark a desire to craft finer perfumes.
Harrolds is lucky to stock your Library collection — the perfect trove to select a Christmas gift from. Can you give us a rundown on the significance of this release?
Since 2010, The Library Collection has been a freestanding, specific territory of expression within the Amouage repertoire to freely explore the possibilities of perfumery by pushing certain ingredients and accords beyond their limits. This trailblazing approach has allowed Amouage to author audacious, daring, and artistic olfactory propositions that are the antithesis of conventional perfumery and have since received critical praise. The Library Collection is a celebration of integrity, creativity, and virtuosity. A place where the soul leaves an imprint on the art of living, this collection of opuses proposes inventive perfumery, exclusive accords, and always bold and unexpected scents to treasure.
What integral role does ‘memory’ play in its whimsical storytelling about Royal Tobacco? What memories do your own set of personal scents unlock for you?
Royal Tobacco perfume references the tradition of ‘El Lector’, whose role was to read to cigarmakers in Cuban factories, captivating them with riveting novels like Les Misérables by Victor Hugo and works by Honoré de Balzac, Stendhal, Edgar Allan Poe or Herman Melville until it became an honored ritual as synonymous with the rolling floor as the scent of tobacco. It is tale of freedom, of dreaming and emancipating through words.
When I was around 10 years old. I have those memories of the big family celebrations, with a lot of food, long dinners etc. At the end of the dinner, my grandfather would always select a beautiful cigar and light it, after what felt like a very long ceremony. I remember collecting the bands in a notebook like a record of memories, and I was intrigued by their artistic and intricate designs.
I really enjoyed discovering different qualities of Tobacco Absolute. I could clearly smell hay, moss and woody notes with a certain tannin-like quality. Some felt a bit fuller than others, more rounded with some dark cocoa-like richness. However, the ingredient, in comparison with the cigar memories, felt a bit too dry, flat and ashy. It lacked some of the complexity of the evolution of a cigar that I had in mind.
How important is harnessing the power of olfactory magic to Amouage?
Our aim has always been to reflect Oman’s rich customs, fragrance history, culture of generosity, and connection with the natural environment, and this is woven through all elements of our products, from using local farmers and craftspeople to traditional ingredients and methods, and even through our bottles and packaging.
Our fragrances go through a meticulous nine step process which includes planting and harvesting, extracting, blending, maturing, diluting, maceration, chill filtering and then finally bottling. The maturation part is what makes our process unique, since we are liberal with the time, we allow it to develop to ensure we are producing the absolute best.
Fragrance is an integral part of Oman’s identity, from the role of frankincense in making Oman an important trading gateway on the Silk Route, to the traditional customs using rosewater, oud and bukhoor. We see ourselves as ambassadors of this identity.
Hence, our signature ingredients remain Oman’s finest natural treasures: the finest quality frankincense from Dhofar, the scentful rock rose from Al Hajar mountains, and the valuable ambergris from the Sea of Oman.
The beauty of a fragrance vessel is integral to the pride of place it holds in one’s abode. How are Amouage’s glass bottles designed to best complement the studied beauty contained within?
Our perfume bottles have always been an integral part of our products. We do not compromise on the quality of the bottles and we are meticulous about every detail. Our bottles have evolved over time, in the past it was the crystal flacons and now they are more muted and reflect elements of nature
Our women perfume bottles ornate cap has the shape of a pointed mosque dome in richly-colored metal, inspired by classical Arabian architecture and the richness of the Sultanate’s Islamic heritage.
And our men perfume bottles emulate the traditional silver dagger worn by Omani men, the Khanjar-shaped flacon.
We recently redesigned the Library Collection, a testament to the roots of Amouage and the renewed focus on Omani heritage and excellence, the five Eaux de Parfum are now housed in Amouage iconic “Khanjar”-inspired bottle, a unique Omani symbol of the highest class and divine beauty. Their organic ceramic finish, in earthy Truffle and Cashmere colours, is a true reflection of the craft and authenticity of the Sultanate.
What would you spritz from Amouage before heading out to a fabulous festive celebration this summer?
Material with two drops of our Saffron Hamra attar on the wrists.
