Les odeurs de l'été, perfumery version

Look, it smells like summer! Whether we spend it in the mountains or on the beach, in the city or in the country, we all have an olfactory memory that reminds us of those good summer times. Since we're not sure we'll be able to get away for a few days this summer, we'll explain how perfumers recreate 3 scents that will take you on a journey just by closing your eyes.

The Mediterranean

Admit it, you didn't see that one coming! And yet, this olfactory ambience, very characteristic of the Mediterranean, has very often been retranscribed in fragrances.

Fresh and floral, marine and fruity at the same time, it is composed of all the scents you can find on the coast: bergamot, lemon, neroli, mandarin, but also jasmine, fig tree, sometimes even associated with marine notes. A combo that has become a universal symbol in perfumery thanks to the influence of Italian perfumers, who launched this olfactory fashion that later became a world reference.

Ciao bella!

The cream of the crop 

Who goes through a summer without sunscreen? We could wear it just for the smell of white flowers, monoi and sometimes coconut. In perfumery, this kind of sunny note is called benzylated notes. In fact, we owe the association of this type of note with sun cream to the famous perfumer Jean Patou who, following the democratisation of tanning in the 1920s, marketed Chaldea oil [pronounced Kaldée]: "the first sun oil that protects the epidermis and reduces sunburn". Let's go to the beach.

Splash

In perfume, the smell of the sea is reproduced thanks to with marine notes. These are notes that smell of iodine, sand, sea air and sometimes watermelon! Yes, yes, you read that right! In fact, most marine notes in perfumery have a water fruit facet, like melon or watermelon. Don't worry, this fruity facet is not obvious in perfumes as it is associated with other raw materials! In fact, it is only since the 1990s that marine notes have been all the rage in perfumes - and more particularly in men's fragrances. Indeed, whereas the 80s were marked by powerful and dense perfumes such as Poison or Loulou, in the 90s there was a desire for change, for new freshness! Perfumers were therefore inspired by the sea and used synthetic and natural materials Seaweed absolute, blue cypress, calone... combined with green or fresh notes such as citrus, they will inevitably remind you of the sea air!

And at Bastille ? 

We, too, wanted to give a nod to summer with our Un Deux Trois Soleil fragrance . Its notes of neroli and almond evoke sun cream, while the vanilla base is a nod to the ice cream you've just enjoyed on the beach. In short, it's enough to take you on a light journey...