Oh la là! This how you create a luxurious fragrance loved by celebrities
The second part of our visit to Le Domaine de la Rose de Lancôme, in Grasse, France, after touring the fields and appreciating the varieties of roses and flowers on the farm, focused on learning a little more about the art of perfumery.
The mission was to decipher note by note the magical composition of a fragrance as emblematic as La Vie est Belle, whose famous brand ambassadors are Zendaya, Julia Roberts, Penelope Cruz, Isabella Rossellini, Amanda Seyfried and Rosalia in 2022 during her Motomami tour in the United States.
Lancôme
Next to two experts in the art of perfumery such as Mathilde Venot from Lancôme and Florence Dussuyer, Director of the Atelier de Parfum at IFF we lived this unique and magical experience that invites you to treasure the importance of a perfume, as an invisible accessory that is always present in the best moments of life to create unforgettable memories.
Kika Rocha
A delicate symphony
Inside the fascinating Rose House there is a spacious room where the protagonist is a huge console that, like a piano, displays an impressive variety of olfactory notes in bottles containing invaluable essences and extracts of all the components used by master perfumers to create the accords of a fragrance.
Kika Rocha
At this most interesting piano, our appointment with the art of perfumery took place. So, with a white coat, glasses and a lot of curiosity, our Beauty and Fashion Director, Kika Rocha put herself in the hands of the masters to reveal the magic of La Vie est Belle and the portfolio that its creators, presented to the house of Lancôme.
"For this portfolio, the request was: 'We want a smile' something new and also reflected in the bottle, because as you can see, here at the base appears the smile that is also that of Julia Roberts", explained Dussuyer.
"The masters Anne Flipo and Dominique Ropion created the fragrance and the first thing they thought of to devise a smile to cheer people up, were the gourmand or exquisite accords, everything pleasant and delicious, that evokes well-being: Alegría!"
Kika Rocha
After the gourmand accord comes an exquisite, exotic and luxurious component: the precious orris or iris, that noble and beautiful blue flower symbol of ancestry and lineage, which is also grown on the grounds of Le Domaine de la Rose.
"The starting point was to combine the precious orris widely used in luxury perfumery, which was rarely used in more popular fragrances," Mathilde Venot told us.
Kika Rocha
Why is the iris so noble and precious in perfumery? Because the flower is not used, but the bulb or rhizome of the plant that is hidden underground. "It is very exotic and delicate as it must remain underground for three years to develop the desired aroma, then it is collected and placed in a chamber at a warm temperature for three more years to dry and further reinforce the development of the aroma," detailed Florence.
Kika Rocha
After these six years, the result of the process culminates in the creation of an exquisite ingredient known as orris or iris butter, which is extremely valuable. In its aroma, notes of earth, wood and violet are appreciated, all multifaceted and unique.
Fragrant notes
And so, with the orris or iris as the exquisite protagonist, come the notes that make up La Vie est Belle in its three stages: the top, the heart and the back.
Kika Rocha
"As we said, at the heart of the story of our fragrance is the Iris gourmand as its DNA and around this comes the composition of notes that complete its harmony," explained the expert.
Three other wondrous flowers join in to further sublime the iris at the heart of the fragrance. "Of course there is a touch of rose, in this case with the damask rose, so exclusive and expensive to provide a natural component of fresh petals," says Florence. "Then comes the jasmine, then the orange blossom or orange blossom…fresh, effervescent."
We then explored the top notes of the perfume. "These are the ones that surprise you as soon as you smell a perfume and they are very volatile, because they evaporate very quickly," explains the perfumer. "The first is bergamot, which is a bit reminiscent of Earl Gray tea and gives the immediate effect of freshness," says Venot. "We also have a touch of pepper, with spicy notes that complement the vertical effect of the fragrance."
And for a touch of color there are also red fruits: "The cassis, very juicy, matches very well with the other notes to give the effervescence that characterizes the fragrance," adds Dussuyer. "This is how a smile like that of Julia Roberts emerges in the first seconds in which you appreciate the perfume and immediately apply it to yourself."
Lancôme
Finally, the back notes are the ones that support the structure of the fragrance and are the ones that we remember the most because they are still printed on our clothes days after using the perfume. "In the back notes of La Vie est Belle is patchouli," says the teacher. "It is native to Asia and what is cultivated and used are the leaves only to provide longevity to the perfume, depth and mystery."
Master perfumer for a day
Once the accords and notes of La vie est Belle were deciphered, it was our turn to become a master perfumer for a day in order to create our own version of this fragrance.
They gave Kika Rocha three accords to compose it: an addict accord, an orris accord, and a La Vie est Belle accord to choose the base of our own formula, and she decided to emphasize it with an exquisite and luxurious touch of iris.
Kika Rocha
A container was used to mix the components and placed on a scale to be measured. "The total will be 10 grams, so in the container you will have to place 6 grams of Iris and 4 of La Vie est Belle," Florence specified. "Be careful because the iris is very precious."
Following the precise instructions of the teachers, Kika managed to prepare her mixture; "Very tasty! Exquisite!", they exclaimed of this La Vie est Belle version. "We loved the Kika touch!", they declared.
Kika Rocha
Together with the experts, we learned that three qualities are needed to make a perfume: Passion, perseverance and, without a doubt, a lot of patience.
Kika Rocha
Many thanks to Lancôme and all the experts at Le Domaine de la Rose for this wonderful visit to Grasse, France, which printed a smile on our faces and in our hearts forever, that unique smile that La Vie est Belle inspires.
