Gauguin

The aromatic description Gougan's perfume embodies many emotional aspects of my private life, which I have strived to make understandable to everyone. Perhaps many do not know that I work as an art historian, specializing in the artistic forms of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Matisse was the subject of my graduation thesis, while Gauguin, with his strange journeys, is one of the painters I studied deeply during my academic career. After graduation, I worked at the Italian publishing house "Gionte," assisting Gloria Vosi, an exceptional art historian, and above all, a woman of great personality and culture. At that time, she was the same age I am now, and she set out alone to Polynesia in search of the places where Gauguin lived. And of course, she found much more, as happens to those who search with an open mind. From that adventure-filled journey, she brought me a small bottle of Monoi oil — an oil extracted by infusing the Tiare flower in coconut oil. This was not common in Italy at that time, and it was a wonderful discovery for me. Those years marked the beginning of my experience with perfumes and cosmetics, among other things. That small Monoi bottle survived as a precious relic through three relocations between countries, and I believe it survived nearly seven moves. Gauguin’s artistic project started from an existing composition, the "Sea." The temptation was strong to take the formula and simply add a Monoi blend to it for the process, but that would not have been effective. I believe in movement and change, so it was inevitable to revisit the "Sea" blend to expand its horizons and give it more softness and delicacy. Only on this new, soft, luxurious, and sensual bed could I let my mind and heart revolve around Monoi. The coconut scents, already present in the original composition, became softer to blend with the Tiare flower, a white flower from the Gardenia family, characterized by its milky aspects, which I initially added a green touch to. Although not mentioned in the perfume’s pyramid, the richness of the flower is supported by Ylang-ylang, rum musk, and petal ruffle. I wanted to enrich this perfume with a wrapping that celebrates this special edition and reflects its emotional and sensory richness, so I chose a luxurious purple velvet decorated with a gold-printed title. The sticker paper — which mimics distressed leather — is the same as the main collection but printed in the same color as the velvet. I always joke that it looks like it was designed by a performance artist. Perhaps the search for the perfect Pantone shade for the purple color of the sticker took longer than creating the perfume itself. But as with any perfume, the presence of a molecule in tiny quantities can completely change the character of the composition, so even the smallest details can influence the overall success of the perfume. Ingredients Top notes: aldehydes and bergamot; Heart notes: rum musk, Tiare flower, Monoi oil, coconut, Ylang-ylang, and Petal Ruffle; Base notes: musk, vanilla, amber, and patchouli. Concentration: extrait de parfum Nose: Francesca Bianchi Country: Netherlands