beauty
CloCkwise froM top
kai eau de parfum,$72, kaifragrance.com. ineke Balmy Days & sundays, $88, ineke.com. lisa Hoffman Madagascar orchid, $95, lisahoff manskincare.com. Aftelier trèvert, $150, aftelier.com. Yosh Ginger Ciao 2.27, $110, Apothia, l.A.
Top Notes
a growing set of Ca perfumers is bucking the trend of mass fragrance production with small-batch scents BY ELIZABEtH KHUrI CHANDLEr of numbers based on fragrance family, chakra and numerology. The sophisticated products contain 40-plus notes, including exotic elements such as Tunisian opium and Egyptian tuberose. S.F.-based Rühland trained in Versailles in the classic way. Her education gives her the technical know-how to dream up synthetic molecules inspired by the scents surrounding her, such as the angel’s trumpet blooming over her stoop. “I try to create scents that are original, but clear and not too complicated,” she explains. Naturalist perfumers Mandy Aftel, Jane Hendler, Roxana Villa and Alexandra Balahoutis also hand-blend their chemical formulas, but they shun synthetics, playing with whole ingredients and absolute oils. Aftel and Hendler say their approach is like cooking. Aftel, who has authored a book with Michelinstarred chef Daniel Patterson about pair-
Heaven Scent Spring brings an array of botanical perfumes from the world’s favorite names in fragrance. These three are reminiscent of an enchanted garden: Miss Dior Chérie has sweet orange, rose and patchouli; Chanel Chance is full of grapefruit, quince and jasmine; Voyage d’Hermès contains sandalwood, cedar and juniper berry. J.m.H. from top Dior miss Dior Chérie Eau de toilette, $82, Sephora. Chanel Chance Eau tendre, $90, chanel.com. Hermès Voyage d’Hermès, $90, hermes.com.
ing food with essential oils, says, “I feel very connected to the food world—the artisanal approach, the concern about the integrity and variety of the ingredients.” In the heart of Carmel Valley, perfumer Hendler distills lavender from her farm for her line, Ajne. “I love terroir. I love that each natural fragrance is a tad different,” she says. Other perfume sages in California, such as McNatton, Keiko Mecheri, Lisa Hoffman and Gaye Straza, work with established perfume houses to create their scent formulas. McNatton develops fragrances for Gap, Gump’s and Restoration Hardware by working with perfume houses such as the Swiss company Givaudan. He explains that he seduces the chemists with “words that equate an olfactory note, an atmosphere, a place, light.” Mecheri’s Loukhoum perfume is inspired by Turkish delight, and her Genie des Bois is a woodsy and violet scent influenced by an Akira Kurosawa film. Hoffman’s pulse-point oils, crafted with Givaudan, can be layered throughout the day in melodies of bergamot, amber and ginger or orchid. And Kai, one of the most popular niche scents of the past decade, is a heady gardenia, jasmine, tuberose and musk concoction that captivates both men and women. “The scents are more personal here,” Eastwood says. “With these niche perfumers, it’s an art form.” •
CA Perfumes: PornChAi mittongtAre; styled by Amy PAliwodA
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ar from the storied French perfume houses and New York’s corporate forces, a crafty perfume industry has sprung up, filled with ambitious and entrepreneurial scent-makers. Its fragrances, inspired by the environment, are instinctive and fresh. “We come at perfume from a natural identity, examining how things smell in real life versus fantasy. It’s pure; it’s not overly complex. It’s never focus-grouped. California fragrances never smell like last year’s success,” says Gary McNatton, president of Through Smoke Creative. Respected niche perfumers Sarah Horowitz, Yosh Han and Ineke Rühland formulate perfumes from the ground up, a process Horowitz likens to painting with scent. Horowitz’s best-seller, Perfect Veil, is a mixture of lemon, bergamot, musk, vanilla and sandalwood. Han infuses each fragrance with a “vibration,” assigning the scent a series
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