Photo: Amanda Sellem
High-perfumery house Amouage reveals the third chapter of its coveted Odyssey collection with a quartet of new fragrances highlighting Oman’s greatest treasure, Royal Frankincense. This new chapter titled ‘Escape’ once again creates a perfect symbiosis between tradition and modernity as it brings the scent of Oman to the world with a broad palette of rare ingredients.
Speaking about these new creations, Renaud Salmon, creative director at Amouage, says, “When exploring Oman, you can often feel like touching treasures in a very pure way. A lot of my ideas come from traveling alone, from going somewhere. The third chapter of The Odyssey Collection emulates this escapism and Oman’s memorable redolence.” He adds, “By focusing this collection on the barren Omani island of Masirah, I wanted to pay tribute to Amouage’s roots in a contemporary language, staying true to the House’s ethos, or ‘wave’, to bring cultures and generations together.”
Amouage Lineage. Photo: Amanda Sellem
The first step of this olfactory journey comes from perfumer Karine Vinchon-Spehner in the form of Lineage. The scent evokes images of faraway empty lands and azure waters with top notes of Sichuan pepper, ginger, and a whiff of sea spray, while at its heart lie golden myrrh, frankincense, and a hint of fenugreek. At the base, Myrrh and Frankincense meet maroon strikes of Benzoin and Labdanum to complete a scent that reminds one of the warmth of summer and the freedom that comes with traveling to distant lands.
Amouage Search. Photo: Amanda Sellem
Perfumer Alexis Grugeon expands upon this journey with Search, a vibrant and bold treat for one’s senses that lingers for a long time. A flash of lemon strikes first while fluttering notes of lime follow soon after welded into the metallic zing of mandarin. Delicate notes of hojari frankincense, black pepper, and Elemi exalt the citrus at the core of this scent while at the base cade, vetiver, and guaiac wood complete this one-of-a-kind fragrance.
Amouage Guidance. Photo: Amanda Sellem
Guidance presents a modern take on the Amouage triad of rose, frankincense, and ambergris evoking a sense of comfort and wisdom. Pear, incense, and hazelnut draw the outlines of this almost romantic scent that is almost akin to a lush garden in its center with striking notes of saffron, rose, sambac jasmine, and osmanthus. Dense vanilla and sandalwood combine with ambery labdanum and hints of regal ambergris to complete this warm embrace.
Amouage Purpose. Photo: Amanda Sellem
In the end, Purpose washes over one like a draft of glacial air with bergamot and a concoction carrying notes of pink pepper, pimento berry, and frankincense. A deeper breath fills one’s lungs with the smoky scent of sand vetiver and an animalistic rose complimented by papyrus and sandalwood. Saffron, suede, mystikal, akigalawood bring this shamanic awakening to a crescendo testifying to the skill of perfumer Quentin Bisch.
Set design: Lauren Haslam
Production: Danica Zivkovic, Rama Naser
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