Image: courtesy of brand
Omani perfumery, Amouage, has revealed a new collection of aged parfum concentrates, launching this month. Created in limited quantities, the Exceptional Extraits release celebrates four of the house’s fragrances, in more potent and complexified formulas. Containing between 43 to 56 percent of pure perfume oil, each fragrance has been aged in Amouage’s Middle Eastern laboratory for three to six months to reach the perfect maturation. Renaud Salmon, Amouage’s Chief Experience Officer, tells Vogue Arabia that the new collection ties into the house’s creative DNA. “It’s not always just about launching new products but also finding creative ways to reinvent what we have, to reinterpret ingredients in different ways and to test the conventional norms of the craft,” he shares. “We have had extraits in our portfolio in the past, but it was about two years ago that we began to experiment more. [First] Interlude 53 came to life from our ambition to craft the very best perfumes we could offer, that resulted in extending the aging and the concentration of the oils. We aged the fragrance for six months and it turned out to be something beautiful! That’s why we decided to consider aging a few other icons of the house; these became the quartet of Exceptional Extraits.”
Image: courtesy of brand
In a dual stage process, the fragrance batch is first matured and left to age for five to 10 weeks. After the perfume notes are considered to be ideally balanced and in harmony with the perfumer’s vision, the maceration stage begins. The alcohol element is added to the fragrance oil and left to rest and infuse for an additional three to 16 weeks. Checked, graded, and evaluated each week, the rich perfumes intensify into a potent concentrate. Once harvested at the peak of maceration, the exact same batch cannot be replicated again, making each bottle a rarity. “Extraits, in general, are a connoisseur’s dream – when compared with other fragrances like Eau de Parfum, they are far richer, more complex, and have an extended longevity,” explains Salmon. “Amouage Exceptional Extraits have extra appeal because there’s such a unique story and creative process behind them. Each batch is produced in limited quantities because of the extra time we give them, so our clients know they are purchasing something truly exclusive and special.”
Amouage Epic 56 and Honour 43. Image: courtesy of brand
Named for the perfume oil percentage, the two women’s fragrances are best worn sparingly, with the powerful and long-lasting concentration speaking for itself. Honour 43 Woman is an ode to femininity, a heady white floral with notes of jasmine, gardenia, lily of the valley, and tuberose. In the new 43% concentration, the delicate white flowers bloom stronger. Epic 56 Woman is enhanced to a 56% oil intensity, with its blend of spice and amber. After five month of aging, Epic 56 Woman’s cumin, pink peppercorn and cinnamon explode off the deep amber, oud, and wood base, with a heart of rose. The two men’s fragrances are Reflection 45 Man, a woody floral musk, and Interlude 53 Man, a spicy wood. Each fragrance is available for a limited release at OMR170 from amouage.com.
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