ID Parfums Elixir de Muguet & a Recap on the Lily of the Valley Conundrum (2013) {New Perfume} {Scented Thoughts}
ID Parfums have launched a new lily of the valley perfume this spring of 2013 called Elixir de Muguet in their Collection Exclusive in eau de parfum concentration. The composition is signed by perfumer Philippe Bousseton of Takasago. The nose is known for his taste for pure, marine, serene accords {see his Cool Water Wave by Davidoff}, so he would be a rather natural fit for a muguet perfume although the word "elixir" conveys the idea possibly of a more intense, or quintessential take at least, on muguet...
There have been debates as to how to best capture the scent of muguet in the face of new regulatory restrictions { See Weekend à Deauville by Parfums de Nicolaï} which imposed a new persona on Diorissimo by Dior for instance, a reference muguet perfume.
The scent of the little woodland bells is beloved, especially by the French and famously by Christian Dior, so that the stakes are high both on the patrimonial and emotional planes within the Hexagon.
Elixir de Muguet is said to be an interpretation of the delicate, luminous and frail qualities of the muguet bell which is reborn each spring. The nose said that "To offer an answer to this enigma, I worked on a bell in the early hours of the day which is made up of transparency, when it is still dewy...at that time when the first rays of sunshine make the flower feel even more ethereal and unveil its iridescent shades."
From the French (Our own translation),
{« J’ai cherché à retranscrire la délicatesse, l’éclat et la fragilité de la clochette de muguet qui renaît à chaque printemps.
Pour répondre à cette énigme, j’ai travaillé sur une clochette toute en transparence au petit matin, encore imprégnée de rosée… lorsque les premiers rayons du soleil subliment la finesse de la fleur et dévoilent ses teintes iridescentes. » }
Company Takasago lists ingredients I-Laurinal and Kovanol as molecules capable of reproducing the elusive scent of lily of the valley, which has to be imagined rather than borrowed from mother nature unlike those of rose or jasmine. These aromachemicals are not on the list of restricted ingredients published by IFRA.
Despite legitimate qualms as to the possibility of continuing to create muguet perfumes deemed worthy of their names, this spring {See Perfume Calendar} we are witnessing the launch of a series of new lily of the valley compositions which seem to testify to a rebound of muguet optimism and ease within the fragrance industry. Tocca Liliana, Yves Rocher Muguet and Fragonard Muguet, while the very exclusive annual Guerlain Muguet {see review} was back in 2011 after a hiatus in 2010.
The eau de parfum opens on top notes of bergamot and grapefruit followed by a heart with a vegetal accord and a muguet accord. The base is more carnal with notes of ylang ylang from Madagascar and musks.
Price is 35€ for 15 ml (233, 33€ for 100 ml), a small size which makes it be apprehended more like a pure extract, the word "elixir" perhaps replacing it. As the price range indicates, and despite the mass-market positioning of the perfume, it is priced like and even more expensive than a so-called "niche" perfume at the high end of the market.
