Esxence celebrated its 10th year on March and the extremely popular fragrance exhibition was dressed in gold. A magic place dedicated to the love of perfume where brands present their new creations, new brands / creators emerge along with a packed schedule of talks, panels and presentation about all things fragrance, art, markets, the Art and Oflaction Awards nominations make it Heaven on Earth for any confessed perfume lover.
I visited the exhibition on the first 2 days when it was open for business and press and I had the opportunity to visit many of the stands I wanted, trying lots of new scents but still getting nowhere near to experiencing everything. My favourites of the show included:
Niral by Neela Vermeire, a silky interpretation of powdery iris, jammy roses, strong black tea and a woody base of cedar and sandalwood
Cap Neroli by Patricia Nicolai, a perfect interpretation of the orange tree in full bloom with a fruity juiciness and a fantastic mossy drydown
Dali Haute Parfumerie, series of 5 perfumes of exceptional quality and the quirkiest bottles based on Dali's work.
Leng Ling Sekushi No.7 The Munich based brand has 9 perfumes in their line that combine a "Leng" and a "Ling" note, two contrasting notes that work together in harmony for a unique result. My favourite, No 7, combines Leather, patchouli, olibanum and musk with Candy floss, raspberry, apricot and muguet for a gorgeous fruity leather scent,
Tendre Nuit by Isabey; The new release by perfume legend Isabey is a sensual powdery rose that feels very contemporary.
Houbigant Quelques Fleurs Jardin Secret, a musky buttery oris scent with a sparkling opening and the softest drydown
Olfactive Studio Flashback in New York, a contradicting scent playing with fire and ice through a game of herbs, spices, violet, vetiver and leather
Sylvaine Delacourte and her new collection of Vanilla based perfumes to be released soon. I reviewed her musc collection here and the new line is equally beautiful.
Jovoy Remeber Me; the new release from Jovoy by perfumer Cecile Zarokian is a beautiful milky gourmand frangipani scent, very exotic with spicy cardamom, ginger and a woody drydown. I tried it very briefly and will definitely be going back for more!
L'Orchestre parfums; I received a sample of the brand's 5 perfumes a couple of months ago and although I haven't managed to write a full post about them just yet I must say they are beautiful and manage to engage all senses with their compositin, colours and the music that accompanies them. My favourite, Encens Asakusa is a resinous iris with a church feel, deep, dark and mysterious. You can also "listen" to the perfume here
Herve Gambs is a brand that has surprised me with their ingenuity since I first tried them last year. My favourites include Hotel Riviera, an extremely smooth citrusy cologne with mint and violet leaf & La Baie Des Anges a sweet / tart yummy scent based on grapefruit, rhubarb, jasmine and vanilla both from the Colognes Intenses Collection.
Calé Fragranze d’Autore, a perfume project by Silvio Levi that combines stories, perfumes and music. My favourite of the line Ozio is an iris based scent soft, calm and reflective, accompanied by a very matching tune.
Miller et Betraux was a brand that I'd heard a lot about but got the chance to try for the first time at Esxence. I kindly received samples of all their perfumes however I haven't had a chance to try them all yet. The newest addition to the line Tulsivivah, is sparkling, minty fresh with a creamy soft drydown, perfect for summer.
I was really happy to see Affinessence as well, you can read my review on Musc Ambre Gris & Cuir Curcuma here
The revival of brand Ciro. Initially launched in the 20's they launched a couple of dozen perfumes until the 60's when it disappeared. Half a century later they return with 8 fragrances. One that stood out for me was Chevalier de la Nuit, a spicy sharp fragrance, loaded with clove, patchouli, vanilla and vetiver.
Baruti previewed a couple of perfumes due to be released soon and I had the chance to try Dama Koupa as well a gorgeous gourmand with hefty does of iris helped by macarons, osmanthus, musk, amber, white woods, beeswax and balsam fir.
Parco 1923 introduced us to 2 scents inspired by the National Park of Abruzzo Lazio and Molise. One of them is a mossy woody musk scent and the other one a beautiful floral with added blueberries
Marcel Frank was there as well with their most exquisite travel and home perfume atomisers
Jardin De Parfums, a new perfume company based in Dubai that has 3 different brands under their name and quite a few interesting perfumes; my favourites included Perfect Amber by Unique, Hypnotic Opium by Papaverum and Sugar Flower by The White Essentials
Miya Shinma, a Japanese perfumer living in Paris introduced us to a new 5 fragrance collection called L'Eau de Miya Shinma. My favourite Kikiyo is a spicy powdery scent , soft yet very long lasting.
Lastly I was introduced to M.Int a brand that follows the slogan "That which triggers emotions". The brand philosophy is to create charismatic fragrances. They introduced 20 fragrances to the market in 2016 and all are in collaboration with prominent perfumers.
My favourites include Pitch and Toss, a creamy woody rose that begins with a sparking apple note and dries into a warm woody patchouli and Refocus, a genious balance between super sparkling aldehydes, incense, labdanum, patcouli and creamy sandalwood.
There were still so many brands and perfumes to be discovered and I will definitely be coming back to review some of the above in depth.
Definitely looking forward to Esxence 11 next year!