Natural Fragrance Review: Brooklyn’s Alchemologie Sol de la Foret + Fascinated by Fougere Draw

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One of the things I miss the most, this winter, is walking in the woods and breathing in that delightful sylvan aroma of wood, earth, flower and leaf. Natural perfumer Julianne Zaleta, owner of Herbal Alchemy Apothecary and Alchemologie Natural Perfumes, has captured that olfactory experience in a superb woodier take on the classic fougere, with a few surprises. From a young girl she has constantly played with and mixed flowers and scents. Her eventual path of herbalist to aromatherapist to perfumer gives her a unique viewpoint and style in creating fragrance. She lovingly handcrafts all of her scents and products in her Brooklyn, NY atelier, keeping them not only ultra-natural but very personal.

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Julianne Zaleta

Julianne, fascinated by fougeres, has released one of her own with Sol de la Foret (Forest floor). She has done her homework, researching the history of coumarin and its natural sources. Other natural raw materials, she discovered, were rich in coumarin such as buffalo grass (flouve), sweet clover and lavender. This perfume lists top notes but wears its heart notes on its sleeve. From first dab this says green and plush, yet also radiates a dry floral spiciness surrounded with dark green foliage. The ho wood sets the stage, for a forest romp yet the citric top notes, of neroli and blood orange, never radiate that “cologne” aura and merely brighten the dark forest shadows a bit.

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The fulcrum of lavender between sharp clary sage and dry floral carnation results in a perfect woody floral green balance that never waxes too flowery or too herbal. The dry down here was softer than I had ever osmagined it would be. Listing oak moss (evernia prunasti), sweet clover, tonka bean, fossilized resin, tobacco and vanilla CO2 extraction; this should have been some twisted gourmand sweet green overdose; yet it settled on my skin like a midsummer night’s dream. Plush and sweet, but never cloying, this really does radiate that same groovy warmth that comes from a forest around sunset. A golden glow, a warm breeze, wisps of cool moss swaying from sun kissed trunks all come together creating one very comfortable, and easy to wear, unisex dark and woody fougere..

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If Natural Perfumery were an ancient tree, Julianne would easily be in the newest leaves at the tips of the crown reaching for the sky and growing in a new direction. The roots of her art, and formulae for her perfumes, run as deeply into history as the roots of the tree into the earth. Without being dated or trying to be “fresh” this fougere radiates gentle green, but also timeless strength, in a unique almost brooding manner. Its power is evident from the first sniff. It is, however, in its restraint and poise that Sol de la Foret truly impresses me. Old world charm and sophistication in a modern all natural perfume that still keeps its classic grandeur is indeed wonderful. Sillage: good then closer. Longevity: impressive, lingering long after you might think it’s gone.

Disclosure: Review based on a sample sent to me by Alchemologie Natural Perfumes.

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Thanks to Herbal Alchemy/Alchemologie we have a lovely 5 ml mini perfume of Sol de la Foret to give away to one US reader. Please leave a comment naming your fondest forest memory is or which Alchemologie scent you might like best, and why. This bottle size is not available on the website and Julianne was kind enough to make a unique prize for a unique group of readers. Please like Herbal Alchemy Facebook page, your entry will count twice. Draw ends 5 PM EST February 2, 2014.

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.

Editor’s Note: Change can be good, it can also be confusing! Herbal Alchemy is the apothecary line and main business. The website still has all perfumes and scents listed under this banner. Alchemologie is simply the fragrance line of Herbal Alchemy. Julianne is in the process of switching things around and relabeling perfume, and working on a new site/page, but that takes time. She appreciates your understanding and patience.

–John Reasinger, Senior Editor and Natural Perfume Editor

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27 comments

  • einsof says:

    a fond forest memory is growing up in the black hills of south dakota- lying on the red and green littered earth, inhaling the pine and sagebrush, feeling as though each sacred aroma floating by were connecting me to the Great Spirit; each scent a different message of reverence.

    Still, as i look over the wonderful webiste, i am fascinated by the idea of MoonRise, “… a collaboration between Julianne Zaleta and Pam Grossman of Observatory Room and Phantasmaphile. The fragrance was created for the group art show, Lunation: Art on the Moon, at Observatory Room. ”

    thank you for the draw, and again, profiling another talented natural perfumer!

  • Elizabeth T. says:

    Aloft and Tourmaline both sound wonderful! Orris in one and tobacco in the other. I’ve never heard of this line, but those two and the generous giveaway make me want to check it out. Thank you!

  • Lauren says:

    This sounds very interesting. I love that woodland smell (especially in the high sierras where the jeffrey trees add a beautiful balsamic vanilla to the air!). I miss it deeply since moving to virginia for school. Browsing through the herbal alchemy website, “eau contraire” catches my eye. It sounds sweet, simple, and still interesting. Thank you for the draw! I am in the US

  • ringthing says:

    This sounds wonderful. Growing up, I had a large woods to explore on the family farm; prowling on my own brought the discoveries of different flowers hidden under the dry leaves every spring. A whole world of scents.

  • Nemo says:

    Sol de la Foret sounds amazing, but if I only had to choose one I would also love to try Tourmaline. I love the sound of fern with tobacco. Thank you for letting me in on another new (to me) perfumer! I am in the US

  • Ferris says:

    I remember riding my bicycle though the Metro parks during the summer, smelling the fresh leaves, the decomposing leaves and matter beneath my feet and the smell of breaking branches. It was all wonderful! Sol de la Foret Sounds amazing. I cant wait to smell it. I’m in the US. Thank you so much for the draw!

  • Christine B says:

    Living in the forest in Pennsylvania, I have always tromped through the woods, exploring and discovering all sorts of treasures from mushrooms to wild medicinal herbs and trees. I have identified most of my discoveries and take note of where rare plants can be found in my local woods. A few years back, I came upon a swath of wildflowers over 1/2 mile long and 1/4 mile up the side of the mountain near where the natural springs escape from the top of the mountain. It reminded me of the Veil of the Fairies, bringing Spring to the mountain. Crisp and clean, fresh and invigorating renewal permeated the air. Nearly every imaginable spring wild flower was blooming in such close profusion that you had to step on flowers to advance to the top. Wild ginger, foam flowers, trillium, wild bleeding hearts and more! Breath taking. The show only lasts about 2 weeks before the leaves emerge from the deciduous trees and the blossoms return to the earth until next spring. I plan on attending again every Spring .

  • Priya says:

    I love forest aromas, and I’d love to try this perfumer’s interpretation of the forest. I’ve always loved trees and forests, but for the last decade or so I’ve bonded with the Adirondacks, with their boreal bogs and balsam firs, blueberries and sugar maples. The conifer scents are there, and they are wonderful, but above all there is a cool scent initially seems like a lack of scent, of pure air filtered by trees, but really there’s an the aroma of cool, damp, earthy space. I’d love to capture this magic someday!

  • SAntonio says:

    A few years ago, I was in Scotland for work, but was able to take a day off to hike the woods outside Braemar. While I am Asian-American, my late father would semi-jokingly state that we had a bit of Scottish heritage. Strangely enough, walking through that forest, I experienced an overwhelming feeling of deja vu, like I had come home…

  • Harper says:

    i went and looked, and sol de la foret (spanish *and* french?) — *is* in fact the one that appeals to me most. but i have to say, i find it somewhat off-putting that its price is more than double of most other scents on the site. nonetheless, i would much love to smell this.

    as for forest memories– too many to choose from, since the forest is pretty much my favorite place to be.

  • Fazal Cheema says:

    my fondest memory is taking trips with cousins back home…i think those forests are now gone due to village lands becoming part of cities..btw, the color of perfume is really amazing..quite like the original coty chypre cologne i have

  • Carol S says:

    Oh Sol de la Foret sounds fabulous !!
    my fondest memoriy is a trip to the Olympic Penensula in the summer , and wandering around old growth forest picking wild berries . There is so very little old growth forest left , it is all being cut down…
    Thank you for the draw . I MUST sniff this one…

  • Patty P. says:

    I’m going to like Sol de la Foret. Lavender, carnation, vanilla…sweet never cloying. 🙂 USA

  • DavidK says:

    I live in a fairly gritty American city, Philadelphia. But there is a stretch of parkland within walking distance of my house called Forbidden Drive. It follows the Wissahickon Creek and I love the memories of my mom and I jogging there.

  • Carole Fallon says:

    My fondest forest memory was in Ireland Co Clare – Jeff and I were walking in the old forest near our country hotel and came upon the well preserved ruins of a single family castle, which we explored and decided had been our home in a previous life. It was July and the wild fuschia and other flowers were blooming like mad amongst the tall trees.

  • Liz K says:

    We don’t have real forests here so I will have to skip the forest memory but I do think that (along with several others) Moonrise sounds wonderful. I am in the U.S.

  • ncmyers says:

    Wow. I think Sol de la Foret sounds amazing and it’s the one I’d like to try most! I am in the US and love being in the woods. My husband proposed to me in the Rockies on a camping trip! I’m in the US.

  • Courtney Warren says:

    Where I live, we are surrounded by a forest and my fondest memories always are my random walks as a younger kid and being able to connect with such a raw part of nature. Its beautiful!
    I am in the US.
    I also liked the page!
    Thanks for the draw!

  • julesinrose says:

    Liked her page (and biz, too!) Live in the US.

    My fondest forest memory is when I was 15, I biked up the coast of Maine. I spent one day alone reading an H.P. Lovecraft book on an island that was coast-to-coast fir trees and no houses. I remember that the tree’s needles seemed way up high, and I could see blue water all around. It was a stark and mysterious landscape. Very fragrant, too!

  • Laurels says:

    When I was a kid, we lived for nearly two years in North Carolina, where I was thoroughly miserable. My only consolations were hours spent either down by the “crick” or in the nearby woods, with occasional breaks for climbing the magnolia tree in our yard and settling in with a good book. I loved the (literal) coolness of nature, and the wonderful smells of the trees and mosses. I’m in the US, and thank you for bringing this scent to my attention.

  • Steve A says:

    I would like to try all of them after reading about them on the site. Picking one to try first I’d say Sol de la Foret. U.S.A. Thank you.

  • Cynthia Richardson says:

    I’ve always loved summers spent in the White Mountains of Arizona when I was young; however, I never knew how amazing a forest could be until I ventured into the Hoh rainforest of western Washington. So ancient and spellbinding. Can’t wait to return!

    Facebook – Cynthia M Richardson

    Cynthia.Richardson@azbar.org

  • Tiffany says:

    My fondest memory in the woods was of an older neighbor reading Alice in Wonderland to me while eating chocolates 🙂

  • Chris Schaefer says:

    I liked her page and I loved the review. I too live in a forest and aim to draw from where I live. Truly I am awed. I have to watch my spelling here.

  • mim says:

    Thank you for the reviews and draw! USA and fb liked

    Fond forest memories are abundant–used to be quite outdoorsy. I loved hiking and also just wandering around outside my yard, catching salamanders, looking under rocks, finding sunny meadows of purple myrtle…hiking to swimming holes and ponds also. Sunlight filtering through trees in the golden afternoon.
    In addition to Sol de le Foret, I think I’d love Aloft because cocoa.