New Fragrance: Nomenclature shi_sõ (Bertrand Duchaufour, Carlos Quintero and Karl Bradl) 2017 “Kaleidoscopic Green”

Photo of the nomenclature booth at Esxence 2017 (photo by Michelyn)

In an interview I conducted with Bertrand Duchaufour in 2010, he spoke of his fascination with Japanese culture. In his new fragrance shi_sõ, for Creative Directors Carlos Quinto and Karl Bradl of Nomenclature, the “king of niche” perfumer looked once again to Japan for the brand's sixth neo- synthetic fragrance (following Lumen,_esce, composed by Frank Voelkl).

According to Nomenclature, “Though fragrance chemistry can’t yet say “green” in quite as many ways as Nature, today its variegated palette goes far beyond “grass” or “Granny Smith”. shi_sõ centers around the Givaudan molecule Glycolierral®, a herbaceous capture of the cool scent of crushed ivy leaf (lierre means ivy in French)."

 nomenclature shi_sõ

Even the name has a hint of Bertrand Duchaufour’s fascination with duality: Say it with a long “o” – Shisõ – and in Japanese, it means “modern thought”. With a short “o”, it  symbolizes  the uniquely complex flavor of the shiso leaf, an iconic herb in Japanese cuisine, seldom featured in fragrance. Its unique aroma is a blend of mint, basil and cumin with a metallic flash has long fascinated Bertrand Duchaufour. In shi_sõ, he spins it into an arrestingly modern take on a classic genre, the eau de Cologne, replacing citrus with a kaleidoscope of green notes, the  bite of cardamom, a  sprig of cool spearmint the lemony scent of  verbena. Rasping blackcurrant, almond toned anise and the tartness of rhubarb; Glycolierral® wraps the bracing blend in a sweet, milky, sap-laden effect.

Notes: GLYCOLIERRAL® GREEN, SHISO, IVY LEAF, CARDAMOM, SPEARMINT,  VERBENA, BLACKCURRANT

Via press release Nomenclature and my own synopsis; shi_sõ debuted at Esxcence 2017.

-Michelyn Camen, Editor-in-Chief

Available in store July 2017

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5 comments

  • Oh, I really need to get a sample set of all of the Nomenclature fragrances!

    I think their focus on synthetics is brave and brilliant!

  • Hikmat Sher Afridi says:

    Would like to try being more fresh, more grassy, more minty, more ivy. more lemony.

  • Recently I enjoyed trying Berdoues Somei Yoshino which has a shiso top note. I was initially taken in by the Japanese aesthetic. The nomenclature approach to green fragrance in shi_sõ sounds delightful.