When JK Rowling published the first Harry Potter book in the UK in June of 1997 it carried the title of Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone. The last part of the title would become Sorcerer’s Stone as Harry Potter would become an international phenomenon. The latest release from independent perfumer Olivier Durbano as part of his Parfums de Pierres Poemes (Perfumes of Stone Poems) is called Lapis Philosophorum (The Philosopher’s Stone) and represents something different in the collection to date. Through eight previous fragrances the Stone Poem was based on a real gemstone. The Philosopher’s Stone is an artifact of legend and fiction. It was supposed to turn base metals into gold through alchemy. In Harry Potter’s universe it was the key ingredient of an Elixir of Life. In Olivier Durbano’s world he sees the Philosopher’s Stone as “the search for the essence of man, divine like ‘the brightness of the sun’”.

As I wore Lapis Philosophorum it seemed like it was able to fit all three legendary incarnations. As part of a complicated spell potion Lapis Philosophorum certainly fits as M. Durbano had to delicately balance multiple fractious notes like wine sediment, menthol, and oak moss to keep any of them from making his fragrance go up in smoke. In particular the transition from top notes to heart notes feels like a real alchemical change from near acridness to something much, much, smoother and opulent. Finally, when all is said and done it glows with a resinous fire which feels like concentrated sunlight.

Lapis Philosophorum’s beginning is a mix of unusual perfume notes but the first note is something familiar, grapefruit. Except M. Durbano then surrounds that grapefruit with a group of other notes which enhance the sulfurous quality always present and actually brings it right to the front. To do this he uses truffle, rum accord, juniper, and calamus. These create a feeling of a sorcerer’s cauldron bristling with pungent potential. To confirm this alchemy M. Durbano uses an accord that smells like the lees of a fine Bordeaux slightly earthy and winey. This is like the last pinch of the spell before it poofs and you peer into the cauldron to find something beautiful. The attractive heart is centered on a fantastic Omani frankincense and to make sure there is still a hint of the spell it is wreathed in a haze of mesquite smoke and a burst of menthol to add an icy vein of crystalline clarity. Ambergris adds its warmth as the transformation into the warmth of the sun signals the final change. Opoponax and myrrh combine to create the glowing core of the base notes and musk and oak moss support the densely heated nucleus for the final stage of development.

Lapis Philosophorum has all day longevity and above average sillage.

It is pure speculation on my part but I think M. Durbano felt a touch more freedom in interpreting something unreal like Lapis Philosophorum than a real gemstone. Lapis Philosophorum is by far the most creative fragrance M. Durbano has released and wherever the inspiration to allow him to create such an unfettered fragrance came from I can only wish for more of it. Lapis Philosophorum certainly has added a new dimension to an already talented independent perfumer’s portfolio.

Disclosure: This review was based on a sample provided by Olivier Durbano.

–Mark Behnke, Managing Editor