Perfumers Workshop: “Memes” with Ayala Moriel and Sarah Horowitz-Thran + Espionage, Grin and Perfect Gardenia Draw

face painting flower

This month we visit  two highly regarded ateliers and learn how modern artisan perfumers recreate scents known as 'memes', (according to the Urban Dictionary "meme: derived from the Greek mimëma, 'something imitated') using either natural materials that when alchemically blended mimic natural notes or that are impossible to extract directly from nature. That’s right, we’re celebrating memes this month  and next, leading off with leather and gardenias as our core accords.

So let us begin with  leather notes first, as they have played an integral role in perfume making since the 17th century when French glove makers began soaking their wares in a mixture of animalics and herbal oils. Spanish glove makers soon followed suit adding florals to the mix.

Real leather perfumes made their grand debut in the1900s when Lubin introduced Cuir de Russie (1900). The iconic Cuir de Russie was created by Ernest Beaux in 1924, for Chanel. It captured the heart and passion of modern femininity with a scent profile not unlike a well-used ashtray. The two key botanicals that make this scent possible are birch tar and styrax. Birch bark has been used in Russia for centuries to tan leather and styrax is a very smoky resin that has been used in medicine and incense for a millenia.

heels by alexander mcqueen

Black Leather Studded Leather Platform Boots by Alexander McQueen (2000)

Why are we so attracted to the concept and scent of leather? We put this question to natural perfumer Ayala Moriel of Ayala Moriel Parfums: “Leather and fur are both very raw materials that connect us to our prehistorical hunting ancestors or nomadic traditions that strongly relied on the leather of herd animals for survival (not only clothing, luggage and footwork were made of leather, but also tents, saddles, kayaks, canteens and more). On the other hand, the luxury industry of leather for the nobility of Europe was closely linked to perfume….in the 17th Century. And from then on, it seems like leather have had several prestigious and sexy incarnations – from the coveted Hermes bags to the dominatrix-inspired high-fashion.”

 

ayala moriel perfumes

Ayala Moriel

Ayala very kindly shared her knowledge of natural leather perfumery with us. Leather notes come in two basic flavors – animalics and botanicals. Castoreum, extracted from beaver glands when used in small quantities definitely smells like real, oily leather. Essential oils extracted from trees that are used in the tanning of leather such as cade, birch tar, myrtle and cassie absolute provide vegan sources for building leather accords. Like all master natural perfumers Ayala also looks for other notes that provide olfactory textures and scents that have hints of leather aroma and textures within including tobacco absolute, hay absolute, mate absolute and osmanthus absolute. In the fragrance Espionage (love that name!) Ayala makes something of a leather “sandwich”, as opposed to a composite accord. A sharp smack of Russian leatheresque cade tops a tobacco accord and is finished with a skin-musky drydown.  Big thanks to Ayala for sharing her wealth of perfumery knowledge and also for sending us her newest fragrances to per-sniff. We fell straight into love with the chypre “Grin”, which again is served deli style with a devilish green note of peppercorn and galbanum so tart it almost reminds us of pickle juice atop rare flowers and finished with oak moss and vetiver. Love this one for spring.

gardenia meme in perfumery

 

While leather perfume comes in so many variations today, the gardenia was Sigmund Freud’s favorite flower and its essence cannot be extracted from the plant.* It can only be recreated out of other natural notes and/or synthetics. Sarah Horowitz-Thran built her Perfect Gardenia fragrance using a synthetic skeleton of gardenia fragrance oil that she fleshed out with natural notes to create an all-inclusive gardenia plant. She sat with her personal gardenia plant for months and utilized her perfume library in order to capture the entire essence of the gardenia plant.

sarah horowitz thran sarah horowitz perfumes

Sarah Horowitz-Thran of Sarah Horowitz Parfums

Sarah’s absolute transparency about her perfuming process is a welcome relief from the Secret Squirrel school of perfumery where even the most obvious notes will never be divulged to the public. “In order to achieve the nature identical feel of the gardenia, I started with an accord of a fragrance oil of gardenia accented with both honey suckle and freesia to bring out the green of the leaves.  I used bergamot in the top note to heighten this effect, and brighten the middle note.  In the base note, I used a creamy vanilla note to capture the velvet like petals, I also used the slightest hint of patchouli to ground the composition and hint at the earth the plant grows in.”

We sampled both the Eau De Parfum and Parfum Oil versions of this masterpiece of a meme. The EDP has a lot of lift and has that hothouse effect where you step into a tropical greenhouse and are instantly transported to an exotic idyll where the heartbeat of the fragrance overrides the mundane aspects of the daily brain. The parfum is more suggestive, less revealing, and in its minimalism entices the beholder to fill in the blanks proactively.

Meme perfumery abounds, these are but two powerful examples of mimicry within artisanal perfumery. Musk, amber and violets come to mind and remain to be explored in a future replication of the Perfumers’ Workshop.

–David Falsberg, Contributor and Perfumer for Phoenicia Perfumes

Editor's Note: If you are new to Perfumers Workshop, David has authored master class posts with artisan perfumers:Tincturing (Charna Ethier, Ellen Covey, Roxana Villa) Enfleurage (with Elise Pearlstine, Dabney Rose, Sophia Shuttleworth) and Natural Hydro-Distillation (with Alexandra Balahoutis and Jessica Ring)

girl before a mirror picasso

Girl Before a Mirror Pablo Picasso 

Thanks to Ayala Moriel and Sarah Horowitz-Thran we have a draw for two readers

Worldwide: ALL NATURAL Ayala Moriel Parfums samples of Grin and Espionage

perfect gardenia sarah horowitz parfums

Sarah Horowitz Parfums Perfect Gardenia Mini Travel set

USA Residents: Ayala Moriel Parfums sample set or Sarah Horowitz Parfums four piece mini set of  1/2 oz Perfect Gardenia EDP spray, 1/6 oz Perfect Gardenia roll-on,4 oz lotion, 4 oz shower gel

To be eligible please leave a comment with what you learned about leather and gardenia memes as well as your choice of fragrances should you win (country restrictions). Draw closes April 24, 2014

* 5/1/2014: I received an email from Anya McCoy of Anya's Gardens, President of the Natural Perfumers Guild,  corrected CaFleureBon. According to Anya,  Gardenia can be derived naturally and that Anya herself has created gardenia enfleurages.   She also wrote that gardenias can be hydro-distilled. We apologize for the error. However, most gardenia used in conemporary perfumery are memes.-Michelyn Camen

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.

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33 comments

  • Francesca says:

    Enjoyed reading and learning about the oils extracted from trees that are used in the tanning of leather which provide vegan sources for building leather accords. I’m on the worldwide side of life so I’d love to win Ayala Moriel Parfums samples of Grin and Espionage. happy Easter all,

  • xtopher says:

    This is very informative, as usual. I learned that leather can be either animalic or botanical. It is always interesting learning about gardenia. I had no idea there was something called meme in perfumery.
    I am in the US and I’d love to try the Sarah Horowitz-Thran gardenia set.
    Thanks!

  • bohobabe says:

    Oh, I’m so loving leather now. It intrigues me that other notes such as hay absolute, mate absolute and osmanthus absolute can help create the illusion of leather. It is also interesting that we (well, at least I am) drawn to leather thanks to our great ancestors. I guess somethings will never go out of fashion, right? I’m an international reader and would love to try Espionage and Grin! Thanks so much!

  • Sandi L says:

    Love the Perfumers Workshop posts, David. Since my own Gardenia’s are busting with fat blooms just about to explode their intoxicating and captivating scent into the garden, I loved reading how Sarah created their alluring scent. I am in the US and would love samples of Grin and Espionage. Kudos to another fabulous post David.

  • Ayala says:

    David –
    Thank you for the leathery interview and the opportunity to share some of my creative process with CaFleureBon readers!
    Really enjoyed reading Sarah Horowitz’s work on her gardenia perfume. One of my favourite notes!
    And to keep up with that theme, I’d like to add a sample of my gardenia soliflore GiGi to the giveaway 🙂
    Have a wonderful an happy Easter, Passover, Riḍván – and spring celebrations galore!

  • ferris says:

    I love leather and I find it fascinating that it can be recreated with tobacco and hay absolute among many botanicals and tree resins. i am a US reader and I would like the Ayala Moriel perfume sample set.

  • AD says:

    I learned about re-creating leather perfume using different botanical absolutes. It always amazes me how perfumers tinker with raw materials to recreate a desired scent, whether it’s leather or gardenia.

    I’m in Canada and would love to win Ayala Moriel’s sample set. Thank you.

  • edith says:

    i learned that leather can be recreated with botanicals.
    would like to win ALL NATURAL Ayala Moriel Parfums samples of Grin and Espionage as i am in europe. happy easter !

  • Jean V. says:

    I have learned that leather notes come in two basic flavors – animalics and botanicals and that gardenia (my beloved flower) was also Sigmund Freud’s favorite flower and that its essence cannot be extracted from the plant but can only be come out from other natural notes and/or synthetics. I live in EU and if I win I would love to experience the samples of Grin and Espionage.

  • ringthing says:

    Very interesting read, I really enjoy these articles. I like the dandified mental image of scented French leather gloves and the leather perfume sandwich technique but as a gardenia lover, it’s especially fascinating to follow Sarah Horowitz-Thran as she captures that distinctive scent. I would love to smell it, and her gardenia fragrance is my choice; I’m in the US.

  • Yukiko says:

    I learnt so much from reading this article, especially about leather. It was really interesting to know about the combinations of botanical sources to create the varieties of leather accords. Fascinating! I’m just in awe with those perfumers who can recreate the delicate scents of flowers; not only gardenia but also so many others.
    I live in EU and I’d love to try Grin and Espionage. Thank you for the draw! 🙂

  • Connie says:

    I would love to try the Sarah Horowitz scents- I find her description of the process of creating it both very interesting and refreshingly up front. The description of smelling her gardenia plant reminded me of the stories about how Diorissimo was created.

  • The Perfumed Veil says:

    Yes, I too love the name of Espionage and love Moriel perfumes. Im in the US and hope to win the leather one. I learned about gardenia extraction, which is a flower that so many love.

  • Patty P. says:

    I learned the gardenia essence can not be extracted from the plant. I find that most interesting. 🙂
    I would welcome the sample set. US.

  • wefadetogray says:

    I am in the US and I find Sarah’s process to be inspiring, specially as David states, her honesty. I like freesias and would have never expected them to be part of gardenia’s meme.
    Thanks!

  • Erica18 says:

    Wonderful article!! Leather is my absolute favorite note and it was interesting to learn a bit about leather scents ( especially the various ways that the leather note can be created ) I recently heard about Ayala Moriel and even before reading this article have been wanting to experience some of her creations – thank you for the chance.I am in the USA 🙂

  • Elia says:

    I enjoyed reading how Sarah tried to rebuild the gardenia accord using various naturals. It is always interesting to get the inside view on the creative process.
    I’m in the EU and would like the Ayala samples,
    ty

  • Kim Morgan says:

    I didn’t realize leather was such an important component in scent. Makes sense, though. “Espionage” – love the name! – sounds incredible.

    USA resident.

  • Steve A says:

    I learned leather can be aquired from animals or plants.
    I would like the Ayala Moriel sample set. U.S.A.

  • Jennifer B says:

    I didn’t know that gardenia couldn’t be extracted naturally. I would love to try the Ayala Moriel Parfums sample set. I live in the U.S. Thank you!

  • Barbara B says:

    I did not know that leather notes could be animalic or botanical! Always thought leather was animalic. I am in the US and would prefer to win the Ayala Moriel sample set.

  • Nemo says:

    I was very interested to hear about the nuances of a leather note! I have never thought of leather as botanical. I would love to try the Ayala Moriel Parfums. I live in the US-thank you for introducing me to more great perfumes!

  • helicalgnome says:

    Ayala’s leather sandwich and Sarah’s gardenia are amazing. As nemo above I was surprised to find out about leather as botanical. The very concept of meme is fascinating specially now with all those IFRA restrictions.
    I am in the US and I’d love to win Sarah Horowitz’s gardenia.

  • Fazal Cheema says:

    in addition to birch tar and styrax, leather effects can also be achieved through castoereum..gardenia essence cannot be extracted, thus, Sarah made use of honeysuckle and freesia to achieve gardenia meme. i will be interested in Sarah Horowitz’s Gardenia creation. i am in the US

  • Cynthia says:

    I didn’t know there were two ways to extract leather. And Gardenia was Freud’s favorite flower! I would be interested in Sarah Horowitz’s Gardenia set and I am in the US.

  • Gentiana says:

    What a geneous draw, again!
    I am happy to learn about “meme”-s – the imitated scents that cannot be obtained directly from nature.
    Regarding leather. I knew the smell is imitated with birch-tar and castoreum , but now I learn that more botanicals are involved: styrax, cade, myrtle and cassie absolute. More leather-like textures can be found in tobacco absolute, hay absolute, mate absolute and osmanthus absolute.
    Ayala Moriel explains us that leather and fur are very raw materials and their scents are connecting us with our prehistoric ancestors.
    In perfumery leather earned an important place in the 17-th century, in France, when gloves and perfumes were made in the same place – and perfumes existed as perfumed gloves.
    The scant of Gardenia was the preferred scent of Sigmund Freud and the esence can not be extracted from the flower.
    Very instructive article.
    Thank you.
    I would like to win Ayala Moriel’s Espionage and Grin.

  • Felicia S. says:

    I learned that these accords can be referred to as ‘memes’, this is the first time I’ve heard this word used in reference to perfumery. I had thought of them as ‘doppleganger accords’ myself. If we are talking about ‘modern’ perfumery, i.e., that makes use of synthetic materials, then almost all of it’s accords are mimics, no? Few chemicals smell just like the flower or the fruit? I wonder if Freud though that gardenias had a symbolism?
    I would pick Grin, and I live in Canada.

  • Fiona says:

    I love reading how different other notes can combine to give the effect of one that can’t be extracted directly.
    I’m an international reader so I’d pick Ayala’s samples. Thanks for the draw.

  • angfunk says:

    I learned that leather notes come from both animal and plant sources. I am a big fan of Ayala and would love to win her beautiful perfumes. thank you for the draw!

  • Holly F. says:

    Wow, it is fascinating that the scent of leather can be recreated using essential oils like cade and birch tar. I love that Sarah Horowitz-Thran sat by her gardenia plant for months to try to capture its essence. I would love to win her 4 piece Perfect Gardenia set! I’m in the U.S.

  • Cynthia Richardson says:

    I learned that gardenia essence cannot be extracted from the plant. It can only be recreated out of other natural notes and/or synthetics. I am a USA resident and would like to try Ayala Moriel Parfums sample set.

  • Lyubov says:

    I had no idea that mate and osmanthus absolute could be used to recreate leather hues in fragrance!
    Thanks for the draw – all the scents seem to be amazing and innovative! I haven’t tried any of Ayala Moriel’s nor Sarah Horowitz-Thran’s perfumes.
    I am in EU, Bulgaria.

  • Valentine girl says:

    I had no idea that leather notes could come from animal or plant sources…beaver glands?!?….and I did not realize that the essence of gardenias could not be extracted from the plant. I am in the US and would love to try Ayala’s sample set. I often check out her blog and even tried one of her recipes!