Origins x Perfumers
Paraguay by Alexandra Monet
Paraguay is shaped by its subtropical climate, cultural heritage, and diverse ecosystems. It is home to guaiacwood, a dense, smoky-sweet wood found exclusively in the Chaco Forest, offering creamy, leathery, and balsamic notes highly prized in fine fragrance. The country also produces petitgrain from bitter orange trees and yerba maté, cultivated by smallholder farmers in agroforestry systems that promote sustainability. Deeply rooted in Guarani traditions, Paraguay’s botanical resources blend authenticity with ecological integrity, making it a unique and responsible source for rare, characterful raw materials in modern perfumery.
Indonesia by Nicolas Bonneville
Indonesia is a vital and diverse origin for perfumery ingredients, thanks to its rich volcanic soil, tropical climate, and centuries-old harvesting traditions. The archipelago is the world’s leading source of patchouli, known for its earthy depth and remarkable longevity. From the lush islands also come nutmeg and cloves, offering warm, spicy, and aromatic facets essential to oriental and woody compositions. Vetiver Java stands out for its dry, smoky, and sophisticated character, distinct from its Haitian or Indian counterparts. In Sumatra, benzoin resin is harvested with ancestral methods, adding sweet, ambery richness. Indonesia remains indispensable to the perfumer’s palette: complex, natural, and long lasting.
Madagascar by Frank Voelkl
Madagascar is a treasured origin for perfumery, renowned for its exceptional biodiversity and rich aromatic heritage. The island is the world’s premier source of vanilla, often called the "queen of spices," prized for its warm, sweet, and creamy aroma. It also produces both pink and black pepper, known for their vibrant, spicy freshness. Cloves and ginger from Madagascar bring warmth, depth, and a distinctive aromatic brightness to compositions. On the lush island of Nosy Be, ylang ylang is distilled to yield an intensely floral, exotic note used in many iconic fragrances. Madagascar offers ingredients of unmatched quality, authenticity, and olfactive richness.
South India by Ilias Ermenidis
South India is a cornerstone of perfumery, celebrated for its rich floral heritage, aromatic spices, and sacred woods. The region is world-renowned for its jasmine sambac, intensely lush, green, and sensual, as well as tuberose, prized for its creamy, narcotic floralcy. South India is also the exclusive source of davana, a rare herb with fruity, apricot-like notes and deep cultural significance. The revered Mysore sandalwood offers a smooth, creamy, and long-lasting woody note, while vetiver from Tamil Nadu adds earthy, smoky elegance. A heartland of spice, South India produces cardamom, pepper, ginger, clove, and cinnamon, enriching compositions with warmth and complexity.
Guatemala by Ilias Ermenidis
Central America is a rich source of precious natural ingredients highly valued in perfumery. The region is known for exceptional cardamom, prized for its fresh, green, and radiant spice character, grown under the shade of native forests. Peru balsam, a warm, sweet, and deeply ambery resin, also originates here, offering depth and richness to fine fragrances. Additionally, styrax from Honduras contributes its distinctive balsamic and vanilla-like notes, enhancing many compositions. These ingredients reflect the region’s unique biodiversity and traditional harvesting practices, making Central America an important and treasured part of the perfumer’s palette.
Somaliland by Fabrice Pellegrin & Coralie Spicher
Somaliland is a historic and vital origin for precious aromatic resins, with a harvesting tradition spanning over 5,000 years. The region is renowned for its exceptional incense (olibanum), prized for its sweet, woody, and balsamic profile with green, citrusy, and resinous nuances. Myrrh, valued for its warm, dry, and slightly spicy aroma, is another cornerstone of perfumery sourced here. Opoponax, also known as sweet myrrh, adds rich, ambery, and balsamic warmth to fragrance compositions. These ancient resins, sustainably harvested by local communities, carry both cultural heritage and olfactive richness, making Somaliland an essential and timeless origin in the world of perfumery.
Provence, France by Sebastien Cresp
Provence is the heartland of French essential oils and a cornerstone of aromatic perfumery. This sun-drenched region is famous for its vast fields of lavender, offering a fresh, floral, and herbaceous signature widely used in fragrance and aromatherapy. Alongside lavender, clary sage and lavandin thrive here, each contributing unique aromatic profiles, from the green, slightly fruity tones of clary sage to the camphorous, aromatic freshness of lavandin. Provence also produces a rich variety of other aromatic plants, including rosemary, thyme, and verbena, making it an unparalleled source of natural ingredients cherished for their purity, complexity, and timeless elegance.
Les Alpes by Fabrice Pellegrin
THE ALPS span several European countries, from France to Slovenia. They are better known for their dramatic landscapes than for traditional perfumery. Yet the region provides rare, niche ingredients such as juniper berries, alpine flowers like edelweiss, dried hay and pine needles. Shaped by altitude and purity, these plants evoke the raw essence of nature: fresh air, wild flora and untamed terrain. They offer a distinct olfactory escape from more traditional, cultivated fragrances.