Regular readers know I enjoy looking for trends in perfumery. They also know I really enjoy it when a new type of perfume architecture begins to show up. I have enjoyed the growth of the gourmand fragrances over the past few years because it is one of the genres which has a lot of room for innovation. One part of that is taking other styles and fusing them to a gourmand sensibility. The current trend of floral gourmands has grown out of that. Over the last year there might be a new fusion beginning to emerge. Maison Tahite Sel_Vanille might be the confirmation of that.
Maison Tahite is a new brand which is committed to supporting sustainability with their fragrances. It seems based on the first collection they will feature a single keynote interpreted in different ways. For these first five that choice is vanilla. If you are someone who enjoys vanilla perfumes this entire debut collection is worth sampling. There is an inherent comfort to it which makes it easy to enjoy any of them.
David Maruitte
Sel_Vanille caught my attention because it is an aquatic gourmand. The third I have tried in roughly the last fifteen months. I find the contrast of the overused aquatic palette has been given some new energy when paired with gourmand ingredients. The savory or sweet contrast to that ocean spray is something I didn’t know I wanted. David Maruitte is the perfumer behind Sel_Vanille. He forms a savory crème brulee served oceanside.
The earliest moments are the classic but trite through overuse seaside accord. There are the ozonic notes paired with the salt spray of the waves crashing. Jasmine completes what has become so familiar. What comes next changes everything. First a very herbal sage comes out with a deep rich vanilla. It forms a savory-sweet combination. As it inserts itself into the beach mise en scene it becomes buoyed by the lift which comes as part of the aquatic accord. I kept thinking of this as a sage infused crème brulee. Some cedar forms the base and the clean lines of the wood provide a nice frame for everything.
Sel_Vanille has 10-12 hour longevity and average sillage.
Ever since wearing this I’ve been asking myself does three different perfumes from different brands make a trend? Probably not. It likely means that I am hoping it might eventually become one. If it does, I will look back to Sel_Vanille as one of those that was there at the start.
Disclosure: This review is based on a sample I purchased.
–Mark Behnke
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