Русская версия здесь

 

Here is an English version of the article I prepared for SuperStyle.ru taking us on a wonderful olfactory journey to circumnavigate the globe and to explore scents and fragrances it has to offer. We would not get anywhere without a guide though. So I’ve asked some of the truly talented and obsessed perfumers to lead us on our adventure and to paint us fragrant portraits of the beautiful places. Some of them painted with broad strokes, while others painstakingly recreated every small detail.

Fragrant portraits of different places through the eyes (or rather noses) of perfumers

When we travel we sometimes get so excited and so involved that not only sights and sounds, but the very smells of places grab us. These smells make our experience complete, they stay in our memory forever and follow us for the rest of our lives. Perfumers, whom we tremulously call Noses, are undoubtedly the only artists out there who could make fragrant portraits of the cities and towns they live in and that’s exactly what I asked some of them to do. So here we are with a really great company of noses to travel with. Let’s not waste any more time and start our journey from my home town.

 

MOSCOW, RUSSIA

Moscow, Ostankino Park (I live nearby)

Anna Zworykina/ Anna Zworykina Perfumes: I wouldn’t name any smells that you could find in Moscow alone. Yet there are some typical city smells and they do not change throughout all seasons — scents of roads, cars and dust. Can’t say all that smells that good.

Anastasia Denisenkova: Do you have any favorite Moscow scents?

Anna Zworykina/ Anna Zworykina Perfumes: I mostly love the scents of parks in the summer and the fall. Yet in the Fall even the streets carry the smell of fallen leaves, earth, and the “dying” sun. Places that attract me with their smells are parks, again. I love the apple gardens in bloom in Kolomenskoye. I love Tsaritsyno in Autumn, Linden alleys on the boulevards.

Anastasia Denisenkova: Are you enamored by any of the city smells?

Anna Zworykina/ Anna Zworykina Perfumes: Smells of gasoline, sun heated asphalt, whitewashing, old stone buildings do intrigue me. And the scents of Museums and old Moscow flats affect me positively as well.

 

KIEV, UKRAINE

Kiev, Andreevsky slope, photo by  svet_lane on Flickr.com

Bogdan Zubchenko/ BZ Parfums: The olfactory image of Kiev is so diverse. It is as diverse as its laid-back atmosphere and people. For me Kiev is a scent of Dnieper River, incense, honey wax and chestnut trees in bloom.

Anastasia Denisenkova: Are there any all-season Kiev smells?

Bogdan Zubchenko/ BZ Parfums: A special green-mossy, ambery, woodsy note. I do love all the seasons and glad Kiev remains green all year long.

Anastasia Denisenkova: Any favorite places to smell?

Bogdan Zubchenko/ BZ Parfums: Andreevsky slope and Botanical gardens. As to Andreevsly slope — you can meet all kinds of people here: natives, tourists, celebrities, souvenirs sellers as well as cats and dogs, paintings, smells of wool scarfs and leather goods, ancient samovars, coins and glass-holders, paints, beverages, sweets, spicy scents flowing from the esoteric shops and the Ukrainian food. Walking through Andreevsky slope gives that typical air of my city. And I also love the smells of the Botanical gardens. There are lilac and white Magnolia trees blooming in spring. On the slopes there’s Lilac in full bloom with its sweet-tart and green aroma. I love rosarium in the summer. It is always interesting to put your nose into every bush of roses to find the whole variety of scents — some of them have different fruity undertones and some are spicy or marmalade-like. Autumnal Botanical gardens bring a stunning ambery scent blended by nature with the notes of bark  and decaying leaves.

As to the typical city smells I am interested in how museums smell like (and the ideal example for me is Bogdan and Varvara Hananko National Arts Museum). Also, street smells: asphalt, dust, whitewashing.

Anastasia Denisenkova: A perfume created with a city smell?

Bogdan Zubchenko/ BZ Parfums: I used this ‘museum note’ in my perfume called Alea 71.

 

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND

Zurich, photo by  profmpc on Flickr.com

Andy Tauer/ Tauer Perfumes: I think Zurich as a city is pretty clean and hence you miss many scents that you might find in other cities, like in the Metro of Paris, with its rich aroma of grease and dust. When arriving from a business trip back in Zurich, I always find the scent of the airport and the streets «clean» but not in the sense of artificially perfumed. It is almost like a mirror of the Zurich «unassumingness, or reservation». Folks in Zurich tend to be quiet, calm, and so is the city, in my places. There are spots, of course, where the scent of beer flows out from bars, where you smell cheap perfume around the corner. For me personally, the scent that is typical for Zurich is hence, not existing, it is the absence of many scents, dirt, smoke, cars (we have lots of cars in the city, but they are remarkable clean). Maybe one scent that you can say is typical in May and June: Linden blossom. We have lots of Linden trees and when they bloom they fill the streets (like Bahnhofstrasse, the main shopping street) with their sweet, green, honey perfume. Another present scent is the one from the river running through Zurich, the Limmat. And maybe — as Zurich is a very rich city — it is the scent of perfumed people who can afford to buy expensive scents.

Anastasia Denisenkova: How do the city smells change with seasons changing?

Andy Tauer/ Tauer Perfumes: The temperature difference between summer and winter are large in my town, and with it the way we smell changes. In summer, you have higher humidity that brings out different scents, you have the vegetation, the heat and sweating people in the tramways. In winter, it is cold, often grey, and you get the smell of wet dogs, people’s wet clothes, cold cigarette smoke as it sticks to the thick fabric of clothes. I guess the scent that more or less smells the same, is inside: inside shops, banks, or the coffee houses.

Anastasia Denisenkova: Favorite season’s scents?

Andy Tauer/ Tauer Perfumes: My favorite seasonal scent is coming in May: Then so many flowers and bushes bloom in the gardens in my area. Lilac, for instance. Lily of the valley. And many more. There are warm summer evenings in May when they fill the air with their narcotic perfume. It is wonderful, especially in the evening, when the area around my house gets quite and when there is just the humming from the city center with its trains and cars, the lights everywhere, peace and tranquility, and this perfume of late spring.

Anastasia Denisenkova: Favorite smell of Zurich?

Andy Tauer/ Tauer Perfumes: I think I really love the nearby woods, up on the hill, 10 minutes walk from where I live. I go there jogging every second day, in rain and snow, in sunshine and in grey weather and the air there is filled with wet earth, decaying leaves, bright fir trees with their incense. I think this is my favorite scent in Zurich. But honestly, it could be anywhere in the woods.

Anastasia Denisenkova: What about inspiration?

Andy Tauer/ Tauer Perfumes: As I travel a lot, for business and for my private joy, I get a lot of «input» and as I once said in another interview: There is inspiration everywhere. Thus, yes, I get inspirations in cities, be it Zurich or Rome.

 

GRASS, FRANCE

Grasse, photo by ntalka on Flickr.com

Geoffrey Nejman/ Parfums M.Micallef: Grasse is surely the world capital of perfume and therefore some species of flowers are giving a typical image of the city. I would select two: Jasmin and Rose Centifolia (the May rose). Both are emblematic of the region.

Anastasia Denisenkova: Do any smells of Grasse remain the same throughout all seasons?

Geoffrey Nejman/ Parfums M.Micallef: A scent is well engraved in your olfactive memory. So indeed, the season can change but the note remains.

Anastasia Denisenkova: Favorite season’s scents?

Geoffrey Nejman/ Parfums M.Micallef: For me the quintessence of scents is that typical very perfumed Rose Centifolia. My second choice would be the powdery mimosa in late winter.

Anastasia Denisenkova: Any special places in the city that you love for their smells?

Geoffrey Nejman/ Parfums M.Micallef: It is not really in the city that you smell the seducing notes. It is rather in the region around the city. Walk through a large lavandula field in mid-July and you’ll capture my feelings.

Anastasia Denisenkova: Do you sometimes get inspiration for your perfumes from such everyday city smells?

Geoffrey Nejman/ Parfums M.Micallef: Inspirations are rather caught in nature but it can happen anywhere. The scent of spices in market places, the scents in remote areas, in gardens. The scent of a dream, of imagination…

 

MADRID, SPAIN

Madrid, photo by  cuellar on Flickr.com

Oliver Valverde Risquez/ Oliver & Co.: I love coffee, it is not typical for Madrid but for me it is the most important smell in a big city. I can´t live without 3 or 4 cups of coffee a day, it’s my drug and I create perfumes under its effect :-)

Anastasia Denisenkova: Any other scents of Madrid?

Oliver Valverde Risquez/ Oliver & Co.: Tar, dust, probably oil painting… For me Madrid is not a very olfactory city. But I have recently discovered one of the most stunning odours I’ve ever smelled — given by silverberry trees.

Anastasia Denisenkova: Favorite seasons?

Oliver Valverde Risquez/ Oliver & Co.: I like spring and autumn when everything is changing, flowers are blooming and so on. Also love the typical autumnal smell of wet soil after the first rains.

Anastasia Denisenkova: Your favorite places that smell good in Madrid?

Oliver Valverde Risquez/ Oliver & Co.: Bakeries, coffee shops, tea shops, my laboratory. I know some perfumers make perfumes inspired by different cities. But I personally never experimented with that as I tend to focus my mind on other things — more abstract and less obvious.

 

VANCOUVER, CANADA

Vancouver, photo by DaveGPhotography on Flickr.com

Ayala Moriel/Ayala Moriel Parfums: Thinking of scents that are typical for my city I’ll say Sakura (Japanese cherry blossom) and Ume (Japanese sour plum blossoms). Elderflowers blooming in the edges of the rain forests and Stanley Park in particular (it’s the largest park in the city — fortunately located right in my neighborhood, the West End). This usually happens in late spring (mid-May to beginning of June). Linden blossoms on Robson street in the summer time (late June and July) — crystal clear like blue sky! Fallen leaves and cedar chips decaying and warming in the sun on a sunny autumn day. The crisp bite of cold air when it goes below 0 degrees celsius, and even more so right after it snows; the smell of snowdrop meadows in late winter.

Anastasia Denisenkova: Do you have in mind any smells of Vancouver that do not change throughout all seasons?

Ayala Moriel/Ayala Moriel Parfums: Salty ocean air and jet-fuel in Coal Harbour mingled with fresh-cut grass happens year-around. I love the ocean and the beach in any season, but the saltiness comes through stronger when it warms up a bit. There is also a certain musty, stale smell that is unique to Vancouver buildings. I can’t say I like it — it’s coming from mildew forming overtime in the wooden houses. Since we’re in the middle of the rainforest, decay is inescapable. Another significant smell is the intense skunk spray — not so unique to Vancouver, but all of Canada. By nightfall, they roam freely in the streets and get easily offended…

I love something about every season. But since I was born in the spring and am in love with flowers — I have a soft spot for this season. So I would say the Hanami season is my favourite (right about now, from March to April — when the cherry and plum trees are in bloom). My street is filled with those and the pink petals pile on the sidewalks like fluffy pink snow, and some whirl through my studio’s window carried by the sudden spring winds.

Anastasia Denisenkova: Any special places in the city that you love for their smells?

Ayala Moriel/Ayala Moriel Parfums: Entering Stanley Park from South Creek trail (though the Rose Garden and the cherry tree grove adjacent to it) you will be greeted by the crisp scent of the rainforest and conifers, mingled with cedar and decaying maple leaves. Together, this forms a sweet scent of an ambery Chypre!

City smells inspire me more often than never. Bon Zai, one of my earliest perfumes (created in 2001, when I began composing perfumes). Rainforest  (also from 2001) is a very realistic portrayal of Pacific Northwest rain forests — in particular walking in the rain in Stanley Park. My Hanami perfume (2006) was greatly inspired by the cherry trees in full bloom at the train station on Burrard street. Orcas (2011), though inspired by the coasts of Tofino and Uclulet (the west beaches of Vancouver Island, facing the open Pacific ocean), was mostly conceived and composed on the beaches of Vancouver, where rosemary bushes mingle with the scent of the salty ocean air. And currently, I am working on a perfume inspired by Coal Harbour.

 

BOSTON, USA

Boston, photo by Werner Kunz on Flickr.com

Neil Morris/ Neil Morris Fragrances: There are scents I associate with Boston, though I’m not going to say that those scents are to be found only in Boston.

Anastasia Denisenkova: Any favorite season’s scents?

Neil Morris/ Neil Morris Fragrances: Spring scents are in the air in Boston right now. I especially love the smells of the Magnolia trees that line Commonwealth Ave. In spring they are just gorgeous! The scent of the sea air mixed with city air at the waterfront remains the same through all the seasons.

Anastasia Denisenkova: You mentioned a Japanese garden a while ago when we discussed places you loved for their scents — hasn’t it changed for you? Any other place?

Neil Morris/ Neil Morris Fragrances: Besides the Japanese garden at the Museum of Fine Arts, I also love the sights and smells at the Esplanade park along the Charles river. There was a time when the river didn’t smell so good but they have since cleaned it up and now runners and strollers and sun worshipers can all enjoy it.

Anastasia Denisenkova: Is there a perfume inspired by city smells?

Neil Morris/ Neil Morris Fragrances: Yes, in fact I have a perfume called CITY RAIN, which was inspired by the scent of large raindrops beginning to fall on the hot sidewalk during a summer walk through the city.

 

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA

Adelaide, photo by  Rikx on Flickr.com

Liz Cook/ One Seed: Typical scents representing my town of Adelaide (South Australia) are lemon scented eucalypt and also frangipani. Both are found in most streets i n every neighbourhood, as is jasmine. Our summer air is full of the mingled sweet scent of jasmine, frangipani and lemon scented gum.

Anastasia Denisenkova: Any favorite season’s scents?

Liz Cook/ One Seed: I love the smell of summer in Adelaide. All of those scents I described above, plus the smell of over-ripe figs and lawns being watered on a balmy summers evening.

Anastasia Denisenkova: What places in the town do you love for their smells?

Liz Cook/ One Seed: I love the smell of our famers markets! Fresh bread, sweet cakes and small goods, fresh apples, smelly cheese…So enticing!

Anastasia Denisenkova: Do you get inspiration from such everyday smells?

Liz Cook/ One Seed: Not from the farmers market, but definitely from the smells of nature. My fragrance Sweet Water was inspired by exactly the summer evening experience I described above.

 

WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND

Wellington, photo from my honeymoon

Francesco van Eerd/Fragrifert Parfumeur: Thinking of endemic Wellington scents I think I’ll go with the smell of Pohutukawa (Metrosideros Excelsa). It is New Zealand’s national tree and also called NZ Christmas tree as it flowers abundantly at Christmas time (= the middle of summer down here!). The flowers consist of all stamens (no petals at all!!!), and these stamens have a faint but distinct raspberry smell. I’m working on a way to extract their fragrance at the moment for my ‘New Zealand Perfumes’ range.

Anastasia Denisenkova: Smells that are the same year-round?

Francesco van Eerd/Fragrifert Parfumeur: It’s not specifically Wellington but more all of New Zealand, and that is the smell of the damp earth in the bush. It is the same year-round, and has a slightly phenolic, medicinal note that I haven’t smelled anywhere else in the soils of the world.

Anastasia Denisenkova: Short notes for all four seasons?

Francesco van Eerd/Fragrifert Parfumeur: Spring: NZ Flax (Harakeke/Phormium Tenax); very dark, similar to OakMoss in its earthy aspect but with a distinct difference as well, a bit more ’supple’? Again, I’m working on extracting this fragrance. Summer:  the smell of rain on hot tarmac after a long dry spell. Autumn:  ripe blackberries. Winter: a lemon spiked with cloves (just add vanilla and you’ve got Old Spice!)

Anastasia Denisenkova: Any special places in Wellington that you love for their smells?

Francesco van Eerd/Fragrifert Parfumeur: The Indian spice shop in Newtown and florists shops!

Anastasia Denisenkova: And no doubt you get inspiration for your perfumes from everyday city smells?

Francesco van Eerd/Fragrifert Parfumeur: Certainly do! All the time in fact. You never know where they might come in handy, or what they might turn into.

 

I would love to travel more but our journey has come to an end. I’m giving my hearty thanks and much love to all perfumers for taking their time to respond to my questions and for providing us with great descriptions of their cities’ scents.