With their headquarters in Paris and a number of privately owned sustainable plantations in Asia, Fragrance Du Bois are quite unashamedly oudh-obsessed – and are world experts in the protection and harvesting of what’s sometimes known as ‘liquid gold’.
Derived from the dark resinous wood of the Aquilaria tree, oudh (often spelled ‘oud’) is an utterly fascinating material – a resin that occurs in less than 7% of trees, in the wild. Which explains why the material is so precious – and, sought-after. In fact, so Fragrance Du Bois tell us: ‘Due to illegal logging, wild resources have been severely depleted. So, since 2004, all species of the Aquilaria tree have been protected under CITES [Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species].’
So Fragrance Du Bois have taken a stand by putting themselves at the forefront of condemning the use of oudh from illegal sources – and, beyond that, have made it their mission to educate the perfume industry and fragrance buyers alike. ‘Only pure oudh oil, produced from trees nurtured and managed on our own plantations, is used in our fragrances,’ they explain. ‘This means that we can absolutely guarantee that it is from a sustainable and ethical source.’
Using some of the best noses in the world to craft their fragrances, apart from their emphasis on sustainability, the house are known for their elegant and always surprising use of this precious material – and we were delighted last night to be invited to a showcase at Jovoy Mayfair, to experience some of their soon-to-be-launched latest collections…
Fragrances for the hair have been flourishing these past couple of years (one of our favourite layering techniques), and Jovoy tell us that many customers ask for ‘hair perfumes’ as soon as they walk through the door – fascinating to see what once was a trend has now grown into a full-blown fragrance category of its own. How timely, then, that Fragrance Du Bois are launching three Hair Mists of their own in early November – featuring three key best-selling fragrances of the range: Oud Rose, Oud Orange and Oud Jaune.
A red velvet-lined case, meanwhile, held five of the seven exciting new fragrances launching in February 2020, and of course we had to get a sneaky sniff. Capturing the essence of the fashion capitals of the world, there’s the beautifully cool Milano and two moods of New York: 5th Avenue, a breezy, sophisticated day-perfect scent; and New York Intense: a moody, sensual, sensational atmosphere that felt sweetly hushed and utterly addictive. Cannabis Blue captured a heady, smoky atmosphere shot through with fruity, fresh eucalyptus, and Velvet Amber was reach-out and stroke-me sexy with a heftier dose of oud and oodles of supple velvet/leather in the base. We cannot wait to finally get to wear them!
Want to try some of their fragrances for yourself at home? We know not everyone happens to live within easy reach of a niche perfumery, so we are thrilled to stock the Fragrance Du Bois Discovery Set in our shop.
Each fragrance expresses true mastery of this unique ‘liquid gold’ (as oudh oil is known). You’ll fall in love, we guarantee it – even you oudh naysayers!
Be transported to exotic fragrant lands, happy in the knowledge that Fragrance Du Bois is also looking after caring for the environment, planting a tree for every full size fragrance purchased! What’s not to LOVE? Go on: sniff these FIVE FABULOUS FRAGRANCES for yourself…
Fragrance Du Bois Discovery Set £20 for 5 x 2ml eau de parfum
By Suzy Nightingale
