Description
18.1 PRALINÉ DE SANTAL
Theme 18: Sandalwood – Woody Powdery
A limited edition initially launched in 2011, PRALINÉ DE SANTAL was snapped up and sold out by our retailers in just a few days… “collector” bottles at impressive prices then appeared on second-hand sites, much to the dismay of fans.
Requests for returns of this fragrance continued unabated for over a decade.
THE INSPIRATION
A woody mischief
In 2009, at the height of the perfumer’s “Dark Gourmand*” period, a fan challenged the perfumer during a joyful and passionate in-store customer-creator meeting:
– “Make us a sandalwood-hazelnut…but nothing sweet!”
The latter, amused by the interesting association, simply replied:
– “A subject for an essay… I dare you!”
THE FRAGRANCE
A Sandalwood that is both monolithic in its proportions and ethereal in its evolution, tenderly powdery and enhanced by just-roasted hazelnut.
In the heart, the perfumer uses the powdery strength and diffusive power of heliotrope to energize and space out the notes: the accord gains in volume and lightness, sandalwood is omnipresent without collapsing.
In the base notes, Cedarwood stiffens the sandalwood and gives it verticality, while Fleur de Sel gives it a driftwood air and definitively neutralizes any hint of sweetness.
THE NAME
Praliné (not praline) de Santal, suggesting the harmony of hazelnut and sandalwood in a very French… and very PG way.
(*) Dark Gourmand: refers to the olfactory genre which, from 2005 to 2012, clearly characterized the personal style of composer Pierre GUILLAUME and contributed to the development of his Maison de Parfums. Opulent, baroque compositions in which balmy notes (= greedy but not sweet) conceal a deep darkness, probably an unconscious reflection of what the designer felt in his private life.
