AoP 5: Floral Oriental

The world can be divided into two groups: those who read liner notes and those who do not. I am one of the former. The "stories" on Art of Perfumery's website for each fragrance are pretty great liner notes. They provide a glimpse into the perfumer's own creative process and descriptions by the creative experts themselves. This is heaven to the likes of me. As I read and smell, I can receive the scent with the benefit of a trained nose's interpretation.

AoP 5: Floral Oriental has some of the best liner notes on the site. First, the mystery perfumer describes an earlier experience creating bases for oriental perfumes. The perfumer expresses a particular fondness for oriental perfumes because of their daring quality. Most educational is the nose's account of this composition itself and how it works.

AoP 5 is built on a structure of vanilla extracts, tonka beans, benzoin, myrrh, sandalwood and patchouli. The perfumer speaks of how (s)he created a spicy dry freshness with clove and cardamom and a trace of nutmeg that was “moistened” a little with Chinese geranium and ylang ylang from Madagascar.

I read the liner notes and sniffed. Yes, the spices are dry and fresh relative to the oiliness of both ylang ylang and geranium. The base has a formidable strength but retains its delicacy and magic. When smelling AoP 5, I never feel I am smelling one of the notes in that core theme above the others. The most prominent aspect to my nose is the tonka bean, with its tobacco flavor. However, the other notes in the oriental soul of this base accord have smoothness and depth.

My favorite part of the liner notes for AoP 5 bears quoting:

"There is a lovely perfumery “trompe l’oeil” in the body of the perfume – a light touch of a beautiful aniseed, almost liquorice note which has been created purely through the interaction of the ingredients - there is absolutely no aniseed at all in the creation. For the top of the fragrance I’ve used a trio of essential oils - mandarin, lemon and bergamot - which give an incredible lift to the opening effect. Both the bergamot and the mandarin are Italian sourced but the lemon is an Argentinian oil which gave me the sharpness I was looking for. It’s a stunning start."

The anise effect is miraculous and evident. I feel the satisfaction of a chemistry experiment when I read this note and find that I myself smell the touch of aniseed.

I note with pleasure how the perfumer described AoP 5 from base to top, which shows that a creator wrote this story, not a commentator. If I set out to review AoP 5 or any perfume, I would instinctively describe its top notes first, then heart, and finally the base because that is the order in which one smells a perfume. The perfumer describes the perfume from its base to top because the base is the foundation of the perfume on which the rest of the fragrance relies.

AoP 5 may be my favorite fragrance by the house due to the magic tale (see liner notes)it weaves. It weaves the tale of its own creation.

Maybe perfume can tell a story.


To view the source of the image of the Persian rug, or Gabbeh above click here.