Fragrances for Earth Day April 22nd

  Earth  as seen from space by AI Michelyn

I thought the earth

remembered me, she

took me back so tenderly, arranging

her dark skirts, her pockets

full of lichens and seeds. I slept

as never before, a stone

on the riverbed, nothing

between me and the white fire of the stars

but my thoughts. ~  excerpt from Sleeping in the Forest, by Mary Oliver

Earth Day, April 22nd! Where do we begin? It’s an impossible task, to ask someone to choose three fragrances to represent it. As an individual who cannot help herself – who craves earthy scents on a regular basis – well. A minor nervous breakdown in the making. After much consideration, I felt it best to choose three gorgeous perfumes which probably fly under the radar for a number of people; all the more reason to bring them to the foreground. Their creative directors/perfumers each espouse a very different perception, which is the point: something here for everyone. Let’s explore!

Let’s commence with Amber Jobin’s Aether Arts Perfume EarthRise, composed in 2022. “There may be life out there and habitable planets we could maybe call home but the logistics of this are only nominally within our grasp. Much better instead to see the Earth for what it really is: our mother, our spaceship and the source of all life as we know it. It’s time to rise to the challenge, to rise up as inhabitants of this planet to protect and save not only ourselves but all life on this beautiful, blue marble floating in space.” ~ Amber Jobin

Amber Jobin of Aether Arts Perfume

 Artisanal perfumer Amber Jobin is one of my undersung heroes: a talented iconoclast true to her own moral/artistic compass, and a genuinely lovely human being to boot. I’ll hand her my money any day. I referred to her 2022 fragrance dedicated to Earth Day, EarthRise – as “a billet-doux to our planet, an aromatic love-symphony composed of sea, soil and atmosphere.” I stand by that impression. The only element of the four that was not represented was fire, but it’s nothing to quibble about. EarthRise wafts an ozonic/woody, salty driftwood facet which evokes both bracing sea air and the boundless ocean; it never sails into Calone (Firmenich) overdose territory. This alone is significant because it varies from a tried-and-true approach which perfumers have employed for many years. Geosmin conjures freshly turned soil; Amber garnishes the composition with green florals to excellent effect. Creamy and intricate sandalwood notes anchor us to the Mother. Quirky and wonderful, EarthRise celebrates our blue marble – all the while mirroring its fascinating creator.

Notes: atmosphere and ocean accord (ozone, salt water), verdant earth accord (rich soil, green and flowering plants, opulent sandalwood accord (featuring sustainably-sourced santalum album and multifaceted sandalwood notes)

 Madrone trees alive and dead  photo by Dr. Ellen Covey

 Olympic Orchids Woodcut (Dr. Ellen Covey 2014): “Winner of the 2015 Art and Olfaction Award in the artisan category, Woodcut links our contemporary, technology-based society to raw nature. Strong lines and delicate tracery combine to tell an archetypal tale of man’s rape of the earth. Ecology and natural perfumery go hand in hand. As a perfumer who uses a lot of natural materials, I like to know how they are obtained, and try to avoid ones that are endangered or clearly being over-harvested in the wild.”  ~ Dr. Ellen Covey

 Dr. Ellen Covey of Olympic Orchids Perfume

Dr. Ellen Covey of Olympic Orchids Perfume is a polymath who turned her talented hand to the art of perfumery years ago – and perfumery has never been the same since. She never puts forth the same concept twice. It’s no wonder that her Woodcut was accorded first place in 2015’s Art and Olfaction Artisan category; I just sprayed some on to refresh my memory, and it continues to delight me. 11 years have come and gone, and no one has been able to replicate or capture its brilliant photorealism since. Woodcut is a call to arms, a poignant reminder that responsible reforesting and preservation of our woodlands is essential to our own well-being and the health of our planet. Through its 80% natural fragrance format, Woodcut vividly evokes a forest primaeval singed with smoke: the addition of burnt sugar/caramelised vanillic notes both rounds out and extends our impression of a forest fire in real time (whether it is by design, carelessness, or act of nature). Pines, cedars, the mighty oak – each manifests its voice, enhanced by the inclusion of olibanum. Woodcut echoes these sylvan tones with a profound sense of comfort.

Notes: fractional distillations of pine and cedar, oakwood absolute, tolu balsam, olibanum, caramel, burnt sugar, vanilla.

 Neela Vermeire via Facebook

Creative Director Neela Vermeire of Neela Vermeire Creations developed her triad of fragrances over a period of several years, including those preceding and during COVID lockdown. Neela fondly referred to her Fragments Collection as “figments of our fragrant imagination”: the new flacons possessed a fresh, modern look which was elegantly accompanied by the winsome illustrations of Massimo Alfaioli. Fragments were a departure from her previous perfumes. While I loved all three of them, I selected Nemus for review – quite possibly because the name Nemus translates from the Latin as ‘glade’ or pasture – and definitely because of its sprightly verdancy.

 Fragments by NVC Nemus (2022) Collage by Michelyn

Neela’s inspiration arose from the idea of visual greens and regeneration (perfect for Earth Day), and Nemus is nothing if not an evolving representation of her stimulus. The fragrance opens with vivacity derived from cedrat, bergamot, lemon, ginger, and clary sage: zesty! Geranium imparts an herbal floralcy of which I’m particularly fond, at which juncture Nemus then segues into a woody salinity provided by tea, cedar, oud, and ambergris. Nagarmotha and lemony frankincense accentuate its earthy quality. A very tender patchouli tone contributes a deepening to the entire composition. Nemus takes you on a journey with several twists and turns before it settles into a contemplative sylvan cloud.Fragments by NVC Nemus Notes: Notes: cedrat, bergamot, lemon, ginger, clary sage, eranium, tea, cedar, oudh, ambergris, nagarmotha, frankincense, patchouli

 We at ÇaFleureBon hope that you will join us in our desire to celebrate, preserve, and protect our planet on Earth  Day and every day.

 Samples kindly provided by the perfumers – many thanks! My nose is my own.

~ Ida Meister, Deputy and Natural Perfumery Editor

 Please read Dr. Ellen Covey of Olympic Perfumes Profiles In American Perfumery, Creative Directors in Perfumery Neela Vermeire, and Amber Jobin of Aether Arts Profiles in American Perfumery.

Thanks to the generosity of both Olympic Orchids Woodcut and Aether Arts Perfume Earthrise we have a 30 ml bottle of Woodcut AND 2ml of Earthrise for one registered reader USA only who will win both You must register. To be eligible, please leave a comment about what appealed to you about Ida’s three perfumes for Earth Day, where in the USA you reside and if you celebrate earth day. Draw closes 4/24/2026

all photos via the perfumers unless otherwise stated

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