LAYERING NOTES
Concoct your own bespoke scent from Gucci’s garden of haute fragrances. By Arissa Ha
When Gucci’s Creative Director Alessandro Michele dreamed up The Alchemist’s Garden, he was inspired by the mysterious ancient practice which sought to transmute base metals like lead into gold. Launched in 2019, the collection of fragrances paid homage to the concept of an alchemist’s laboratory, where various aromatic oils and essences could be combined to create scented elixirs—liquid gold, if you will.
To date, Michele’s collaboration with master perfumer Alberto Morillas includes 14 perfumes (eaux de parfum), four perfumed oils and three scented waters (acque profumate), housed in apothecary-style bottles. “We began with the violet, and from essences that came from the world of flowers, because the smell of a flower, the smell of something that belongs to nature, evokes something very powerful, which belongs to something that lies far away in our memories. We imagined returning home from the summer. What is the smell when it starts raining in the city?” says Michele. For him, the ability of a fragrance to tell a story, to evoke a certain atmosphere, trigger a memory or transport one to the past in an instant, is at the heart of the collection.
Each eau de parfum captures the essence of a hero ingredient such as rose, oud, amber violet, wood, mimosa and iris. The two latest creations in the collection—Tears from the Moon and Love at your Darkest—are centred on the delicate lily of the valley and spicy black pepper respectively. Tears from the Moon radiates with lightness and elegance in a perfectly layered floral bouquet that captures the beauty of white flowers such as lily of the valley, stephanotis and white peony. Contrasting with this lightness is the deep and woody spice that is Love at your Darkest, where black pepper is combined with the warmth of incense and cedarwood for a rich and sensual fragrance.
Though you can appreciate the scents on their own, they achieve a greater dimension and depth when they are mixed and layered—you are encouraged to experiment and find a combination that speaks to you. “The oils and acque profumate create individual statements. Personalise your beloved scent with an oil or a floral water to build a unique sillage,” suggests Morillas. “Each oil or floral water can be layered with each eau de parfum. Just play with the scent to find your favourite, as an alchemist would work to find the gold formula.” ■
Experience The Alchemist’s Garden at Gucci Beauty’s new boutique located at #B2-44/46 ION Orchard and find your perfect alchemy of scents.