Frozen Accords in Perfumery

Frozen Accords in Perfumery

If there was ever a fragrance trend inspired by Canada, it has to be frozen accords. This trending movement in perfumery involves the concept of putting ingredients into a deep freeze and using notes that cause a momentary chill on the skin. Master perfumers like Nathalie Lorson, Bruno Jovanovic and Alberto Morillas have been experimenting with this technique for several years composing some chilling eaux de parfums.

A frozen accord in perfumery is a scent that evokes the smell of frozen berries, flowers and even woods. It’s a blend of different ingredients that creates the emotion or mood of ice or snow. Sorbet is a great example. Imagine indulging in frosty lemon granita on a summer’s day – the immediate chilling effect and the flavour of the citrus amplified by the cold. This is another way that perfumers can give popular notes a fresh twist or facet. Perfumer Dora Bagriche is famous for reimagining berries like raspberry by freezing them.

Nathalie Lorson’s stunning Vetiver Glacier for Montblanc Collection is one of the shining examples of the frozen accord trend. Here’s how she approached translating mountains, glaciers and snow-capped peaks into a fragrance.

“I immersed myself into these raw, pristine landscapes of pure and absolute beauty. My aim was to convey the sense of coldness and dizzy heights, as well as the breathtaking immensity. I wanted to write a modern story about cold crispness,” she says. “I worked with vetiver, a noble wood in all its verticality, and of course, I chose raw materials carefully as they had to echo Montblanc’s timeless elegance and exceptional expertise.”

She says she chose the cool, fiery, metallic notes of black pepper, which brings a real energy and spicy thrill to the scent.

Perfumer Alberto Morillas describes his Bvlgari MAN Glacial Essence this way: “A high-contrast fragrance that is an icy, liberating breath of air for every man who wears it. The freshness of its sparkling top notes awakens an unexpected woody and vigorous heart, culminating in the intense and ambitious tones of the crystallized dry down. The elemental powder of a woody fougere fragrance, crystallized by ice.”

Of course, there are different ingredients you can use to create a frozen facet in a scent. Perfumer Bruno Jovanovic chose clary sage to evoke snow-capped mountains in Montblanc Explorer Platinum. The biennial herbaceous perennial plant, that is distilled into a fragrant oil has a green, fresh aroma that can have leathery, musky facets. In the world of aromatherapy, the oil is often used to promote stillness and inner quiet – not unlike viewing a mountain in wintertime.

Expect to see more frozen accords in the coming months. It allows perfumers a new way of working with popular notes.

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