Esxence 2022 – The Art Perfumery Event turned out to be a success: numbers have arrived, and they are impressive. This is my Esxence Report Part III – about more new fragrances, brands, collections, meetings, and events!
Abundance –Â manifested in so many new perfume releases, collections, new brands, and an ample quantity of joyous meetings and reunions after three long years was so omnipresent at Esxence. Here are the official numbers and stats (source: Equipe Milano):
– Esxence 2022: 281 exhibitor brands (+25% on the previous edition in 2019), of which 108 Main Brands and 173 Spotlight Brands
– 31 countries of origin of the brands (including some new entries: Japan, Australia, Argentina, Hungary, and Hong Kong)
– 8,000 square meters of exhibition space (this perfectly explains my swollen feet!)
– 70% of all exhibitors came from abroad (of Italy)
– 9,200 visitors!
– 70% of all Esxence visitors were professionals.
Following my Esxence 2022 Overview, and Editors Pick of New Perfumes, I want to share with you more.
More information, more new fragrances, even whole collections! Since this report is on an informative level and based on my first impressions while testing and wearing all these fragrances at home, there’s still a lot of work ahead of me, and reviews of chosen perfumes will follow!
Let’s start from the entrance to Pavilion 16 of MiCo and move along the isles:
SUMMER JOURNEY /CARNER BARCELONA
SAL Y LIMON
Lemon, Lime, Bergamot, fizzy, and a tad salty – why am I thinking about tequila shots in beach bars? My favorite from this line – we are amidst a heat wave, so pardon me, but I need as many fizzy lemons as I can get. Refreshing, musky-clean, and lively. Color me yellow – me happy. It performs well in high temperatures, trust me – I sprayed it on the first day and went out on +38C in Milan.
Notes: Italian Lemon, Lime, Bergamot, Cassis, Orange Flower, Jasmine, Amber, Musk, Patchouli.
TENNIS CLUB
Color me green: grass turf, pine trees, and a whiff of salty sea air, amped up by aldehydes: very easy-going, refreshing, bitter, and relaxing. White tennis wear, sunglasses, and cold drinks in a fancy tennis club – wide smiles and no worries.
Notes: Italian Bergamot, Petitgrain, Orange Sanguine, Neroli, Orange Flower, Marine Accord, Musk, Cedarwood, Solar Accord.Â
SUPER MOON
And the night falls, somewhere in the Mediterranean basin; the Moon is bright, yellowish-orange, and nights are refreshing and perfect for late dinners, chatting with friends over cocktails, or simply sitting down, relaxing, and looking at stars and constellations, preferably far away from light pollution. Life is good, it smells like freshly opened ripe pomegranates, a bowl of cassis taken out of the refrigerator, and earth under your feet cooling off in the evening breeze. I’m enjoying how it develops on my skin.
Notes: Italian Yellow Mandarin, Cassis, Pomegranate, LOTV, Jasmine, White Amber, Indonesian Patchouli, Vetiver, Musk.Â
BESO BEACH
I was rather into passionate kisses at first: figs are sexy, you’ve got to admit that. Now, imagine eating a ripe fig from inside out, and kissing straight afterward under the very tree you picked it from. The night is young, anything might happen under that fig tree…or not.
Notes: Italian Bergamot, Ginger, Cardamom, Fig, Virginia Cedarwood, Green Tea, Akigalawood, Vetiver Haiti, White Amber. Perfumer:Â Jordi Fernandez
SOLARO COLLECTION / UERMI
Well hello, la bella Italia! Here comes a sub-line of 4 fragrances, a tribute to Dolce Vita, joy, bright colors, and effortless sensuality – created by Pierre Gueros. Forever on vacation mood olfactory impressions, launched just before the season of vacations begins in Europe.
Solaro line of fragrances is inspired by Solaro fabric (the very one Palmiro Peaquin wore when I met him at the stand): “a perfect fabric for the mid-seasons and in particular for the hot summer days. A medium-weight wool fabric, whose structure is usually available in the diagonal version (classic gabardine) and the wide or narrow herringbone. As for the color, one of them is an iconic one: on the front greenish beige color with slightly iridescent shades of red and brick red on the reverse.” (Source: The Solaro suit: the history of the fabric, how to wear it and match it (lanieri.com)
I love the names of these four new fragrances:
L’ISOLA CHE NON C’E / AN ISLAND THAT IS NOTÂ
Hello, sunshine! A whiff of salty air carried by warm breeze, refreshing in the heat, sharp, foamy because it rolled over waves hitting a rocky beach, and sparkling. It swirls around a glass of cold lemonade you’re about to drink, with chunks of freshly cut ginger in it. Summertime and the living is easy…in shade, under green leaves. Sunshine, sunshine all the way to the drydown, with soft amber, tender cedarwood, and just a bit of earthy vetiver.
IL SOLE DENTRO / THE SUN INSIDE (OF YOU)
Big, bright, and orange Sun it is! An impression of freshly squeezed oranges and the first, morning coffee – just as temperatures begin to rise. A very interesting combination of coffee-geranium-helichrysum notes, opulent, rich, and somehow so…familiar and relaxing.
DOVE L’ACQUA E PIU BLU / WHERE THE WATER IS BLUER
Ommmm – my favorite at the moment: a marine fragrance that is not what you might expect. The opening is bright and fresh, with bergamot and mandarin notes. And then a surprise rolls in – its heart is gently floral, and this fools you completely, because this floral turns fully marine (in a very elegant way). This perfume continues to surprise me as it develops further, with very nice patchouli mixed with sea algae, and even further down the line, rolling into musks. Very interesting composition!
TIME CAPSULE / NISHANE
This is a new Collection of Nishane fragrances presented at Esxence, consisting of four fragrances – all with names in Esperanto.
Mert Guzel and Murat Katran invited four very famous perfumers: Jean-Louis Siuzeac, Dominique Ropion, Carlos Benaim, and Anne Flipo to create around concepts of Action, Time, Place, and Belief in the world we are living in. All are extraits de parfum, in 50 and 100 ml sizes.
PAPILEFIKO
As I wrote in my Esxence Milano 2022 Report Part II, Papilefiko, constructed from the words Papilia Efiko, means Butterfly Effect:
Master Ropion seems to have been inspired by the idea, but contrary to what you might expect, his vision of the Butterfly effect doesn’t portray a gentle, fragile-winged, vulnerable creature that lives and dies inside one day, helpless and weak, unaware of what it is doing: this Butterfly leaves an effect that is deep and meaningful, a series of sparks burst when it deliberately moves its wings made of cardamom and coriander, thus leading to a great-scale variation of reality filled with slightly indolic (jasmine) and balsamic (fir) notes, ending in the realization of grandeur one small action can lead to, rolling in deep and mossy-dark tones.
Notes: Coriander, Citruses and Cardamom, Lavender, Jasmine and Artemisia, Styrax, Balsam Fir, and Moss
TEMPFLUO
Created by Anne Flipo, meaning Time Flow (in Esperanto), and the idea behind Tempfluo is Carpe Diem! (seize the day) – it will go away anyway…
The fresh and bitter opening of Tempfluo showcases saffron in the background, and as time goes by a lush Jasmine Sambac, white flowers accord takes over, moving very slowly into warm and spicy, and later on gourmand territory.
Notes: bergamot oil, mandarin, saffron, jasmine Sambac absolute, orange flower, praline, cashmere wood, cedarwood, vanilla.
TERO
Meaning Earth, a fragrance composed by Carlos Benaim, dedicated to Planet Earth, the world we live in, the only world we have – and it needs to be respected and taken care of.
Tero opens with cold spices and traces of salt, then moves to warm spices and earthy tones of patchouli. Woody notes enhanced by Vetiver Haiti add depth, a touch of smoke, and a slightly nutty feeling.
Notes: salty caramel, black pepper, Sichuan pepper absolute, patchouli, cinnamon bark, vetiver oil Haiti, amber, oakwood.
KREDO
Belief in Esperanto, a fragrance created by Jean-Louis Siuzeac.
It seems that these beliefs are the spice of life: Kredo opens with an intense cardamom burst, powered by a bright and cheerful pink pepper tingle. Beliefs are also hot, tainted by emotions and passionate human interactions.
Warm, spicy, dry woody, and resting on soft leather, Kredo is definitely a fragrance I would wear on Autumn or Winter days.
Notes: pink pepper, cardamom, osmanthus absolute, oud accord, sandalwood, suede.
The best party of Esxence 2022? Nishane, of course!
MASQUE MILANO, MILANO FRAGRANCE, AND MORE MEMBERS OF THE MASQUE FAMILY!
As you might know, the Masque Milano collection is “closed” with the latest releases Sleight of Fern and White Whale (and I loved them both).
The latest fragrance in the Milano Fragranze collection is Piazza Affari, dedicated to the Italian Stock Exchange. So, it’s a fougere, a “gentleman’s choice” – created by Cecile Matton. And a lovely and smooth fragrance it is, leaning classic, very easy to wear and enjoy. Simple and elegant, with an interesting take on the Geranium and Lavender combo.
But, that’s not all: feel free to check the Artistic Fragrances website and all the brands included: Masque Milano, Milano Fragranze, Malbrum, Mignone&C plus something new, not on the website yet: Mignone will come in beautiful bottles (I forgot to take a photo!), with recreations of formulas from the past. This brand disappeared in the 1940ies, and shall be revived soon!
ORMONDE JAYNEÂ
Inspired by the mythical gardens of Babylon, with an intense Blackcurrant opening, The opening and the heart of the fragrance are alluring, with an interesting play of rather intriguing floral accents, powdery tones, and soft musks, and a touch of very discreet vanilla.
And then, the drydown moves into the intense fruity-floral-vanilla-sweet-gourmand direction that lingers on my skin. Will test and wear Babylonia again, perhaps when temperatures drop.
Notes: Black Currant, Davana, Bergamot and Pink Pepper, Orris, Violet, Orange Blossom, Bellflower, Siam Benzoin, Vanilla Absolute, Praline, and White Musk
FILIPPO SORCINELLI
Filippo Sorcinelli presented quite a lot at Esxence 2022, I envy his energy and sparkling creativity: he and the team presented the new Lux Visionaria, in collaboration with Bianca De La Garza (an American-Mexican TV person) – and the cap on this bottle is white for a change-Bianca and it belongs into art and sharing_collection. (incense, vanilla, patchouli, amber, saffron, myrrh, LOTV, woods, ambrette, jasmine, ylang-ylang, artemisia, smoky accents). If you like Filippo’s incense-themed fragrances, this time in a very smooth and polished interpretation, do try Lux Visionaria.
SuperFluent? _collection was presented at Esxence 2022 as well, his cosmetics and body care line, with two new additions: Luce dei Cuori and Dolcissimo Sollievo.
But that’s not all: he also organized a series of events in Milan during Esxence 2022, olfactory X SE collection dinner, and cocktails, and he played the organ in the Can Carlo al Lazzareto church…and so on! He is spectacular (and I couldn’t keep up with all the events)!
Immediately after Esxence Milan 2022, Filippo flew to Rome, only to release yet another fragrance – You Are Petrus (vanilla, tonka fava, patchouli, moss, jasmine, woody notes, cedar, dewy fruits, bergamot, orange, mandarin)Â – for sale exclusively in his newly opened shop – containter_zerozero in Rome!
Off-Esxence
I could talk more about brands and perfumes exhibiting in Pavilion 16 MiCO during Esxence 2022, but – as always, there’s MORE.
Events, olfactive dinners, cocktails, presentations, and meetings with perfumers and brand owners that visited the Fair (just in case you’re still wondering why I came home with swollen feet):
APRIL AROMATICSÂ
I was informed about this new fragrance sometime prior to its launch, and I also knew that some great (and expensive) raw materials were used in a formula she decided to keep for herself.
Lost in Roses is beautiful! Bittersweet, joyful, optimistic field of fresh roses shaking off the morning dew. A refreshing take on the subject, displaying slightly fruity facets of roses, naturally sweet, and turning honeyed as you dip your nose deep into the flower itself.
I love the way Iris is used in this composition, adding to its richness of it, and blending smoothly with the depths of sandalwood. ‘Tis a beauty! (and I love beautiful rose-themed fragrances: this is a very refreshing take, indeed).
Again, I forgot to take GOOD Esxence 2022 photos with Tanja – we did try to make some around the Osmotheque stand where we first met at the Fair, but there’s no rush: we’ll meet again.
Notes: pink grapefruit, Turkish rose absolute, Bulgarian rosa Damascena, rose accord, iris, lilac, fruity accords, floral accords, sandalwood
RICARDO RAMOS
An unexpected Esxence meeting – in the Cantina, level -1! Big smiles, a lot of laughter, and off we go – sampling some of his fragrances. Simply marvelous, I’m so happy that we managed to meet finally!
This is his new fragrance: The Rock Lobster. Yes, that’s the name, and it’s fun. Notes might be described as lobster (of course), soda pop, and…hairspray (that’s what I’ve been told). It is bright, bubbly, and it feels pink and rock-glam fabulous, very odd and satisfying at the same time.
Rock Lobster is a tribute to the song by B-52, released in 1979 – and the perfume feels like a fun and spontaneous beach party, so Sca-do-ba-da, Sca-do-ba-da, I like it! A lot.
ELEMENTALS EVENT AND PERFUME LAUNCH
Last, but not least, since all these entries are in no particular order, I must tell you about a wonderful off-Esxence event organized by Elementals Fragrance: a Special Edition perfume was revealed in the NH Collection City Life Hotel – formerly the Chiesa Cristo Re church – with a beautiful terrace, and Deana Wyland-Fries welcomed us warmly.
This was quite an extraordinary off-Esxence event, for many good reasons: the importance of a leap of faith, meeting old friends and making new ones, and (finally!) smelling the new Tong Ren!
Three beautiful souls got together: Deana, perfumer Alexandre Isaie Helwani and artist Cristian Marianciuc – a natural perfume, accompanied by a perfume-inspired paper crane that takes your breath away.
Tong Ren (to be released in September) is very…cornucopias! Oh, the horn of plenty, spilling its content all over my skin! Abundance! Nourishment! The joy of life, and vibrant happiness. I almost couldn’t believe that it is all-natural! Tong Ren certainly deserves more space and words, so please be patient with me: coming up, and really soon!
Keep your eyes on Alexandre Isaie Helwani as a perfumer: this is a promise of many great things yet to come!
Now, when I look back, I think that I did well – one person can’t possibly cover the whole Esxence 2022 and all brands exhibiting, not even on an informative level. There’s beauty in that too: when you read other writers’ reports, you might notice that they’ve covered completely different perfumes and brands like we were not at the same exhibition at all!
I don’t look at reporting from perfume fairs and exhibitions as a competition “who’ll smell more”, “who’ll meet with more brands”, or “who’ll write and post more” – let a thousand flowers bloom. Feel free to check my Blogroll, and I’m sure you’ll find more fascinating reports or posts regarding Esxence 2022.
I tend to write a report about every Esxence in three parts, on an informative level, to share – and leave enough time to smell, wear, test, and dive into all samples I’ve received to choose perfumes to review. With this, abundant offer, this part – reviewing (and enjoying) chosen perfumes, can take many months.
Next perfume event/exhibition coming up: Pitti Fragranze – 16/09/2022 – 18/09/2022, and I’ll be there!
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