AQUA ALLEGORIA COLLECTION: THE TRUE NATURE OF GUERLAIN
NATURE HAS INSPIRED US SINCE THE BEGINNING
In 1999, Guerlain dedicated its first fragrance collection to nature: Aqua Allegoria. A vibrant ode to Nature, celebrating its incredible diversity, colours and freedom. Elegant fragrances, brimming with joie de vivre and optimism. Happiness in its purest form. Crafted from extraordinary natural origin ingredients sourced around the world by the Maison’s perfumer–explorers, they embody the powerful message of our now iconic collection: the world is our garden.
Aqua Allegoria has become symbolic of Guerlain’s long-standing commitments to the planet and biodiversity. A strong statement-collection, it established the distinction of the Maison's sustainable innovation approach for ever more beautiful and precious fragrances in tune with Nature and its wonders.
AQUA ALLEGORIA FORTE: NATURALLY INTENSE
A BEAUTIFUL DAY IS DRAWING TO A CLOSE. BENEATH THE GOLDEN LIGHT OF THE SETTING SUN, NATURE, DRENCHED IN HEAT, TRANSFORMS: COLOURS DEEPEN AND FRAGRANCES INTENSIFY
Bathed in this magical light, materials pulsate faster. The land becomes more full-bodied and powerfully woody. This unique time inspired the Guerlain Perfumers to create Aqua Allegoria Forte. Fragrances that are deeper, more textured and longer lasting. More intense. Stronger.
After a reinterpretation of the iconic Aqua Allegoria scents – Mandarine Basilic, Rosa Rossa and Nerolia Vetiver – the Forte line celebrates the extraordinary power of wood through three new intensely woody eaux de parfum. More than a new collection, it is a perfumer’s ode to the pillars of biodiversity that are trees and forests. Essential to life on this planet, these ‘lungs of the Earth’ support and structure the natural ecosystems. An olfactory echo of this power, the woody notes imbue the fragrances with irreplaceable strength: synonymous with character, sillage and persistence, their aromas form the backbone of multiple fragrances. With Bosca Vanilla, Rosa Palissandro and Oud Yuzu, wood encounters the Aqua Allegoria Forte signature in three distinctive, unusually intense fragrances.
BOSCA VANILLA
THE INTENSE VIBRATION OF WOOD WARMED BY THE SUN
On the warm sand of a Corsican beach fringed by a eucalyptus forest, dozens of pieces of driftwood are washed up by the waves. Shaped by the elements, infused with sunshine and sea water, they inspired the Guerlain Perfumers to craft a woody vanilla fragrance with an intensely addictive sillage.
The encounter between a salty driftwood accord and the warmth of the Maison’s vanilla tincture and its sunny, enveloping accents.
The sun begins its long descent to the horizon. In the low golden rays of the setting sun, eucalyptus leaves release their aromatic and invigorating accents, enticing us to venture beneath the trees. The driftwood accord, lulled by the waves and time, comes through powerfully in the heart. It exudes intense salty notes, enveloped in the vanilla tincture’s irresistible warmth with its naturally smooth and woody facets. Paired with the spicy aromas of everlasting, the emblematic flower of Corsica, the duo is vibrantly highlighted within an intense, powerful and extremely addictive fragrance. A delicious salty scent to wear all year round.
Vanilla tincture: historic Guerlain expertise
At the heart of Bosca Vanilla, an exceptional ingredient reveals its incomparable beauty: the Guerlain vanilla tincture. Crafted from organic pods of an exceptionally high quality, it embodies the timehonoured expertise that Guerlain has kept alive for almost two centuries. Freshly harvested Madagascan vanilla pods are delivered to Guerlain’s production workshops in Orphin, France, before being cut into pieces by hand using a ‘massicot’ or cutter which the Maison’s perfumers pass down like a precious jewel. Finally, the pieces are left to macerate in organic alcohol for several weeks. Patience is essential to develop the uniquely rich aromas, revealing the woody, leathery and deliciously gourmand facets of the vanilla, a key ingredient in the Guerlain olfactory signature.
OUD YUZU
SPOTLIGHT ON THE WOOD OF THE GODS
In a deep, dense forest, the trees rise majestically in the twilight. Late in the day, in the setting sun, a ray cuts through the foliage, bathing the darkness in a dazzling light. A moment of pure grace, captured by the Guerlain Perfumers in a deeply mysterious woody citrus.
The unexpected contrast between the sacred swirls of oud wood and the mischievous bitterness of yuzu.
And there was light. The composition opens with the lively, joyful, radiant notes of the Japanese yuzu, a small, intensely tangy citrus fruit. Like a ray of sunlight crossing the sky to penetrate the forest and illuminate its depths. Paired with the warm, dry notes of cedar, oud wood reveals the majestic complexity of its woody, ambery and animal nuances. As deep as eternity. A sacred wood in the Middle East, an essential Kodo ingredient in Japan and distilled for more than a thousand years in India, oud is a precious emblem for olfactory cultures across the world and the ages. Upon contact with the sparkling little fruit, this mystical wood is transfigured in an explosion of freshness and colour! An unbridled daring emerges from this unexpected encounter between wood bark and citrus. Power and light-heartedness. Shadow and light.
Oud: the secrets of black gold
It is known as the scent of paradise. From the Arabic for ‘wood’, ‘al-oud’, oud is one of the rarest and most precious raw materials in perfumery. And for good reason as it can take decades to obtain. Oud is derived from a tree found in South-East Asian forests which, when infected by a fungus, secretes a powerful fragrant resin. In plantations, the infected specimens are left to grow for 25 years before the wood chips are harvested and steam distilled. This a precious essence due to its low yield. With a rare olfactory complexity, oud reveals woody, smoky, leathery, fruity, spicy or animal facets, making it an entirely unique ingredient in the perfumer’s palette.
ROSA PALISSANDRO
THE NOBLE POWER OF ROSEWOOD
An exceptionally precious tropical wood, rosewood gave the Guerlain Perfumers the idea for a composition running counter to the woody roses traditionally found in perfumery: a strong and elegant ‘rosy wood’ for an exercise in style.
The spicy freshness of rosewood and the tender sensuality of a Turkish rose absolute in the perfect blend.
Zest of bergamot, an iconic Guerlain citrus fruit, and rosewood emerge in all their splendour. Also known as bois de rose, rosewood powerfully expresses its unique and highly complex scent in a fragrance all of its own. The characteristic facets of lemon and coriander seed, a woody imprint and the inimitable nuances of rose. Elegantly structuring this fragrance, rosewood expresses all of its surprising floral character through a Turkish rose absolute whose full, rich and delicately honeyed aroma supports the naturally floral inflections of the wood. Creating a fascinating interplay of textures and connections between all the ingredients, patchouli enhances the woody character of rosewood, imbuing it with depth and mystery, while the sandalwood note ensures perfect balance with its full-bodied creamy tones. A floral woody, Rosa Palissandro sows the seeds of seduction through a combination of strong and gentle, masculine and feminine, perfuming the skin with an exquisitely noble scent.
Turkish rose absolute: an essential Guerlain ingredient
Symbolic of creativity and Guerlain expertise, the rose comes through in Turkish rose absolute which radiates from the heart of Rosa Palissandro. An iconic ingredient in the perfumer’s palette, it is extracted from the petals of the Damascena rose. The famous “Triangle of Roses” on the Anatolian Plateau in Turkey is considered the ideal environment for growing this particular variety. There, the flowers are gathered at around 8am in the morning when they are richest in the aromatic compounds responsible for their characteristic scent: rich and floral with honeyed facets, it has rare olfactory power.
