D’ORSAY: Perfume Born in a Heartbeat

Bringing a story to life through scent is no easy feat.

With a rich history, the fragrance industry is constantly evolving and finding a special moment can become more and more indescribable.

Enter D’ORSAY, perfumes born in a heartbeat, connecting us to the immediacy of a moment.
Founder Amélie Huynh, shares with us the power of connection through scent

What does fragrance and the power of scent mean to you?
The power of scent is immense. You’d think of sight, hearing or taste but we tend to forget that without the smell there is almost no taste. Remove the smell and the world suddenly fades.

It also appeals to our memories, maybe even long forgotten, that can suddenly be revived with a certain scent.
Humans invented perfume for a reason!

D’Orsay has a rich history, how did you connect with the heritage of the house and what was it that made you want to modernise it?

You can only revere the history and the heritage. Every brand out there tries to come up with a storytelling that would make it more exciting. With D’ORSAY we don’t need to invent. This brand is like a treasure chest, with so many riches to choose from. But we had to admit that it was a treasure chest from another time. Would I wear an XIX century ball gown? Admire it? Yes. Wear it? Not really. The same goes for scents and particularly D’ORSAY. We live in an ever-evolving world and the fragrance industry evolves as well. We used D’ORSAY’s past as a source of inspiration, we still do, but we had to rethink it, make it “today”. We wanted a much simpler bottle, something slick and elegant, Timeless. Our main goal was to create new fragrances that would appeal to the modern taste. But still within the brand’s original heritage. Evolution, not revolution.

I love the idea that D’Orsay was born in a moment, in a ‘heartbeat’ - what was the moment where you knew that the Maison of D’Orsay was something you wanted to bring back to life?

The stars aligned in the right way for me. D’ORSAY was looking for a new ownership at the exact same moment that our family enterprise Aera Nova was looking for a heritage fragrance brand for our portolio. I discovered D’ORSAY and its history and fell for it. Yes, I knew there would be challenges but I was certain that the outcome would be worth the trouble.

Why is recognising the heritage of the brand important for you and the direction you see the house going in?

I think that it’s very important to know where you come from. And be proud of it. Without the past the future is uncertain. Because of our past, we know where we’re going. It gives us directions. We don’t repeat the past, we acknowledge it, we use it proudly and we shape the new D’ORSAY respecting our history. Because it’s truly glorious. D’ORSAY used to be a big player in the fragrance scene. There was a reason for that.

How do you see D'Orsay fragrance and the power of scent in general reflecting and embodying the feelings love?

Love is the source of D’ORSAY. We didn’t invent it.
That’s in history books. Alfred D’Orsay created his first fragrance because he was madly in love. There is no stronger feeling in the world.

Why do you choose to work with independent perfumers?

It’s not really a criterion. Some of the perfumers we work with are independent indeed, but we work a lot with IFF, Robertet, Givaudan, CPL Aromas... When I start my brief for a new fragrance, I try to imagine the “state of love” I want to convey and the star ingredient that would match it and how we want to “dress” it. Then my team starts to look for the right perfumer for that specific direction.

How would you describe D’Orsay in three words?

You know...I have another brand, it’s a jewellery brand that I created in 2018 called Statement. D’ORSAY for me is a statement of love. Here you go, 3 words!

What has looking to the past helped you discover about fragrance nowadays?
The perfume history is a very rich one.

People have been enhancing their scents since forever, Sumerians used to create and wear perfume. Different eras and cultures had various usages of fragrances, blending different ingredients, and many usages were connected to religion and its rituals.

In the XIX century in France fragrance was used on fabrics, on garments, not on skin directly.
There are many examples of how perfume was worn in the past and we can always find grounds for new ideas for today’s industry.

What is something that you are excited about for D’Orsay and the future?

Every new upcoming project is a source of joy. A little bit of anxiety but mostly joy. When we’re developing a new collaboration, a new perfume, we believe in it.
But we don’t create just for ourselves, we need to convey the same passion to our customers.
We have several new projects in the pipeline.

What is one of your scent memories?

Often scent memories are connected to childhood.
Mine is a memory of cut grass and wet forest after the rain in the countryside where my grandmother lived.

And one of a particular dessert she used to make - a delicious rice pudding. In the end, she would put a hot iron on the sugar crust and it would caramelise and it’s this memory of a milky, powdery caramel scent that’s just imprinted in my brain... it always takes me back to those happy moments.