Smelling is much like tasting; it goes beyond the mere use of the senses and calls upon the subtle vibrations of feeling to perceive, to experience, and to imprint. When the olfactory sense is guided by the most delicate flavors and emotions, the palate itself senses, and the mind searches for the information stored deep within memory. Existing in an invisible state, fragrance is difficult to describe. Yet, when linked to a dish, such as “a scent like a pastry” or “as if biting into a chocolate bar,” one can vividly imagine the colors and shapes of that fragrant world, which is painted through taste, imagination, and the beating heart.
It can be challenging to visualize a perfume simply from descriptions of ingredients and scents, but it becomes far easier when one associates it with a dish, with a tea table where you once played the leading role and savored each moment.
And for Quynh Anh, perhaps she had envisioned a fragrant banquet – a table filled with the sweetness of baked treats, all recreated through scent.
[The afternoon tea is about to unfold…]
She calls herself a “gourmand girl” because she loves the scent of food more than anything else. The sweetness of candies, the aroma of freshly baked pastries filling the air, or even the subtle bitterness of chocolate makes her feel full just through scent alone. This enough to melt away all her worries. Food, or even just the scent of it, has always been her perfect remedy.
Anh didn’t take long to choose the perfume concept she loved most: sweetness. The main notes of the gourmand family: Gourmand, Chocolate, Cookie, Sandalwood, and Benzoin were intentionally placed at the forefront of her formula. A feast of baked treats unfolded, filled with the rich aroma of vanilla and chocolate spreading throughout the room.
“I imagined myself standing in a bakery. It was sweet, warm, and so delicious, even though I didn’t actually taste anything.” Anh giggled.
It would have been just an ordinary dessert party if she had stopped there with those gourmand notes. “What if your dessert were a bit tangier, like adding a little lemon zest into the batter to elevate the flavor of your vanilla cake with a hint of citrus?” she wondered, then decided to take the risk by adding a Fresh Note – a refreshing and bold move both in flavor and in fragrance. Indeed, the crisp, gentle tartness of lemon brought an entirely new layer to her creation, beginning with familiar warmth and ending with a lingering citrus brightness of a special lemon-scented pastry in perfume form.
Then, a new idea bloomed in her mind. What if this dessert table were set in a garden? What if flowers joined the feast? Anh had always loved edible aromas, she wasn’t afraid to experiment with floral notes, exploring a side of perfumery she had never tried before. Moroccan Rose completed her formula, turning it into a sumptuous fragrant banquet. This is a sophisticated “play” of scent that beautifully blended culinary inspiration with new sensory dimensions. The final fragrance became something more than just “sweet.” It was a delicate dance between comfort and sophistication, a story told through scent.
“I think this is a one-of-a-kind chocolate and vanilla cake, with a hint of lemon, enjoyed in a rose garden. Maybe I’m describing it too vividly, but that’s exactly how I feel about my fragrance.”
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