I miss Violet

A flower, a scent, a color, a name that has inspired generations of lovers. "I Miss Violet" evokes attachment and the main notes of the fragrance, a contemporary embodiment of a secret love. This is the perfume created by perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour for the Haute Parfumerie house The Different Company.

The culmination of three years of work, Bertrand Duchaufour has achieved the perfect balance between violet and numerous leathery, plant-based notes, giving rise to an elegant, rich, and addictive fragrance. He sculpts his composition, opening it with a greener note thanks to the freshness of basil and mandarin, then seeking vibrancy with the effervescence of champagne and the spice of nutmeg. In counterpoint, mahogany with a slightly aromatic, leathery character, vanilla, and amber sensually round out the composition, illuminated by a musk of exceptional quality. The overall effect is reminiscent of nubuck and suede, in a light and transparent accord.

Eau de Parfum

Bertrand Duchaufour Perfumer

"We wanted to create a plant-based leather, opalescent and diaphanous, evoking leather through either a floral or a green note, adding other vegetal leather notes. More generally, I wanted a very clean leather base, a truly special one, that would act as both top and heart notes, amber and musk. The main accord is based on violet leaves, which have a vegetal leather connotation. I proposed it to Luc Gabriel, who was immediately captivated. For three years, we worked and reworked it to enhance its light, frothy floral aspects."

Violet is a fascinating ingredient with a powdery, floral, cosmetic effect. It has inspired legendary chypres with iridescent violet accords, such as Mitsouko and Après l'Ondée, two perfumes that have marked my life as a perfumer… In a way, I Miss Violet pays homage to them. I wanted to create a vibrant and modern violet. The idea was to break free from the retro, outdated effects of violet, to soften its powdery quality with vegetal notes, and to retain the fruity, slightly velvety peach note, giving it a suede-like quality. Leathery perfumes are usually used as a base and can feel heavy; I wanted to work with it instead, complementing the vegetal and floral aspects of violet to give it a lightness, like a breath of fresh air.

Egyptian violet absolute is present in the top notes and is combined with other raw materials to create an impact at the top, middle, and base, like an overall enveloping floral, violet, leathery, and green, even aquatic, character. Among other things, I used osmanthus, which has an ionone note; mimosa, which shares molecules with violet leaves and adds a honeyed aspect; and blackcurrant, which brings an acacia floral note with a honeyed, leathery undertone. These reinforce the leathery floral note in parallel and layered, giving a cucumber/melon effect to the aquatic notes. This allows me to facet and contrast the violet. I added cyclamen for its lily-of-the-valley effect, an opalescent, downy floral note, reminiscent of a soft morning dew. All these notes contribute to the rosy floral accord and support the diaphanous effect, providing a light, frothy floral presence. They remove the heavy, buttery aspect of the leather and make the composition lighter, fresher, more transparent, with a vegetal, watery quality, and also airy thanks to the Calone, a marine ozonic note. The Basil (more peppery and sulfurous in the Vietnamese variety) and the Mandarin give an aromatic, more multifaceted, greener effect.

It also needed vibrancy. Champagne brings that sparkle with a hint of rum. I like the Champagne pairing because it's less alcoholic than Cognac and gives that fruity, aldehydic, wine-lees character. Nutmeg adds vibrancy, enhanced by a touch of strawberry.

In the finish, Ambergris evokes Cistus and Civet, lending a slightly animalic vibration. Combined with the highest quality musks, it warms the composition and enhances the fragrance's sensuality. There's also a subtle woody note with Mahogany, which has a light, aromatic, leathery undertone. The overall effect is reminiscent of Nubuck, suede, and is non-phenolic.