Bois d'Arménie

The first compositions in Guerlain's exclusive Art et Matière range were Rose Barbare, Angélique Noire and Cuir Beluga. The woody note was not represented in this range, so the idea came up! This will be the 4th composition in the range, which will soon be expanded with the long awaited arrival of the 7th composition: Tonka Impériale.

Inspiration and association

I had a wonderful memory of Armenian paper. My mother would carefully cut the scented strip of the notebook that looked like yellow blotting paper, fold it into an accordion shape, light the corner on fire and then let it burn. The perfume then took over the house and I must admit that the vanilla and spicy fragrances left a strong impression on me. Now it reminds me very vividly of the atmosphere in the living room of my childhood home, giving an "exotic air" to my native North. The idea of Bois d’Arménie perfume was the starting point that we chose with Annick Ménardo, who is also addicted to this note! The laborious work was to dress this accord with multiple facets and make it become a Perfume, not only a beautiful perfume but a Guerlain perfume.

History and family secrets

Armenian paper has existed for about 130 years and to my great surprise, it is totally unknown to Armenians. It is made just outside Paris, in Montrouge to be precise, on rue Morel. It was developed in 1885 by the chemist Auguste Ponsot and the pharmacist Henri Rivier. After a trip to Armenia, with their pockets full of golden benzoin crystals, they decided that not only was this scent delicious, but it was also interesting because it was antiseptic.

Both of them came up with a formula and had the brilliant idea of impregnating blotting paper with this secret liquid, in the form of a small notebook: a nomadic product par excellence. The pharmacist buys out the shares of his friend Ponsot and it is now Henri Rivier's great-granddaughter, Mrs Schwartz, who has succeeded not only in respecting the heritage of her ancestors, but has also given a second wind to the small family business. The production is still natural from A to Z, with about 10 people in charge of the production, commercial and other aspects.

The recipe is obviously very secret, but I have managed to find out that benzoin resins combined with a very complex mixture of plants and spices are macerated in alcohol for three months. The huge sheets of blotting paper are then bathed in this composition in packs of fifty, which is how they take on their red colour, they then pass through a press weighing about 20 kg for a few more weeks, then are dried, cut, and finally made up into a booklet of twelve sheets. The main component of Armenian paper is benzoin from Laos.

Magic resin, bewitching resin

Benzoin is a balsam that comes naturally or by incision from the trunk of a tree of the Styraceae family, the styrax Benzoin. It comes to us from Siam and Sumatra. This exudation is actually a pathological reaction of the tree. It is also called gum or benzoin tear. It is white in colour when liquid and turns yellow as it dries. When harvested, it is already semi-solid.

Siamese benzoin is the most sought after variety by perfumers. It is the rarest and therefore the most expensive. It has a strong vanilla note. Sumatra benzoin is made up of two varieties: amygdaloid benzoin, which is the official benzoin used for fumigation or dyeing, and common benzoin, which is only used for extracting benzoic acid.

Tears of benzoin develop a very sweet fragrance, much appreciated in Buddhist temples where it is used like our incense. Indeed, benzoin has long been regarded as a variety of incense or myrrh and as a precious substance. It also played a role in the treatment of lung and skin diseases, as it is antiseptic. It is also used to renew the air and purify it, and has long been used in Kuala Lumpur to ward off diseases such as cholera. In perfumery, the gum is treated by extraction with volatile solvents to obtain benzoin absolute.

Olfactory description: sweet vanilla, almond, toasted coffee, honey, floral (carnation), rich, liquorish, medicinal.

It is used in one of our favourite products, the baume de la Ferté, which is extraordinary for all chapped and cracked skin. I also liked working with benzoin in L'Instant de Guerlain for women, which was a determining element in the composition.

Mystical, bewitching, masculine, feminine fragrance?

Like all the perfumes in the Art et Matière range, they were designed for women and also for men. But I had more of an opportunity to smell it on men's skins and I confess that I crack up every time I smell it. Like many Guerlain perfumes, it deserves to be discovered on the skin. The wetness does it no favours! The main theme being benzoin, we thought of accompanying it with other mystical notes like incense. Who could argue with the spiciness of black pepper and coriander in the top notes? Its heart notes beat wildly under the glare of gaiac wood, before sinking under the ardour of patchouli, accompanied by copahu balm.

Sylvaine Delacourte perfumes

Discover Sylvaine Delacourte's brand with her Orange Blossom, Musk and Vanilla Collections. You can try them thanks to the Discovery Boxes (5 Eaux de Parfum x 2 ml) and rediscover these raw materials as you have never smelled them before.