LEFT AND BELOW, OSTENS’
LAUNCH FRAGRANCES
ARE BASED AROUND FIVE
INGREDIENTS: JASMINE
ABSOLUTE, CASHMERAN
VELVET, ISPARTA ROSE,
CEDARWOOD HEART
AND PATCHOULI HEART.
THE TEAM HAVE CREATED
COLOURFUL VISUALISATIONS
OF EACH INGREDIENT,
DESIGNED TO BE A
CONVERSATION STARTER
ON HOW SCENTS ARE
PERCEIVED VISUALLYsays Delafon. ‘Perfumers like Jean-Claude Ellena
go to IFF-LMR and say “I love this rose but I don’t
like the freshness of it. I want it more jammy”, and
IFF-LMR fractionate and cut out these facets.’
This was in their mind when a friend asked them
to source some pure jasmine oil for personal use. They
went to IFF-LMR and asked if they could make one,
but soon found themselves in a minefield of industry
rulings on concentrations, giving an insight into why
nobody else was attempting such a thing. It made them
determined to produce pure and traceable fragrance
oils with the maximum possible concentration of
scent (in a carrier oil) that the skin can tolerate.
The oils, which became Ostens Préparations, also
formed the starting point for the Ostens Impressions
range. A number of perfumers were given the oils and
carte blanche to create a fully fledged fragrance.
Superstar nose Dominique Ropion, commissioned for
the Isparta Rose Impression, revelled in the ‘no brief ’
proposal, pushing the rose content so high that it no
longer smells floral, but rather dense and sensual.
Supported by cardamom and musk, both men and
women could wear it. Sophie Labbé, who created the
Cashmeran Velvet Impression, found her ingredient
human and comforting. It made her think of hands
rolling tobacco. Clément Gavarry scrubbed up the
animalic jasmine note into an Impression that is sunny
and modern, while Alexis Didier, who was charged with
the Cedarwood Impression, riffed on cold pipe tobacco
to produce something sophisticated, masculine and
nostalgic. Labbé also made two Impressions for
patchouli. One has immortelle and labdanum and is
intensely resiny, the other has Japanese incense, violet
leaves and iris and is powdery and feminine.
Ostens is something of an evolution of the Frédéric
Malle formula, which has dominated the niche
fragrance market for more than 15 years. It’s perfumer-
led perfumery, with an emphasis on ingredient. ‘We
ask perfumers what would you do with this ingredient,
then step back and watch the fireworks. We arefragrance arsonists,’ says Yu. Customers are also handed
the reins in this new grown-up approach. The oils can
be worn alone or layered with the Impressions or other
perfumes entirely. Though keen not to step on toes,
Delafon and Yu encourage cross-brand use. ‘We want
a two-way conversation with customers – “inspire us,
what have you done with our product?”,’ says Yu.
Their retail strategy is a response to the complexity
of their scents’ stories. ‘We would be lost in the “spray
and pray” arena of the department store,’ says Delafon.
‘The message would die.’ They prefer to communicate
with customers online and in small intimate spaces,
such as pop-ups in galleries, targeting a new type of
customer, one who is clued up, who knows where their
onions come from, who can confidently mix Uniqlo
and Marni, and who cares about sustainability. ∂226 ∑
Grooming