Crystal Saffron, Falcon Leather and Bois d’Ébène by Matière Première

In the third part on the French brand Matière Première, I would like to introduce you to three more olfactory highlights: Crystal Saffron, Falcon Leather and Bois d’Ébène. After the citrus-fruity Cologne Cédrat and Neroli Oranger in the first article on Sunday, yesterday’s Radical Rose, Encens Suave and Parisian Musc were followed by floral, resinous-spicy and greenish-woody compositions.

There are already two articles about the label and I would like to link to them below:

• Matière Première – The natural beauty of a raw material
• Radical Rose, Encens Suave and Parisian Musc by Matière Première

Crystal Saffron – Saffron in crystal form

Crystal Saffron from Matière Première is said to be rebellious and gentle. A saffron like you’ve never smelled before. Well, that is certainly an announcement that arouses curiosity. The precious spice used in the eau de parfum comes from the north of Greece, more precisely from the area around the town of Kozani, which is home to around 70,000 inhabitants. Saffron has been cultivated there for centuries and is considered to be one of the purest and highest quality of its kind.

Founder and perfumer Aurélien Guichard adds musk, ambroxan and incense to the saffron. The latter is once again from Somalia, as in Encens Suave. Briefly counting through, I actually only come up with four fragrances, which upsets me for a moment, because we’ve always had five ingredients before. Well, whether four or five, the simplicity of the formulation runs like a red thread through the Matière Première collection. Instead of opulent compositions with countless olfactory ingredients, the focus is on clearly defined, clearly structured creations that place one fragrance note at the center.

You wanted saffron? Crystal Saffron gives you exactly that. The noble spice defines the fragrance from the very beginning with its wonderful notes that alternate between dark, spicy, medicinal and leathery. The fragrance is lightened by delicate musk. Here, Aurélien Guichard has once again used his favourite Habanolide, a synthetic musk fragrance with an inherent dry, metallic powderiness. I perceive this wonderfully in Crystal Saffron. The musk lends the creation a certain rapture and aloofness and provides bright, lucid and flowing accents, into which the comforting and cotton-soft nuances of ambroxan gradually creep. The subtle, smoky coolness of incense rounds off the composition wonderfully. A fragrance for all fans of clear, minimalist and modern creations and, of course, saffron. I am thrilled with this eau de parfum, which I would wear on any occasion during the cooler months of the year. Simply wonderful! ❤️

Falcon Leather – Matière Première

Falcon Leather is a leather fragrance – as with all Matière Première creations, this can be recognised from the name. An ingredient that is the focus of the composition. Now, one could assume that the scent of leather was simply added, but Aurélien Guichard actually worked with birch tar, which he combined with saffron, labdanum (cistus) and benzoin resin.

The inspiration for the fragrance came from falconers’ gloves, which I myself have never smelled before. I very much suspect that very few of you have had the pleasure of smelling exactly this fragrance, and so we are simply relying on the olfactory realization of Matière Première, in which all facets of the glove leather are to be found.

Dark leather unites with the smoky sweetness of labdanum to create an extremely elegant and atmospheric blend that I like very much. On the one hand, the leather is striking, strong and deep, but on the other hand it is also very soft, supple and suede-like. The saffron emphasizes the leathery facets of the birch tar with its very own dark spiciness, while the benzoin resin brings milky, creamy nuances to the composition and thus ensures a lovely warmth. Like all other eaux de parfum by Matière Première, Falcon Leather is very modern, minimalist, has presence and is transparent and straightforward at the same time. A great leather fragrance with a certain sweetness that can actually be worn anytime and anywhere. Very elegant, distinguished and beautiful! 🤎

Bois d’Ébène – Black as ebony

Ebony is the translation of Bois d’Ébène and I suspect that this is not really about the tropical wood mentioned, but about dark woods in general. With this composition, Aurélien Guichard wanted to create a dark, ambery wood that is seductive, sensual and beautiful to lie in.

The perfumer primarily used Paraguayan guaiac wood, which he combined with patchouli, nagarmotha and cabreuva and rounded off with juniper berries. The result was “a tapestry of dark woods from all over the world: Bois d’Ébène is an elegant and long-lasting fragrance of dark wood.”

Guaiac wood is clearly at the centre of Bois d’Ébène. In this creation from Matière Première, its fine, powdery nuances reminiscent of delicate violets with a woody, smoky undertone meet the creamy and earthy notes of patchouli and cool nagarmotha, both of which lend depth to the fragrance and underline the dark colouring of the composition. Bois d’Ébène is very soft and cosy, and I very much suspect that one of the many cuddly fragrances such as cashmeran or ambroxan has also been used here, without mentioning this in the list of ingredients. Although I initially thought that we might be dealing with a heavy and rather opulent woody fragrance, Matière Première proved me wrong. The composition is smooth, gentle and airy, in which woody, powdery guaiac violet meets earthy, creamy and ultimately lovely, warm accents. Very cosy, sensual and cotton-soft! Great! 🤎