Among all the —mostly corny— glitz at Esxence, there was a small single-unit stand, bare, all white, with two people in it, a crowd around it and only one perfume on display. One of the two people was Hiram Green, looking unruffled. He once owned a small perfume store next to Carnaby St in central London, and now works from the Netherlands. In 2016 I had been very impressed with some of his work and had asked for samples which he kindly sent. I then stupidly failed to write up his perfumes in the 2018 guide, because the samples were mislaid. I am glad to be in a position to correct that error: Philtre is sensational.
Philtre (the phil means love) is French for love potion, and Green references the doomed lovers Tristan and Isolde in his description. The fragrance is a total blast, a huge, solar floral-spicy accord in the manner of the old Caron fragrance Bellodgia. What makes it extraordinary is the fact that this is an all-natural fragrance, and the top note is arguably the most impressive in all of current natural perfumery: a radiant chord, equal parts carnation and jasmine on a warm, soft amber background. Green really knows what he is doing, and he has fine-tuned the formula for exact balance. The clove-carnation note, initially hidden among the flowers, gradually emerges and remains rich and solid all the way to a drydown that merely scales in intensity without changing the proportions. Very impressive work.
This sounds so good.
Would you compare it at all to L'Air du Temps or Equipage (vintage) carnation note?
I do love Hiram's honey scent. Absolutely blew me away.
I have a sample and boy, did it catch my attention! Sometimes the clove really pops out, other times, the carnation itself takes center stage. At times I am reminded of the (wonderful) smell when first opening a pack of clove cigarettes.