- Introducing Your Guide to French Perfume -
For French men and women, selecting the perfect perfume for a night out can be as important as ordering the first drink. It sets the tone for the rest of the evening and relaxes the mind.
Most women in France have more than one perfume scent as it allows them to find the perfect intensity for any given moment, whether it may be curling up with a glass of wine at home or heading out for a night on the town.
Lisa Rankin, the founder of Flavors of Paris, discussed what she finds the most engaging about her perfume collection and how she uses scents for self-care.
“Even if I am not going anywhere and I don’t have my makeup on, I always put on some perfume. It boosts my spirits and it's a quick and easy way to pamper myself,” Rankin explained.
According to Rankin, among her perfumes, there are specific scents for different times of day which help to liven her spirits.
“I have three or four scents that I like depending on my mood. I will switch them out if I am going out at night or during the day. I will choose a more dramatic scent if it is for going out at night,” Rankin said.
Flavors of Paris has now expanded its roster of tours. Previously, they offered only tasting tours, but due to demand from clients, they have added tours that, not only, delight your taste buds, but your other senses as well.
To delight your sense of smell and adventure, Flavors of Paris has teamed up with Will Inrig, a perfumer (parfumeur in French) based in Paris, who’s new scent, Homesick, launched in 2021.
Perfumer Will Inrig. Credit: The Observer Collection
Inrig creates perfumes for designers and the fashion industry. He designed and guides a perfume tour for Flavors of Paris.
For guests interested in finding their own personalized scent and learning more about the process of crafting a perfume, Flavors of Paris is offering The Quest for Your Signature Scent, led by Inrig himself.
To learn more about The Quest for Your Signature Scent tour, see our tours page.
During the three-hour tour, Inrig will get to know the guests over coffee, tea and desserts to help him establish an olfactory profile for each guest. What is an olfactory profile, you may ask? According to Rankin, “It’s basically, a series of scents that you have a personal connection with and that display your personality.”
According to Rankin, when Inrig built an Olfactory profile on her, he focused on asking questions about her favourite memories from childhood. This allowed him to read her character and gain a better understanding of what her sensitivities are when it comes to scent.
“He did the tour with me and I was really surprised by how accurate he was,” Rankin explained. “I tend to gravitate to scents as a pick me up, for something that makes me happy and Will honed in on that right away.”
Following the visit at the cafe, Inrig will guide a shopping tour through perfume shops in the neighbourhood, offering personalized recommendations for a signature scent to fit guests’ unique tastes and scent preferences.
“When you take the perfume tour with Will, he takes great care to help you find something you will really like. He will take you shopping and recommend scents based on your olfactory profile”, says Rankin. During her experience with Inrig, she discovered her love of fresh and floral scents, and surprisingly fresh linen, with a touch of lemon or bergamot on the finish.
The personalized nature of the perfume tour allows Inrig to better understand each guest and help them connect with a perfume that fits their tastes and palate best.
Inrig’s new fragrance, Homesick. Credit: The Observer Collection
In an interview with Inrig, he explained more about the inspiration behind his new fragrance Homesick, which he created for the Observer Collection, an accessories brand run by fashion and conflict photographer Robert Spangle.
“I want to represent man and his environment. I try to answer the why, to convey an instant of clarity. I seek the Great Work, a way to heal, unite and purify. I try to unite the four basic elements – earth, water, air and fire – into poetry,” Inrig said.
For Inrig, the act of creating a new perfume is much like giving birth to something new, releasing a new being into the universe.
“I translate a feeling, an emotional atmosphere, into an olfactory metaphor. To do this, I have to find within myself a nugget of truth, the embryo that grows until, in pain, I need to give birth. This is how I view creation,” Inrig said.
See more about Homesick fragrance at:
Inrig’s new fragrance, Homesick. Credit: The Observer Collection
In order to rework this passion to help others find their signature scent or create a perfume for someone specific, Inrig explained it is all about getting to know the individual on a personal level so he can better understand their emotions.
“When developing a perfume for someone else – an individual or brand – I also rely on empathy, an understanding and sharing of another person’s feeling, until it becomes mine too. Then I can render it legitimately. In this sense, the client is a catalyst and channel,” Inrig said.
For Inrig, the act of creating a new scent is a spiritual journey, sparked from initial inspiration and nurtured until the scent is fully formed.
“Once the basic idea is formed, the rest is all labour and prayer. I rework the formula until I achieve harmony of associations, something evocative and, hopefully, limitless. If I’m working for a client, we evaluate trials together and debate. The perfume assumes a life of its own, which I need to encourage. It becomes whole but is never finished,” Inrig said.
Did you love this article? Here are a few more to check out:
Do you have a favourite perfume? We’d love to hear which one it is and why. Let us know in the comments section below.