In the esoteric world of refined haute parfumerie, Henry Jacques has a mantle all on its own. Last year, the brand teamed with Rafael Nadal to launch a limited-edition series, In All Intimacy, which sold for a whopping HK$328,100. Now, Henry Jacques’s scents have a distinctly rosy sensibility as the Collection de L’Atelier is in stores, featuring a trio of coveted crystal flacons featuring the Rose Trés Rose, Rose Soleil, and Rose Azur fragrances. As the names indicate, top notes of exquisite Damask roses envelope each bottle.
Last spring, a particular rose harvest caught the eye—or should we say, the nose—of the team at Henry Jacques, where they developed a new, limited-edition collection inspired by the rich scents that bloomed in their auspices in the south of France, where the flowers had a distinct wealth of gentle, pure, and elegant aromas. The Collection de L’Atelier, with all three fragrances, is borne from the premier season’s bountiful harvest, and Henry Jacques’s Rose de Mai absolute is a new genesis that has “honey notes, which melt to a green herbaceous character. A spicier aspect appears later, giving an unexpected surge of intrigue.”
Like refined flavours and melodic symphony, each elixir has a sophisticated and complex tone. While some might prefer the warmth of the Rose Soleil that balances notes of sandalwood, clove, ylang-ylang, and patchouli, others might like the feminine allure of Rose Trés Rose for its distinct, evocative, and refined purity. For those who prefer a hint of musk, the golden charm of Rose Azur is pure charisma bottled with dry woody notes and zests. Released in a generous 30-millilitre size, the variation of scents presented by Henry Jacques this year provides a fascinating flight of fragrances, and the detailing, packaging, and quality are on an exalted tier that now one has come to expect from this legacy-rich brand.
Henry Jacques has historically been renowned for its quality of ingredients, scientific approach to perfume artistry in its incomparable laboratory, and usage of concentrated vials of natural perfumes, preferring oil over alcohol or undenatured (non-chemically-enhanced) alcohol in its essences as the base for truly refined perfumes and fragrances.
“If nature allows, each year’s harvest will give birth to a new limited collection,” says Anne-Lise Cremona, CEO of Henry Jacques who toured Asia with the perfumes and addressed a handful of media representatives. “To preserve the beauty of the first harvest, and to leave space for future creations from new harvests, the perfumes from Collection de L’Atelier will never be reissued. They will be enjoyed, shared, collected, preserved—and one day, completely disappear. But their memory will remain. Who knows what 2024 will bring?”
Who indeed. One thing’s for sure—if you would like to add a set of Henry Jacques’s limited-edition Collection de L’Atelier scents to your daily toilette, be prepared to drop HK$75,950 on the trio of fragrant elixirs, now available in the brand’s retail boutiques.
Images courtesy of Henry Jacques.
