Fragrant Fancies

The nose behind the reinterpretation of three Bulgari fragrances, Sophie Labbe talks to ZANETA CHENG about the jewels of scent, floral absolutes and ageless femininity.

- Sophie Labbe

MAY MARKS THE SEASON when blooms spring from the soil riotously after a winter of bare branches and brown earth. This time of renewal coincides perfectly with the launch of the Splendida Bulgari Collection, which reinterprets the perfumerjeweller’s most iconic feminine fragrances: Bulgari pour Femme, reimagined as Iris d’Or; Rose Essentielle, reimagined as Rose Rose; and Jasmin Noir, which retains its original name. The new trio celebrates the world of perfumery in ways that only a jeweller such as Bulgari – which is well acquainted with femininity and opulence – can do.

The numbers are mind-boggling. It takes six years to grow and dry the rare yellow iris and extract its fragrant rootstock that forms the backbone of Iris d’Or; 40,000 blooms are required to produce one kilogram at a cost of around €100,000. To produce one kilogram of the essential oil that stars in Rose Rose, 4,000 kilograms of rose petals from one of the most coveted roses in the world are harvested. And to top it off, a mere seven million jasmine flowers are needed for one kilogram of the absolute used in Jasmin Noir.

Amid the sort of lavishness that Bulgari siren Sophia Loren would no doubt approve of, we spoke to Sophie Labbe, the distinguished nose behind the Splendida collection, to uncover the story behind the magic.

HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT NAMING EACH OF THE THREE PERFUMES IN THE SPLENDIDA COLLECTION?