Phantom Noir

Sweet pea is either a white or a colorful flower from a climbing plant native to southern Italy. Its papillote-shaped petals reveal a very delicate, sweet, honeyed scent, also found in honeysuckle or orange blossom but without the distinctive floral facets. Sweet pea is a mute flower, which means that its fragrance cannot be naturally extracted. By blending different ingredients, Francis Kurkdjian re-created the scent of the white sweet pea, the most fragrant of the family. The result is a fresh, soft and delicately powdery floral note, with subtle honey undertones.

Its name sounds like that of an Egyptian goddess and yet it is native to the Caribbean. There, local fishermen poetically call it "candle wood" because they use it as torches thanks to its highly flammable properties. It is sometimes also refered to as sandalwood from the West Indies. This is probably because once distilled, Amyris balsamifera exhales sweet scents that oscillate between cedar and spicy, slightly smoky sandalwood. A classification among woods that clashes with its botanical genus, the rutaceae family, which also comprises citrus fruits.

The graceful and fragrant white flowers of the lemon tree, the Citrus limon, blend a soft floral effect with the bright tangy facet of its fruit. Too beautiful to give itself away, it is one of the so-named "mute" flowers, i.e. one that does not give off any scent by extraction. It therefore required all of Francis Kurkdjian's imagination to recreate its fresh and lemony but also airy and sensual delicateness, by blending it with other notes. This accord is used as a top and heart note in a perfume.