dsm-firmenich perfumer Clement Gavarry recently worked with lifestyle brand, Vince Camuto, to develop its newest women's fragrance Wonderbloom.
Wonderbloom, inspired by a modern interpretation of an enchanted garden, is a blend of blooming florals and refreshing fruits with a splash of creamy almond milk for the girls who vibrate with energy and know exactly what they want.
Fragrance Notes:
- Top: Pear leaves, almond milk, fresh rhubarb
- Middle: Glazed figs, brushed sage, white freesia
- Dry: Sandalwood Australia, praline, cistus labdanum
Topped with a dramatic, oversized flower cap symbolizing living large, Wonderbloom's whimsical glass bottle is finished with an elegant light blush hue emerging from the base.
Perfumer & Flavorist+ reached out to Clement Gavarry about Wonderbloom and recent trends in the women's fragrance sector.
1. Can you share the inspiration behind Wonderbloom? Any details from the formulation process you can share?
Clement Gavarry [CG]: When creating Wonderbloom I was inspired by what a modern bouquet means to me; opulent, grand and universal. I wanted to capture the ultimate portrayal and celebration of new feminine beauty that is for all.
During the formulation, we focused on creating a fresher expression of floral through the use of clean white floralcy notes, neutral florals that are heady but modernized and sweet edible elements of fruits and praline for a youthful comfort and lastingness. I also used fresh floral expressions with green nuances, to add the modernity of mouthwatering fruits and sparkling teas. Airy vanilla and sheer woods compliment with elements of comfort and sweetness.
dsm-firmenich perfumer Clement Gavarry
2. How does this fragrance differ from other fragrances you have created?
CG: Usually, I don’t create fragrances using green notes as the central point of the fragrance, but more so as accents. In this scent, however, these notes are center stage. I used some of our dsm-firmenich proprietary captive notes to give that Wonderbloom effect, and pop of natural, fresh florals that the brand was looking to achieve.
3. What are the current trends that you are witnessing in the women’s fragrance market?
CG: dsm-firmenich conducts research to find olfactive trends that we see trending. That said, with that below are what I feel will be scents we will see in the remainder of 2024 and beyond.
- Feel Good Scents: (These are scents that do what they say [and] make you feel good both by wearing them and by knowing what you’re wearing.) Consumers want to feel good and want their scents to do that for them. These scents are all about feeling confident in your own skin and comfortable, almost like a sense of safety like wearing your most comfortable sweater. They evoke positive emotions and change your mood to feel more joyful and happy.
- Scents that Delight: (And that allow you to escape.) Post-COVID consumers want to indulge in things that are pleasurable and enjoyable and it is where we see a rise in vanilla notes, boozy notes, and gourmand notes that add a sense of addiction to your fragrance.
- Big Woods: Woody fragrances provide a grounding and sophisticated option for spring. These scents feature notes of various woods such as cedar, sandalwood, vetiver, or patchouli and we will see interesting pairings of something unique and new with something familiar. These types of scents also push the idea of fragrance genders or lack thereof, making them ‘genderful.’
- Citrus Notes: Citrus scents are always popular for spring, they bring a refreshing and uplifting feel. These fragrances often contain notes of lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, or bergamot. Citrus used as a feature, not just an enhancer of freshness in scents.
- Watery Notes: Aquatic fragrances evoke a sense of freshness and cleanliness and they offer a feeling of everlasting freshness that lingers all the way to the dry down, making them ideal for warm weather and casual wear.
- Green Notes: Green notes capture the essence of nature, something we can all look forward to in the spring. These scents can be crisp, but also earthy and more textural. Patchouli and vetiver can be green for example but with more texture. Fruits and herbal notes can also be used to evoke naturality.
- Silent Florals: These are florals that have a scent in nature and in their natural element, but we are not able to extract it. Muget, gardenia, wisteria, lilac, daffodil and hyacinth are examples of these types of flowers, fleurs muette as we call them in French, flowers that don’t deliver their scent. So that said, in order to use the note in fragrances, it must be chemically created. Many fragrances contain these silent florals and I expect we will continue to see them.
- Elevated Fruits: We will continue to see the use of colorful fruits and sweeter notes in fragrances, but being used in elevated and elegant combinations that will take them to a different level and provide an addictive feature.
4. From your perspective, what is the most challenging aspect of creating a fragrance?
CG: It is always an exciting challenge to try and capture the vision the brand has for what their fragrance. It is a balance of finding the right combinations that tell the story they want to evoke while staying true to their brand DNA.
