Envoi by Chatillon Lux: The Height of Beauty Right Before Its Conclusion

In the Climatron at the Missouri Botanical Gardens, you never know what you will find in bloom at any point. And even then, the scent of a flower can change depending on its stage in the cycle. Recently, I had the pleasure to visit a variety of gardenia from Mexico throughout the stages of its lifecycle.

As it opened up, we enjoyed the tartness of its top notes backed by its floral fullness, belied by a creamy sweetness underneath. However, as time passed, the almost gourmand sweetness found underneath swelled to a crescendo just before the flowers withered and died.

It made me recall the word “envoi,” which is a statement of purpose, a summation, a denouement before the end of a poem. Joyce Kilmer wrote that “I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree.” However, this gardenia could be seen as a poem of life, and throughout nature, in the autumnal season, beauty and splendor are often at its height, at its most sweet, right before it concedes to the winter season.

Autumn is the envoi of nature’s poem. And with that in mind, I developed Envoi Eau de Toilette for Chatillon Lux.

The Sweet Cream and Subtle Spice of the Gardenia

Using a GCMS headspace analysis of a gardenia, I determined some of the elements that provided that creamy, custardy undertone of the gardenia that became the hallmark of the scent in its final days. Those included various cyclopentalone isomers, which is sweet and creamy with just the slightest hint of caramel underneath.

There were also some spices in there, nominally hexyl cinnamic aldehyde, beta caryophyllene (an allspice type note) and eugenol (a nutmeg/clove type note). I brought the spices up a little bit more forward to create more balance as I built out the support cast, while also including the more subdued top notes of linalyl acetate (the main component in bergamot), methyl phenylacetate (like a honeyed floral note of rose), methyl benzoate (found prominently in tuberose) and other floral builders that play a smaller supporting role.

Finally, I used methyl diantilis, which does not appear in the GCMS, but is a note that is the soft, floral sister to eugenol, as well as the smallest touches of iso butavan, which is vanillic but not necessarily the smell of vanilla, and a tiny microdose coffee bean essential oil. These three give some texture to the sweetness and help to mimic what I smelled in the air.

Airy and Semi-Transparent Patchouli and Cedarwood

To contrast the sweet creaminess of the gardenia accord, as well as to complement its spiciness, patchouli and cedarwood were immediate choices for me. However, I did not want to let them get too heavy, as the gardenia accord was heavy enough as is. Instead, I made them light and airy to provide the proper contrast and juxtaposition.

For the patchouli accord, I chose a light-aged patchouli to help it stand out, but I used this in a very small dose. Instead, the accord mainly consists of a very modern patchouli-type note, Clearwood, something recognizable in many fragrances during this modern-day patchouli renaissance. This helped lift everything and keep it from weighing down on the skin too heavily. 

Additionally, instead of a red, wet cedarwood note, I went with one that mainly consists of Iso E Super, which needs no introduction, with just a hint of cedrol. This achieves all the texture that I wanted to provide this scent, but without any of the unnecessary weight. 

The Final Touches

After those building blocks, I filled in the gaps with a couple other notes. The first of which is bitter almond, which is the combination of marzipan and cherry, kind of reminiscent of Mr. Pibb or his more-educated cousin, Dr. Pepper. This accord was used sparingly, simply to add in a bit more pep to the sweetness of the gardenia accord, helping it to feel more diverse and less monolithic. 

Additionally, I used a couple musks that are great for both longevity and also to provide an utter radiance to the scent. Exaltone and Exaltolide are both similar, with just a touch of Exaltone going a long way, with the less-heavy Exaltolide picking up the torch. The notes themselves are sweet, but they help the scent explode out of the sprayer, giving buoyancy to a thicker composition. 

Envoi Eau de Toilette will be released on October 16 via ChatillonLux.com, with samples and full bottles available. Until then, all orders $30 and more from ChatillonLux.com will receive a free sample.