This composition was inspired by a local area known Lost Valley, but it could be any place on a radiant day where the only goal is to lose yourself in the intoxicating scent of blooming suckles. It’s a scent that I associate with pure bliss, a day completely devoid of accomplishment, but most definitely not a day wasted.
Lost Valley contains notes of honeysuckle, petitgrain, lemongrass, jasmine and vetiver. It encompasses florals in the field and the grassy undertones wafting up from each footstep.
The honeysuckle accord is the highlight of this fragrance, and it has many commonalities with a rose accord, but instead of being rich and throaty with jammy undertones, it is silky and honeyed. That means it is built around the pink floral note of phenyl ethyl alcohol along with the common floral builder of linalool, but with a few materials that create sparkle: benzyl salicylate, helional, alpha damascone, perenat and hexyl salicylate. There is a gravity added with the green richness of linden blossom absolute, South African geranium and citronellol, which is used in a higher dose than a regular rose accord. Finally, methyl anthranilate gives it a richness that is also found in orange blossoms, which have many similarities to honeysuckle.
I chose to pair it with lemongrass essential oil to add a little bit to the light, crisp fruitiness as well as the association of serenity that comes with the note very often used in spas. And a touch of blue eucalyptus essential oil both contributes to the crisp dewiness as well as the spa connotation.
Underneath that, a jasmine sambac absolute pulls out the rich methyl anthranilate aspect of honeysuckle while a big dose of Hedione adds to the jasmine feeling while creating some airiness to the composition.
To add to the airiness and make things feel even more hazy and dream-like is a musk called Celestolide, which is perfect for this application. I also used Edenolide, also known as Applelide, which is apropos since it adds a crisp apple feeling to the top note as well as a bit of warmth and creaminess to the scent’s undertones.
Finally, I used a Haitian vetiver because it is, to me, the most grassy vetiver, enhanced by the terpenic, grapefruit-tinged Vetikone, a vetiver material that helps it blend well with the rest of the composition. This is further enhanced by Nectaryl, which cuts the sharp edges of Vetikone.
You can purchase a full bottle or a sample at ChatillonLux.com.
Scent Notes by Shawn Maher 