A floral fragrance places a flower at the heart of its composition. At MATIERE PREMIERE, every creation in the floral family is based on an abundance of a single flower, cultivated or selected by Aurélien Guichard for its olfactory qualities.
What is a floral fragrance?
The floral fragrance family encompasses perfumes built around one or more flowers. Rose, tuberose, orange flower, jasmine, violet and lily of the valley are the best-known ingredients. It is one of the broadest families in perfumery, and each floral fragrance offers its own interpretation of the flower.
A floral fragrance can take two forms. A soliflore highlights a single flower. A floral bouquet combines several, such as rose and jasmine. Depending on the accompanying ingredients, a floral fragrance may also open with fruity, powdery or woody notes, or be underpinned by musk. Fruity notes bring freshness, whilst woody notes add depth.
MATIERE PREMIERE crafts its floral fragrances around a single flower. An overdose of a single flower, a concise formulation, an immediate signature: the flower is instantly recognisable upon application, and its scent lingers for hours afterwards.
MATIERE PREMIERE floral fragrances
Radical Rose
Radical Rose is built around Centifolia Rose Absolute, extracted from flowers grown organically by Founder and Perfumer Aurélien Guichard in the Grasse region. Each harvest is entirely and exclusively dedicated to Radical Rose. A perfumer’s dream for Aurélien Guichard, who sought to use the highest possible concentration of the absolute extracted from his own ingredient. Here, the rose reveals its floral, woody and spicy notes. The Perfumer describes it as a genderless rose, both dark and luminous: a floral fragrance that can be worn by both women and men.
The Radical Rose extrait de parfum combines this with a guest ingredient: Immortelle Absolute Croatia. With notes of both flower and salt, the Immortelle lends a deeper, darker and more mineral quality to the rose.
French Flower
French Flower showcases the Grasse tuberose, organically grown in the perfumer’s own fields. The fragrance combines two extracts from the same flower: an Absolu with intense, sensual floral notes, and an Enfleurage that reveals more petal-like, sun-drenched facets, reminiscent of the scent of the skin. Enfleurage is a traditional technique based on the ability of fatty substances to naturally absorb the scents of flowers.
Aurélien Guichard sought to capture the heady scent of his tuberose field during late-summer nights.
Neroli Oranger
Neroli Oranger is built around an overdose of Orange Flower Absolute Fair for Life Tunisia. The Perfumer sought to convey the orange blossom in its natural state, in all its purity and radiance. The result is a luminous floral eau de parfum, built around a single white flower combined with Neroli Oil Tunisia, Bergamot Oil Italy and Comoros Ylang-Ylang Essence.
Metal Lavender
Metal Lavender completes the Maison’s floral family. This eau de parfum centres on Lavandin Oil Organic Grasse, extracted from plants organically grown by Aurélien Guichard exclusively for MATIERE PREMIERE. Its vibrant, metallic facets are contrasted by a softer, more floral organic lavender absolute from Haute-Provence. Cashmeran and musks round out the composition, creating a luminous and enveloping fragrance.
Flowers grown in Grasse by Aurélien Guichard
Founder and Perfumer Aurélien Guichard is the only perfumer in the world to grow his own ingredients. In 2016, he established an Ecocert-certified organic farm in his native region of Grasse. Rose bushes, tuberose bulbs and lavandin plants are grown there exclusively for MATIERE PREMIERE across more than six hectares.
The field contains over 25,000 Centifolia rose bushes. The roses are harvested in May, over a period of 30 days. They are picked by hand every morning and taken straight to the neighbouring factory to produce the Radical Rose absolute. Planted in 2021, the tuberose field comprises more than 50,000 bulbs, the flowers of which are harvested between August and October to produce the absolute and enfleurage that make up French Flower. Since 2023, more than 10,000 lavandin plants have been added to the estate. Flowering begins in June. Harvesting takes place in early July. The extracted essence is used to create Metal Lavender.
A floral fragrance for both women and men
The floral family is often associated with women’s fragrances, and less often with men’s. At MATIERE PREMIERE, fragrances do not have a predefined gender. Radical Rose, French Flower, Neroli Oranger and Metal Lavender are designed for both women and men.
Each creation is defined by its central note, not by the person wearing it. A rose or an orange flower can therefore find its place in a woman’s fragrance collection just as easily as in men’s fragrances. For a man, a MATIERE PREMIERE floral fragrance is worn just like any other creation from the Maison.
Floral eau de parfum or extrait de parfum
MATIERE PREMIERE floral fragrances contain between 85 and 92 per cent naturally derived ingredients. The formulas are vegan, phthalate-free and contain no artificial colourants.
Eau de parfum has a concentration of between 20 and 25 per cent. A floral eau de parfum is suitable for everyday wear, with a generous sillage and longevity lasting several hours. Radical Rose, French Flower, Neroli Oranger and Metal Lavender are available as eau de parfum in 6, 50 and 100 ml sizes.
Aurélien Guichard has also created Radical Rose Extrait de parfum, featuring Immortelle Absolu Croatia as a special ingredient that lends a dark, mineral quality.
Wearing a floral fragrance from MATIERE PREMIERE
Store the bottle away from light and temperature fluctuations, which helps to preserve the flower and the stability of the formula.
On the skin, apply the fragrance to warm areas: the inside of the wrists, the base of the neck and the crooks of the elbows. Moisturised skin retains the fragrance better and prolongs its longevity. The moisturising lotion and Hand and Body Cleansing Gel are available for Radical Rose, French Flower, Neroli Oranger and Metal Lavender. They prolong the flower’s signature scent all over the body. The Radical Rose hair perfume carries the rose scent right into the hair.
MATIERE PREMIERE floral fragrances can also be applied to clothing. The scent settles on the fabric and the trail lingers as the garment is worn. It is advisable to test on a discreet area first when using delicate fabrics.
