Initially developed in July, Woody Fig vanilla 37 was intended to be a limited edition winter release. The feedback however has been overwhelmingly positive and we decided to keep it on. Over the years, customers who have been fans of woody fig have also offered us feedback as to fortifying the base of the scent with more resins, woods and possibly vanilla. We decided to take this feedback onboard. This is how Woody Fig vanilla 37 was born.
Woody Fig Vanilla 37
A tincture using vanilla beans sourced from Tahiti and Madagascar was created earlier this year.
I had this tincture lying around but could not really work it into a scent. I decided to build a new scent integrating woody fig into the base.
Starting with the vanilla tincture, I added in some benzoin from Laos and the scent began to take shape. Benzoin generally goes well with vanilla as both contain coumarin. I layered these notes with a decadent tonka bean butter to add dimension and tenacity. The addition of the cocoa absolute added a real magic that inspired me to continue with the process.
Cocoa absolute is something I have always steered clear of, I never found it appealing enough to work with it. The cocoa absolute I source is from Honduras, it is decadent, bitter chocolate like with rich creamy undertones that offset some of the sweetness of the vanilla beans.
Incorporating an ambrette seed in the base adds a very soft fruity musk like note which further enhances the gourmand character of the scent. It also extends longevity and projection, the result is a base that radiates off the skin. It is warm, resinous and somewhat sensual.
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The Crafting Process
There are countless ways to produce a fragrance, and I have developed my own methods over the years, which in one way or another has informed all of my perfume creations.
First I create the base of the perfume, usually by adding various tinctures and oil blends together.
In this case, we source vanilla beans from Tahiti and Madagascar. Once they arrive, we lightly roast them just to warm them up and let the vanilla bean paste slightly activate. We find that they are also easier to work with when they are warm and malleable. The paste is extracted by hand, we add in sugar cane alcohol and we let it sit for up to 90 days to really develop.
Once the tincture macerates, we will filter it up to three times by hand using a filter paper to remove all residue. The tincture is almost black but once it is diluted, it is a dark brown golden color.
For Woody Fig vanilla 37, the base notes of the scent are where the magic happens.
I pour resinous benzoin with organic ethanol and then let this settle for ten days. I add in the vanilla base and slowly incorporate the tonka bean butter, cocoa absolute and ambrette seed.
I blend Australian sandalwood, rosewood, Morrocan cedar and amyris to create a smooth woody character. All these notes together are what form the base of this scent.
The maceration process for the base notes can take up to fourteen days. A lot of perfume brands tend to speed through this process, whereas I find a longer maceration process tends to fortify the base notes, ultimately leading to a more richly nuanced fragrance.
The resulting blend is a dark golden-brown colour. I filter this to remove any natural residues.
The heart of the scent is an accord of Siberian fir, black pepper and cardamom. I guess you could say the warm spices impart an exotic quality to this scent. Once added to the perfume blend, I let this age for a further two weeks before adding the citrus oils.
After adding the citrus oils, I let these fortify within the blend for a further two days.
After a couple of days, I add 2% fig oil. This oil is composed of a range of natural and synthetic compounds. The perfume would not be Woody Fig vanilla 37 without it, and as it is such a small amount, I class this scent as a 95% natural perfume, as the oils are all of natural origins except for the fig and the small amount of iso e super and cashmeran in the base.
After combining the fig oil with the mixture I wait one more day, then the scent is ready for bottling.
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