Osmoz has launched two new olfactory kits in their Les coulisses du parfum series, Vibrations of Spices and Delicious Gourmand Notes:
Volume IV, Vibrations of Spices (shown above), with clove, nutmeg, saffron, coriander, black pepper, Sichuan pepper, pink pepper, ginger, cardamom, everlasting, cinnamon and cumin. The notebook includes a foreword by perfumer Annie Buzantian.
Spices are an invitation to both an olfactory voyage and to time travel. Humanity’s first currency, they inspired lust and greed in the age of the great sea-going expeditions. Like nuggets of olfactory gold, they have always been prized in perfumery, from ancient times to the present. Warm or cool, hot or sweet, spices can have starring roles in olfactory compositions, but are more often used sparingly, for a touch of texture or personality in fragrant creations. Combining subtle elegance, fresh vibrations and enveloping warmth, spices generate a broad palette of sensations that won’t leave anyone indifferent.
Volume V, Delicious Gourmand Notes, with plum note, peach note, praline note, artificial vanilla note, vanilla note, coffee note, tonka bean note, pineapple note, raspberry note, cassis note, green apple note and rum note. The notebook includes a foreword by perfumer Honorine Blanc.
Rediscover the olfactory pleasures of childhood, let your nose quiver with delight, satisfy your instincts… Praline and artificial vanilla will recall the scent of baked goods and fun fairs. A rum note is reminiscent of pleasure and enjoyment. Gourmand notes take turns being fatale and all-enveloping, reassuring and teasing, intriguing and ravishing. How can these 12 notes inspire so many different feelings all by themselves?
Each kit includes 12 perfumery accords (7 ml each), an olfactory exploration notebook and 100 paper strips. The kits are 59€ each or 295€ for a set of all 5, and can be ordered at shop.osmoz. As with the prior kits in the series, the essences are meant to be smelled, not worn. (via osmoz)
I’d love to pick up all of these. They remind me of aperfumista’s chemistry set and I’m sure I could enjoy creating different combinations for hours. Particularly with the spice and gourmand sets. Has anyone purchased any of these and did you find them useful? Beyond that, could you dilute the oils with a carrier oil or alcohol, bearing in mind that many spices even in small amounts can irritate the skin?
I reviewed one of them here:
https://freebox.it.com/2009/05/26/osmoz-les-coulisses-du-parfum-vol-iii-legendary-woods-resins-olfactory-kit-review/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
But I do think if you’re interested in mixing, you’re better off with kits from Perfumer’s Apprentice:
http://www.perfumersapprentice.com/
The Osmoz kits are geared towards learning about materials more than “do it yourself”.
Thank you, Robin. The links were very helpful. 🙂
i’d wear a combo of the gourmand kit…. mmmmhhhhhh…..
🙂
These don’t sound as useful as the other ones. Couldn’t one spend a lot less money and go sniffin’ around the grocery store? With the sole exception of tonka bean, I know these smells from food and drink.
I guess it depends on how accurate you want to be. Saffron, just to give one example, is one thing in perfume and another in real life, so even if you cooked with saffron frequently, it might be useful to know what the aroma chemical smelled like. But yes, these are all things you could smell at the grocery store!
That’s a good point. To be honest, I’m not sure I’d identify the saffron in Safran Troublant based on my experience with it in paella. Hmmm…
Sigh, 7ml is such a lot. I’d certainly split the set of five between three or so people – much more affordable!
I have the Perfumer’s Apprentice Kit, and it certainly has been helpful – there isn’t actually much overlap with the notes included in the Ozmoz kits though, so it’d definitely be interesting to have both.
They are perfect for sharing…7 ml is way more than you need.
Oh, I love perfume kits. I’d most likely choose the spice set since I prefer the smell of food to come from the real thing.
These are really nicely done kits, although haven’t seen these 2 new ones.
Well, it officially happened. I want to become a perfumer, dammit. I swore up and down that all I wanted to do was collect stuff and smell it, but it’s come down to wanted a scent so much that hasn’t been created.
Robin, you HAD to go and link to the reasonably-priced learner’s kit, eh?
LOL…sorry! Maybe you’ll get over it.
The gourmand kit, pleaaassee…….
Sold!
No melon?
*runs for cover as she is pelted with empty sample bottles*
Ha! But that is probably in the next kit, “Aquatics and Ozonics”.