Dominique Ropion made his debut with the relatively affordable French brand, Essential Parfums, earlier this year. In his fragrance Velvet Iris, he pairs iris with an old friend, leather. Several scents come to mind that pivot on these two ingredients, including Iris Nazarena, Cuir Ottoman, Iris Malikhân, and Iris Ebène. After wearing Velvet Iris several times, I think it comes closest to Iris Malikhân from Maison Crivelli in terms of its scent profile.
In the opening to Velvet Iris, there’s a bitter-sweet herbal burst that I believe comes from the buchu. Mastic extends the piney, herbal punch. It makes for a quite pungent camphoraceous prelude to the main event. I wish this phase lasted a little longer; however, Velvet Iris feels like it’s rushing to get to the drydown. After a few minutes, the iris and leather start to compete for attention. The leather is suede-like, soft, and the iris is rooty and chalky.
It doesn’t take too long for me to identify some scent comparisons. The Maison Crivelli comes to mind, as the starring notes in both Iris Malikhân and Velvet Iris are initially laid against a green, ashy, herbal background. The prominent galbanum note gives Velvet Iris a smoky, vegetal quality. For a moment, I thought of Copper from Comme des Garçons, which also features an ashy, galbanum theme. However, Velvet Iris lacks the quirky metallic feel of Copper. Instead, I perceive it as green/grey and a touch solemn.
Velvet Iris isn’t particularly velvety, despite the leather accord ultimately prevailing over the iris on my skin. I suppose the leather may have a plush, silken quality, though. I enjoy the leather accord in Velvet Iris, but my issues with the perfume boil down to two details. Firstly, the iris isn’t prominent enough. Ultimately, it’s overshadowed by the leather and green notes for the first couple of hours. More frustratingly, the scratchy sandalwood in the base eventually seizes control over the leather. It’s not as grating as the amberwoody Crivelli, as the leather hangs in and softens it somewhat. Still, I wasn’t fussy about this harsh characteristic plaguing Velvet Iris after the 1-hour mark.
It’s hard to nitpick, as I think Ropion was following orders. Géraldine Archambault, the owner of Essential Parfums, isn’t an iris lover and wanted an iris perfume for those who are averse to irises. Job done! Indeed, after an hour or so, Velvet Iris becomes more about the dry woods and leather, with a touch of green spiciness, as the iris recedes too far into the background. Sandal Leather might have been a more appropriate name. If I had been the creative director and Ropion had shoved this prototype under my nose, asking if it had enough iris, I’d have gone all Oliver Twist on him and said, “Please, sir, I want some more.”
Velvet Iris may not be an essential iris, but it doesn’t come across as rough as the Maison Crivelli. Priced at 88 euros for 100ml, it’s hard to be overly critical, especially since few other niche brands offer such reasonable pricing. It features a dry, woody personality that brings some of their other perfumes unstuck. Their smash hit, Bois Impérial, shares a similar raspy character. While most of their scents start well, some, like Mon Vetiver and Patchouli Mania, don’t quite reach their full potential.
There are plenty of others I’d spend my 88 euros on, however. For those looking for a vanilla that avoids associations with cupcakes, Divine Vanille is hard to beat. It’s spicy and smoky, with a lovely osmanthus note at its core. A few months back, I sampled Néroli Botanica. In that fragrance, turmeric lends an earthy, spicy twist to the white floral partnership of neroli/jasmine. I think, for the price, it runs rings around Guerlain’s ridiculously overpriced Néroli Plein Sud. Deeper cuts like Fig Infusion and The Musc are well worth a sniff, too. So while Velvet Iris didn’t meet my expectations, there’s plenty to explore in this house.
What are your favourites from this brand? Have you tried their new iris?
Note: The bottle image is from Essential Parfums. All other photos are my own. Samples of Velvet Iris and Néroli Botanica were purchased by me.