Every fragrance starts somewhere. For Spice, it started with an opposite.
Starting With Saffron
From that idea came the original fragrance brief, called “Saffron Sunset.” When Master Perfumer Christelle Laprade received the brief, she was immediately drawn to the ingredient at its center.
Image credit: Symrise
“There was Saffron,” Christelle remembers. “I was like, ‘That’s interesting. That’s something that I can totally imagine working with and hadn’t really worked with.’”
The direction was intentionally open: begin with Saffron, then build out the rest of the memory.
Rather than using Saffron Oil, Christelle combined three different perfumery materials to create a Saffron with more dimension: Safraleine, Safranal and, more unexpectedly, Flowerpool.
From there, Christelle began interpreting Saffron through the lens of a “spice she appreciates every day”: chai.
“The Saffron would be the centerpiece, and then everything else would be there to play with it,” she says.
With Saffron at the center, the other defining notes of Spice began to take shape. Pimento Leaf’s aromatic character helped shape what we ultimately highlight as Allspice. Cinnamon Sugar added gourmand sweetness, while Condensed Milk brought creamy warmth to Christelle’s chai inspiration.
The result wasn't a literal recreation of Vicken's memories. It was Christelle's interpretation of them.
One Idea, Three Fragrances
Once Expressive was established, Christelle was given another challenge: create the Personal and Bold Scent Spaces—and choose the final formulations Commodity would launch.
For Spice- Personal, Christelle turned the original composition inward, using Helvetolide and Ambroxan to create a softer scent that sits close to the skin.
For Spice+ Bold, she went back to the beginning.
“For the Bold, we had so many different ideas, but I didn't want to be too obvious. The initial idea was really a Saffron with the spicy chai. So we tried pushing that,” Christelle says.
The Saffron and spice facets became more intense, with a deeper leathery quality that gives Bold its impact.
Three distinct fragrances emerged from the same starting point: Personal, soft and intimate; Expressive, a unique balance of spice and sweetness; and Bold, deeper and more intense.
And after spending so much time developing them, one in particular has stayed with their perfumer.
Expressive, Christelle says, is the one she'd reach for every day.
“I’ve been wearing it, so it’s kind of part of me now,” she shares.
The Spice Scent Space trilogy launches on Tuesday, Oct. 6. Sign up for early access here.