Amouage introduces new perfumes to its acclaimed Essences Collection - three remarkable expressions of the geometry of time


In search of the shape of time

Time is central to Amouage’s Essences Collection. When he conceived it, Renaud Salmon, Chief Creative Officer at the esteemed Omani High Perfumery House, decided that every aspect of the range – from the narratives behind the perfumes, to their formulation and visual representation – would reflect the paramount importance of time. “For the second trilogy of Essences,” says Salmon, “I wanted to consider time in an even deeper way – to think about how it is part of the very fabric of everything around us.”

Salmon’s musings led him to the fields of physics and geometry. In these areas of thought, time is far more than a mere measure of one minute leading to the next. It is, in fact, a force that is directly linked to the physicality of the objects that make up our existence – a boundary between the world with which we are familiar, and others the reality of which we can only dimly observe. “If we accept that time is a genuine feature of the structure of everything,” says Salmon, “then it becomes relatively easy to see that it can be represented in terms of geometry – which is precisely what I wanted to express with the next three Essences. My decision was to focus on three geometric concepts: , a straight line, a dot, and a circle.” 

Sequence – the cycle of endlessness

The circle is a shape with profound resonance. In addition to existing in countless natural forms around us, it has been employed for millennia in all manner of artworks as a way of making statements on cyclical patterns. No stranger to conveying grand messages, Julien Rasquinet was tasked with giving the circle olfactory form. His talents led to the composition of ‘Sequence’ – a statement on the power of every dusk to turn into a dawn.

As all beginnings should, Sequence takes flight with a sparkle of brightness. Lychee and Raspberry present a crimson-hued optimism, daring all around to quell their thirst for life. A note of Saffron enters proceedings, introducing a leatheriness that will become crucial as the perfume progresses. The circle then spins to reveal Rose and Tonka Bean: two luxurious materials that add a sense of both romance and gravitas. The inclusion of Osmanthus – an ingredient with a marked leather facet – connects to the Saffron in the opening. As the inevitable ending approaches, Oud and Ambery Woods compel ‘Sequence’ into even more profound depths, transforming the insouciant qualities of the opening into an expression of authoritative sagacity. Finally, a suave Leather echoes the Osmanthus and the Saffron from the start to form an ingenious leitmotif coursing through the scent as a whole – a reflection of the cycle running from commencement to conclusion and back again. Sparkling, luxurious and full of vitality, ‘Sequence’ moves to the eternal rhythm of endings turning into beginnings.

Ageing: 6 months 
Concentration: 30% pure perfume 

The Essences – marking the contours of time

Amouage’s Essences represent true innovation in the field of perfumery. All the perfume concentrates in the range are infused for six months with an exceptional quality of aged, Australian sandalwood chips. Meanwhile, the alcohol which is used to dilute the concentrates is infused for a similar period of time in hand-made oakwood barrels, produced in France by the artisans at Allary. In the same way that an understanding of time reveals previously unseen facets of the physical world, the time allowed for this highly complicated double-infusion process brings out aspects of the three perfumes that would otherwise have remained concealed – an indescribable patina of sophistication, wrapping itself around each scent. An effect that is intangible while being unquestionably real – much like time itself.

Packaging & presentation

Remain, Line 618 and Sequence are presented in the bespoke Essences flacon. When viewed from the front, the bottle’s vertical ridges call to mind the desert dunes of the Omani landscape, while from above, they adopt the shape of the instantly-recognisable, twelve-pointed Amouage emblem. Beneath each flacon is the Essences medal, a gleaming, hand-made object which displays the perfumes’ key information as well as a stylised, graphical representation of the fragrance within it.

On each perfume’s box, the hourglass image serves as a reminder of the importance of time to the entirety of the Essences collection. Artist Louise Mertens’ eye-catching compositions on the outer sleeve provide a moving visual evocation of the concepts encapsulated by the perfumes. 

The Essences visual campaign, photographed by Louise Mertens, brings the abstract language of time to life through stark, brutalist compositions. Each image features sculptural bronze-toned monoliths dot, line, and circle that mirror the geometric identity of the fragrances and serve as physical expressions of time’s structure.