The Life Aquatic - Beyond Beach Scents Cliché

Even though most people don't think of water as having a scent - the most favourite nature smells among my clients are that of rain and ocean. This is based on a 15 year long ongoing voluntary data that customers provide me about their fragrance preferences.

I can't imagine what it would be like in summer without the wonderful beaches, lakes and streams. Even summer rains are welcome in my world, as they make the season feel more precious and allows us to continue enjoying greenery and worrying less about forest fires and dreadful droughts. Therefore I'd like to dedicate August's newsletter to water-inspired scents.

There's saline water and freshwater. In a similar manner, water-inspired fragrances can be divided into two: Aquatic and marine. Aquatic perfumes are usually ethereal, light and inspired by water gardens and flowers such as waterlily, lotus and iris and the wet-woods watery quality of cassie as well as the cucumber-like personality of mimosa and violet leaf absolutes. Marine fragrances tend to be more masculine (usually they're a sub-genre of Fougère) and include mineral notes that allude to salt such as ambergris, seaweed, oakmoss and vetiver - and even notes that suggests savouriness, such as parsley, dill, celery and angelica.

Bon Zai is perhaps the first aquatic perfume I've created, and the only one that has absolutely no saltiness to it. I often suggest it to clients who like the smell of rain, because it has the same freshness and crisp qualities the air has when it rains. It's a quite, non-dramatic, peaceful scent. Think about gentle West Coast rain in a Zen garden - no thunder or lightning, only soft rain on pine needles.

Since 2009, with the launch of Hanami, water has been a recurring thread in my perfume creations.  And as you will soon see, I often combine the qualities of freshwater and saline water in the same composition - which gives it a rather sheer quality and a compelling lightness. Although on and of themselves, cherry blossoms are particularly watery - Hanami plays on the theme of wet wood, after spring rain, and that scent mingling with that of cherry blossom and the urban surrounding: metal, wet pavement, and the commotion in and out of the underground train station. The scent is abstract, yet compelling. And for those who are familiar with sakuramochi and brine-preserved sakura and sakura tea - there is also a savoury connotation that balances the otherwise cloying sweetness of the flowers involved, and which makes Hanami perfume even more intriguing.

l'Écume des Jours (2004) was my first watery creation. Inspired by the perfect symmetry and profound beauty portrayed in Boris Vian's most praised novel by the same name. Cheerful Pianola top notes of cassis and freesia lead to Chloe’s deadly Lung Water Lilly. The melancholy base of green moss and watery marine seaweed reflects the tragic conclusion of the tale. l'Écume des Jours is a strange perfume of unusual harmony that inspires appreciation for the simple beauty that is found in all things – especially the Jazz of New Orleans...

And speaking of New Orleans: I also created a perfume that invokes the haunting scents of the Louisiana wetlands with salty seaweed and oakmoss underscoring heady flowers of magnolia, osmanthus, orange blossom and tea rose. There is also Meyer lemon and rosemary that truly cut through the sweetness and add a savoury touch that echoes the salt notes. For a scent so rich with florals, it is surprisingly refreshing, light and easy to wear.

Orcas, the first natural Fougère-Marine fragrance that was nominated for the 2012 Indie FiFi Awards,  now celebrates its 5th year anniversary. Inspired by the breathtaking scenery of the Wild Pacific Trail, a place where ocean meets forest and whales blow and sing above the stormy weather. Orcas perfume is an innovative all-natural marine woody, a unique combination of scents from sea and seashore. Brisk and pungent citrus and herbaceous notes suggest ocean breeze and tea-like clarity, and an array of oceanic treasures such as seaweed and ambergris meet seashore and rainforest notes.

My newest perfume, Lost Lagoon is a Chypre with s a powdery-sweet softness from the juxtaposition of amber, orris and magnolia that balances the bite of galbanum, rhododendron leaf and lemon. It is not aquatic per se, but it was inspired by the dreamy Rhododendron Garden that trails along Lost Lagoon. Again, we find a place where the freshwater is very close to the ocean, and this reflects in the perfume as well. The oakmoss contributes the saltiness, but the flowers are luscious and has a watery air to them - the crispness of violet leaf and iris being the main contributors to that effect.

The last bit of cliché I'd like to tackle is that of beach scents. This popular sub-category of Florientals (or Floral Ambery) tends to be fruity, sometimes even cloyingly sweet, and smells very artificial. It is a strange category because it takes after the scents of ancillary products - namely suntan lotion, suntan oil and sunscreen products. These are usually rather chemical concoctions of white flowers and fruit esters over synthetic musks and amber bases, and sometimes even a bit of aquatic smelling compounds. If you love beach, this would smell fantastic to you; but even if you do - too much of a good thing can get a little overwhelming, or boring at best.

What I tried to do with Sunset Beach, is create a perfume that is neither watery nor marine in character, but rather works with the tropical materials in a more authentic way. To start with, the inspiration is driftwood and the fragrant flowers that might bloom near the beach. So it's entered around sandalwood from both Hawaii and India. I've used massoia CO2 as well as handcrafted tinctures of milky oolong tea and pandanus leaf to intensify the milky quality that is sadly lacking in most modern sandalwood oils. And I've used champaca CO2 for its fruity, spicy and incense-like qualities that I find irresistible, and ylang ylang for its fruity esters and creamy-coconutty qualities. Whenever I wear it I feel like I'm on vacation, and I hope you do too.

In the same way that Hanami contrasts urban and natural elements, my upcoming perfume Coal Harbour juxtaposes the smells that co-exists in my oceanside city's harbour: the salty-animatic notes of seaweed and marine animals at low tide with the rank of jet fuel from the aquaplanes. This disturbing contrast (both smells are quite intense, and together they can be very unpleasant, especially when locked up in a bottle!). To soften this blow, I've added notes of fresh cut grass that wafts off Harbour Green Park, as well as pleasant-smelling local tree blossoms, namely linden, elderflowers and balsam poplar buds.

Rad Dads: Honouring Fathers Fragrantly on June 19th

The school year is coming to a close, and today I'll be witnessing (and experiencing) a huge milestone: My daughter is graduating high school. Her school years have been an immense journey, and reaching its end is bittersweet. When I think about it, my chest is going to burst from pride when I recall how she was in kindergarten, and how far she’s come. And my heart overflows with gratitude and happiness when I remember all the wonderful people who provided their guidance and helping hands along the way - teachers, therapists, childcare providers and friends - who all became our second "adopted" family here in Canada. It really does take a village...

And then there is always the pinch of regret and sadness, not only about saying goodbye to all these wonderful people; but also remembering all the ones that could not come to celebrate with us, some simply because they live too far away; but others, who one would think should have been there, and don’t even know it’s happening, simply because they chose to disappear from my daughter’s life altogether. Among those somebodies are, unfortunately, her own father, who has been missing out on a lot of important milestones prior to this one, and also with his choice to abandon his daughter made me by default the dad in the family (funnily enough, when asked about my gender, my daughter tends to label me as "man")…

Yet, although my personal experience with fathers is less than stellar, I haven't lost hope. Three of my brothers are wonderful dads and watching them raise their children is a delight (I only wish I could do so more often, and not from so far away!). My daughter was fortunate to have a reliable stepdad who was a supportive and positive influence for the best part of her childhood - and also have been an important contributor to the success of my business: he has designed, maintained and faithfully hosted my websites and sent all my newsletters out till recently. Which brings me to the point that we've launched a new website, wand it is already active on a temporary domain (the switchover is scheduled to take place any moment - and when that happens, the old domain will look the same as this). Please do not be scared of the prices - the default is in CAD, which means the numbers are a bit higher than what you're used to; but you can switch the currency to fit your currency of choice at the top right corner of the new website. 

Lastly, this year I I've met some rad dads, ones that would go to the other end of the earth to keep their children safe and happy; ones that would always put their children's best interest first, and would sacrifice and give them endlessly, just as much as most mothers would in a similar situation. My heart goes out to men like this, especially the rare breed that raises their kids alone like I do, and are also the mom in their family... For these dads I dedicate the following perfumes: 

SUNSET BEACH is a little piece of heaven tucked away in the midst of bustling boat-False Creek and busy traffic on the bridges that cross it. It is that happy place where time stops and the only thing that matter is the tides, currents and basking in the gentle evening sun. Sunset Beach can be anywhere... Mine just happened to be in Vancouver... I invite you to uncork a bottle of this daydream and experience a truly creamy sandalwood perfume complemented by handmade tinctures of pandan leaf and milky oolong tea, coconutty massoia bark and dreamy champaca. 

ORCAS was originally launched for Father's Day 2011, and was a FiFi Award Nominee in 2012. Inspired by the breathtaking scenery of the Wild Pacific Trail, a place where ocean meets forest and whales blow and sing above the stormy weather. Orcas perfume is an innovative all-natural marine woody, a unique combination of scents from sea and seashore. Brisk and pungent citrus and herbaceous notes suggest ocean breeze and tea-like clarity, and an array of oceanic treasures such as seaweed and ambergris meet seashore and rainforest notes.

KOMOREBI is the Japanese word for that beautiful interplay of tree foliage and light. This unique perfume captures the wonderful scent that can be experienced in late summer and early autumn in the Pacific northwest rainforests: It emanates from the sun-dappled fragrant forest floor on those warm days when the sun brings out the sweet smells of redcedar, moss & Douglas fir… 

TAMYA is one of the dreamiest scents in my collection: combining delicate and delicious notes of jasmine sambac, ylang ylang, cassis, bluebells and crocus, white musk, vanilla and cedar. All proceeds from this perfume go towards my autistic daughter's trust fund to save up for her future education and speech therapy. Each bottle you'll enjoy buys her one session. So far we've fundraised $2,908 from all sales of Tamya-related products - just a little less than third of our ultimate annual goal of $10K. You'll be surprised how wonderful it actually wears on a man's skin. Try it!

Additionally, you can support the ongoing Tamya cause by purchasing her very own original acrylic paintings (there is also a growing selection on her Etsy shop). 

Treat dad to some ESPIONAGE TEA next weekend! Lapsang Suchong (pine-smoked black tea), whose smoky aroma and tannin flavour is smoothed by orris root and vanilla bean. Juniper berries add a tad of evergreen, gin-like sparkle. This tea blend is a bold brew that sparkles the imagination and will be fondly remembered and shared, like stories around the campfire.

MASCULINE MINI TRIO is one of our most popular items online, and you can still get it (from the still active "old" website). It's a great way to treat dad (or another important man in your life) to three fragrances he can explore and play with (they can be layered too...). 

The Best Scents for Men this Winter - via Men's Journal and Business Insider:

Read Michael Malone's expert advice article on Men's Journal, featuring Orcas and Rainforest by your truly!
The article was also published in Business Insider.

Orcas 2nd Anniversary + Beard Oil

It's Orca's 2nd anniversay. Last year, I celebrated the occasion with the handmade candle collaboration with eikcam and Gabriel's Aunt. This year, I've created 2 oil-based formulations for the scent: Perfume oil roll-on, and a beard oil!

The latest in men's grooming, and just in time for Father's Day, Orcas Beard Oil conditions and softens the beard and takes care of the skin while scenting your face with the delicate aroma of ocean air and rosemary. These pure natural nourishing oils keep a balanced skin, clean and soft hair and help prevent ingrown hairs.

To apply, work into a damp beard with the fingertips and massage into the skin.

Ingredients: Argan Oil, Squalane oil, Jojoba oil, Vitamin E, Orcas fragrance (with Seaweed oil, Rosemary, Blue Spruce, Geranium and other essences).
 
Also, please visit EauMG to read Victoria Jent's review of Orcas fragrance which came out this week! 

Orcas Giveaway Winner!

We have a winner for the Orcas giveaway on ScentHive. Congrats to Bellatrix!
Thank you for everyone for your gracious comments. I'm so happy to have such wonderful customers and supporters of my olfactory art, and am glad that the review of Orcas has peaked the interest of those of you who haven't tried my perfumes quite yet.

ScentHive Orcas Review + Giveaway

"Orcas is expertly blended and as a result the natural materials move like water over a stone, seamlessly and fluidly".

Trish of ScentHive reviews Orcas - my new natural oceanic fragrance. Leave a comment there with your favourite Ayala Moriel perfume and enter to win an Orcas mini!
Can't think of a better way to wrap up this summer (although we have 3 more weeks to go before it's officially fall...).

Sight, Smells & Tastes from Orcas Fragrance Launch + Tea Party

ORCAS Diorama, a photo by Ayala Moriel on Flickr.

For those of you who missed the party, here are some sights and imaginary smells, tastes and aromas from my last tea party, where I officially launched ORCAS - the first natural oceanic fragrance for men (well, women love it too!). It was originally scheduled to take place on Father's day, but I had to postpone it due to other clashes in my schedule (not to mention the rather wild partying that was going on in downtown Vancouver during the hockey games).

It all started with zesting some key limes the night before, to make the key lime pie. Lime is a key ingredient in Orcas, so it only made sense to feature its intense flavour in the menu!

Zesting Key Limes for Key Lime Pie, a photo by Ayala Moriel on Flickr.

I also found linden blossom branches on Denman street the day before, so I did all the flower arrangements (a very fancy name for my very simple bouquet of linden and freesia) the day before.

Linden Blossom Bouquet, a photo by Ayala Moriel on Flickr.

Setting the mood started early in the morning, with collecting pebbles at the beach, and painting rocks with blue hearts, inspired by the beach graffiti at Sunset Beach, and setting up little dioramas like this, which was the place where I was plotting Orcas all summer long in 2009 and 2010. And than, of course, I started playing all my favourite summery 70's funk music to keep my energy up until the guests arrive, without missing a beat!

Sunset Beach Diorama, a photo by Ayala Moriel on Flickr.

Tea Cups for ORCAS tea party, a photo by Ayala Moriel on Flickr.

Wish I had more blue tea cups... But sometimes being too literal is kinda tacky anyway...

Guests exploring perfumes at Ayala Moriel Parfums studio, a photo by Ayala Moriel on Flickr.

I had very little help this tea party, so very little time to take pictures of the guests (not to mention of myself...). You'll just have to believe me that I was there, and that I had a presentation that told the tales of Orcas perfume, as well as explain the difference between a natural oceanic fragrance vs. the synthetic ones (in the likes of Dune, Cool Water and l'Eau d'Issey). The guests were unfortunate enough to smell calone molecules diluted to 1% and 10% (and also look at the pure crystals without snorting them). And they were privee to the process of how I picked essences for Orcas, demonstrated with some 20 or so natural essences, including ambergris, seaweed, cedarmoss, boronia, cassie, violet leaf and angelica. Being exposed to the raw aromatics and walk through the process of fragrance creation is not something that is often made available to consumers, and my guests are always very curious about it, and appreciate the educational as well as sensory aspect of the experience. This is something I only do at my private studio events, where all the materials are within hand reach and the setting is intimate and allows for questions, answers and first hand experience of the raw materials without outside distractions (well, except for the truffles, that is!).

ORCAS Tea Party Guests, a photo by Ayala Moriel on Flickr.

And now - you are probably curious to see what the menu looked like after all - so feast your eyes, and please do come by again to my next party, which will in November 2011 to launch a new tea AND perfume for the winter holidays. Mark this date in your calendars: Sunday, 20.11.2011.

Watermelon + Macedonian Feta Cheese, a photo by Ayala Moriel on Flickr.

Serving watermelon with feta cheese is popular in the Balkan countries, and happily adopted in the Mediterranean countries. Nice contrast between sweet and salty, not to mention the difference in textures... These were little appies served to hold the guests over until all the sandwiches and treats were freshly made, garnished & decorated and set on the 5 tiered tea tray!

Another good appie/palate cleanser is the raw rhubarb (marinated with rosemary, Hendricks gin and chestnut honey) that I served in little China spoons.

Raw Rhubarb Salad, a photo by Ayala Moriel on Flickr.

Raw Rhubarb Salad, a photo by Ayala Moriel on Flickr.

ORCAS Tea Sandwiches, a photo by Ayala Moriel on Flickr.

Smoked Salmon + Capers open tea sandwiches, made with the BEST - wild smoked BC Sockeye salmon, on rosemary & lavender wholewheat bread by purebread.

In the background, on the tea tray, are Yuzu + Kabu tea sandwiches (kabu is a Japanese turnip with a very fine, sweet taste and tender, crisp texture; yuzu is a Japanese citron, and I used koshu condiment, which is a little spicy, mixed together with butter, to feature the flavour in an interesting way).

Sweet Scones + Cream + Preserves, a photo by Ayala Moriel on Flickr.

No tea party is complete without scones, clotted cream and preserves. Since the rest of the menu was so fragrant, I kept the scones simple yet fancy (sweet cream scones from The Empress Hotel's tea room recipe), served with tart raspberry-rhubarb preserves to balance out their sweetness.

Key Lime Pie, a photo by Ayala Moriel on Flickr.

My first time making a key lime pie - and I'm pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to make, and cut. I decorated them with a dollop of whipped cream, and a little slice of candied angelica stalks that Rachel Sawatzky of CocoaNymph has graciously made for me, from stalks that were harvested by Stacelynn Caughlan. Both angelica and lime are in Orcas, so it was very neat to be able to have that not-commonly-found confection as part of the menu!

Rosemary Vanilla Madeleines, a photo by Ayala Moriel on Flickr.

Nothing at all like the ones made by Proust's grandmother, these have the added oomph of fresh rosemary leaves that I picked at Sunset Beach, and a touch of honey. And yes, they do taste good the next day as well, when dunked into tea...

Orcas Truffles, a photo by Ayala Moriel on Flickr.

These are no extraordinary truffles... I was most excited about creating these truffles, this one time only, for my Orcas perfume launch. I've scented them with nothing less than my precious ambergris tincture that was aged for 6 years now. The result was what can be described as "chocolate on steroids" - the ambergris is not so much a taste on its own, as much as it just tremendously enhances the flavour and aroma of the chocolate, which was already pretty amazing to begin with (the same 64% chocoa that CocoaNymph uses to concoct her much-coveted SeaNymph bars). And the ambergris also enhances the chocolate's aphrodisiac properties...!

And last but not least - you're probably curious to hear who won the lucky draw -

Winning ticket!, a photo by Ayala Moriel on Flickr.

Orcas Diorama, a photo by Ayala Moriel on Flickr.

And last but not least - here's an interesting clip I found when searching online for other chocolate & ambergris combinations:

Orcas Perfume Launch + Tea Party Sunday July 17th 1-5pm

Mossy Tea Cup, a photo by Ayala Moriel on Flickr.

I'm super excited for the launch party of ORCAS - the first all-natural oceanic fragrance!
The menu for this party is very special, as it's inspired by the notes of the perfume, including key-lime pie, hand-candied angelica by CocoaNymph and another thing which I'm sure you've never tasted in your life (and not likely to ever taste again...):
ORCAS chocolate truffles, scented with pure beach harvested ambergris, which is nearly as precious as gold but smells so much better! It really is fit for royals... But I'm making it especially for you, my guests, because I think you deserve it!

Also, I'm excited to share with you the elaborate creative process that lead to this perfume, and let you experience the unusual raw materials that make it so unique. You will also learn about the difference between a natural oceanic fragrance and a synthetic one, which is usually based on a particular molecule (you'll get to smell that too, if you dare!).

Last headcount is today, so get your ticket now to make sure that there are enough truffles for you!
Besides, there are super-fantastic door prizes for the first 10 guests to purchase their tickets in advance. Hurry - there are only a couple of those left!!!

And either way - get your ticket today for a chance to win an Orcas perfume bottle!!!

When:
Sunday, July 17th, 1-6pm

Where:
#314-1230 Haro Street, Buzz #295
ORCAS launch & demo at 3pm

What:
Revealing Orcas - the new fragrance by Ayala Moriel Parfums
at 3pm there will be a demonstration by the perfumer showcasing the different notes that make up Orcas, and discover how they were orchestrated to smell like the beaches in Tofino!
You will get to smell unusual raw materials from around the world and learn how this natural oceanic fragrance is different from the mainstream "marine-ozone" fragrances.

There also will be super special door prizes for the first 10 people to RSVP :-)

Menu: The menu has the traditional afternoon tea structure, with top quality loose leaf teas, innovative fragrant savouries and pastries that echo the notes of the new Orcas fragrance, including:

1st Tier: Sandwiches & Savouries
Cucumber + Mint Tea Sandwiches
Smoked Salmon + Capers Tea Sandwiches
Yuzu + Kabu Tea Sandwiches
Watermelon + Macedonian Feta appies

2nd Tier: Sweet Scones
served with Devonshire Cream + Local Wild Berry Jelly
Fresh Rhubarb Salad

3rd Tier: Desserts
Ambergris Truffles, hand-rolled and scented by Ayala
Key Lime Pie, topped with Candied Angelica (candy courtesy of CocoNymph)
Rosemary-Vanilla Madelienes

Teas & Beverages:
Geranium-Lychee Iced Tea
King Jade (Floral High-Mountain Oolong) Tea
Orcas Cocktails (Carmelite Water & Cointreau served with Key Lime, Rosemary & Mint)

RSVP by phone (778) 863-0806 or email ayala@ayalamoriel.com

Tickets are $12 online to guarantee your spot (we only have room for 30 guests) - or $20 at the door (the $8 that the website automatically charges for shipping in checkout will be immediately refunded after you got your tickets online).

Orcas is Ready!

Orcas, my newest creation, is ready to debut today!!!

The larger batch I created for the occasion has beautifully aged and rounded off by ambergris, echoing the whale theme of the perfume. It's fresh, salty and mysterious, inspired by the ocean and the coast of the Pacific Northwest. I've been wearing it tirelessly all last summer, and intend to do the same this year too :-)

Orcas is bottled and packaged and those of you who're still unsure of what to get your dad for Father's Day next Sunday - this is a unique, yet easily lovable scent, and will make any dad who appreciate scent happy.

Orcas: The 1st Natural Oceanic Fragrance For Men

Dear Fragrant Friends,

It's hard to believe another year has gone by! It seems just like yesterday when I was swimming at Sunset Beach and testing the final versions of Orcas on the lifeguards. Oh, wait - I did go for a swim yesterday! Finally, summer is back in the Pacific Nothwest, and that was my first real, long swim of the year, at the very same spot. Ahh, so refreshing...! Which is the same feeling I get now spritzing my Orcas EDP from the new spray bottles. Got some good news to share with you, just in time for Father's Day and the beginning of summer - so read on!

In this newsletter:

1. Orcas, the 1st Natural Oceanic Fragrance


2. New: Eau de Parfum Spray Bottles


3. In the Media + Contest


4. Upcoming Events: Lace Embrace Event @ Hycroft Mansion June 19th


5. Orcas Fragrance Launch Party July 17



6. Wedding Perfumes


7. Fragrant Father's Day
   
   

1. Orcas, the 1st Natural Oceanic Fragrance for Men

Orcas began its journey many years ago, with a scent that had an unusual combination of notes - seaweed, cloves, lime and rosemary. Strangely enough, it smelled like coke, and was loved by everyone who set nose on it. But I knew it wasn't quite right, so I set it aside and forgot all about it, until...

A couple of years ago, I went to Tofino and Uclulet for a little summer vacation, and fell in love with the magical, misty Pacific rim. Long Beach was breathtaking, with the constant mist in the air and the mythical rock that just sits there waiting for the surfers to take a wrong turn, and the whales passing by the Wild Pacific Trail enchanted me with their songs...
The air there is so crips and clean that it makes a perfect habitat for moss and lichen, adorning the trees with velvety green topes and silvery lace. And just
off the shore,
whales spit a mist of water from their lungs which towers abaove the
water and they weave in and out of its depths along the rocky shores.
Orcas plays on this theme of the marine creatures and moss.

Two years later, and Orcas has become what I envisioned - an innovative all-natural marine woody scent, a unique alternative to the mainstream aquatic/ozone fragrances. Orcas is made of a unique combination of scents from sea and seashore, some mundane and familiar, and others are precious botanical gems from the ocean and the land.

It is available in EDP only, in two sizes - 4ml mini ($38) or 15ml spray/splash bottle ($120). It was offered for pre-ordering so the number of bottles that will be ready for the launch (June 12th) is rather limited at the moment (and I'm thrilled it was so well received!!!).

It was always intended as a masculine fragrance, but as it turns out - both men and women love to smell and wear it!!!

You can read more about the process of creating Orcas on SmellyBlog. Here are more notes on the materials used in the finished creation:

Top notes - Breath of Fresh Air:

Rosemary verbenon - sheer, non-medicinal and reminiscent of tea and crisp ocean breeze. Rosemary bushes grow at Sunset Beach, and the lifeguard there make it into tea.

Lime - with its sweet, slightly coconutty undertones, lime is a note that always reminds me of the beach.

Fresh Ginger - brisk and zingy

Cedarwood - an inevitable note as the beaches of the Pacific Northwest are often a rainforest, or gritty sand dotted with cedar logs.

Heart notes - Non-Floral Flowers:
Egyptian Geranium - with a slightly salty, woody and musky aroma, it brings forward floral elements while keeping it clean and frill-free.

Boronia - a dash of oceanic saltiness from this Tasmanian treasure.

Clary Sage - tea-like and ambery nuances to connect between the ambergris and rosemary.

Violet Leaf - a freshwater mist that is cool and elegant.

Base notes - Salt, Whales and Forest at their best:

Seaweed - crisp ocean air with prominent saltiness

Ambergris - animalic whale secretion

Cedarmoss - reminiscent of the lichen hanging on the coniferous trees on the Wild Pacific Trail

Blue Spruce Absolute - scent of the Pacific Northwest forests

Continue reading Ayala Moriel's latest newsletter.

Orcas on Fragrantica

Orcas was added to Fragrantica fragrance directory today. If you are a member of this wonderful online fragrance community, you can add your reviews and share insights about this perfume (and many others!).

Orcas on Basenotes

Orcas Eau de Parfum, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

The upcoming release of the new Orcas fragrance was announced on Basenotes yesterday!

Also, Orcas was added to their fragrance directory. Those of you who have already experienced my new woody oceanic - please add your reviews and help me spread the word around!

Sun, where art thou?

Building has sundeck., originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

This signage looks just as ridiculous now as it has in early July, when it was still cloudy and rainy in Vancouver...
August was barely over, and it already started raining again. My beach days are far and few in between cold wet days, and today was the last day of work for Vancouver's lifeguards... I'm going to miss them almost as much as I will miss the swimming itself - because we both share this strange passion for the beach and the ocean.

Saturday was my last day of swimming, and I was clever enough to bring them all samples of some manly scents to sniff, and most importantly - my 5th mod of Orcas. I'm not the kind of gal that pushes her business everywhere she goes. But when it comes up, it does. We were started to bid our farewells on Friday, and strangely, the question of what I do when I don't swim laps between the shore and the red floaty markers only came up when summer was just about to be gone... The lifeguards seemed to be quite fascinated by my strange profession, and one of them seemed to be unusually interested in fragrance actually. He was even telling me how much he likes the scent of rosemary, and pulled a few needles off the bush behind him, telling me he even likes to make tea out of it.

So it was inevitable that I would tell him about Orcas - a seaweed and rosemary scent that was greatly inspired by my immersion in the Pacific Ocean at Sunset Beach. And I just had to bring my vat of the Orcas test batch the next day. I wasn't planning on giving them samples to take home because I don't usually do that with test batches unless the mod is for sure complete and I have no intentions of adding anything else... The rosemary-loving lifeguards was so smitten with it, he liked it even more than ArbitRary and l'Herbe Rouge (the samples I brought them to take home to impress their wives...). He also noticed that it has a way of intensifying with time - it's as if the scent grows on the skin! This is, I believe, due to the presence of ambergris, which creates that kind of alchemy with the way the notes are playing - first bursting in freshness, than pretending to disappear, only to emerge with a big blow like the whale!

I felt compelled to bring them samples the following day, but it was windy yesterday and not that this would stop me from swimming - but I had to go to the Night Market (it's a summer must and I haven't been there yet this year!) with my friends that evening, and the day just slipped away without me ever making it to Sunset Beach.

And than came today: the lifeguards last day. And I didn't make it there. I admire the Triathletes that swam 5 kilometers in the rainy ocean today. I guess it is just not meant to be... So I'm saving all the Orcas V jus for myself and I will see them next summer!

I still believe I have work to do with this Orcas cologne. It won't be until I actually get a hold of some fair amount of seaweed absolute that I can continue my work. And I'm still waiting to hear back from the suppliers, who's definitely taking their time...!

Ozone

Last night’s swim brought an interesting olfactory surprise. I swam in the water of Sunset Beach, all the way to the large float that marks the boat traffic territory. The setting sun nearly blinded my eyes and I was hardly able to make out the couple in the rowing boat ahead of me. I stopped for a while, blocked off from my goal (to reach that big red ball and than swim back…) by the couple and while waiting for them to move on I noticed an unusual scent in the air.

The middle of the water is the place I least expect to smell anything around. Unlike a walk in the neighbourhood with its abundant gardens, it’s not as if you’d stop to smell the seaweed when you go for a swim… But surprises are what you find in the least expected friend. Just a few days before, I knocked into a good old friend in that very same water. So really, I should know better than to expect less than the unexpected!

The water was very cold, which is pretty much it’s normal thing year around in Vancouver. A peculiar scent, yet not at all unpleasant, wafted above the water and gently blew in my face fragments of raw fish, seaweed and something quite floral and strange. I believe to be the scent of ozone, at least partially, wafting just above the water. It was not unlike calone, but with none of the harsh, sickening quality of rotting fish and piercing rusty metal that I got when I smelled a 10% dilution of the watermelon ketone. Apparently, it could very likely have something to do with a particular brown algae’s metabolism or pheromones.

I’ve never felt that calone was in the least floral, but I can now see where perfumes such as Cool Water and l’Eau d’Iseey found their inspiration. The perfumers must have been either swimming or sailing in a very cold ocean at sunset searching for brown algae…

Bewildered, I turned around and swam back to the beach. It weakened as I approached the shore. But when I went back to the red float (the sailing couple was gone), the scent was there and as strong as before, and it was haunting me ever since. I tried wearing l’Eau d’Issey (which bears some similarities, and to my surprise smells a lot more like sheer woodsy incense scent now, but this is the parfum extrait). I went to the beach again the next day, but the scent was gone.

Ocean

Girl and Dog, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

With every dip or swim in the ocean, no mater how short or long, I come out feeling cleansed, purified. It feels as if I left something behind in the water... Something I probably did not need to keep carrying on my shoulders. I don't know what it is that has lessened my burden, but it sure feels good.

It’s evening. Rocking on my swing-bench in my balcony upstairs, I’m sensing my state of mind and typing it through my fingertips. The balcony is open to the skies that are now covered with summer clouds. Hinoki incense is burining, producing smokeless smoke, which feels more like vapours in a dry sauna.

Every muscle in my body is at once relaxed and exhausted. My brain, which nearly froze every time I put my head under the Pacific ocean’s grey and algae-specked water, is floating in a cheerfully wobbly place above all troubles.

I know there are many things I could worry about – a busy week ahead of me, with opening in (hopefully) 3 retails locations. I will need to work like mad in the next few days to get all the perfumes bottled and packaged neatly, and put together all the necessary display materials. And this is just one part of what needs to get done this week. But I’m feeling strangely unworried. Even though I can never be sure that everything will fall into place perfectly and with no challenge (when does that ever happen, anyway?!), I have a sense of peacefulness that nothing will disturb right now.

The ocean – a big mirror of unknown depth that takes away suffering and reflects our interior landscape of emotions, fears, fascinations and misery. Each wave takes away an obsession and turns it into an inspiration; transforms our suffering into grace and compassion. And while those healing powers exists for me year around as I frequent the sea in all its moods and season, the ability to immerse in it gives me a renewed sense of appreciation that goes beyond the sheer pleasure of being able to swim under the sun without the risk of hypothermia.

The sea bears many treasures – fish, pearls, ambergris... The the ocean’s greatest gift to us is the sea itself. I am grateful.

Lime and Focus

Lime, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

Yesterday’s session with my Orcas perfume turned out pretty well, but with one major conclusion: I need seaweed absolute. Badly. In fact, I think there would be no point to make more mods until I get seaweed absolute in. The seaweed I have is an essential oil and is very light. As a result, it only succeeds in playing a minor role in a formula where it has to be the centerpiece.

That being said, I’m happy with the direction this project is leading me, because it is fun, interesting and quite refreshing in the heat wave we are experiencing in the city again (yay!). I’ve been swimming in the ocean 2 nights in a row and intend to do so as long as the weather continues this way.

It is perhaps too early to cast real judgment on the mod of yesterday, because at least a week in the bottle make all the essences act and interact differently than when they are fresh. In this mod, I’ve decided to go back to lime after replacing it with lemon and bergamot in the past 3 mods (2-4). I stayed away from it only because I’ve noticed that every time I want to create something “masculine” I end up with both lime AND juniper. I was trying to avoid doing this again, but this part of the game is over. Lime reminds me of the beach, for whatever reason. Maybe it’s because it’s used in Coca Cola, which everyone seemed to want to drink at the beach (I’ve never gotten into coke, personally). But more likely – it’s probably because of the lemon-lime flavoured bubble gum that we used to indulge in as kids at the beach in the 80’s. There was this crazy brand of bubblegum that came out in the 80’s, in wicked flavours such as coconut, banana-punch (which is basically, cooked strawberry and banana flavour) and lemon-lime was one of those. What was special about those gums was not only their flavours (juicy and a little longer lasting than all the usually Israeli gums), but also they made the most enormous bubbles that we would cover your entire face once they popped. We literally blew bubbles the size of our heads and that was the coolest think we could think of doing, besides catching waves and escaping jellyfish stings.

By I digress. My point is: if lime reminds me of the ocean, I should stick with that! Keeping focus of an idea is always a challenge when you work your way through various mods. It’s so easy to side track and forget that what I wanted was… Wait a minute, what was it? Oh, yes: a woody marine, and preferably masculine.

This mode is actually quite focused, but like I said – there is a real urgent need for stronger seaweed to join the waves of woods and citrus and rosemary. It’s very similar to the last mode because like the last one it has the violet and boronia and cassie. Yet berries less sidetrack it and I used Virginia cedarwood this time to add a little dryness. I’ve also refrained from using oakmoss, and used cedarmoss instead, which is dryer.

Another danger when going through all the mods is redundancy. I already have Rainforest, which is a very West Coast, moist and musty green forest scent. And I already have l’Ecume des Jours, a marine floral, which has boronia, cedarwmoos and seaweed. I need to be sure I’m not repeating myself too much.

Mod. 5 starts very lime-like, than the rosemary comes to the front, with some seaweed, and than what I’m left with is mostly sweetness. I’m surprised at how sweet this is. There is no vanilla; there is no labdanum or amber. It seems to me, that at this particular ratio between the spruce and the vetiver, the blue spruce remains more balsamic than it ever were in previous mods. Now all I need is some seaweed absolute to reinforce the saltiness… And balance that foresty balsamic sweetness. I was thinking of other notes too – such a curry leaves and coriander seeds to add saltiness, but I don’t think this will be enough. And I’m also tempted to add some juniper, but I’m refraining from this because of fear of being redundant.

Mossy Whale

Mossy trees, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

The moss sculpts its way on the tree trunks and branches along the Wild Pacific Trail. And I’ve heard it has something to do with how crisp and clean the air is there… The mosses and lichen love it and adorn the trees with their moss-green velvety ropes and silvery laces… And nearby, whales spit a mist of water from their lungs which towers abaove the water and they weave in and out of its depths along the rocky shores.

I wanted to play on these themes of moss and marine creatures in the 4th mod. As it turns out, I went a little too far though… I was a little adventurous, and rather than adjusting the formula a bit by changing only an element or two, I added many different elements and nuances.

First, I wanted to see what happens if I add some more violety notes, so I added even omre cassie absolute, which has a wet-wood and leather quality to it and also boronia absolute, which I find to have a certain oceanic quality about it that is hard to explain, but if you smell it you will understand what I’m talking about. And added even more Haitian vetiver!

Remembering the rotting squids also made me want to add something animalic and marine to the mix – and that’s when the ambergris joined the game. My original concept of making this a simple and not crazy expensive perfume (except for the seaweed, which is essential) pretty much flew out of the window right that moment.

I should have probably stopper right than and there to see what transpires of my efforts. But I was unhappy of whatever result was going, and added a little more of this and that – which included more citrus (lime) and more woodsy notes (juniper, cypress). But where everything went out of control was when I decided to go with nothing else but cherry cedar, which is distilled locally, and I thought would be very appropriate for this British Columbian theme. What I added accounts for just about 2% of the formula was clearly too much. All I could notice now was cedar, cedar, cedar… Red, local, whatever…! It was too much.

I let it rest for just one week. I came back to it yesterday, and the thing has transformed into the craziest berry-cedar perfume I’ve ever smelled in my life. And than it turns interestingly salty with the seaweed and boronia and the moss. It’s not bad at all. But it’s not Orcas yet - unless you are imagining a killer whale that picks wild berries and carves canoes from cherry cedar.

Rosemary & Sea

Rosemary & Sea, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

Before I went on to another bottle, I made some adjustments to what I told you about earlier. I sharpened and accentuated a few ideas – i.e.: increasing the seaweed a bit, as well as the spruce absolute and added some cypress to flesh out the woody element and in hopes of making it more “masculine” so to speak. I also increased the violety presence by adding a smidgeon of cassie absolute. I also added some citrus notes – bergamot and lemon – to brighten things up a bit and give the whole thing a lift. Egyptian geranium was necessary for added body at the heart notes, and to accompany it - a bit of a very high quality palmarosa, which added a clean yet floral freshness, expansive airiness to the composition. This still remained true to the original concept but just a little more developed.

I was also hoping to increase the salty levels in the composition by adding some atranol-free oakmoss, which I find to be more sheer and marine-like than the nearly ambery-musky full-profile oakmoss absolute (all oakmoss absolute sold these days have the atranol removed. It’s part of EU regulations, and since all oakmoss is produced in Europe – usually harvested in former Yugoslavia and extracted in Grasse) that’s all we’ve got, unless we stashed some oakmoss away.

At the same time, I felt that the rosemary was still quite strong, and the seaweed was not enough present. Which is quite strange given how potent it always seems on its own and how light the rest of the notes were.

Olfactory Souvenir from Long Beach

Butterfly, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

My visit to Tofino last summer left a lasting impression on me, and I was determined to turn it into perfume one day. The scents of the ocean never cease to amaze me, and fortunately, there are some raw materials in my palette that are authentic in both their origin and their manifestation. Take seaweed, for instance (which comes in oil, absolute and more recently - molecular distillation). It is so true to the scent of seashore and ocean breeze that it makes my heart skip a beat every single time, just like when the sea line approaches on the horizon on a Beach Day and you can see the lifeguard’s red flag saying swimming is not forbidden but a still a little dangerous…

Tofino, for those of you who aren’t familiar, is a little town on the west coast of Vancouver Island, which faces the great Pacific Ocean. Unlike the beaches within the Georgia Straight – the waves there are high and forceful. There is a high risk of tsunami there, because it is not too far from the “junction” of no less than three tectonic plates!

There are many magical spots in that area, which is almost continuously draped in mist regardless of season. The iconic big rock at Long Beach, which looks like a giant altar for sacrifice for the gods of the sea; The rainforest there are so clear, that moss grows on the trees in abundance, moss that I’ve never seen anywhere else. Every place you turn is like pure magic, even the hundreds of dead squids that were washed to shore and made some of the beaches reek of rotting marine carcasses. But certainly, the most memorable thing was the Wild Pacific Trail, where we spotted whales blowing and gasping for fresh misty air above sunken ships from centuries past.

In my very early days of perfumery, I created Orcas. It was a strange oceanic that smells a lot like Coca Cola – because besides the seaweed and the rosemary, which provided the core of the “ocean breeze” theme, I also put some lime, rose geranium, litsea cubeba, cinnamon and cloves. I liked Orcas, but it never really made it. I phased it out when I did the name switch (from Quinta Essentia to Ayala Moriel). I felt it’s time to update this perfume and give it a new spin, and that’s what I’ve been working on in the past month. I Love the name and wanted to keep it that way. I want the new Orcas to be more on the masculine side, very expansive and light, and distinctively oceanic.

Oceanic, Aquatic and Ozone notes have probably began with Dune by Maurice Roger (created in 1991 for Christian Dior). Although rather complex with its array of notes (Broom, Wallflower, Bergamot, Mandarin, Lily, Peony, Jasmine, Rose, Amber, Lichen, Musk, Sandalwood, Vanilla) - it was more about creating the impression of sand, seashore and ocean air rather than an evolution of notes. It is also the first in the genre of oceanic perfumes, later on expanded into the ozonic/oceanic and aquatic-floral fragrance family, with the introduction of the man-made molecule calone.

Creating a marine or oceanic natural scent poses a challenge because the palette of oceanic notes is limited and narrow – primarily the seaweed essences I’ve mentioned. What can be built on top of that relies heavily on the perfumer’s imagination, creativity and their own association with seashore and ocean.

For some reason, I find rosemary to fit in perfectly with that theme. And so I’m quite set on focusing my attention on the seaweed and rosemary accord, which is quite lovely. My first version (or my second, counting the original Orcas) is very simple and minimalist, with blue spruce absolute, seaweed, Haitian vetiver (which has a certain ‘saltiness’ to it), angelica, violet leaves, clary sage, rosemary and fresh ginger. These notes to fit in together quite nicely into a Pacific mist meets rainforest kind of accord, and the rosemary (usually a top note) gets a surprisingly long appearance. But it’s not a perfume quite yet. There is a lot missing – a heart, for example.

To be continued…