The origin story of Yuzu/Rose/Patchouli is not one of grand toil, but rather grand inspiration. While enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon, I found my mind wandering towards fragrance, as it often does. I began considering the classic rose and patchouli accord. The two go together splendidly, with the deeply round and pungent woody notes of patchouli finding their stasis with the sharp, intensely floral rose in the scent. But I felt like there was something missing and something that had not been explored deeply enough.

At that moment, I had found myself beginning a love affair with yuzu. Yuzu is often referred to as Asia's answer to the grapefruit. There is a bitter Japanese yuzu and a sweet Korean yuzu. Originally, my affair with yuzu began with the Korean variety.

Citrus is a distinctive genre, and undeniably so, but it can still be quite varied for something so utterly distinctive. The deep, juicy scent of ripe yuzu is something that could work in tandem with a rose and patchouli accord. The sweet note of yuzu could lend its hand to help mellow out the rose and patchouli notes, which would, in turn, amplify the citrus accord.

This scent ended up becoming one of the most popular Chatillon Lux aftershaves scents, but it needed a few finishing touches before becoming an eau de toilette. With the goal of overcoming the fleeting nature of citrus notes combined with the necessity of adding more depth to the rose and patchouli accord, I set out to keep the feeling while creating an accord that creates new nuances to explore.

First of all, I looked to add more dimension to the sweet yuzu accord by adding some bitter Japanese yuzu along with neroli, a bitter orange scent. This creates a richer opening and more complex evolution, as well as creating a fixative effect on the citrus notes in the accord.

After that, I expanded upon the rose accord in the middle, adding elements of geranium to help distinguish the sweet rose accord used in the aftershave while heightening elements that would help it meld more seamlessly with the citrus notes in order help create a smoother evolution of scent, a challenge that is far less necessary in an aftershave concentration. 

Finally, I added different patchoulis to the mix in order to enhance the woody aspects of the note, evening out the rubbery elements that lend itself to mesh with the rose accord and create a thicker, woodier base. 

The resulting accord creates a more zesty yuzu note, a more complete rose note, and a woodier, more mellow patchouli note to compose a sum that is greater than its parts. For Yuzu/Rose/Patchouli fans, consider this the luxury version of the scent. For those who have not yet experienced Yuzu/Rose/Patchouli, this is the perfect way to smell it for the first time. 

Yuzu/Rose/Patchouli Eau de Toilette will be available on Friday, May 4 at 11am Eastern.