Launched in 2018, as part of Olfactive Studios’ Sepia Collection, Vanilla Shot is that rare thing: an original vanilla fragrance.

All fragrances for Olfactive Studio begin with a collaboration between a perfumer and a photographer. In the case of the Sepia Collection, the collaborators are Duchaufour and English-born environmental artist, sculptor and photographer Martin Hill.

Vanilla Shot opens with a bracing shot of spice: orange-faceted, herby coriander and bittersweet saffron brightened by the nose-tingling effervescence of aldehydes. The spices don’t deepen, instead, they float over the heart, warming notes of deep, sensuous rose, thick, jammy fried fruits and resinous opopanax. This is the irresistible siren call of the foreign and the exotic – a Duchaufour fingerprint. The fruits and flowers give way to a dark, creamy, caramelized note of vanilla balanced resins: by warm, woody myrrh, vanilla-tinged Benzoin.

The drydown is complex, rich and sensuous. The funny thing is, about an hour in, I put my nose to my wrist and smelled a shadow of the fragrance. At first, I found this disappointing – the scent didn’t last. But then I kept smelling it away from my nose for hours. Then it occurred to me: this is like the effect of looking at a photograph up close and not being able to see the whole picture until you move back away from it. Clever. Well, Duchaufour has been called the master of shadows.

When I do take in the whole fragrance, one thing is clear: with Vanilla Shot Duchaufour has created a truly original vanilla scent that’s easy to wear and enjoy.

Notes: coriander, saffron, aldehydes, rose, dried fruits, opoponax, vanilla, caramel, myrrh, benzoin.