Underrated Montale
- Posted by: angeli.krohmal
When people start talking about niche perfumery, one of the first brands that come to mind is Montale. Why, among a large number of already quite famous brands with unique compositions, is this brand more talked about? What is the reason for such a wide perfume collection? Who invented aluminum bottles? And what connects Montale with another niche brand Mancera?
Pierre Montale is Martin Margiela in the world of perfumery. Very little is known about the personality of the perfume couturier, he prefers self-love to love for his fragrance creations. Of what is known - Pierre is French, in his homeland he received a perfumery education. Therefore, his work is based on a classical knowledge of perfume creation. The main passion of the perfumer is the Oriental direction and it was for this inspiration that he traveled to the East at the very beginning of the 21st century.
There, Pierre gained a great deal of knowledge about the culture and traditions of Eastern countries, including the olfactory aesthetics of the East. Being already an established perfume professional, he managed to get acquainted with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia himself. For this royal family Pierre Montale created, according to some sources, more than 40 exclusive fragrances. It can be said that this is a gift of fate, as the author of perfumes had at his disposal the rarest and most unusual ingredients of the best quality in unlimited quantities. This allowed Montale to experiment and gain unique experience in the field of work with natural ingredients. It is worth noting that in 2012, IFRA, a company engaged in the control and certification of perfumery raw materials and other ingredients, created a large-scale set of standards for their use, as well as restrictions on the consumption of natural substances in perfumery. For the most part, these regulations apply to products made in the European Union, which has affected many perfume manufacturers, forcing them to turn their attention to synthetic substances. This is not a negative indicator, as it prevents the risk of allergic reactions to perfumes, and also supports populations of rare plant species, protecting them from overuse.
Working for the monarchs was the inspiration and impetus for Pierre to create his own brand. After an intense work in the Eastern countries Pierre returned to Paris and immediately opened his first boutique - Montale brand appeared in 2003. The author sincerely wished to familiarize the European public with previously unexplored perfume profiles, the sound of which at that time was really exotic. European perfumery masters had also created perfumes in the oriental direction up to that time, and many of them are really brilliant: one should remember Opium by Yves Saint Laurent, Shalimar by Guerlain, the vast majority of fragrances by Serge Lutens - but all these undoubtedly magnificent fragrances were adapted to a greater or lesser extent to the European consumer, sounding softer, not so loud and not accompanied by really extreme combinations. Pierre, however, wanted to emphasize a deeper, bolder and even sharp sound inherent in the perfumery ingredients familiar to the Oriental nose. This is how the first Montale fragrances based on notes of rose, oud, amber, musk, spices, etc. began to appear.
Interesting fact: there is information that the independent brand Montale is not the first brand. Before that, in 1974, Pierre Montale's family founded the brand Comptoir Sud Pacifique, which still exists today and is famous for its very positive and airy dessert flavors. For what reason the Montale family sold this brand and whether it has any influence today is unknown.
Another item with a question mark is the information according to which the brand originally had 2 founders - Pierre himself and his acquaintance entrepreneur in one of the eastern countries. However, as it often happens in business, after some time there were disagreements, in which the brand had to be "cloned" - both participants continued to produce products separately under the same name. Soon Pierre was still the only person who owned the brand. There is no official proof of this story.
Many people know the handwriting of niche perfume brand Montale: rich compositions with oriental accent, the main notes in which are the trademark dense musk, a lot of roses, and oud wood. But the palette of the brand is much more multifaceted and there are hidden real masterpieces of absolutely different directions. Let's discover Montale in a new way!
One of the most famous and the first perfume created by Pierre within his own brand - Roses Musk struck the whole world and laid the foundation for the popular even today direction of rose-musk. Of course, this fragrance, as well as the whole brand, has a lot of both fans and haters. The reason for this is simple and objective, but it is often forgotten - the perception of perfumery is very subjective, as the human sense of smell and brain has an individual background, memory and the way of perception of olfactory information. To the same extent different is the "landing" of the fragrance on the skin. In the sound of perfumery, we take part in a duet in which we enter aromatic composition and human skin, all of us to a greater or lesser extent affect the sound of perfume. Therefore, the same perfume can sound different on different people. This is worth keeping in mind.
Despite the popularity of the composition with rose, the most favorite perfume note Pierre Montale calls oud or agarwood. This rare and very valuable ingredient was practically not used in the 20th century because of the difficulty in delivering and working on it. Today, this is no longer a problem and the oud trend has become very popular in the 10s of the 21st century. In the collection of Montale perfumes with this note in the main roles most of all. We present you the top Montale fragrances with oud from our editorial staff:
Black Aoud
In this fragrance, the main accent is a mix of oud and patchouli, to which a little citrus was added. Rose is also present and plays a supporting role. The musk base makes Black Aoud almost timeless in sound.
Honey Aoud
This composition is much softer due to the balancing note of honey. This composition is firmly associated with winter holidays due to sweet spices - cinnamon and vanilla. Patchouli and a bit of flowers are also woven into the dense oriental canvass. The persistence and the trail are still monumental.
Arabians Tonka
In this fragrance the author mixed the classic formula of oud-Bulgarian rose and emphasized sugar cane. At the start you can clearly hear the precious spice saffron with its special spicy sound.
Attar
Another classic composition with a triangle pyramid. In addition to Bulgarian rose and oud, sandalwood is added here, which makes the whole fragrance very smooth and soft. There is a feeling of expensive grooming cosmetics from this fragrance - like a reference to the classic French education of the perfumer.
Aoud Cuir d'Arabie
This perfume will definitely appeal to the representatives of the male sex, as it has collected the best notes: oud, tobacco and leather in its rough tar manifestation. Also mentioned in the laconic pyramid is birch, which gives a characteristic sourness of hardwood. This is the kind of niche perfumery that should not be treated superficially, but rather scrutinized. All the constituents together have a rather pronounced animalic olfactory character.
Another factor that makes an unforgettable impression is the design of the bottles. According to some statements, the owner of the brand believes that aluminum (treated in a certain way) better preserves the properties of compositions made of so many natural ingredients. Opaque bottles prevent sunlight from reaching the liquid, which spoils fragrances quite quickly. Another basic tip: keep any of your perfumes in a dark place. The universal shape of the bottles allows you to create a very impressive looking collection on the shelf. The lid pin instead of the classic cap gives an extra twist to the Montale brand.
What does this have to do with Mancera?
The Mancera brand is also closely connected with the name of Pierre Montale. It was founded in 2007 and today it is almost as popular as the main brand. The answer is simple - Pierre is the main perfumer in this brand as well. However, Mancera already has the character of a dynasty. Amelie Mancera (Montale) - the daughter of the creator, is the art director of this brand and every year takes on more and more managerial responsibilities. As about her father, almost nothing is known about the girl, and on the Internet there are hardly 2-3 photos of a refined blonde with attentive eyes and a slight half-smile. Olfactory directions of the two brands differ in many ways, except for the quality and richness of compositions. Mancera does not have so many compositions with oud at the head, here you can find much more fruits and citrus. In the last couple of years, truly trendy directions on the theme of figs, coca-cola and other notes have been released. The design of the bottles is also different - here we can see the liquid. However, not everything is so simple: concerned about the safety of the compositions, Montale was looking for a safe solution. He was helped by scientists from the sphere of French astronautics, who provided for testing the glass used for portholes! A truly cosmic solution. In addition, the cap on the bottles is screwed on, not just slammed shut. Pure creativity, both in the content and the wrapper. We recommend checking out the two brands - with so many incredible compositions, you're sure to find a few favorites.
What do you like more from Montale, the classics or something unusual? In any case, we sincerely recommend you to familiarize yourself with these variants.