Frederic Malle En Passant

The scent of lilac on the breeze—can there be a more nostalgic and alluring fragrance in nature? Olivia Giacobetti remembers it from her childhood, and memories are often more beautiful than reality itself. So too is the perfume inspired by this recollection: the creation of a memory.

Olivia crafted this “divine fragrance that drifted from behind the tall fences of old Paris” as a light, airy whisper, free from the heavy, heady intensity lilac can sometimes possess. She first reconstructed the natural scent of the flower using various molecules, then removed everything that disturbed the memory of that gentle, wind-borne aroma.

True artists do not recreate an existing scent—they recreate an emotion and create an illusion. Olivia Giacobetti is a great artist, one who has always chosen freedom and avoided ties to major brands, making her the natural choice to bring a breath of femininity to Éditions de Parfums Frédéric Malle.

Perfumer: Olivia Giacobetti