Scent Stories: How Infiniment Coty is redefining traditional fragrance compositions
Gucci, Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein... many of the world's most revered fragrance brands sit under the Coty umbrella but fragrance history buffs will remember that before it became the cosmetics conglomerate it is today, Coty itself was a trailblazer in mainstream perfumery.
François Coty launched its first perfume – La Rose Jacqueminot – back in 1904, some 120 years ago. An homage to the flower Rosa Centifolia, La Rose went on to cement Coty's presence in the beauty realm. Numerous fragrances followed, including Coty L'aimant and Wild Musk, but in recent history, the company's focus have been on its many outstanding brands within its portfolio. Until now.
In a collaboration between Coty's CEO Sue Nabi and entrepreneur Nicolas Vu, Coty is introducing Infiniment Coty Paris, a 14-piece fragrance collection that marries art, high-tech compositions and impressive eco-credentials.
Like all great stories, it all started with an idea and a piece of paper. "[We wrote down] 'How can science make fragrances more qualitative, more long-lasting and more true to what they are throughout the day?', says Nabi to Bazaar. The answer lies in the structure of the scent. Foregoing the traditional perfume pyramid of top, heart and base notes, Infiniment Coty is constructed in a 'spherical' manner using patent-pending 'Molecular Aura'.
"There is a molecule that allows you to control how the different ingredients evaporates exactly. Instead of having the pyramids, we have a sphere where everything evaporates at the same speed in all directions," explains Nabi. In other words, what you spritz at 6am, will smell exactly the same come sunset. Next to scent longevity, Infiniment Coty also aims to be kinder to the planet by using alcohol that's 100 per cent derived from recycled carbon emissions.
"As perfume makers, alcohol is our number one ingredient – and we wanted our number one ingredient to be as sustainable as possible," says Nabi. "Years ago we spotted a technology using the power of bacteria and fermentation to take pollution from the air and transform this it into alcohol." The technology is slowly being rolled out into other Coty-owned fragrances (Gucci Where My Heart Beats being an early adopter) and will hopefully be used more widely across the industry.
Eschewing excessive plastic wrappers, each Art Deco-esque refillable glass bottle – which is also designed to be stackable – is packaged in recyclable cardboard made from plant fibres. Art plays an integral role, too, as Infiniment partners with African Art Fair 1-54 to create pieces inspired by the the scents and bottles. "Nicola really wanted to give a place, and an opportunity, a role of expression to artists. We want to support creativity today."
As for the perfumes themselves, the unexpected note combinations means that each scent has plenty of depth and interest, while still being pleasantly wearable. Ahead, see Bazaar's top five picks from Infiniment Coty Paris.
If you love... clean, second skin scents
Try: Entre Genres Parfum, where clouds of soft musk mingle gently with hints of tangerine.
If you love... the smell of sunshine
Try: Soleil d'Ikosim, inspired by Nabi's teenage years spent in the Algiers surrounded by orange blossoms. The cocktail of white flowers and vetiver is a Mediterranean summer, bottled.
If you love... evenings in a jazz bar
Try: Après L'Amour Parfum, a smoky blend of tobacco and amber. A perfume equivalent of red lipstick, smokey eyes and a well-worn leather jacket.
If you love... elegant vanillas
Try: Encore Une Fois, an enveloping waft of rich vanilla with plenty of depth.
If you love... a mood-lifting spritz
Try: Matin de Jade. A dazzlingly fresh burst of ginger, tea and succulent bergamot.
Infiniment Coty Paris, from £195 at Liberty London
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