Bois d’Arménie: Guerlain’s Homage to Benzoin and Papier d’Arménie
The first compositions of the exclusive Guerlain range “L’Art et la Matière” were Rose Barbare, Angélique Noire, and Cuir Beluga. The woody note was not represented in this range, which is when the idea came! This would be the 4th composition of the range, which will soon expand with the highly anticipated arrival of the 7th composition: Tonka Impériale.
The Inspiration: Papier d’Arménie
I had kept a wonderful memory of Papier d’Arménie (Armenian Paper). Indeed, my mother meticulously cut the scented strip from the booklet resembling yellow blotting paper, folded it accordion-style, lit the corner, and then let it burn.
The perfume then took over the house and I admit that these vanilla and spicy scents strongly marked me and remind me with great emotion of the atmosphere of the living room of my childhood home, giving an “exotic air” to my native North.
The idea of Papier d’Arménie was the starting point we chose with Annick Ménardo, also addicted to this note! The laborious work was to dress this accord with multiple facets and make it become “Perfume,” not just a beautiful perfume but a Guerlain perfume.
History and Manufacturing Secrets
Papier d’Arménie has existed for about 130 years and to my great surprise, it is totally unknown to Armenians. Its manufacture takes place on the outskirts of Paris, in Montrouge exactly and very precisely on Rue Morel.
It was developed in 1885 by the chemist Auguste Ponsot and the pharmacist Henri Rivier. After a trip to Armenia, pockets filled with golden crystals of benzoin, they thought that not only was this scent delicious but moreover it is interesting because it is antiseptic.
Both imagine a formula and have the brilliant idea of impregnating blotting paper with this secret liquid, in the form of a small booklet: a nomadic product par excellence.
The pharmacist bought out his friend Ponsot’s shares and it is currently Henri Rivier’s great-granddaughter, Madame Schwartz, who has managed not only to respect the heritage of her ancestors, but also gave a second wind to the small family business. Manufacturing remains natural from A to Z, with about 10 people in charge of manufacturing, commercial aspects, and others.
A Secret Recipe
The recipe is obviously very secret, but I managed to find out that benzoin resins associated with a very complex mixture of plants and spices are macerated in alcohol for three months.
The immense sheets of blotting paper are then bathed in this composition in packets of fifty, which is how they take on the red tint; they then pass under a press of about 20 kg for another few weeks, then will be dried, trimmed, to finally compose the booklet of twelve sheets. The main component of Papier d’Arménie is benzoin from Laos.
Benzoin: Magical and Bewitching Resin
Benzoin is a balsam that flows naturally or by incision from the trunk of a tree of the Styracaceae family, it is the Styrax Benzoin. It comes to us from Siam and Sumatra. This exudation is actually a pathological reaction of the tree.
It is also called gum or benzoin tear. It is white when liquid and turns yellow upon drying. When harvested, it is already semi-solid.
Siam Benzoin vs Sumatra: Siam Benzoin is the variety most sought after by perfumers. It is the rarest and therefore the most expensive. It presents a very present vanilla facet. Sumatra Benzoin includes 2 varieties such as amygdaloid benzoin which is the officinal benzoin used in fumigation or tincture and common benzoin which only serves for the extraction of benzoic acid.
Uses and Olfactory Description
The benzoin tears develop a very sweet perfume, highly appreciated in Buddhist temples where it is used “like our incense”. Indeed, benzoin has long been considered a variety of incense or myrrh and as a precious substance. It also played a role in the treatment of pulmonary and skin diseases, because it is antiseptic.
It also helps renew the air and purify it, was used for a very long time notably in Kuala Lumpur to ward off diseases like cholera.
In perfumery, the gum is treated by volatile solvent extraction to obtain benzoin absolute.
Olfactory Description: sweet vanilla, almondy, roasted coffee, honeyed, floral (carnation), rich, liquorous, medicinal.
N.B: it is used in one of our favorite products, Baume de la Ferté, extraordinary for all chapping and cracks. I also enjoyed working with benzoin in the feminine L’Instant de Guerlain which was a decisive element of the composition.
The Composition of Bois d’Arménie
Like all perfumes in the “L’Art et la Matière” range, they were designed for women and also for men. But I have had more opportunities to smell it on men’s skin and I admit that I fall for it every time I smell it. Like many Guerlain perfumes, it deserves to be discovered on the skin. The blotter does not do it justice!
The main theme being benzoin, we thought of accompanying it with other mystical notes like incense. Who would dare challenge the piquancy of black pepper and coriander in the top notes? Its heart beats wildly under the glances of guaiac wood, before succumbing to the ardor of patchouli, accompanied by copaiba balsam.
