Fragrance Friday: exploring the world of Aesop Virēre Eau de Parfum

Few luxury brands have mastered the art of elevated, always-elegant branding better than Aesop, the Australian skin, hair and body care company which may be just as well-known for its physical presence as its products. Walk into any Aesop store around the world and you’ll be pulled into a truly wonderful world, one built on scent and sensorial experiences at every touch point.
All of which brings me to their latest fragrance, the extraordinary Virēre Eau de Parfum Like the ten existing perfumes in Aesop’s arsenal, Virēre comes in a clear, unassuming bottle, but stamps its statement in scent from the moment you pop the cap. Evoking sun-warmed citrus fruits, fragrant fig trees and green tea, it drags you gently into a high summer scene, underlining the transportive power of scent.

During the formulation process, Aesop’s long-term fragrance collaborator, the inimitable Barnabé Fillion (above) drew on holiday memories of the Mediterranean, in particular a morning spent below a sunlit canopy: “There is something poetic to me about taking time to be under the fig tree and to make the right tea.” He says, “Each time I think about the fragrance, I see myself in this moment, or during times spent cycling on little roads lined with fragrant trees that perfume the air.” This inspiration led to an intricate blend that conjures the many aspects of fig—from rich woodiness to sumptuous verdancy and sprightly citrus notes – and takes me back to my own childhood, which was spent between Aotearoa and a small town in the Med. We had an abundance of fig trees in our garden, and the scent memory is stronger than ever!

The story of Virēre Eau de Parfum was captured by Aesop’s in-house creative team amid a lush scenery of rolling hills somewhere in southern Europe. Beautifully evocative, still and motion footage was developed to express the way in which memory comes to us through flashes, blurs and snapshots, creating a suitably distinctive vision of this compelling aroma.
I was excited to learn that selected stores will be dedicating entire rooms to Virēre, where a specially designed olfactory device will allow for in-depth exploration of the Eau de Parfum. How gorgeous is that? And so very Aesop. Aesop Creative Director, Ai Kato says: “Similarly to how our stores provide environments that restore and stimulate the senses, our fragrances transport people away from the hectic rhythms of the day by recalling memories or provoking curiosity. With Virēre Eau de Parfum, we will take our customers deep into its verdant world, allowing them to create their own connections with the aroma through multisensorial experiences.”

Fresh, green and woody, I’m so in love with Virēre Eau de Parfum, which beautifully expands the olfactive world of Aesop’s unconventional Eaux de Parfum.