Animalique
This is a Byredo deep dive, appreciation post and new perfume review all in one.
Greetings from the cold and the rain. Belgium’s weather has finally got to me as we have moved into the winter season here in Antwerp, meaning constant rain and grey gloom. I feel depressed and tired, and I blame it on the weather, while I ignore that it could be from the stress and pressures of school, our upcoming deadlines and exams. Don't worry about me feeling blue, however, as I have had close friends come and visit me which has really cheered me up. I am also looking forward to December and Christmas preparations in Belgium.
A few weeks ago my dear friend Kirsi, who I adore, arrived in Antwerp from Breda, the Netherlands. We are officially neighbors now, as there is only a 30-minute train ride from our new hometowns to see each other. Kirsi is a perfume enthusiast as well, so of course I took her on an Antwerp perfume tour. We went to the gorgeous Dries Van Noten store and smelt the perfume collection, the Ann Demeulemeester store where we got to meet the sweetest store manager, Izzy the dog, here in the south. I also took Kirsi to Necessities where we smelt the new Byredo perfume. At Necessities, we also got a surprising introduction to a new fragrance brand called Les EAUX Primordiales, which I will dive deeper into in an upcoming newsletter. Kirsi and I had a lot of opinions about that!
This newsletter, however, is dedicated to Byredo. Kirsi had tested the newest fragrance addition, Animalique, before, but I had been waiting for a good moment to have a sniff and ask for a small sample. I had seen the adverts for the new fragrance on Instagram and was pretty interested in what it would smell like. Because of the bold images online, I had a feeling the scent could be futuristic, modern and a bit odd, as Byredo often gives their perfumes an original twist. The photos were definitely something different. I would consider myself someone who enjoys Byredo’s signature scent which is very detectible, so I was excited to see what they had come up with now. But first, I will introduce the brand.
By Redolence
The name Byredo comes from the old English word, 'redolence', meaning 'sweet-smelling perfume'. Most of you might recognize or might have seen this Swedish minimalistic perfume brand at big department stores or in your good-smelling friend’s perfume collection. Also, I think if you are on Pinterest, it’s hard to avoid seeing a beautiful picture of interior details without seeing a Byredo bottle styled on a countertop.
My introduction to Byredo was back in 2017 when I worked in retail and all of my cool work friends used Byredo perfumes. We often discussed their favorite scents, and the topic was a bit hush hush, so no one would steal someone’s signature perfume and smell the same at work. At the time the only place that sold Byredo in Finland was Petit St Louis, which I have mentioned many times before in previous newsletters. Ultimately, a year later, in 2018, I did a voyage to my now favorite perfume store in Finland and smelled Byredo (at Petit St Louis). Right then I fell deeply in love with the perfume called Pulp. None of the other popular Byredo scents made a lasting impression on me. Maybe my nose is different than the more popular noses out there, that appreciate Byredo’s most-sold Bal d’Afrique or Mojave Ghost perfumes. I consider my love for Pulp as my first touch with this more special, kind of niche perfume world. I used my bottle of Pulp in Paris in 2019 and have fond memories when smelling the sweet scent. The top notes of Pulp are black currant, bergamot and cardamom; middle notes of fig, red apple and Tiare flower; base notes of praline, peach blossom and cedar wood. The scent was often compared to a very sweet rotting basket of fruits, which I honestly don’t agree with. And I am really sad to announce that the fragrance has now been discontinued and that I will be saving my tiny drop left at the bottom of my bottle to sniff later and reminisce.
The Backstory of Byredo
Byredo was founded by Ben Gorham in Stockholm in 2006. Gorham had a vision and ambition to translate memories and emotions into products and experiences.
As stated on the Byredo site “A native Swede, born to an Indian mother and a Canadian father, Ben grew up in Toronto, New York and Stockholm. He graduated from the Stockholm art school with a degree in fine arts, but a chance meeting with perfumer Pierre Wulff convinced him that he'd rather create fragrances than paintings. With no formal training in the field, Gorham, 31 years old, sought out the services of world-renowned perfumers Olivia Giacobetti and Jerome Epinette, explaining his olfactory desires and letting them create the compositions.”
Gorham was always intrigued by scents and the connection it has with memories. I admire this particular brand creation story immensely as you see how strong vision, hard work and determination become something big and successful. Also, the fact of not necessarily having a degree in chemistry or being a nose yourself, yet still being able to work with perfume intrigues - that inspires me. Maybe somewhere deep down I wish to create something similar myself. Ben is a talented visionary who believed in his concept and worked with the right people to make it into something you could now compare to a big fashion house. The Swedes know their marketing!
If you are interested in listening to an interview with Gorham about Byredo, I would recommend the podcast Fat Mascara Ep. 241: How Byredo Changed the Perfume Game with Ben Gorham on Spotify.
Animalique
I now present to you my candid review of Animalique. My first feeling when smelling Animalique was slight disappointment and confusion, which I am sad to admit. It wasn’t the big Boom Boom Boom - strong Byredo in your nose kind of punch I was waiting for. Animalique was more of a skin scent to me when I smelt it at Necessities. I was desperate to have more of it. I wanted to be dipped and bathed in the scent but felt like it wanted to only give a small whisper of itself. It took some time for me to get over my sorrow and slight shock (God, I’m so dramatic!) and let the perfume grow on me the following week.
After the kind of freaky, futuristic advert photos and even the animalistic name, I was waiting for something metallic and deep, even dirty. The fragrance is the opposite of what I was expecting. It’s clean, powdery and pretty sweet! I would have lost my money if I had bet on it being this sweet. However, this fragrance is unisex. It doesn’t even tilt to being slightly one or the other, it’s clearly genderless.
Kirsi said the scent stays on forever and I have since read some similar reviews that it stays on your skin for a long time. Kirsi had sprayed Animalique on a tester slip and could sniff the scent a day later, even when the slip was in her bag. And I would agree, the scent slowly becomes stronger but personally, it does fade on my skin during the day. The sillage isn’t enormous, but it is detectable and different. I would describe Animalique as a strongish scent that melts into your skin and is pretty intimate, yet bold. If that makes any sense. Powder, citrus, flowers and soft new suede leather.
The salesperson at Necessities said the perfume has very recognizable Byredo ingredients (such as violet, which are often used in Byredo fragrances) and is made by the nose who works closely with Ben. The top notes of Animalique are bergamot and lemon, the middle notes are violet and mimosa, base notes are suede, amber and tobacco leaf.
The leather and suede in the perfume make it soft and deepen the floral scents which is why I have now grown to like it. When wearing the perfume I feel like I could attract someone with the scent, which is a nod to the name Animalique. Maybe the scent has something that makes you want more of it, and that's its secret.
I hope you liked this week’s newsletter. Go and sniff the new Byredo fragrance if you get the chance and let me know what you think of it.
With love from rainy Antwerp,
Your dramatic perfume critique M
I haven't smelled this fragrance, but the advert made me think of the aesthetics of Darren Aronofsky's film Black Swan and further, of animals that are strong and bold but also timid and sensitive: swans, birds, rabbits. And it kind of fit your description of the scent; that at first, it was "hiding" from you a bit. Haha! I really must smell this fragrance when I see it.