Floral Marine inspired by a Neapolitan Dish: Acquasala by Gabriella Chieffo

by: Elena Vosnaki

"A fragrance that absorbs and dampens the insults of the outside world." Isn't that what pleasure is supposed to do? Provide an outlet for our innermost thoughts, our sacredness of being coming out into the world?

The fifth creation of Gabriella Chieffo, presented as an eau de parfum of 100 ml/3.4 oz will be formally introduced in Milan next March, during Esxence 2015, but its connection with the Italian cuisine (and the Mediterranean sensibility at large) inspired me to investigate a little earlier than that. Referencing food, oddly enough, inAcquasala, much like with the former Ragout, Gabriella Chieffo chose a Neapolitan dish of old: a childhood memory of bread, tomato, green chili pepper, onion, olive oil, oregano and sea salt, which connects us to memories of comfort, of simple pleasure, of taste and home. More than that, Acquasala connects us to our primordial connection to the sea. Mare Nostrum is such a potent referent in the minds of Mediterranean countries that the popularity of salty, saline, sea-like concoctions has never waned; it's just that the people around this basin transcribe so much more to the expectation of a "marine" that they eschew the chemical soup of Calone-starring fragrances in favor of sensuous blends of ambergris notes, saline effects, iodine and vetiver.

Obligingly, Acquasala takes this point of departure as an adventure into the magic of the sea: crystals of salt, sea grasses, aromatic plants and woods, flowers redolent of earth and sun, they all take center stage in the composition of a marine floral which appears to feature Calone, but only at the very start. The fragrant heart of neroli, fresh and budding, with the promise of the bitter orange fruit to come, marries in its innocent yet deep bouquet, with the beguiling smoke of ecclesiastical incense.

Incense is not foreign to the seafaring Mediterranean; the whiff of the church, be it Catholic or Orthodox Christian, is always close by and Italy itself is spotted with churches on its fertile hills. So the connection is there. Much like Copal Azur by Aedes de Ventustas, which I had reviewed on this Fragrantica link, explored this seemingly odd combination of incense plus sea notes in an exciting if not comfortable manner, Acquasala by Gabriella Chieffo sets to investigate the mystical and arcane connections between the sea and the spirit.

Like primordial beings gaining legs and emerging from the water, the composition takes the spiritual air of incense to land finally on dry land through the imaginative addition of rooty iris. The damp, soil and starch-reminiscent effect of iris is woody and soft, with dry spices accenting it along the way. The firm background of Ambrox supports the sea notes and the musky woods and ensures a very prolonged drydown on the skin. If you had been complaining of marines soon losing their grip from flesh, rest assured this is not your typical case.

The composition of Acquasala features top notes of neroli, elemi resin, caraway, black pepper, nutmeg and seaweed; heart notes of myrrh, frankincense and iris; and ends on base notes of patchouli, oakmoss, musk, Cashmeran and Ambrox.

Photo by Gabriella Chieffo facebook page