Shiseido Ever Bloom Translates WWII Photograph Into Perfume (2015)

Japanese cosmetics company Shiseido are taking stock, with new perfume Ever Bloom coming out in October 2015, of the fact that while beauty is worshipped in Asia, fragrancing is more developed in Europe...

They would like to attract a new clientèle to their brand by launching a perfume targeting the European market primarily but with a global rollout.

The concept buoying the launch still revolves around beauty. The key phrase selected to guide the project is "Bloom of Inner Beauty" while the tag line appearing on the perfume ad is Shiseido's "Because the beauty is already in you."

Perfumer Aurélien Guichard of Firmenich (previously of Givaudan) said of the musky white floral that,

"It's not a typically Japanese fragrance, but it's not a global fragrance either. It is very different to what's out there."

© Roso Fukuhara

The scent showcases an abstract flower accord which is not to be identified with an existing floral scent. The brand turned for visual inspiration to a black-and-white photography taken in 1940 by Roso Fukuhara of a camellia in bloom. He is the fourth son of company founder Arinobu Fukuhara. No particular comments were made on the historical relevance of the choice of this photopgraphy but one can point out that the year 2015 has been ripe with celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII. Both Germany and Japan can be currently seen to be in search of positive symbols to atone further for their aggressive militaristic policies which led to WWII, not to mention the phenomenon of modern, rational barbarity it created, which appeared also on the side of the American government when they chose to experiment with nuclear bombing in Japan, twice.

image: http://www.mimifroufrou.com/scentedsalamander/images/ever_bloom_visual.jpg

Perfumer Aurélien Guichard explored sensations of both delicacy and sensuality but also of "flou", of a sense of blurred lines. For the more intimate sensations he imagined the scent of a woman whose skin is both sensual and rosey.

The creative process reportedly required a particularly intense movement of back and forths between France and Japan over the course of more than two years and 2000 tests. In the end, the novel structure of the perfume is said to be hinging on two main accords, one of Radiance and one of Sensual Presence.

Notes are violets, roses, lotus extract, orange blossom absolute, gardenia, Sylkolide musk and Hinoki wood.

Prices for the edp: 53€, 76€ and 105€ for 30 ml, 50 ml and 90 ml respectively.

In January 2016, a 20 ml pure parfum extract will be launched, available for 188€.