How is a fragrance born?

Every plant, object or feeling in this world has its own cycle of creation. So does a fragrance. While a perfume takes shape in the laboratory or the atelier, its true beginnings often lie much earlier – in nature, in people, in fleeting moments of inspiration.

Sources of inspiration

At 13:13 perfumery, our fragrances almost always begin in nature. In a summer forest. In a midsummer house filled with peony intoxication. In autumn work in the garden. In the crisp winter air that clings to laundry dried outside in the frost.
Inspiration also comes from people – visitors to our studio, the personalities we meet, sometimes from works of art. Inspiration can be a lightning flash – a clear, vivid feeling – or a quiet presence that stays with us for months or years until it becomes part of the creative process.

From feeling to formula

When inspiration becomes strong enough, the journey towards a fragrance begins. We select raw materials that might embody this idea and test them with the nose – do they truly reflect the feeling? How do they behave together? What kind of story do they tell?
We create a fan of blotter strips, a first sketch of the composition. From this, the formula is born – precise, balanced between notes, with careful attention to longevity and harmony.

The birth of a fragrance

The formula is prepared in a small batch and left to mature. After several days and weeks, we test it again. If needed, we return to the beginning – adjusting, refining, once more creating a formula until the result matches the intended vision.
Sometimes the perfume feels perfect from the very first try. More often, it transforms through many stages – like painting layer by layer, each step revealing something new. It is a creative, unhurried process, where freedom allows unexpected discoveries.

When the fragrance begins to live on its own

Once a perfume is finished, it symbolically separates from us as its creators. From that moment, it lives its own life – each person perceives it differently, describes it in their own words and assigns their own meaning. This is the true magic of fragrance: there is no single perfume for everyone, each opens uniquely on each skin and in each soul.

This diversity is both our inspiration and our challenge – because at 13:13 perfumery we never assume that “we know what people will like.” The world of fragrance is infinitely rich, and it continues to surprise us every day.

No comments

Leave a reply