My first ‘la rencontre’ (or encounter) with Maison 21G was a year ago when I tried their solid perfume – Rose ritual. I was blown away by their beautiful and long-lasting perfume accords. Somehow they’ve got the formulas and layering right to produce a sophisticated unisex scent which smells even more amazing as the top notes dissipated to reveal the heart and bottom notes. Their scents made a lasting impression on me because unlike other perfume brands, their scents smell really natural. (I later come to know that they use natural essential oil blends in their perfumes that explains why they are gentler on our noses.)
Thus when I was invited to their media launch of their new Cashmere Wood scent at their flagship store at Duxton Hill, I was over the moon. It would be nice to check out their place and at the same time, to discover about their 35th core scent.
The Scent of Your Soul
Maison 21G is a Parisian haute perfumery house founded by Johanna Monanage. Maison means ‘house’ in French and 21G literally stands for 21 grams. Why 21 grams? In 1907, physician Duncan McDougal did a study where he weighed people before and after they had passed away. He discovered that on average, each human soul weights about 21 grams. That’s how Maison 21G got its name and it hopes to encapsulate ‘the scent of your soul’ in a 21 grams bottle containing 21% of perfume concentrate.
A visit to Maison 21G boutique at Duxton Hill
The moment I stepped into Maison 21G, I knew that they had created the perfect enclave for people to create and customise their own scents. The monochromatic interior is visually captivating and invokes a classy and welcoming vibe. I could not wait to find out what goes into their new 35th core scent.
Maison 21G’s Cashmere Wood
Before giving this new scent a whiff, I’d imagined this scent to smell really clean – just like fresh laundry, against some oceanic and herbaceous notes. I was partially right as the main components of Cashmere Wood are vetiver, oakmoss, cedar, Amber Xtreme and Pyrazines and Cyclotene. What took me by surprise was the presence of tobacco and leathery notes in the perfume which made Cashmere Wood smells really sexy and magnetic. There’s also a hint of burnt caramel from Cyclotene which adds a little sweetness and warmth to the scent. Genius.
I got to smell each main components of the scent and it was rather interesting to find out how all these scents combined to form Cashmere Wood. When I finally took a whiff of Cashmere Wood, the scent invokes of an image of lady donning a chestnut-coloured cashmere sweater camping by the fire in the coniferous woods under the starry night sky. It’s distinctive yet light and airy, making it a suitable perfume canvas for one to layer it with other scent accord. And that’s what I am about to do.
Creating my own perfume concoction with Cashmere Wood
I got to customise my own scent using Cashmere Wood along with another one or two scent blends. Since Cashmere Wood has smells really fresh, crisp and sharp, I thought that by adding some floral or oriental notes might help to mellow down the sharp notes and bring about a stronger feminine touch to it.
Their staff recommended me a few floral scent accords to pair with Cashmere Wood. In the end, I went with Muguet Muse. The fresh and floral dewy scent of Muguet Muse complemented well with the woody and leathery notes of the Cashmere Wood. When combined, the perfume smells of sparkling champagne and lilies.
I filled up the alcohol-filled perfume bottle with the Cashmere Wood and Muguet Muse scent blends. Your hands had to be real steady when you handling the dropper. It was fun concocting your very own perfume by hand as you get to be the master of your own creation.
Benefits of Maison 21G scents
Maison 21G prides itself for using sustainably-sourced biodegradable natural ingredients in their perfumes. Because of the high concentrate of natural oils found in their perfumes, one can get to enjoy the health benefits of the scent it brings to your mind, body and soul. The distinctive and sensual scent of Cashmere Wood actually helps improve alertness and relieves anxiety. Muguet Muse brings about positivity and uplifts one’s mood. No wonder the scent brings a smile to my face whenever I wear the scent.
If you’re interested in customising your own scent at Maison 21G, you may use my promo code ‘deeniseglitz‘ and enjoy 15% off all products. You may also show a screenshot of my blog with the promo code. Each customised bottle of scent (30ml) starts at SGD 95. Once you start customising your own scent, you won’t want to go back to store-bought perfumes.
