Interviewed by Irina Malkova SERGIO MOMO, OWNER OF A CREATIVE LABORATORY FOR CREATING SUCH PERFUMERY BRANDS, AS XERJOFF, CASAMORATI 1888, JOIN THE CLUB, SHOOTING STARS, OTHER SHEARED PEPPER SHEET PEMORIS. WE MET WITH HIM IN DUBAI TO FIND OUT FROM IT THE MAIN FORMULA OF A TRUE NICHE PERFUME.
Sergio, what is a good perfume, do you think?
Sergio Momo: A good perfume is when you manage to create a perfume that is perfect for the customer. When you choke and feel yourself not just good, but confident. The same thing applies to a good thing, such as a bag, car, etc. Perhaps, in the world of perfumery, the effect of certain memories from the past, some important events, is also triggered. You may not remember them, but the smell will instantly return you at one time or another. For example, a scent can excite memories such as a dish that your beloved grandmother cooked as a child, or a smell at home.
How much does the process of creating a niche perfume differ from the mass one?
Sergio Momo: Dramatically. In fact, the only thing they have in common is the name "perfume." Mass fragrance is created to be bought by millions of people around the world. This is a universal fragrance that does not have the task of catering to certain cultural and social strata. It was created to please everyone without exception - like jeans, a shirt or a popular hit on a radio station. Niche aroma is a completely different matter. In niche aromas, an individual character is revealed - as in a poem, suite or picture. The quality of the ingredients and how you will combine them also play an important role.
They say that for natural components the cable is longer than for synthetic ones, is that so?
Sergio Momo: No, not now. Some synthetic odors can be felt for a very, very long time - technology has stepped far forward. It all depends on the structure of the molecule itself. For example, citrus notes - lemon, bergamot, mandarin - are always the lightest and quickly spread in the air. Their train is short-lived, therefore they always make the top notes of any aroma. The longest-running odors are oriental.
This is oud, vanilla and sandalwood. But this is all chemistry. I can use natural Italian bergamot, but it will not necessarily play for a long time. Concentration is important: more oil and less alcohol give a more saturated smell, less oil, more alcohol - less saturated, more volatile. But what the aroma will be like, whether it is eau de toilette or perfume, is thought from the very beginning and is created according to a special formula. That is, it is impossible to make toilet water from perfumes.
In your opinion, do modern consumers need to understand this process?
Sergio Momo: If you buy ordinary perfumes, you do not need to know any of this. Typically, a consumer looks at an advertisement, a famous person who advertises a fragrance. But a niche perfume is something else. You may have noticed that niche fragrance ads never use images of people. Only the bottle itself. Because our customer does not want to associate himself with anyone. The product itself is a star.
Your new oriental line of fragrances Kemi Collection, which you brought to Dubai, refers to the mysteries of ancient perfumes. Sergio Momo: Kemi is an ancient word meaning "alchemy." All the knowledge that I used to create this collection, I gathered in manuscripts and works on alchemy from Ancient Egypt, Greece, the Ancient East, India and Europe of the Renaissance.
The philosophy of alchemy is that you take something natural and simple and with the help of various manipulations turn it into something extraordinary and noble. Take at least a literal comparison: when a flower turns into oil - this is a transformation. For good reason, in the illustrations for the Kemi collection, we used portraits of Jabir ibn Hayyan, an Arab alchemist from the Middle East, who invented an apparatus for distillation of herbs - Alkinar, and described the process of creating aromas in books that have survived to this day. Today, thanks to technology and human experience, the methods of processing perfume raw materials have become much more advanced and complex, and we are trying to create a modern version of what alchemy was in its time. From our point of view, experiment is the basis of experience.
What sets this collection apart from your previous brands?
Sergio Momo: In the Kemi collection, we did not use the usual pyramid - the lower, middle and upper notes - but took the circle as the basis. We collected all the elements, connected them and made them work at the same time. That is, an ordinary perfume at first has one aroma, and then it opens in a different way. In our perfumes, this is not the case - they all smell immediately in a certain way and do not change with time. This is our individual approach.
I heard that you were the first to use such an unusual element as burnt malt.
Sergio Momo: Burnt malt is a trick of the old perfumers that our partners told me. In the old days, they replaced gray ambergris, using it as a flavor fixer - then there was no alkinar. You will be surprised, but this method is often used even now, they just don’t talk about it.
Are there any odors in the world that you would like to recreate?
Sergio Momo: Well, for example, now we are experimenting to create an analogue of the smell of basmati rice. It may seem strange to someone, but this fragrance can add sophistication to a perfume.
How do you see the future of the perfume industry, so, say, in 50 years?
Sergio Momo: This is a difficult question. 50 years is too long, because now everything is happening so dramatically fast. But, I think, everything is going to create individual perfumes without leaving home. People are likely to better understand which smells are right for them and which aren't. Now we are witnessing a trend when a person, for example, buys a suit for himself through the Internet.
You send your sizes, and you are delivered ready-made, perfectly tailored jacket and trousers. Tailored made suit online. It would seem, what is the logic here? After all, tailor made is something tailored individually for the customer, requiring several fittings - but nonetheless, the success of such companies is enormous, especially in Italy. Something similar awaits perfume.
But what will perfumers do then?
Sergio Momo: I think they will become art directors, consultants who will advise on the best way to make your perfume in terms of quality, ingredients, etc. Believe me, in this area there is no limit and boundaries - the aroma can be improved endlessly.
