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Prepare to be enchanted. Gucci has unveiled its latest olfactory masterpiece, Gucci Flora Gorgeous Orchid, a groundbreaking fragrance that defies expectations. Master perfumer Marie Salamagne has created a truly unique scent, blending the familiar comfort of vanilla with a surprising aquatic freshness. This unexpected fusion results in a luminous and sensual floral fragrance that’s as captivating as it is innovative.
At its heart lies the vanilla orchid, transformed into a creamy, airy sensation. The fragrance unfolds with a vibrant vanilla duo, leading to a floral heart that dances on the skin. Grounded by a refreshing ozonic base, Gucci Flora Gorgeous Orchid is a blend of contrasts that’s bound to turn heads. The bottle alone is enough to put a smile on your face, with its sunshine yellow hue adorned with Gucci’s iconic Flora pattern.
GRAZIA Middle East sat down with Marie Salamagne to get an exclusive first look into the world of Flora Gorgeous Orchid. Here’s everything you need to know about summer’s hottest fragrance launch.
Who is the Gucci Flora Gorgeous Orchid Woman?
A woman with a lot of audacity and joy. For me, she’s very solar, she’s very confident. Definitely a woman that you remember.
What makes this scent different from the other Gucci Flora fragrances?
It’s very special because I used different qualities of the ingredients that have never been used before, especially on the vanilla side. It’s a duo of vanilla. The first is a traditional vanilla absolute. For the other one, we used a very specific treatment of the vanilla, which allowed us not to heat the raw material or use solvents, so it’s very respectful to nature. What you get is something really close to the bean and it’s super addictive. This cannot be used somewhere else – it’s unique. I think the combination of these vanillas with a very special ozonic accord is what makes the fragrance so special.
What’s the hardest part about creating a new fragrance today?
I don’t think it’s ever been easy, but nowadays it’s about how to find singularity and addiction. How to be different, unique and noticeable, but keeping that addiction. Because for me, fragrance is about addiction, seduction, pleasure. Being different is not that difficult, but being different and addictive? That’s a challenge.
You need to be humble when you create, and it’s about magic. But what I do is look for new raw materials – just as I described with the vanilla. When I feel there’s something new and different, I try to blend it with something easier, something more addictive, something people are more familiar with. Sometimes having a structure that is reassuring helps when using new things.
Describe the scent in three words…
Addictive, solar and bold.
What are your fragrance rituals?
I tend to wear my own trials. After a long day of work, I pick one of the trials that are on my desk. Either something I really like or something I want to check to see if it’s diffusive enough, powerful enough. Sometimes I wear no fragrance, to refresh myself, or I wear older, more traditional notes – so things that have nothing to do with what I’m working on.
I apply a lot of fragrance to my hair because I like the diffusion it creates when it’s on my hair and it lasts longer. If I don’t apply it to my skin, which happens from time to time, I always apply it to my hair. If I don’t want to be too “perfumey” or if I want something lighter – especially now as we’re getting finally into Summer after having so much rain and cold here in France – I sometimes also use a lotion, just to have a veil of something lighter.
What feeling does Gucci Flora Gorgeous Orchid evoke for you?
Confidence and happiness.
The fragrance is “bursting with creative energy to inspire women to live life in their own way”. What’s your biggest source of inspiration?
Travelling. I love meeting people and discovering new cultures. I’m like a kid every time I travel. I get so excited I can talk to everybody. I’m always so happy to have the opportunity to talk to a new person and to have new visions, it nourishes me a lot. I’m grateful for all the travelling I get to do.
Last year I went to Namibia, and I loved the people there and the landscape. It was just amazing, and it was really humbling to face the beauty of nature and the power of the animals, to talk to the people there and admire their philosophy. I also went to Guatemala, and I loved that trip, I wish I could go back. I also went to Japan and loved it. There are just so many places I love! I visited the Middle East last year and I really liked it. I’m always amazed by the level of knowledge people have about fragrance. People there share and they don’t judge, they try so many things and they have conviction. It’s amazing.
What is your earliest scent memory?
The smell of the house I have in the countryside. I go there often and have since I was young. I remember the smell when we’d open the door – the smell of the fireplace, the old books and the flowers in the garden. I grew up in Paris, so I’m a Parisian girl, a city girl. Our country house is where I really discovered nature.
I also remember the fragrance my mum wore, which is Guerlain’s Shalimar. She still wears it now.
If you could only wear one scent for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Patchouli. 100%. I am absolutely addicted to patchouli. It’s fresh and mysterious. It’s masculine and feminine. It’s everything to me.
If you weren’t a perfumer, what would you be and why?
That’s a tough one… I definitely would have done something creative, working with my hands. Maybe something with jewellery. Or I used to dance a lot, so maybe I’d have become a dancer.
Gucci Flora Gorgeous Orchid will be available exclusively at Sephora Middle East from August 1st.
