Guerlain’s haute-perfumery jewel, L’Art & La Matière is a collection of olfactory masterpieces that translate the myriad of artistic emotions that have left an indelible mark on the memory of each Guerlain Perfumer. Inspired by art, elevated by passion and talent, the most beautiful ingredients in perfumery are revealed in a new light, unlike anything experienced before. Perfume becomes an art form in its own right.
With the latest creation from L’Art & La Matière, Tobacco Honey, Guerlain pays homage to a mysterious and unknown ingredient in the world of perfumery: tobacco. The perversely sensual substance of raw tobacco is revealed as a chord, revealing its most beautiful facets when touched by honey. A contrasting olfactory tension is created between the golden glow of honey and the intoxicating vibrancy of the tobacco chord. Leather, smoke, chocolate, wood, honey… All these olfactory notes have been orchestrated by the maison’s master perfumers to reveal the golden melody of a decidedly Guerlain tobacco.
More faithful than ever to its support for contemporary art, Guerlain turned to artist Anne Féat Gaiss to create an exceptional plate in the Tobacco Honey palette. Evoking tobacco leaves covered in honey, the Parisian artist embodied the fragrance of Tobacco Honey by assembling sheets of paper, which she delicately carved and gilded with copper foil. Each plate, entirely handmade, requires several hours of meticulous labour to carve and gild the paper.
Dried, crumpled and burnt, the tobacco is an impertinent material coloured by the forbidden. Revealed as a chord, raw tobacco exudes its most beautiful facets as it combines with delicious honey to form a powerful meeting of opposites, as the enveloping roundness of the honey transcends all the harshness of the tobacco chord.
A deliciously amber tobacco accord is enveloped in vanilla, Tonka bean and sesame before being enlivened under the vibrant glow of intoxicating honey, then intensified by aniseed and cloves. At the base, the precious chord reinforces its trail of woody notes, combining a blend of sweetly creamy sandalwood and powerful oud wood.
“I’ve wanted to combine honey and tobacco for a long time. On the one hand, we have the dried tobacco leaves with their powdery aromas, on the other, we have honey as a delicious, enveloping nectar.” – Delphine Jelk, Guerlain Perfumer and Creative Director.
Warm and amber, as delicious as real nectar, the Tobacco Honey hue has tinged the iconic L’Art & La Matière bottle with its sparkles. Inspired by the maison’s historic square bottle (1870), this octagonal base bottle engraved with the emblematic bee is available in two sizes: 100 or 200 ml. Each creation is made by Pochet du Courval, Guerlain’s historic glassmakers since 1853.
Reflecting the house’s commitment to uniting luxury and sustainability, the L’Art & La Matière bottle is refillable in selected Guerlain boutiques. Made in France, on the outskirts of Paris, the body of the bottle is made from 15 per cent recycled glass.
The L’Art & La Matière bottle can be personalized according to a multitude of options that turn it into a true work of art, intimately personal. The plaque on the cap can be chosen from a wide variety of colours and the maison’s most popular materials. The cord that adorns the neck of the bottle, as well as the seal, can be chosen in various colours, making each bottle unique down to the smallest detail.
