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Caviar

Caviar is an exceptional delicacy that has always symbolized luxury. Caviar comes from the sturgeon. It was in 1432 that caviar was mentioned for the first time, in Rabelais's book Pantagruel, which refers to caviar as a choice hors d'oeuvre. In the time of Louis XIV, it was Colbert who organized the production of caviar in Gironde thanks to the sturgeons that swam up the Garonne estuary. Caviar, as we know it today, originated in Russia, and was introduced to France in 1920 by the brothers Melkolm and Mougcheg Petrossian.

The production of black gold: caviar

Also called “black gold”, caviar was for a long time Russia's specialty. Starting in 1953, Stalin ceded to Iran the fisheries it operated on the Iranian shores of the Caspian Sea. Today, the number of countries bordering the Caspian Sea has increased, and includes Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Russian caviar production currently stands at 28 tons of caviar per year. The quantity of sturgeons caught has dropped from 20 thousand tons, at the time of the USSR, to 1,000 tons today. Nevertheless, an estimated 30% of fishing is carried out illegally. It is the female sturgeon that carries the eggs. When her eggs are extracted, the female unfortunately does not survive. Between two spawnings, fishermen may have to wait up to 7 years, which explains the rarity and the price of caviar.

Caviar in perfumery

Today, caviar is increasingly used in cosmetic products, skin creams, and face creams. Caviar also tends to make its way into niche perfumery. Still very rarely used, caviar is for now used by a house known for its boldness, namely Thierry Mugler. In Womanity, Liqueur de Parfum, released in 2013, the caviar accord is positioned as a heart note paired with liqueur-like and spicy notes. Caviar gives off sensual, salty, and unprecedented tonalities. Furthermore, caviar has the advantage of enhancing other notes. Caviar can be integrated into any fragrance, whether feminine or masculine, but its use remains very rare.

A product that symbolizes luxury par excellence, caviar is a raw material of choice. Caviar eggs come from the female sturgeon, but production is limited and scarce, and the price of caviar is very high. Recently, caviar has been modernizing and making its way into beauty products as well as perfumes. Its tonalities are rare and noble, and although caviar is still little used in perfumery, some daring houses have nonetheless done so, such as Thierry Mugler.

Perfumes with the Caviar note