Mal-Aimé: The new fragrance from Parfum d’Empire. Usually, perfumes pay tribute to the noblest raw materials on the planet. Perfumers work to combine rare woods, precious flower essences or spices from all four corners of the globe.
Parfum d’Empire is a house quite different from others. With it, Marc-Antoine Corticchiato, its founder, wanted to reconnect with the primary meaning of perfume, the one found in every culture: eroticism and the sacred. His fragrances, often unusual, speak to us of love, self-conquest or spiritual conquest. However, many of them also evoke the origins of Marc-Antoine Corticchiato. As proof, his latest creation draws its source from the heart of the Corsican maquis. Enriching the Héritage Corse collection, it relies on a scent unprecedented in perfumery: that of inula. Undeniably, the bet is bold. But is it successful? Here is our review of the Mal-Aimé fragrance by Parfum d’Empire.
Olfastory’s review
Mal-Aimé: the bold evocation of a weed
Weeds are everywhere, and it is not uncommon to cross their path without even paying attention. Moreover, no one ever lingers on their smell. No perfume honors weeds. Yet these are characteristic of the landscape and of nature. They are even among the most present in our gardens. Marc-Antoine Corticchiato therefore quite naturally decided to draw inspiration from them and to put an end to what seems to him an injustice: Weeds: I think it is an unfair label, because they are often beneficial and can have health-giving properties, like inula or nettle. I have never had the heart to remove the wild inula plants growing in my garden in the middle of the maquis. The idea is bold and has ample capacity to spark interest in this fragrance. In terms of ambition and creativity, the bet is brilliantly met!
Mal-Aimé, a rich and complex perfume
But then, what is the scent of this fragrance really like? Inula is a weed very present in the Corsican maquis. It therefore evokes the childhood of Marc-Antoine Corticchiato. More specifically, it gives Mal-Aimé a very herbaceous breath. However, its scent goes even further and proves far more interesting than it first appears. Mal-Aimé by Parfum d’Empire unfolds a false scent of rose and honey. In this sense, it is a rather sun-kissed unisex perfume. Added to this are, in turn, woody, salty or musky nuances. To wrap inula in Mal-Aimé, Marc-Antoine Corticchiato adds thistle, nettle, brambles and roots. The result is an avant-garde and disconcerting fragrance, never smelled before. It should also be noted that the inula used is certified organic, giving rise here to a naturally noble perfume.
Marc-Antoine Corticchiato’s tribute to his friend Lucien Acquerone
Finally, there is also a touch of emotion. Marc-Antoine Corticchiato dedicates the perfume Mal-Aimé to his late friend Lucien Acquerone, whom he calls his maquis and scrubland accomplice, with whom he collaborated many times throughout his career. To pay tribute to him, he chose to have his fragrance distilled by Stéphane and Alexandre Acquerone, his two sons… A whole symbol!