By Sandra
Brecourt Paris is a relatively new niche perfume company (2010) created by perfumer Emilie Bouge and is based in Paris. I have never tried their perfumes and now I have a handful that I have tried and truly enjoyed.
Let’s have a sniff at these beautiful interesting blends.
Brecourt has created a line within their brand called Les Ephemeres whose purpose it is to explore rare and precious essences from ancient times and how they can be interpreted in modern perfumery. These rare and precious materials are limited to small quantities and so we know which batch we are smelling Brecourt adds a wonderful touch to their bottles in this collection by dating the bottle on the front with the year of production. Excellent idea!
Rose Gallica – Les Ephemeres – 2012
Notes: Pink Pepper, Frankincense, Rose, Myrrh, Cashmerewood, Ebony, Ambergris (listed on Aus Liebe zum Duft website)
On first sniff this is similar to Kilian’s Rose Oud. I love Rose Oud and wear it in the summer when it is hot.
Rose Gallica opens with a strong sense of rose and wood. The incense takes its time coming to the forefront. It slowly unfurls and mingles with the rose beautifully. Rose Gallica quickly shifts and brings in the woods. That is what makes this perfume so mesmerizing for me. Rose Gallica takes me on a walk through a magical dark forest and I stumble upon a small cottage with the most enticing rose garden and it just beckons me to sit down and relax using all my senses.
Rose Gallica enchants me with its cool and warm properties. The incense cools the warm petals of the roses. The woody notes are touched with the warmth as well. There is a light touch of ambergris in the base which rounds out the perfume beautifully.
Poivre Bengale – Les Ephemeres – 2013
Notes: Begal Pepper, Ginger, Incense, Clove Buds Absolute, Nutmeg, Sandalwood, Leather, Cashmere Woods, Ambergris
Brecourt mentions that
“The pepper of Bengal is the first spice that was introduced in Europe during Antiquity. A subtle jewel, pleasant, sweeter that our daily pepper and never previously used in perfumery.“
On first sniff I get a whollop of pepper but strangely don’t have the need to sneeze. The pepper is immediately in the forefront with ginger hot on its tail. The incense cools the whole bit down but not too much because then comes the nutmeg with the sweet clove. This is a wonderfully spicy perfume transporting me to a spice market. The spices are all blended so well that it is a stroll through the spice marktet with a breeze moving through. What makes this perfume striking is the balance between the spices and the sandalwood, woods and ambergris in the drydown.
Oud Santal – Les Ephemeres – 2014
Notes: Orris, Violet, Oud, Cashmere Wood, Cipriol Gurjum, Sandalwood, Ambergris, Musks
Brecourt mentions that Oud Santal is
“A profound sensibility… without saffron as compared to all the ouds in the market.“
As I apply this perfume I am surprised at the initial blast of iris at the start. It is nice and cool and not medicinal at all like many ouds can be. The sandalwood takes a bit of warmth to show itself and when it does it is a fascinating perfume that I cannot stop smelling. It is oud and sandalwood with tendrils of iris and much later on there is a touch of ambergris.
I have become a fan of ambergris in perfume and am loving the way Brecourt uses it.
I truly enjoyed the three Brecourt perfumes from the Les Ephemeres collection. I look forward to trying more perfumes from the house. Have you tried Brecourt yet?
Here are more mini-reviews by Olfactoria.
Also, can you please suggest any perfumes with a bit more ambergris for me to try?
Olfactoria's Travels 
Lovely set of mini-reviews Sandra. I haven’t tried anything by Brecourt but I’m really intrigued by the iris/oud combination and I’m a fan or By Kilian’s Rose Oud, so those two sound good to me.
Tara they do really nice perfumes which are worth a try. I was pleasantly surprised.
I grow several different varieties of gallica roses and so am curious about that one! Sounds beautiful and dark rose fragrances are my weakness. What is the longevity on these? Cost and availability?
Your garden must smell amazing Karen! Please do give it a try if you can. In Europe they are available at First in Fragrance and at Jovoy. Longevity is excellent.
Hey Sandra,
Amusingly, after reading Birgit’s mini-reviews, my BFF wears Haram and I have Eau Trouble.
I like these guys, they are wearable and comfortable and the rose oud sounds very nice, is it at all like Midnight Oud from JHaG?
Portia xx
Hi Portia! Eau Trouble is very nice. Have not tried Haram. They are lovely. To be honest I do not know Midnight Oud. Must test it. Xo
I love the bottles. Not my genre but never say never, especially with perfumes. Hugs. xxx
The bottles are nice. Maybe this will be the rose to broaden your mind? 😉
xo
Since I commented on Birgit’s mini-reviews I think I managed to try most of Brecourt’s perfumes from the main line but since I haven’t found any strong favorites I wasn’t following the brand’s development so I had no idea they launched Les Ephemeres line. Unless I come across them somewhere I won’t be looking for them but it was interesting to read your take, Sandra – thank you.
Thank you for reading Undina. I hope they expand their distribution soon.
What a devastatingly tempting line up of reviews – you make these all sound wonderful and dangerously up my street! I have never tried this line and frustratingly their website is currently down – I feel a jaunt to Paris coming on…
I am happy I could tempt you Alexandra. Perfume is always a great reason to visit Paris. 🙂
Haram is the only one I’ve smelled with its sweet dates and spices and honey. It’s lovely and Oud Santal sounds great! I’ll need to try it. Have you made any progress with your ambergris search? Guerlain Encens Mythique D’Orient is about the only fragrance I can recall with a healthy dose of real ambergris. It’s worth a try if you haven’t already. Apart from that do you know of La Via del Profumo? He sells ambergris tinctures if you want to get the full experience 🙂
Thank you for the tips Michael. I enjoy Encens Mythique D’Orient and I will look into La Via del Profumo.
Oh yes, tempting reviews 🙂 For ambergris, try Aftelier — many (most?) of her scents have ambergris in the base.
Thank you Pixel for pointing me in the direction of Aftelier.
Thank you for sharing the article. I’d love to try it. Hope to hear more from you.
Because you asked about more perfumes that contain ambergris … ambergris is a by-product of whale digestive systems. It washes up on beaches, especially on the east side of the African continent toward the north. Because it is highly unpredictable and random to find, and is usually found in small lumps, and the quality varies, it is PHENOMENALLY expensive. If you see a perfume that says it contains ambergris, it probably contains only a MINUTE TRACE amount, or a synthetic substitute. That said, ambergris is listed believably as an ingredient in Guerlain’s ‘Encens Mythique’ by Thierry Wasser … and La Via del Profumo’s ‘Venezia Giardini Segreti’ by AbdesSalaam Attar … and the remarkable Laurie Erickson at Sonoma Scent Studio obtained a small amount with which she is experimenting. What does it smell like? It has no defined odor-contour, as it depends upon the whale, and how long it has been floating in the sea. – Daniel O’Donnell in Portland
Thank you Daniel for the detailed information. I do enjoy Guerlain Encens Mythique quite a bit and will look for La Via del Profumo.