Mélodie de l'AltaïAmber Leathery Eau de Parfum

Mélodie de l'Altaï by Ella K is an amber, leathery, woody unisex niche eau de parfum, created by Sonia Constant.

An imaginary heroine, a house founded by a female perfumer

Ella K was born in Paris in 2017, created by perfumer Sonia Constant with her husband, himself an expert in raw material sourcing. Very few perfume houses are created by female perfumers: Ella K is an exception. "Ella K" is an imaginary heroine, inspired by three explorers from another century: Ella Maillart — from whom Sonia Constant says she borrowed her first name —, Karen Blixen and Alexandra David-Néel. Each perfume is the olfactory memory of a moment lived somewhere in the world, and is based on an icon ingredient, a symbol of the destination, surrounded by rare naturals and high-quality synthetic molecules. Trained at the ISIPCA and then at Givaudan, where she still works, Sonia Constant created Guerlain L'Abeille, Montblanc Emblem, Balmain Extatic and Burberry Sport. 100 ml bottle.

An opening of saffron, whisky and incense

The saffron opens leathery and slightly metallic, the whisky brings its peaty alcohol and the incense its resinous smoke. An immediately dark start.

A heart of leather, jasmine sambac and styrax

The leather settles in, tanned and supple. The jasmine sambac slips in an unexpected whiteness, the styrax a leathery resin and the cedarwood its dryness.

A base of patchouli, vetiver and benzoin

The patchouli brings its dark earth, the vetiver its root, the benzoin a balsamic sweetness and the tonka bean an almond-like roundness. The trail is long and animalic.

The house's signature

Whisky in the top notes, from the very first second. This is not a discreet base accord: the peaty alcohol arrives with the saffron and the incense, and establishes the cold of the Altai Mountains — between Siberia and Mongolia, one of the last places where you can walk for days without crossing anyone. Placing such a distinctive alcohol in the opening is a gamble: there is no freshness to cushion the entry. It is the house's method — an icon ingredient that summarizes the destination, and everything else is built around it.

For whom, for what occasions?

Amber, leathery and woody, this eau de parfum is for those who love character leathers. It gives its best from autumn to winter, in the evening, worn equally well by women as by men.

With Mélodie de l'Altaï Ella K, Sonia Constant opens a perfume with a peaty alcohol.