Acqua di ScandolaMarine Aromatic Eau de Parfum

Acqua di Scandola by Parfum d'Empire is a green marine aromatic eau de parfum, unisex, created by Marc-Antoine Corticchiato. It evokes the sea through a seaweed extract, rather than synthetic aquatic molecules.

A perfumer's house, and a return to Corsica

Parfum d'Empire is a French perfume house founded and run by a single man, Marc-Antoine Corticchiato: he is both its founder and nose, and creates the entire collection. Its philosophy can be summed up in one sentence — perfume is a quest, perfume is an exploration — and the house claims a return to the true meaning of perfume: seduction and spirituality. The collection is divided into two: the Signature Collection and the l'Héritage Corse Collection, which brings the house back to the perfumer's home island, from the seaside to the maquis and the mountains. The bottles in this collection feature a stylized Genoese tower, like those that have lined the Corsican coast since the Renaissance.

An opening of juniper and aromatic notes

Juniper opens on a resinous, dry, and lively scent, that of the sun-heated maquis. Green aromatic notes accompany it. It is the land that speaks first, not the sea.

A heart of seaweed extract, immortelle, and a salty marine accord

Seaweed extract is the central ingredient: the house says it has specially reworked it to bring out clear and salty facets. The salty marine accord extends it, while immortelle — the yellow flower of the maquis — brings its spicy aroma. Water and land stand on equal footing.

A base of oakmoss and mineral facets

Oakmoss brings its green humus, woody notes provide structure, and mineral facets evoke the smell of rock. The house describes this base as moss-covered rocks, ochre like warm sand and like skin salted by the sea.

The house's approach

The perfumer set himself an explicit constraint: to express the sea in a way other than through synthetic aquatic molecules, which he considers overexploited today. His answer is a seaweed extract, a plant-based rather than mineral ingredient, which provides a genuine saltiness rather than a fresh effect. The location is real: the Scandola peninsula, in western Corsica, is a nature reserve listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, accessible only by boat.

For whom, and for what occasions?

For those seeking a true smell of the sea rather than a synthetic marine accord, and for those who love landscape perfumes. It is a spring and summer fragrance, more suited to daytime, with good longevity and a refined sillage. Acqua di Scandola Parfum d'Empire will appeal to those who prefer place to seduction.