IskanderHesperidic Chypre Eau de Parfum

Iskander by Parfum d'Empire is a unisex aromatic chypre-hesperidic eau de parfum, created by Marc-Antoine Corticchiato. The house conceives it as a journey from west to east, from Mediterranean citrus fruits to ingredients from Arabia and China.

A perfumer's house, and a return to Corsica

Parfum d'Empire is a French house founded and composed by a single man, Marc-Antoine Corticchiato: he is both its founder and nose, and creates the entire collection. Its formula 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: that of 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.

An opening of citron, mandarin, grapefruit and neroli

The citron opens with a thick, bitter, and slightly green zest. The mandarin softens it, the grapefruit adds bite, and the neroli — distilled bitter orange blossom — brings its floral and slightly metallic freshness. The house summarizes the opening in one word: vivid and tangy.

A heart of tarragon and coriander

Tarragon establishes its herbal, frank, and slightly peppery anise; the coriander — the seed, not the leaf — answers it with a dry and lemony spice. These two aromatics are what distance Iskander from cologne: the perfume turns to herbs and spices where sweetness was expected.

A base of oakmoss, amber and musks

The oakmoss provides the chypre structure, its green humus and dryness; the amber a measured warmth, and the musks a skin-like effect. It is this base that gives a hesperidic fragrance a longevity that hespéridics do not usually have.

The house's approach

Iskander is the name the Persians gave to Alexander the Great, and the house composes this fragrance like the story of his conquests, from west to east: each ingredient refers to a stage of the historical journey, from the forests of Macedonia to the shores of Arabia and finally to ingredients of Chinese origin. The progression of the fragrance follows that of the route — Mediterranean at the opening, aromatic in the heart, oriental in the base.

For whom, for what occasions?

For those seeking a freshness that lasts, and a citrus that does not resemble the others. It is a spring and summer fragrance, rather for daytime, with long-lasting performance for a hesperidic and a clear sillage. Iskander Parfum d'Empire will appeal to those who want citrus without giving up structure.