To BreakPowdery Fruity Eau de Parfum

To Break by Mark Buxton is a powdery, fruity, woody eau de parfum, unisex, created by Mark Buxton. It is the second word of a phrase.

The man behind Comme des Garçons

Mark Buxton is one of the great contemporary perfumers, and his house bears his name. He created the very first Comme des Garçons fragrance, then 2, 3, Man, White, and Cologne, and has created for Givenchy, Versace, Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, Burberry, and Le Labo. English, he moved to Germany at eight, trained in Hamburg, settled in Paris, and founded his house in 2008. One anecdote sums him up: at 21 years old, he appeared on the German game show Wetten, dass…? betting that he could identify any perfume by smell — he correctly identified all five presented to him. His formula: “a perfume should be like a good jazz song — vibrant and harmonious.” The Freedom Collection was composed with David Chieze, his right-hand man; the house claims three signature ingredients common to its four launch fragrances — vetiver, ambergris, and davana.

An opening of pineapple, green apple, and magnolia

Pineapple and green apple open on a tart, crisp fruitiness that is distinctly green. The magnolia already places a flower in the middle of the orchard.

A heart of iris and spices

Iris holds the heart. It is what provides the powder: a fatty, cool, slightly earthy root, one of the most expensive ingredients in perfumery. Spices accompany it and warm it up.

A base of ambrette, ambergris, and sandalwood

Ambrette closes the composition with ambergris and sandalwood, which brings its creamy roundness.

The house's signature touch

Ambrette in the base is the only plant-based musk in perfumery. Musks are either animal-derived or synthetic — ambrette is the exception: it is the seed of a mallow, Abelmoschus moschatus, and its extraction is so costly that it remains rare. Paired with the iris in the heart, it gives the perfume a powder that owes nothing to talc or vanilla. And the title itself is the second word of a phrase: I Want + To Break + Free = “I Want To Break Free,” the Queen song.

For whom, for what occasions?

For those who love powdery fruity fragrances and are looking for an iris that is not austere. All year round, by day or by night. To Break by Mark Buxton is the second of the three.