Best Brutal by Pigmentarium Alternatives & Similar Perfumes

An iconic classic in its own rite, Quelques Fleurs is a true ingenious scent of its time. The French perfumer, Robert Bienaimé, unveiled Quelques Fleurs the first true multi-floral blend ever created, in 1912.

Since then, his perfectly-balanced, refined bouquet has become modern perfumery’s peerless criterion for pure, meticulously-crafted, multi-floral accords. Prior to his bold invention, floral fragrances had been mainly singular flowers, or florals combined with various nuances of herbs and spices. Bienaimé’s singular triumph is remarkable for its secret, mythical formula. Upwards of 15,000 exemplary flowers and 250 prestigious raw materials are diligently-curated in the creation of a single ounce of perfume.

“Shaan” is a Sanskrit name meaning greatness and majesty. The  perfumer intertwines the name with the legend of the Egyptian pharaoh Thutmose, the conquering leader whose final battle was foretold by the oracles. Ember Shaan is a fragrance that shifts and evolves, reflecting the concept of victory intertwined with sorrow. With a variety of ouds and frankincenses, this extrait explores how a bright fire fades into a smouldering ember, while also deepening into something more profound. Coffee, rose and sandalwood combine their rich effects into an olfactory syrup that infuses the woods, while spicy opoponax and stony gunpowder add punctuation and surprise.

Heaven on earth: Alamut.

If we were to believe Marco Polo’s story - Alamut was the fortress and headquarters of the order of assassins. In Alamut among other things, according to Marco, the new recruits could experience the demo version of heaven. An assassin to be would be inebriates by some potion (even though Marco never mention which drug it was, highly likely it was hashish). Then the recruit would be taken to a pleasure garden with drinks, food and beautiful maiden. Afterwards the head of the order would explain that absolute loyalty and fearless determination would guarantee an afterlife of this kind.

Lorenzo Villorezi’s Alamut is an intense sensual rose resting on a cloud of ambergris.

A poetic coffee perfume, conjuring the charms of a mid-century coffee shop in the Showa era. The contrast of the bitterness of roasted coffee beans and the sweetness of orange blossom supplies the sparkle, before the caramalised drydown of musky vanilla brings the mmmmm!

As the sun sinks over the dense tropical forest, civets emerge warily from the thickets. Under a carpet of narcotic flower blossoms, a smattering of coffee berries peppers the ground. The moist air is heavy with mossy aromas that penetrate every crevice, but the musky scent of the civets dominates; their marked territory daring one to enter at one’s own risk.

Civet pays homage to the age-old ingredient, civet, as well as chypre perfumes of bygone days – perfumes that refused to be intimidated by raw, alluring, animalistic musks. Civet is a moody and complex brew entwined in mystery. It opens with a spicy floral accord, threaded through with dark coffee tones. Slowly it prowls forward, unraveling base notes of leather, moss and vanilla that combines with distinctive civet musk to create a bewildering, sophisticated scent with the promise of a sultry nighttime rendezvous.

Perfumer: Shelley Waddington

Perfumer: Dominique Ropion

An enigmatic leather perfume merged from captivating nuances of tuberose, orange blossom and gardenia. The wild facet of ylang ylang intertwined with the woody notes of patchouli add a sensuous tone. Frankincense and labdanum complete the leather theme. The trail left by the perfume is surprising, narcotic filled by a magnetic elegance.

Named after a rare, indigenous white grape variety from Savoy, this cool, modern iris interpretation is built on the brand’s highest-dosed and rare Bavarian iris pallida. Based on standard iris concentrations of around 0.1% in the fragrance oil, Iris Altesse contains an approximately 26-fold higher dose of iris butter and iris extract. Here, iris root revels in its chalky, clean leather side, with a fruity flourish supplied by jasmine sambac and cassis. Classy and hip.

Perfumer: Antoine Lie

The intense scent of Ylang Ylang, the “flower of flowers” with its long, tapered leaves: sweet, powdery, floral, strong, radiant and unmistakable, surrounded by a chorus of Frangipani flowers, Jasmine, Orange blossoms and Tiarè.

Tobacco Tuberose - a leather floral vintage experiment. Green bitterness, milky-white flowers in a half-light of a library, soft clouds of tobacco smoke, cozy leather chairs, silence and comfort.

It is tobacco which surely leads in this duet. Warm and rich, the fragrance opens with bitter, slightly metallic green notes of violet leaves, they unfurl into dim old library cabinet. The cabinet is full of curling aromatic flows of pipe tobacco smoke.  Then leather appears, warm and tactile, and then a sudden gust of wind brings a heady, almost narcotic smell from a tall elegant bouquet of tuberoses.  Try it on, find out who will lead for you – white flowers or tobacco-leather.

Anna advises to choose chilly dull weather to experience this fragrance – it warms and comforts in a most subtle and pleasant way.

Starring

(these fragrant materials reanacted the Tobacco tuberose story):

Artemisia absinthium e.o.
Frankincense e.o.
Tuberose abs
Lavender abs
Rose de may absolute
Rosa gallica e.o.
Agarwood e.o.
Sandalwood e.o.
Orris CO2 extract
Castoreum tinctura
Acacia farnesiana e.o.
Tabacco abs
Jasmine sambac abs
Cistus e.o.
Ambrette CO2 extract
Angelica root absolute

Important notice:

Anna Zworykina’s blends are olfactive smellscapes (but neither aromatherapy, nor ‘spray-and-go’ perfumes). Her blends are sensory experiences, closer to works of art created in the scented plane (rather than, say, visual or audio).

Certain essential oils and absolutes that are used in her 100% natural perfumes may potentially cause allergies in some people. Please spray Anna Zworykina’s blends on fabric (on sleeves, scarves, etc.). This said, Anna Zworykina has acquired a huge fan base over many years and people interacted with her blends for quite a while now. We are not aware of any reports of any skin reactions so far.

However, Anna advises that those who are prone to allergic reactions, pregnant and nursing women, as well as people with chronic illnesses to be extra careful. Before trying natural blends, study the list of ingredients and consult with a doctor if you are not sure or a had a history of allergies. If you do decide to put these blends on your skin (unable to resist the temptation) always test the blend on the inside part of your elbow first and wait.

Do not spray these blends liberally as a cloud in the way you would spray a conventional perfume. Anna’s smellscapes need to be… carefully applied and experienced. Be mindful that some oils can also make your skin hyper-sensitive to UV.

The Mediterranean freshness of the essence, whose citrus notes are accompanied by the sensuality of damask rose, sublimating in sinuous oriental echoes, is inspired by the colour that has made the frescoes of Pompeian domes famous and unmistakable all over the world.

The pigment obtained from the mineral cinnabar, Rossopompeiano, emblem of a part of the history the perfumer Agatho’s city, becomes a perfume.