For most of its life, ylang-ylang existed outside of perfume entirely. In the Philippines, it belonged to the body and soul — worn on skin, used in rituals, part of a world where scent didn’t need to travel to exist. It wasn’t extracted, standardised, or circulated. It stayed close to its natural habitat.

New fragrances from MDCI Parfums are rare events. The French house, founded by Claude Marchal, has built its reputation on an almost stubborn resistance to the rhythm of the industry. Launches are infrequent, compositions are carefully considered, and each addition to the collection must justify its existence. Each new release is also notable for another reason: MDCI tends to collaborate with some of the most distinctive and respected perfumers of their generation, creators w

An outrageous distillation of the unspoken language of desire written upon the parchment of flesh, all pent up and laced tightly, like a bosom barely contained in corsetry. As in so many of Malbrum’s perfumes all is on the edge of things and the overspilling of boundaries,the hypersuggestion, lines become obscured and we venture into new territory. Shameless Seducer is no exception, with its innocent, bright, citrus led opening, instantaneously misleading us in its naive entr