A tribute to the ancient African grenadilla tree and its impressive homeland. Crackling branches, balsamic resin, smoky wood, sun-scorched earth. A purple sunset glows in the deep black night. Grenadille d'Afrique embodies not only the tree from which it takes its name, but also the original landscape in which it grows.
‘It is a surprising, uncompromising and very emotional eau de parfum,’ says perfumer Alberto Morillas. ’The ingredients I used are simple, strong and unadorned. It is this simple concentration that makes the fragrance a work of art.’
The starting point for the fragrance concept is African grenadilla, whose Latin name is Dalbergia melanoxylon, which translates as ‘black wood’. The name does not really do justice to the play of colours in its wood, which ranges from deep purple to brownish black and is also known as grenadilla. The ancient Egyptians, who called it h'bny, used its heartwood to make precious furniture. The Makonde people of Tanzania know it as mpingo and use its wood to make high-priced ‘Tree of Life’ carvings.
With Grenadille d'Afrique, Alberto Morillas created an impressive and elegant olfactory tree sculpture in 2016. Aromatic plant sap with a scent of juniper berries runs through the mysterious grenadilla tree he created, from the smallest branch in the crown down to the roots. Vetiver from Haiti forms the trunk. With its complex facets of wood, smoke, earth and flint, this vertical axis outlines the plant, animal and mineral notes of the eau de parfum.
It is difficult to say whether the composition transports you to dawn or dusk when you first smell it. Tingling bergamot captures the last rays of sunshine, while a hint of purple lavender and violet settles like powdery moonlight over the grasslands of the savannah. Then the eau de parfum comes to life, vanilla transforms, fuelled by an amber note of labdanum, into fiery resin and radiates balsamic warmth. Bleached wood, velvety bark and sun-baked stones detach themselves from the heat of the day and sink into an ink-black night that suggests a cool musk breeze.
Morillas describes the composition as ‘fossilised wood polished with a vanilla accord’. It is a starkly contrasting creation that breaks its dark heart with radiant notes.
Aedes de Venustas Grenadille d'Afrique is now presented in a high-quality, sophisticated bottle: peacock blue accents mark the ribbed bottle. The cap is matt black and embossed with the brand's insignia. It is a harmoniously sleek yet powerful and striking design with which Aedes de Venustas begins the next chapter in its success story.
