A Whiff of Freshness

Five years ago on my birthday, I received a gift from one of my muses and closest friends. From the shape of the simple white paper package, I could tell that it was either a cologne or skincare product. True enough, I received a bottle of clear scent.

“Why would anyone give a cologne?” I wondered. Scent is a very personal choice; you have to put it on to see how the tones develop with your natural oils. Being vegetarian makes it doubly hard to find a suitable one. Very particular about what goes into the scent, I avoid animal-based essences especially when I developed seborrheic reactions to certain pigment components in perfumes.

The clear liquid showed promise and when I sprayed some in the air, I instantly liked the top notes. A spurt on the wrist, behind the ears and fifteen minutes later, I found another scent that’s on the top 3 of my list (the two others come from European perfumers whose names start with B------and C-----)

Confirming that the new scent worked for me were two friends who also bought bottles for themselves after I wore it to an editorial meeting and post-workout snack at the gym. This cologne is Gendarme.

A few months ago, Sevrine Miailhe, Marketing Communications Manager for Rustan’s cosmetics, toiletries and perfumery invited this jotter to the press launch of Gendarme. No less than Jonathan Risco, the president and international ambassador of Gendarme Fragrances flew in from LA for this launch and the exclusive party hosted by ZEE Lifestyle Magazine and Tanya McCarthy.

Jonathan Risco, President of Gendarme Fragrances, with this jotter

As administrator for the company, Risco increased the brand extensions and got personally involved in the creation of Gendarme EDP, Green, and Gendarme SKY.  His marketing expertise has allowed Gendarme to grow from a California “Cult Classic” to an industry bellwether.

The new bottles look great but I have yet to try them. Still happy with my n’th bottle of Gendarme, now I realize that if you know a person well enough and had been hanging out around him long enough, you can actually tell if a cologne suits his personality and chemistry with just a whiff.