Desert Gems, a tribute collection

Out of love for Middle Eastern perfumery, Frédéric Malle asked the best Western perfumers to create fragrances that pay homage to it, with complete freedom and no limits on the use and quantities of raw materials. The Desert Gems Collection now includes four opus: THE NIGHT, PROMISE, DAWN, and THE MOON.

Frédéric Malle "fell into perfumery at a very young age," much like a poet falls into poetry. It was around the same age that he discovered and fell in love with Middle Eastern perfumes, which were then little regarded in France and the West.

A few years after the creation of Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, he enthusiastically decided, during a conversation with Dominique Ropion, to create a fragrance that pays tribute to Middle Eastern perfumes.

This was followed by an analysis of Emirati perfumery centered on two key raw materials: oud (used mainly in feminine scents) and rose (used mainly in masculine scents), along with amber, incense, and patchouli, to name a few. These raw materials have honored a tradition that dates back at least to the Egypt of the pharaohs for centuries.

For Frédéric Malle, it is clear that while Middle Eastern perfumes are traditionally stronger and more intense, the vocabulary of Emirati perfumery shares many common points with Western perfumery.

Eager to declare his love for Desert perfumes, Frédéric Malle decided to create a collection dedicated to them: the Desert Gems Collection. True to his concept of being a curator, he asked the best perfumers to create fragrances that pay homage to Middle Eastern perfumery, with complete freedom and no limits on the use and quantities of raw materials.

Naturally, he entrusted Dominique Ropion with the task of composing the first volume in 2014: THE NIGHT. Filled with roses and oud, The Night is a tribute to the night, that vibrant moment when, in desert countries, people connect with the stars and devote themselves to love.