T E X T U R E

To the skin, the texture and the textured experience of natural perfume is everything. The way a solid perfume feels, silky but substantial, matters. There is no set formula for creating a consistent body in natural perfumery. The natural variations among vintages, geographies, ratios, densities and extraction methods affect the final substance. The feeling of it must express something about the composition. Is it a celestial pancake dusted by stars? Is it a jellied aspic coated with waxy skin? Is it gardenia whip disguised as mashed potatoes with sour cream? Does it have a soft filling like stroopwafel that oozes when its hard top is broken? Or is it sculpted and stiff like buttercream rosettes, but shies away to melted butter when touched?