Master perfumer Dominique Ropion is the legendary nose behind many globally successful fragrances and has shaped the French luxury perfume sector for the last thirty years. Read in an interview with the legendary perfumer about his new creation - Sur Tes L&eacute;vres. E.Q. (&laquo;On your lips&raquo;) for the perfume house D&rsquo;ORSAY.

Commercial as well as niche perfume houses have called upon Ropion`s talent and unique sensibilities for the creation of their products. La vie est belle by Lanc&ocirc;me, Alien by Thierry Mugler, Ysatis and Amarige by Givenchy, Invictus by Paco Rabanne, Flowerbomb by Viktor &amp; Rolf and Carnal Flower or Portrait of a Lady by Editions de Parfums Fr&eacute;d&eacute;ric Malle are among his most popularly-known fragrances. Clear-sighted and humble, Ropion is a tireless worker who keeps his focus on his craft, detached from the vagaries and trappings of fame. &laquo;You can&rsquo;t be a dilettante; the molecules won't let you get away with it&raquo; he explains. Sur Tes Levres. E.Q. - Ropion's first collaboration with the perfume house D'ORSAY.

Do you have a memory of any particularly pleasant scent or smell you might have encountered during a kiss?
Every kiss is unique and leaves its own distinct trail. The scent of a kiss is often a subtle blend of the smell of each of the partners and the smell of the setting or the place where it is exchanged.
According to you, what flavours or fragrances characterize a kiss?
I would say sweet, tender smells like musky or iridescent notes, but also round, warm and sensual notes like vanilla.
Which iconic couple represents infinite love to you and why?
That's a difficult question because one always thinks of epic love stories from mythology and literature which often end tragically with the two doomed lovers unable to live out their love story and only uniting in death. Nevertheless, despite the tragic ends they meet, these passionate love stories are more inspiring for me than the happy endings of fairy tales.

How did you go about creating this perfume, which is intended to be an ode to the sensuality of a kiss?
Composing Sur Tes L&eacute;vres, I really wanted to conjure up the very unique sensation of surrendering one&rsquo;s lips to another: the intimate sensuality of the act. That's why I decided to go for a musky floral. I wanted to combine jasmine with the sweet, airy notes of iris to bring out the radiance of the note but also to play with the rounded, sensual, fleshy aspects of the white flower. For the base, looked to rein-force the smooth aspects of iris with a trio of vibrant woody, amber notes.
How does one recreate the intimacy of a kiss in a fragrance, the meeting of two breaths? What ingredients does one use?
Iridescent, powdery and musky notes are ideal for capturing the soft intimacy of a kiss. That's why, when composing Sur Tes L&eacute;vres, I chose ingredients such as Ambrette Absolute for its warm, powdery accents, Iris for its silky, intimate, floral tones and Ambermor, a synthetic ingredient with musky overtones to add depth and reinforce the sensuality of the fragrance.
Why did you use iris and ambrette seed for Sur Tes L&eacute;vres?
For a number of reasons. First and foremost, because they are beautiful, high-quality natural ingredients from LMR that I love to work with, which instantly lend sophistication and refinement to the composition.
I worked with two different forms of iris. The concrete form is a real hidden secret in the perfumer&rsquo;s palette. It is floral, extremely powdery and has a delicate finish reminiscent of the scent of violet and of cosmetic products; a kind of nod to the lipstick smell that is often left behind after a kiss. I also used orris resinoid, which has a slightly chocolatey aspect, to evoke the lush sweetness of a kiss. And ambrette seed for its warm, sensual and powdery dimensions.

This is your first collaboration with D'ORSAY. Tell us about the creative process working with them around the concept of a kiss?
It was a pleasure working with D&rsquo;ORSAY, as I had never had the opportunity to do so before this creation. I really like the brand&rsquo;s approach and their emphasis on the quality of the materials. The fragrance house gives a great amount of creative freedom to the perfumer.
How does the spirit of D&rsquo;ORSAY find its expression in Sur Tes L&eacute;vres?
Parfums D&rsquo;ORSAY celebrates the many different states of love. This olfactory illustration of a kiss continues this exploration of romantic emotions and intimacy by paying tribute to the delicious sensation of surrendering one&rsquo;s lips to another.

Perfume Sur Tes L&eacute;vres. E.Q. by D'ORSAY can be purchased at Cr&egrave;me de la Cr&egrave;me boutiques in the Baltic States and at <a href="https://cremedelacreme.shop/ru/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cremedalacreme.shop</a>

Perfumer Dominique Ropion: «Sur Tes Lèvres. E.Q.» lays down on the skin like a silk kiss»

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ENDURING ON MY OWN