L’Occitane Launches First Gourmand Fragrance

French beauty brand, L’Occitane has launched their biggest fragrance for the year, Terre de Lumière, at a sophisticated soiree at Hacienda, Pullman Quay Grand, Sydney.

The scent, which is a gourmand (fragrance industry speak for perfumes containing ‘dessert’ inspired notes), is a departure from the brand’s usual single-note scents like Verbena and Lavender.

Inspired by magical moments before sunset known as “Golden Hour”, a trio of female perfumers – Calice Becker, Shyamala Maisondieu and Nadege Le Garlantezec – called on their olfactory knowledge of Provence to build a beautifully balanced elixir with notes of lavender honey, bergamot, tonka bean and white musk. It conjures that moment when the earth and flowers, which have been heated by the sun, begin to cool and the gilded light transforms everything it touches.

“Terre de Lumière plays on the tension between masculine freshness and delicious feminine softness. It’s a very innovative scent, the first gourmand aromatic fragrance from L’Occitane, absolutely addictive,” says Master Perfumer Calice Becker.

Beauty media and buyers enjoyed French champagne and cocktails while taking in Sydney’s own ‘Golden Hour’ of sunset over the harbour. A resident engraver was on hand to personalise bottles for the media, who took home the scent to sample before release.

L’Occitane (pronounced ‘Loxitarne’) was founded by Olivier Baussan over 41 years ago, when he used steam distillation to create rosemary oils and made soaps to sell at the local Provence markets. Over two decades later and the brand has been adopted worldwide as go-to for French provincial beauty essentials, efficacious skincare and decadent scents.

L’Occitane Terre de Lumière available now.