The Jovoy Box X CaFleureBon 13th Anniversary Editors’ Favorites

When François Henin suggested that the team at ÇaFleureBon choose a favorite perfume to celebrate our 13th anniversary on March 22, 2023, we all exclaimed “Just ONE?” After years of smelling thousands of fragrances, each of us had to make a difficult decision. My only request of the editors was that every one of our selections were genderless, spoke to us, and told stories on our skin. We give you our fourteen olfactive gems, treasures to discover and to enjoy. -Michelyn Camen, Editor-in-Chief.

This is the second time (Make it Musk in 2021) we've challenged the ÇaFleureBon team to pick just one perfume out of so many, and we're still smiling at the thought of all the editors who were scratching their heads thinking "OMG, how can I only pick one?“ A big thank you to the team, and Happy 13^th Anniversary, a lucky number! We hope you enjoy discovering their choices. – François Henin, President and Founder of Jovoy Paris and Jeroboam.

Scent of Woods Pain en Châtaigner. When one thinks of bread, a staple food in many countries across the world, one thinks of comforting warmth, family gatherings, belly filling suppers and serenity. Composed by Meabh McCurtin, it is a savory slightly gourmand composition, evoking dear childhood memories of watching my grandmother bake bread every weekend, her hands covered in flour and a soft savory aroma of bread in the air. For me, this is a fragrance unlike any other, it feels personal and centering, a gift of time, standing still, forever to be savored. -Olya Bar, Editor.

Perfumer Marc-Antoine Corticchiato changed my mind completely about leather as a dominant note in perfumery. Before I came across Parfum d’Empire Cuir Ottoman, I thought of leather fragrances as the kind of rough-hewn, hide-and-woods colognes, the kind of butch splash-ons advertised by cowboys and football players. With its plush animalism and chilly florals, Cuir Ottoman made me a leather – and Parfum d’Empire – lover for life. For me, this perfume sets the standard for modern floral leathers. -Lauryn Beer, Senior Editor.

Two of my favorite people in perfume land are the talented Cécile Zarokian and Francois Henin aka “The Ambassador of Rare Perfumes” for Jovoy Paris. When these two joined forces, the result is the pure magic of Jovoy Paris Remember Me. The fragrance was inspired by their trip to Qatar but tells a different personal tale. There is a Russian proverb, “Where there is tea, there is hope”. Escaping the Soviet Union, my paternal grandfather was able to take his father’s Samovar with him to Ellis Island, before settling in Brooklyn N.Y. Closing my eyes, I see him preparing the blend of whole leaf tea and boiling water, as his ancestors had done before him. My grandfather made the tea very strong, so he would hand me a cup that had been prepared with condensed milk, sweet, with a sprinkling of cinnamon. The window was open, and I could smell heady flowers from the yard mingling with creamy tea. Memories. Remember me. -Michelyn Camen, Editor-in-Chief.

How fabulous isTiziana Terenzi’s Casanova? Mesmerizingly so. This romantic beauty transports you back to Venice at the Masked Ball. The dry spicy opening and powdery note lead to a light leather that slides right up on you. The sensuality of the warm spices, musk, and cedarwood is stunning. No beast here, the silage is smooth as a skilled lover. Produced in a small, handcrafted batch every year with each flacon marked with the year of production, like vintage wine. Such a compliment-getter. -Hernando Courtright, Sr. Event Contributor and Brand Ambassador.

Chris Maurice’s Xerjoff Alexandria II’s spicy blend of lavender, amber, cinnamon, lily of the valley and Oud steam is as polished and refined as the individual who would wear it. This stately (but approachable) composition is the Polaris among the bright stars of Xerjoff’s offerings. -Michael Devine, Senior Contributor. 

Sora Dora Gladiator is a top choice for me because it is a celebratory fragrance with notes of grapefruit, green apple, and pineapple. The mood enhancing properties of mint will instantly raise your spirits, and a dry down of Indonesian patchouli and Tahitian vetiver is earthy and long lasting. This versatile and jubilant composition is exactly what I need to get the day started on the right foot! -Steven Gavrielatos, Video Content Contributor (Perfumers: Amélie Bourgeois, Anne-Sophie Behaghel, and Camille Chemardin).

M. Micallef Note Vanillée composed by Geoffrey Nejman and Jean-Claude Astier is a silky, soft, warm vanilla soaked in rum embrace, followed by the most staggering ambered vanilla with an exquisite occasional waft of jasmine. The warmth on my skin allows the ambery rum-soaked vanilla to take center stage with only a quick peek-a-boo appearance of the Citrus and Jasmine. -Sandi Lundberg, Associate Contributor. 

Cherigan Fleurs de Tabac was initially intended for men - but it possesses a much wider appeal, due to its sublimely smoky, leathery evocation of tobacco without the actual presence of tobacco itself. Its combination of vanillic elements with vetiver creates the trompe-nez which seduces us with fluid sensuous ambiguity - emanating Parisian chic at every turn. -Ida Meister, Deputy and Natural Perfume Editor.

MDCI Parfums Chypre Palatin by Bertrand Duchaufour is one of the most exquisite embodiments of chiaroscuro, which is the true spirit of classic chypres. The light of sparkling clementine slices through a forest where potherbs and roots fill the air in emerald dewdrops. The sweetest blooms, crisp hyacinth, gardenia, and fruity rose dipped in plum liqueur mingle with the wild saltiness of immortelle and oakmoss. MDCI Chypre Palatin is a chatoyant gemstone. -Ermano Picco, Editor. 

Etat Libre d’Orange Frustration by Mathilde Bijaoui is a complex gourmand with a delicious dark soul and a cozy scrumptious heart. Vanilla is the main player, surrounded by warm spices, resinous depths, and the decadently luxurious silk texture of an expert-level rum–infused chestnut puree dessert. Sweet and comforting, Frustration feels like a warm, enveloping hug, held in the most beautiful red bottle, with a puff of smoky darkness for a bit of danger and the wink of cumin to keep things sensuously subversive. -Nicoleta Tomsa, Senior Editor.

Plume Impression Murmure d'Été composed by Quentin Bisch is effusive and invigorating but at the same time comforting. This scent feels like a pristine cloud surrounding me. There is an amalgamation of fresh green tones and fruits dancing with the softest woods and an airy sugariness which is simply delicious. Balanced to perfection, cypress and davana add the slightly verdant vegetal sparkle whilst the fig nectar is lush but at the same time light. Cedar grounds the composition and tonka with sandalwood makes one melt in this radiant luminous scent. -Karl Topham, Senior Editor and U.K. Brand Ambassador.

Tuberose is my signature-flower and with V/siteur Cabaret Nocturne Cécile Zarokian gives it the spotlight. Spices crackle on my skin, accompanied by a note of gin which adds a fresh and aromatic touch. Sandalwood and tobacco cool down this olfactory heat and prolong the pleasure for many hours. Provocative. Flamboyant. Sexy. -Emmanuelle Varron, Senior Editor and Paris Brand Ambassador.

Histoires de Parfums Fidelis is a true scented symphony that immediately transports me back to Dubai where traditional Arabic culture weaves its way throughout a global society. Fidelis is no ordinary rose/oud scent, its bold blend of coffee and saffron resonate with the jammy rose along with amber and oud in such a harmonious manner it will never be mistaken for another. Fidelis is proof of perfumer Julien Rasquinet’s virtuosity and one that I will never be without. -Rachel Watson, Senior Contributor.

Let me tell you how much I love Strangelove NYC’s LostInFlowers: it was the ONLY perfume I chose to take with me to the Milan Esxence perfume expo in 2018. Surrounded by thousands of bottles of fine fragrance, Perfume Provocateur Christophe Laudamiel’s extraordinary tribute to white florals garnered me so many compliments I stopped counting. One spray of it surrounds you in a “heaven-scent” mist of gardenia, champaca, and lily of the valley. Combining with the dusty straw-like element of marigold and the slightest skank and depth of oud, LostinFlowers is an unforgettable and head-spinning magic carpet ride through a heavily-scented boudoir. Dazzling, hypnotic, and sexy as hell, LostInFlowers is the sin qua non of white floral perfumes, -RIP Robert Herrmann, Sr. Editor (who passed on October 1, 2019).