Fragrance is a fragrance that revolves around the sense of smell, but it's not something you can enjoy using just your nose. Fragrance is a "composite art of knowledge" that can only be deeply understood and truly appreciated by "smelling, touching, seeing, and listening." Furthermore, Aso Aya, a talented editor and essayist with many years of experience working for women's magazines, introduces "Issey Miyake Parfum Le Cerre d'Issey Eau de Toilette," which should be experienced using all five senses, including your sense of taste.
Photograph by Senta Murayama
[Article published in the July 2024 issue of Kronos Japan]
Fragrance is a comprehensive intellectual art that engages all five senses
This is the final fragrance created by the late Issey Miyake. The refreshing scent of salty notes with spicy and woody notes evokes the encounter between the earth and the sea. It is a dry yet gentle fragrance, very much in keeping with modern times. Don't miss the visual images, which use a technology called cymatics to visualize acoustic vibrations, to fully convey the powerful allure of salt. "Issey Miyake Parfum Le Cerre d'Issey Eau de Toilette" 100ml, 14,850 yen (tax included).
A long time ago, when I was in my early 20s, I went on a trip with my parents to Grasse in the south of France and bought a perfume that "smelled the same as a famous XX." They had a fair number of popular fragrances of the time, like C from Company C or P from Company D, all in simple tin bottles. Being direct from the factory (?), the prices were naturally very low. I remember being excited and buying a few of them, but at the same time, I don't remember wearing them regularly after returning home. Even though they were supposed to be the same scent, for some reason, wearing them didn't really excite me.
What I learned from this experience was that fragrance is not something as simple as just satisfying the sense of smell. It has to have a scent you like, plus a bottle design that embodies that scent, and a carefully crafted concept and story behind it, which is what allows it to reach the wearer's heart and grow into something they can truly love. I believe fragrance is a comprehensive art of knowledge that deepens our understanding and attachment by making full use of all five senses except taste.
The fragrance we are introducing today, Le Cerro d'Issey's "Scent of Salt," is one that you should definitely smell, touch, see, and listen to. Speaking of Issey fragrances, the most famous is L'Eau d'Issey's "Scent of Water," which made a stunning debut in 1992, and Le Foud d'Issey's "Scent of Fire," which is a sort of counterpoint, is also a legendary fragrance that is secretly passed down among connoisseurs.
Le Cerre d'Issey is the third fragrance themed around the elements of nature, and the beauty and perfection of the meticulously crafted and constructed story that expresses "salt" is incredible! Although "salt" does not inherently have a scent, the fragrance truly brings out "salt" by allowing the refreshing ocean breeze of natural seaweed and oakmoss to interact with the mineral breath of the earth expressed in ginger and vetiver in a dialogue-like manner. In addition, the minimalist bottle reminiscent of a pillar of light, designed by Tokujin Yoshioka, and the dynamic image video that can be seen on the official website, are some of the features that make this a fragrance that you definitely want to experience in all its various facets and three dimensions.
Lastly, I take back what I said earlier about activating the five senses other than taste. This is because, when you spray this on your skin, you will want to taste the salt anew. This is truly an art that engages all five senses.
Author Profile
Aya Aso
Beauty editor/essayist and copywriter. Raised in Tokyo. Over 30 years of experience in the beauty section of women's magazines, she has served as deputy editor-in-chief of "25ans" and "Fujingaho" (both published by Hearst Fujingaho) and "VOGUE JAPAN" (Condé Nast Japan), as well as editor-in-chief of "etRouge" (Nikkei BP). Her hobbies include beauty, finding delicious food, watching depressing anime, and engaging in other niche activities.
