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Frédéric Malle

Carnal Flower

2005FloralEDPFrance

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Editorial notes

  1. 01

    An ultra-concentrated natural tuberose absolute, reportedly around 25% of the formula by volume, an unprecedented concentration that made the price tier necessary.

  2. 02

    Malle visited Candice Bergen's California garden, where tuberose, gardenia and jasmine grew in profusion, and wanted to bottle the air there exactly.

  3. 03

    Named after the 1971 Mike Nichols film Carnal Knowledge, in which Frédéric Malle's aunt Candice Bergen starred alongside Jack Nicholson.

  4. 04

    Composed by Dominique Ropion in 2005 around eucalyptus and melon over a coconut-tuberose-jasmine heart with a white musk-amber base.

Dossier

Edition · 000

Status · Active. Niche reference.

An ultra-concentrated natural tuberose absolute.

Composed by
Dominique Ropion
Founder
Frédéric Malle
Country
France

The pyramid

Top
eucalyptusmelonbergamotgalbanum
Heart
coconuttuberosejasmineylang-ylangorange blossom
Base
white muskanimal notesamber

The brief

Malle visited Candice Bergen's California garden and wanted to bottle the air there: tuberose, gardenia, jasmine. Ropion responded with the highest natural-tuberose-absolute concentration ever attempted in commercial perfumery.

NameNamed after the 1971 Mike Nichols film 'Carnal Knowledge' starring Frédéric Malle's aunt Candice Bergen, who served as the composition's muse.

Why it mattered

  • Reportedly contains roughly 25% natural tuberose absolute by volume — an unprecedented concentration that made the price tier necessary.

Footnotes

  • Frequently cited alongside Fracas (1948) and Tubéreuse Criminelle (1999) as the holy trinity of tuberose compositions.

The Curator's Note

A quarter of the bottle is real tuberose absolute. The price was the price.

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