Few luxury brands understand the delicate dance between simplicity and sophistication like Aesop, the Australian skin, hair, and body care company that has mastered the art of telling stories—both visually and olfactorily. Step into any of its boutiques, and you aren’t just entering a store; you’re walking into a carefully curated stage set, where the products, much like actors, don’t seek to dazzle with theatrics, but rather, with their quiet elegance and thoughtful presence. It’s a whispered conversation rather than a loud declaration. And this is where Virēre, Aesop’s latest Eau de Parfum, takes center stage.
Virēre, derived from the Latin word meaning "to be green," is more than just a fragrance; it’s a fleeting summer memory suspended in amber glass. It begins with a citrus burst, the olfactory equivalent of biting into a ripe, sun-drenched fruit plucked from a tree at midday. Like the first ray of sunlight after a long winter, it grabs your attention—not with fanfare, but with the kind of warmth that immediately brings comfort.
As the scent develops, it transforms, much like a story unfolding in chapters, each one deeper and richer than the last. You’re suddenly transported to a lush Mediterranean landscape—where the air is thick with the smell of fig trees, their branches swaying in the soft morning breeze, carrying with it the gentle aroma of steeping green tea. It’s as if the fragrance has taken you by the hand and guided you to a quiet alcove, a verdant arbour, where time slows down and the world outside pauses.
But, as with all things Aesop, the beauty lies in what’s unsaid. Virēre isn’t a perfume that demands attention; rather, it’s the kind that invites intimacy. It unfolds quietly, the way old memories surface after years of lying dormant—faint at first, but growing stronger with each passing moment. Fig, green tea, and petitgrain—notes that are at once familiar, yet elusive, like catching the scent of something on the wind, reminding you of a place you’ve never been but somehow know by heart.
In many ways, Virēre is a love letter to the understated. Its top notes—Galbanum and Bergamot—are a celebration of the fresh, hopeful beginning of any journey, like the morning light filtering through the leaves of a fig tree.
These are the first few pages of a novel, rich with promise and the excitement of what’s to come.
But as the fragrance lingers, it matures, like the way a long summer day slowly ripens. Shadows stretch, the sun dips lower, and the warmth of cedar and green mate emerges, much like the steady rhythm of waves lapping at the shore after an afternoon of calm.
It’s here that Virēre reveals its true nature. The fragrance, much like a memory of a perfect day, doesn’t fade abruptly but lingers, like the golden afterglow of a sunset you wish would last just a little longer. The heart notes—green tea, mastic, and pink pepper—are the breeze that stirs the trees in the twilight, whispering reminders of shared laughter and quiet moments. And the base notes—cedar, green mate, and hay—are the earthy remnants of a summer well-lived, grounding the wearer in a sense of nostalgia that is as comforting as it is bittersweet.
Barnabé Fillion, the nose behind Virēre and a long-time Aesop collaborator, has once again crafted a fragrance that isn’t just a sensory experience but an emotional one. He describes it as a celebration of simplicity—a reflection on the power of moments that, in their quietude, offer profound meaning. Virēre, he says, evokes the ripening of summer days, those interludes spent in the company of fig trees and green tea, where time slows down, and nature speaks in hushed tones.
To wear Virēre is to wrap yourself in a story—one that’s familiar yet new every time. It’s not a fragrance that shouts but one that whispers in your ear, drawing you closer, inviting you to lean in and listen. It’s a reminder that beauty, like memory, is often found in the quiet spaces between moments, in the stillness of a sunlit afternoon or the rustling of leaves in a summer breeze.
Much like Aesop’s stores themselves—each one a minimalist sanctuary designed to reflect the city it inhabits—Virēre feels tailored to its environment. The amber glass bottle, sleek and understated, is a nod to the brand’s ethos of functional elegance. It doesn’t scream luxury; it breathes it in, softly exhaling it with every spritz.
Aesop’s approach to fragrance has always been one of quiet reverence for nature, and Virēre is no exception. It’s not about overwhelming complexity or a bombardment of notes vying for attention. Instead, it’s about the careful balance of ingredients—each one chosen with precision, allowing the fragrance to evolve naturally, like a story that reveals itself in layers. There’s a subtlety to Virēre that feels almost sacred, as if it’s capturing not just a scent but a philosophy—a way of life that celebrates the slow, deliberate moments that often go unnoticed.
And perhaps that’s why Virēre resonates so deeply. In a world that’s constantly rushing forward, it asks you to pause. To breathe. To savor the fleeting nature of time, just as you would the fading light of a summer evening. It’s a fragrance that doesn’t just sit on your skin; it grows, it transforms, it lingers—like the distant memory of a day spent under the shade of a fig tree, long after the sun has set.
In the end, Virēre is more than a perfume. It’s a reminder that life’s most beautiful moments are often the simplest—a quiet interlude of sunlight and green leaves, a sip of tea shared with a friend, the gentle rustle of a breeze that carries with it the scent of summers past. It’s the feeling of being rooted in the present while being gently pulled toward memories of the past—a dance between time and transformation, much like the fig trees that inspired it, growing silently, stretching towards the sun.
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Words by AW.
Photo courtest of Aesop.