October 2022 • Posted in News
Design a perfume: Alma Home Fragrance
What lies behind the allure of perfume? What is the alchemy behind it?
Fragrance designer Caterina Roncati, aka Strega del Castello, tells us about her craft and what lies behind the creation of Alma, Arrital’s olfactory signature.
Fragrance designer Caterina Roncati, aka Strega del Castello, tells us about her craft and what lies behind the creation of Alma, Arrital’s olfactory signature.
Strega del Castello works in her studio in Genoa. An authentic “nose” with the flair to perceive and interpret how to best blend the ingredients and translate memories into perfumes, through olfactory archetypes. Arrital team worked with her to define the notes most in tune with the Brand.
The result? A light and delicate, yet enveloping fragrance. A blend that conjures up Arrital’s values of elegance, reliability, innovation and ongoing research of materials.
How did you discover your talent for creating “authentic olfactory magic”?
By trial and error. I grew up in this world, I have always been “at home” with the essences and perfumes that I have played with since I was a child. I was inquisitive, so at a certain point, I decided to have a go myself and I discovered that I was really good at it and I had a “certain nose” that allowed me to perceive and understand the best way to blend the ingredients and transform memories into perfumes. This led to me hone my craft by studying in Paris and in Italy with Maria Grazia Fornasier.
How do you go about creating a custom perfume?
A custom perfume starts with the encounter with the person, who often has an idea, an image or a memory in mind that they would like to realise. First of all, I encourage the person to talk a lot because unexpected elements and ingredients can emerge from the words, adjectives and epithets that they use. Much of my work, in fact, also lies in knowing how to read between the lines of the story, interpret it and identify the right ingredients. Once the idea has been defined, the ingredients that could make up the fragrance in its top, heart and base notes are identified and decided upon together. Lastly, the first samples are produced that the person will test and take home. Once the creative process is completed, the perfection phase of the fragrance begins, if necessary, by taking on board the suggestions and advice of the person.
By trial and error. I grew up in this world, I have always been “at home” with the essences and perfumes that I have played with since I was a child. I was inquisitive, so at a certain point, I decided to have a go myself and I discovered that I was really good at it and I had a “certain nose” that allowed me to perceive and understand the best way to blend the ingredients and transform memories into perfumes. This led to me hone my craft by studying in Paris and in Italy with Maria Grazia Fornasier.
How do you go about creating a custom perfume?
A custom perfume starts with the encounter with the person, who often has an idea, an image or a memory in mind that they would like to realise. First of all, I encourage the person to talk a lot because unexpected elements and ingredients can emerge from the words, adjectives and epithets that they use. Much of my work, in fact, also lies in knowing how to read between the lines of the story, interpret it and identify the right ingredients. Once the idea has been defined, the ingredients that could make up the fragrance in its top, heart and base notes are identified and decided upon together. Lastly, the first samples are produced that the person will test and take home. Once the creative process is completed, the perfection phase of the fragrance begins, if necessary, by taking on board the suggestions and advice of the person.
What is an olfactory signature, and why?
The olfactory signature is a customized perfume that, in this case, reflects a brand. The approach is fairly similar to that of creating a custom perfume, i.e. the company’s team tells me what the brand represents and the mission, vision and values that identify it. You could, therefore, say that an olfactory signature is a sensory-olfactory description of the values of a brand.
You recently collaborated with Arrital in the creation of alma home fragrance, the Brand’s olfactory signature. How did the project come about, and what was the inspiration behind Alma? I was inspired by what Arrital does, creating designer kitchens. I looked at the company in depth (who it is, what it does, how it does it, what materials are used) and, above all, I looked at the values that the brand expresses through its kitchens. I spoke to the entire Arrital team to extrapolate the common and shared values. That’s how Alma came about.
What are Alma’s notes?
Alma’s key notes are definitely spices. Because we’re talking about kitchens and also about a dynamic company with well- defined values. Then, there are the floral, more feminine notes which conjure up the idea of the kitchen as the true heart of the home. Lastly, the wood notes which represent durability and robustness, elements which we also find in Arrital’s kitchens, a product built to withstand the test of time.
The olfactory signature is a customized perfume that, in this case, reflects a brand. The approach is fairly similar to that of creating a custom perfume, i.e. the company’s team tells me what the brand represents and the mission, vision and values that identify it. You could, therefore, say that an olfactory signature is a sensory-olfactory description of the values of a brand.
You recently collaborated with Arrital in the creation of alma home fragrance, the Brand’s olfactory signature. How did the project come about, and what was the inspiration behind Alma? I was inspired by what Arrital does, creating designer kitchens. I looked at the company in depth (who it is, what it does, how it does it, what materials are used) and, above all, I looked at the values that the brand expresses through its kitchens. I spoke to the entire Arrital team to extrapolate the common and shared values. That’s how Alma came about.
What are Alma’s notes?
Alma’s key notes are definitely spices. Because we’re talking about kitchens and also about a dynamic company with well- defined values. Then, there are the floral, more feminine notes which conjure up the idea of the kitchen as the true heart of the home. Lastly, the wood notes which represent durability and robustness, elements which we also find in Arrital’s kitchens, a product built to withstand the test of time.
If Strega del Castello was a perfume, what would its fragrance be?
It would be a retro perfume, an old-fashioned perfume that conjures up fragrances kept closed inside a drawer that is hardly ever opened, but with very vivid scents. It might be an old-fashioned fragrance with a touch of talcum powder, made up of wood and wax.
It would be a retro perfume, an old-fashioned perfume that conjures up fragrances kept closed inside a drawer that is hardly ever opened, but with very vivid scents. It might be an old-fashioned fragrance with a touch of talcum powder, made up of wood and wax.
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