Lankaran Forest
by Maria Candida Gentile Maitre Parfumeur (Italy)

CD: Maria Candida Gentile
Perfumer: Maria Candida Gentile
Fragrance House: Yes, Not disclosed
Release Date: 09/2016 (Source: Fragrances of the World Database)
Website: www.mariacandidagentile.com
Finalist Category: Independent, 2017

This fragrance was created by Maria Candida during her journey in the Lankaran Park, near the border between Azerbaijan and Iran. A magical and mystical place, they say that the forest fascinated Alexander the Great so deeply that he declared it protected, forever. In "Lankaran Forest" the perfumer merged the feeling of the Iron Trees - huge trees which have the unique capacity to cure themselves by embracing one another – with the forest's incredible variety of underwood musks and flowers, and with black tea and citrus flowers cultivated along the Park.

Since Maria Candida Gentile was a child, she was always fascinated by perfumes. Her first memory comes from the clair matin roses from her family garden: when the roses where blooming, she used to collect the petals to create her own rose water, which she then bottled and offered for sale. When she became a mother it became very clear that creating fragrances was the passion of her life, so she decided to learn the mastery of fragrance crafting in Grasse, very well known for having trained the best "noses" in the world. She was very lucky to be coached by Carol André who taught her the little secrets that only the "maitres parfumeurs" pass on to the others. These are small details that make the difference and make the fragrances magic: A good fragrance is a fragrance that does good to the one that wears it. The only way to make it happen is to use natural essences, the ones that our body and soul understand and love instinctively, and to make it with our heart. Only what comes from the heart can touch the heart.