Which Matière Première sample to try first
Matière Première builds every perfume around an overdose of one natural raw material. Eight samples in order of Parfumo ratings, and a map of the saffron, resins and musks.
Matière Première is the house of one perfumer, Aurélien Guichard, and of one rule: each perfume is built around an overdose of a single natural raw material, named on its page. Finnish birch tar, Greek saffron, Omani incense, a rose he grows himself in Grasse. The brand says the project grew out of the first fields he planted in 2016, that each harvest is dedicated to one perfume and that every fragrance holds 85 to 92 per cent naturally derived ingredients. A material in overdose is either exactly your taste or not at all, which is why a Matière Première sample is the practical first step.
Matière Première: eight samples, ordered by ratings
We ordered the samples on our list by the number of ratings each perfume has collected on Parfumo, as gathered by NicheGems. Rating counts show how widely a perfume is discussed, not how good it is. Notes are given as one list per perfume, as the house records them, with the origin of each material.
Falcon Leather (2019) imagines a falconer’s glove warmed by the sun: birch tar oil from Finland, saffron, cistus labdanum from Andalusia and benzoin absolute from Sumatra.
Vanilla Powder (2023) sets dark Madagascan vanilla absolute against white powders: palo santo oil from Ecuador, coconut powder and white musks.
Encens Suave (2019) is the house’s pleasure incense: incense oil from Oman with labdanum, benzoin, Venezuelan coffee extraction and Madagascan vanilla.
Parisian Musc (2019) is built on ambrette seed from Peru, the only plant-based natural musk, with Virginia cedar oil, ambrettolide, ambroxan and fig leaf.
Radical Rose (2020) is a dark and luminous rose: rose centifolia absolute from France with saffron, Jamaican pepper berries, Indonesian patchouli and labdanum.
Crystal Saffron (2022) is the purest case, a single recorded material, saffron oil from Greece, which the perfumer found bright, almost crystalline.
Santal Austral (2019) is a bold, creamy sandalwood: organic Australian sandalwood oil with Tuscan iris absolute, Sumatran benzoin and Venezuelan tonka bean.
Neroli Oranger (2019) takes you into an orange blossom still on the tree: Tunisian orange blossom absolute and neroli oil, Italian bergamot, Comoros ylang ylang and floral musks.
The Matière Première note map
With one central material each, the map is a set of contrasts. Saffron links Falcon Leather, Radical Rose and Crystal Saffron, and resins link most of the rest: labdanum in Falcon Leather, Encens Suave and Radical Rose, benzoin in Falcon Leather, Encens Suave and Santal Austral. Vanilla sits in Vanilla Powder and Encens Suave, and musk in Vanilla Powder, Parisian Musc and Neroli Oranger. The rest stand alone: leather, incense, rose, sandalwood and neroli. The vanilla samples guide places Vanilla Powder among other houses, and the musk samples guide does the same for Parisian Musc.
A first order of Falcon Leather, Vanilla Powder and Parisian Musc covers dark, sweet and clean. All eight samples here are the Eau de Parfum. The house has made Extrait de Parfum versions of six of them since 2023, so a version you like may have a stronger sibling to try later. Wear the saffron and the incense on separate days, because both are strong materials and blur together on one wrist. How to test perfume on skin gives a simple routine.
From Matière Première sample to bottle
If one holds up over several wearings, the bottle is the next step. Our vial is filled by FragranceGems from the original bottle and labelled by us; Matière Première is not involved and it is not a brand sample. The first perfume in full size is at Matière Première Falcon Leather. The sample set page shows how to combine vials, and the FAQ covers filling and labels.
FAQ
Which Matière Première sample should I try first?
Falcon Leather. It has the most Parfumo ratings of the eight, and its Finnish birch tar, saffron, labdanum and benzoin show the house idea of one material in overdose at full strength.
What does an overdose of one material mean?
The perfumer, Aurélien Guichard, picks one natural raw material, such as birch tar, Greek saffron or Omani incense, and builds the perfume around it in a much higher dose than usual. The central material is named on every product page.
Are there lighter choices in the house?
Yes. Parisian Musc and Neroli Oranger are recorded as light in intensity, and Crystal Saffron and Santal Austral as moderate. Falcon Leather, Encens Suave and Radical Rose are the stronger ones.
