Summer trend 2023: the aquatic accord and seaweed
The smell of the sea, the salty aroma in the air at the beach, the touch of salt on the skin... scents that immediately evoke summer and bring back memories of days by the sea. In perfumery, these pleasant sensations are recreated through the aquatic accord, not a proper olfactory family but rather a facet that gives a composition refreshing hints, capable of evoking the sea breeze and the sensation of water on sun-warmed skin. Aquatic notes are lively and effervescent, distinguished by a freshness that recalls water, the sea, and salt.
Fragrances with an aquatic accord became popular in the 90s and have become a true trend every summer thanks to their light and fresh notes, as well as the salty and iodine nuances that can be combined with aromatic scents, green notes, or floral accords. But how is the scent of the sea recreated? Even today, it is challenging to isolate it from natural raw materials. In most cases, the aquatic accord is achieved through synthetic molecules such as salicylates, also used in sunscreen fragrances.
However, there is also a natural raw material that can reproduce this facet: seaweed. The resulting aromatic substance is characterized by a dense and intense, non-crystalline profile, which makes it rarely used in compositions. Yet a few drops of this component, skilfully combined with other olfactory notes, are sufficient to recreate the suggestion of a day by the sea, wrapped and cradled by the sea breeze.
Among fragrances with an aquatic accord, at Aquaflor, we wanted to experiment with the use of seaweed in an aquatic-aromatic composition that would evoke the sea and the breeze of the Greek islands. Meltemi is the Greek north wind that comes from the sea and refreshes the Aegean islands during the hottest months of summer. On its journey to the mainland, it absorbs the salt, sand, and typical scents of the Mediterranean and arrives at its destination, intoxicating with its maritime fragrances.
Similarly, our perfume Meltemi, filled with the scents of the Mediterranean maquis, can transport us to the Greek coasts kissed by the azure sea. Its fresh and aquatic notes blend with the aromatic hints of thyme and sea fennel, with the scents of cedarwood, oakmoss, and ambergris, immersing itself in the depths of a crystalline sea. Meltemi is more than just a perfume: it is the sensation of an eternal summer.