Touch

While our sense of smell and touch aren’t as directly linked as smell and taste, they still interact seeing as they are both processed through the thalamus, and together help us to piece together our surroundings.

So, for the same reason, we do sometimes describe some fragrances by referencing tactility. One of the more common examples is describing a fragrance as “warm” - of course, a fragrance can’t actually smell “warm”, but we can better understand its impact by comparing it to physical sensations that make us feel cozy, comforted, or enveloped.

There’s also a whole class of fragrances that are meant to be skin-like, designed to evoke the feel of bare skin, leather or suede. These materials do have scent, but also have a texture, so we are able to make an association between them in our minds.

Putain des Palaces edp

Putain des Palaces

Another fragrance category defined by its link to touch is powdery - those scents that are soft and smooth, like the texture or experience of powdering yourself with talc, or applying makeup. This immediately makes us think of the iconic Etat Libre d’Orange fragrance, Putain des Palaces.

A fragrance whose name means something akin to “Whore of the Palace”, it’s pretty obvious this scent is meant to be carnal, sensual, or dare we say it, slutty. Its link to bodily contact, to intimacy is undeniable, not only in its inspiration but in its execution.

The perfumer says of Putain des Palaces: “The powdered top note evokes a woman who dresses for seduction — a soft trail of lipstick, the rustling of lace. The intimate ritual of a femme fatale who sees right through the fragile armour of men. Under the bitter-sweet touch of almond, like a secret that unfolds, comes a hint of supple leather, fluid and flexible, that introduces what is to come: a boudoir, fingers that tighten on a leatherette sofa and the palpable presence of raw desire.”

NOTES

top

Mandarine, Ginger Orpur®, Raspberry

middle

Iris, Rose Absolute, Rice Powder

base

Tonka Beans Orpur®, Sandalwood, Musk

more about the scent

The other thing that connects the tactile with the fragrant in Putain de Palaces is the slight animalic twist it has when it’s been on the skin for a while. As it dries down, it gets dirtier, like a powder puff that’s been very well-loved, the smell of worn vintage pantyhose, or… sex.

There are those who hypothesise that the reason that people so love animalic fragrances is because it reminds us of the sometimes dirty smell of ourselves and our sex organs, and therefore the pleasure that comes with the physical experience of having sex. If the people in various chatrooms who have talked about this fragrance are to be believed, apparently Putain des Palaces can act as somewhat of an aphrodisiac, so close is the association between it and, let’s just say, making love.

Try on some Putain des Palaces and see what textures or feelings it brings to mind for you. Is it a silk negligee? Is it a soft suede couch? Is it the fluffy touch of a powder puff? Or, is it the combination of all of them entangled with the scent of human skin in a carnal interaction?

Ahem! Enough of that. It’s time to pick our minds up from out of the gutter and move on to the next sense…