Jan Barba: Literary Art portrayed in fragrances

Greetings, Fragrant Friend 👋 

did you know: 103 years ago (May, 5th, 1921), Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel released the world’s most iconic perfume - Chanel “No 5”.

Enjoy your read, yours sincerely,

Sebastian

🗓️ Content of this Issue

1. Unlock the Mystery - Interview with Bart Puzio (Perfumer of Jan Barba)

2. Author’s Choice: The most beautiful bottles of all times?

3. Fragrance picks: Mimosa Absolute & Hedione

Unlock the Mystery: Dive into the Mind of JAN BARBA's Creator!

In December 2023 I had the chance to interview Bart Puzio, brand owner and creative nose behind JAN BARBA, a young polish label based in Warsaw established in 2015.

How did you get into perfumery?

I got interested in cosmetics when I was studying in the UK and I was particularly interested in natural cosmetics. From that, it wasn’t too far to natural fragrances. I started in 2015 with cosmetics due to some skin problems with myself and luckily I found old recipes for cold creams. I recreated them in my kitchen and from that it took another three years to launch our first fragrance in 2018.

So, craftsmanship and tradition are close to your heart?

Yes, because natural ingredients are very active. They are rich and they allow you to create a product without fillers. So, the ingredients that are in the product just to fill the space is what we leave out and our customers really like that. In its core, they feel there is a company that tries to do something a bit more different and try to present a new standard.

Bart, who is Jan Barba?

I am sorry to disappoint you Sebastian, he does not exist. But more importantly, he is our brand. Barba means beard in Italian. When we initially thought about cosmetic products based on herbal extracts, we imagined this old guy with a beard who gathers herbs in the forrest, so we thought Barba sounds like a good name with personality.

Jan is a popular name in Poland, so as you can see, we didn’t think of global expansion at that time 😆.

How is your approach to designing a new fragrance?

For us it’s most important to develop the brand further with every new scent. So, you can expect originality with each creation as it’s not in my intention to create different versions around e.g. my favourite accord on and on again.

Mainly, I start with an idea in mind and quickly develop a list of ingredients I want to work and experiment with. From that, my mind becomes more and more colourful and I use mood boards (preferably Pinterest) to express the idea and share it with others.

Different to some very creative minds perfumers, I seek to approach it somehow systematically as well. For example, after the busy Christmas Season I like to kickoff the new year with new creations. Mostly, we have snow in January and February in Poland and it’s quite cold, minus 5 degrees or so. These temperatures, this silence combined with the odourless air help you focus on new perfume chapters easily. It’s simply the best atmosphere for me to start creating.

Tell me a story about one of your creations

I created AIYOKU in 2020 as I drew inspiration from Alex Kerr’s book ‘Lost Japan’.

Certain aspects of this house are recently added, retaining their freshness, while others have aged, acquiring a deeper, more understated scent. That’s why I intended a fresh and citrus opening that transitions into a more grassy and mossy direction finished by an earthy and woody finish.

Last but not least, what’s your favourite ingredient to work with (currently)?

If I need to decide, I’d say either Mimosa Absolute or Hedione.

Thanks Bart 🙏 

Author’s Choice 👆️ 

I was recently astonished by the beauty of James Turrell's work for Lalique in 2022, which was created to celebrate the 100th anniversary of their manufacturing in Alsace, France. Inspired by ancient geometrics from Asia and Egypt, Turrell designed two bottles for the “Range Rider” (picture: left) and “Purple Sage” (picture: right) fragrance edition. Both pieces are limited to 100 each at a dizzying price point of 25.000€ 💸 . First come, first serve!

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Fragrance picks 🤌

Bart mentioned his current favourites to work with: Mimosa Absolute & Hedione. So, let’s have a look at both: