The sixth edition of the Mouillette d'Argent Perfumery Competition will be held on 6 May as part of the Maridatge dels sentits, the festival of the senses that takes place in Teià, at Ca l'Antiga. The event, organised by the Beauty Cluster, Ainea Perfums, Teià Town Council and the design agency Noreste, is supported by Lluch Essence, CPL Aromas, Rafesa, Eurofragance, Iberchem, Sandir, Ventós, Scentmate by Firmenich, Cosmo International Fragrances and Bordas.
This edition is all about bergamot
This year's olfactory note is bergamot. This ingredient is widely used in perfumery for its citrusy, fresh scent and is grown mainly in the Calabria region of Italy.
From 'Next in Beauty', we were able to talk to a member of the Mouillette d'Argent jury who told us some details about this sixth edition: "Bergamot is a citrus fruit, it's a pure top note. It is the most elegant and complete citrus fruit. It has a floral and woody touch and could almost be a perfume by itself. It is one of the most appreciated fruits in perfumery". As Irene Gisbert, from Ainea Perfums, explained, this year it is a tribute to the beginnings of the history of European perfumery and also to the Mediterranean: "It reminds us of the Mediterranean, of light, of spring... Bergamot is fresh, luminous, cheerful... We thought it was a fantastic element coinciding with the time of year in which it is celebrated". Gisbert has also indicated that it is a way of paying homage to the great Rosendo Mateu: "He was very fond of bergamot from the house of Simonne Gatto, who will be present to enlighten us about the world of bergamot and all that is hidden behind it". The renowned Rovena Raymo will be present on behalf of Simonne Gatto.
As part of the Maridatge dels Sentits, Irene Gisbert has announced that, in memory of Rosendo Mateu, there will be an exhibition about him. This has been put together by his daughter, Marta Mateu, and includes the most important milestones of this Spanish perfumer, who is well known in the perfume industry and who has left a great legacy in the world of perfumery.
Irene Gisbert explained to 'Next in Beauty' that on this occasion around 100 entries have been received for the competition and a total of almost 80 perfumes will be judged by the following members of the jury:
- Ramón Monegal: he is acting as president of the jury for the first time, after taking over from Rosendo Mateu, who previously held this role. Ramón Monegal has become a master perfumer, he understands the art of perfume as the ability to transmit feelings and emotions to thrill, surprise, create desire, pleasure and magic and awaken multiple sensations. He is the fourth generation of a saga of perfumers who have played a key role in the history of perfume in Spain through Myrurgia.
- Alexandre Vire: last year he received the award for 'Best Perfume' in the absolute category with his perfume 'A Touch of Rose'. Alexandre Vire works as a perfumer at 'Parfex', a fragrance house founded in 1985 in Grasse, the world's renowned perfume capital.
- Francesco Vidilli: Hailing from Italy, from Alghero, he was recognised as the winner in the category of 'Best Independent Perfume'. He studied at ISIPCA (Institut Supérieur International du Parfum, de la Cosmétique et de l'Aromatique Alimentaire) a perfumery school located in Versailles, France, which was born in 1970 and has become one of the leading perfumery schools in the world. He is currently based in China in a perfume company and serves as Perfumer Chief Representative and R&D Dpt. Global Team.
- María Gil: she won the prize awarded by the public and works as a perfumer at Iberchem, a leading Spanish company in the fragrance and flavour industry, located in Murcia and with more than 120 countries worldwide.
- Joan Mateu: son of Rosendo Mateu, who had been the president of the jury. He is the head of the company PRFM, which is Rosendo Mateu's brand. Rosendo taught the art of perfume to Joan Mateu.
- Jessica Mignot: representative of NEZ magazine and serves as editor of the magazine, which is the most relevant publication in the field of perfume. This quarterly publication of French origin focuses and analyses perfume culture and is considered an authoritative source in the perfume industry.
- Cesar Cánovas: heworked as Head Sommelier at Monvinic and has won the best sommelier of the country competition on several occasions. Now, he is working on a new project together with Celler de Can Matons, where he presented Vins del Llegat and acts as ambassador of the project.
- Elisabeth Vidal: Senior Perfumer at Puig Prestiger & Niche Fragances by Puig. She is the Academica of the Bergamot Armchair Perfume, and it was an ideal occasion to have her among the members of the jury.
- Charo Moreno: Director of the magazine Beautyprof. She represents a section of author perfumery. She supports all the new perfumers that appear.
- Susanna Cots: interior designer. She always refers to the importance of the invisible elements of architecture, and by this she means light and smell. She has a line of ambientation of spaces. She is based in Empordà, and is known for 'Eleven House'. Eleven House's design is based on Susanna Cots' philosophy of "feeling the space" and her focus on creating minimalist and elegant interiors with attention to detail.
- Irene Gisbert: anthropologist and trained perfumer. She defines herself as a promoter of the culture of smell and for this reason, she adds, she likes to disseminate the culture of smell. She is the creator of the competition, which she presented as one more activity of the Maridatge dels Sentits and has become a reference and a prestigious event in the world of perfumery.
- Andrés Croxatto and Juan López Becerril: are two youtubers and content creators who record videos ranging from perfume reviews to seasonal perfume proposals to market innovations and trends. They have more than a million followers. Together they also have a perfumery contest.
Evaluation of perfumes
Irene Gisbert, has explained in 'Next in Beauty' the arduous task faced by the jury when evaluating the perfumes that apply for the competition. "Many aspects and variables have to be taken into account. It has to be creative, innovative, an original proposal...". The perfumer of Ainea Perfums also stresses that it is essential that it has a good structure and that it is important that Ha dee volucionar has to have 'sillage': "it has to maintain that aura, that trail that one leaves when one passes by and wears that perfume". One of the essential requirements, Gisbert points out, is that the chosen note of each year is recognised and identified, on this occasion, bergamot.
Public Voting Points of Sale are now open
As indicated by the organisers, voting points have already been set up in different perfumeries throughout the country so that the public can vote for the Mouillette d'Argent public prize.
Barcelona:
- Perfumeria Regia – Passeig de Gràcia, 39
- Les Topettes – Calle Joaquín Costa, 33
- Isidro Cosmetic Shop – Calle Marià Aguiló, 83
- Perfumería Júlia – CC L’Illa Diagonal
Bilbao:
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Ruiz de Ocenda - Heros Kalea, 18
Madrid:
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Le Secret du Marai - Calle de la Hortaleza, 75
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Perfumería Júlia – Calle Génova, 16
Perfumería Júlia:
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Escaldes-Engordany (Andorra) - Avenida Carlemany, 16
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Mataró - Carrer la Rambla, 2
- Valencia - Passeig Russafa, 28
- Zaragoza - Paseo de las Damas, 5