Fresh, dry & polite: Aesop to launch a new fragrance
![Aesop Perfume](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zxTAxtU3BV6T2RCvMToEwZ-415-80.jpg)
Launching worldwide in September, Tacit will only be Aesop’s second perfume (if you don’t count the long-discontinued Marrakech and Mystra), but this being Aesop there won’t be lots of razzmatazz. Everyone’s favourite Australian skincare brand likes to do things quietly, and Tacit – which means 'what’s left unsaid' – captures the essence of Aesop pretty well.
Created by New York-based International Flavors & Fragrances perfumer Céline Barel, Tacit is an intriguing take on a classic eau de cologne, though with grapefruit-like Japanese yuzu replacing the usual lemony opening, and basil leaves taking the place of rosemary and lavender at its herbaceous heart.
The result is a fresh, unsweetened unisex scent, with a touch of the bracing vermouth dryness of Haitian vetiver, extracted from the root of a tropical grass. But this is no ordinary vetiver: instead, Barel has used IFF-LMR’s trademarked Vetiver Heart – a cleverly smoothed-out version of traditional vetiver oil, using hydro distillation followed by fractional distillation to extract its usual earthy smell, leaving its slightly bitter dryness intact.
Tacit comes as a 50ml eau de parfum (the fragrance industry’s slightly vague term for a solution containing around 10–20 per cent pure perfume) in Aesop’s standard brown glass bottles. Despite the concentration it doesn’t outstay its welcome; in fact, we'd personally like it to last a bit longer. The packaging is rather more extravagant: a slim card box decorated by Australian artist Jonathan McCabe, which nestles inside a chunkier brown box, lidded with a card, which in turn slides inside a brown card sleeve.
Tacit is unlikely to turn heads on the street, but that’s not what Aesop’s about: it’s sexy but well-mannered and discreet, which pretty much sums up the brand. Try it for yourself in-store from September onwards.
Australian generative artist and designer Jonathan McCabe created a short video inspired by Aesop's new fragrance, converting information inputs into algorithms that direct movement of colour and pattern. Courtesy of Aesop
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
-
Feel at home at Auberge, Château La Coste's new inn for culture lovers
Auberge La Coste sits at the heart of the art-filled estate, minutes away from the joyful town of Aix-en-Provence
By Harriet Thorpe Published
-
This Nova Lima apartment is a Brazilian family oasis with striking Minas Gerais views
A Nova Lima apartment designed by Jacobsen Arquitetura celebrates its long, natural Minas Gerais vistas
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Commune’s sustainable personal care products look ‘quite unlike anything else’
Commune’s Somerset-made products stand out in the sustainable skincare crowd. Madeleine Rothery speaks with the brand’s co-founders Kate Neal and Rémi Paringaux
By Madeleine Rothery Published
-
Rick Owens launches a fragrance in collaboration with Aesop
Rick Owens launches a candle, travel kit and offbeat perfume with Aesop
By Mary Cleary Last updated
-
Arpa is a new multidisciplinary brand inspired by synesthesia
Perfumer Barnabé Fillion launches a genre-defying project that reaches far beyond the world of fragrance
By Mary Cleary Last updated
-
Aesop launches its first ever candle collection
The brand collaborates with perfumer Barnabé Fillion and digital animator Mattis Dovier for candles inspired by the cosmos
By Mary Cleary Last updated
-
Charlotte Perriand inspires Aesop's new fragrance
With Rōzu, Aesop creates a sensory homage to designer Charlotte Perriand
By Mary Cleary Last updated
-
Fresh air: how to conjure the scent of the garden inside your home
Use these naturally scented products to create a spring garden atmosphere in your domestic space
By Maggie Lange Last updated