Valentina Giordano is from Turin and she has been keen on perfumes since she was a little girl; after she graduated in Pharmacy as a Technician in Cosmetics in Ferrara and in Composition of Fragrances in France, she founded Alchimie in 2008 in Pisa.
Alchimie is a firm where fragrances take shape as a result of a special well-tested procedure which consists of macerating the essential oils in sea water and salt.
How did you conceive this artistic perfumery project?
I thought of the project because of the passion for perfumes I have had since I was a little girl, my mother used to bring me the most special and precious fragrances from Paris. I was lucky my childhood was pervaded by quality essences and perfumes, so that I developed my olfactory skills. I have an artistic temperament; after taking a degree in Pharmacy in Ferrara and carrying on with my studies in cosmetics and composition of perfumes, I understood the time had come to melt my inspiration together with my knowledge of chemistry and pharmacy in order to give life to my creature, MY INNER ISLAND PARFUMS, soul scents.
What are its features?
I try to express myself through the fragrances, what I am and feel; so the concept got to me, by itself. Perfumes represent a way to get closer to the self and the inner island, through everybody’s sight and experience. Each fragrance represents a personality which is depicted in detail; in order to get this result, I have been looking at people’s reactions to the different scents, taking notes and having noticed that each fragrance corresponds to a personality.
A kind of technical feature is perfumes preparation: every essence macerates in a holder with sea water and salt for about a month, the result is unique and well-tested, as a matter of fact the fragrances of my collection have an imperceptible common salty element that leaves a sense of neatness on the skin.
What’s your favourite fragrance?
I love all my fragrances, but what I love the most is ROSE AMERE DU DESERT and AMBRE EXOTIQUE SUR LA PLAGE. The first one reminds me of a perfume I smelled when I was a child and it is extremely feminine; the second one is the most exotic fragrance and when I close my eyes it seems to be at the Isola d’Elba seaside as I am still a little girl!
What is the fragrance you still want to create?
It’s been a long time I have been trying to create the perfume of the first tin schoolbag I carried to the kindergarten. I remember clearly the first day of school, with my parents, I opened up my schoolbag and the smell of tin, the snacks and the new pencils impresses me for good! It isn’t easy but I’ll make it!
Translation credit: Chiara Ferrara
