Poetic Scents: JOUISSANCE
Scent is everything. We find scent in the books we read, in our coffee cups, on the flesh of our lovers and in the perfume we wear. Imagine if we could put all this together and be the sensual avant-garde woman we always wanted to be. Enter: Jouissance.
Subversive scents inspired by the books we read beneath the sheets. What a tantalising and delicious sentence. Just like a good erotic novel, you may want to keep reading…
Jouissance is a London-based fragrance brand who launched their first three fragrances in 2024. Each is inspired by the lives and creations of three elemental erotic writers – authors of iconic texts that are just as provocative today as when they were first released.
So, what are these alluring fragrances? Let me introduce you to them.
LA BAGUE D’O is an olfactory reimagining of Pauline Réage’s infamous creation, Story of O. Beguiling, intoxicating and romantic, LA BAGUE D’O brings to mind a bruise-coloured bouquet, combining soft femininity with a steel edge and secretive dark undercurrent.
EN PLEIN AIR takes inspiration from the world of art critic and erotic memoirist Catherine M. Bright, acerbic and fresh, EN PLEIN AIR opens with the clean airiness of an intellectual life spent in galleries and at editors’ desks, and gives way to the grassy dirtiness of amorous alfresco exploits.
LES CAHIER SECRETS is based on the sensory writings of infamous diarist Anaïs Nin. Warm, nostalgic and sensual, LES CAHIER SECRETS imagines a well-travelled writer’s den. A woman adorns her creative space with all her favourite luxuries in order to retreat to a sensual state of feverish creativity.
THE COLLECTED WORKS is a limited-edition discovery set featuring all three fragrances, sold exclusively on the Jouissance website.
Whether it is BDSM, explicit memoirs or the warm and sensual state of sexual fever – there is a fragrance for you. If you cannot decide then THE COLLECTED WORKS is an excellent place to start. This is where I started and LA BAGUE D’O is now my go-to scent.
Inspired by women artists, Jouissance is dedicated to championing women to the point that they have welcomed a community through their online platform and in-person events. In fact, their first artistic collaboration, with artist Katrien De Blauwer, takes the form of three limited-edition collages inspired by each scent, the editions of which will be included with the first 300 bottles - a wonderful touch to an already beautiful offering. Jouissance has certainly done its homework, from the fragrances themselves to their branding – they will find themselves on every woman’s bedside table and the flesh of all lovers.