Guerlain’s New $25,000 Fragrance Is An Homage To Henri Matisse

While most who read this will never justify spending $25,000 on a fragrance, it’s fascinating to see one of the world’s foremost luxury perfumers elevating its reputation for mixing scent and art with an exquisite new perfume. New for 2023 is Guerlain Jasmine Bonheur Bee Bottle Maison Matisse Edition, the latest in its L’Art & La Matière collection with inspiration taken from the work of Henri Matisse, presenting what is easily the year’s most coveted symbol of high-end Parisian fashion.

There are few labels in the world as synonymous with luxury fragrances as Guerlain. Since 1828, the house has been producing exquisite scents for wealthy customers looking to capture some of the world’s most artful scents. And while building this legacy, founder Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain ensured the house always maintained a close connection with the art world.

This collaboration with Mason Matisse is just the latest in that connection, which began when Guerlain started commissioning famous painters to decorate his boutiques. Throughout the years, Guerlain purchased many iconic works from the likes of Claude Monet, Édouard Manet and Camille Pissarro at a time when many of these painters were derided by polite society. This led to somewhat of a culture of artistry that has surrounded Guerlain ever since.

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The house’s flagship on Champs-Élysées is also known for hosting regular exhibitions from the Guerlain family’s private collection. So, really, it makes sense that the label would officially partner with Maison Matisse on Jasmin Bonheur, the 1L bottle of which evokes the painter’s Les Mille et Une Nuits with bold heart motifs and colourful leaves. Only 14 of these limited-edition bottles have been made.

Jasmin Bonheur is conceived as a complex fragrance worked up by in-house perfumer Delphine Jelk with various artisan techniques. Primarily, jasmine grown across the French Riviera, Italy and Morocco was sourced and fused in, what Jelk describes as, “an elegant, colourful jasmine fragrance, tinting this white flower with vibrant olfactory nuances.”

Overall, the fragrance is described as a fruity chypre, with bergamot on the top leading to a bridge of apricot accord, rose, iris and leather all surrounding that primary note of jasmine.

If you can’t afford the Metisse version of Guerlain Jasmine Bonheur, a regular bottle is also available at the slightly more digestible price of €290 (AU$446).