Atelier Des Ors

Atelier Des Ors: Belle Parfumerie from Grasse with Gold as a Leitmotif

Many perfume houses are best introduced through a specific fragrance. Atelier Des Ors is more easily understood through a material. Gold stands here for raw material, craftsmanship, and attitude at the same time, and it appears quite literally in the bottle. The founder calls his ambition "Belle Parfumerie": fragrance as an art object and as part of a lifestyle. Below you will learn where the house comes from, how its collections are structured, what distinguishes Eau de Parfum and Extrait here, and how you can find your entry point through the small sizes.

Atelier Des Ors and Gold: Material, Symbol, and Signature

"Ors" is the French plural of "or", meaning gold. The house understands the name as a program and counts more than the precious metal among its "Ors": exceptional raw materials, craftsmanship, and a curious eye on the world. Gold is thus material and symbol at the same time. In the presentation of the house, a perfume lies on the skin like a veil, while gold is worn as a piece of jewelry, and both belong together for the founder.

This becomes visible on the bottle. Flakes of 24-karat gold float in the fragrance, sparkling when shaken. The shape takes up the perfume bottles of the 1920s and 1930s, on the back are rays embossed, suggesting light and scent trail. On the cap, a seahorse is engraved as a signature. The animal was chosen with an ulterior motive: Its genus is Hippocampus, just like the area of the brain that plays an important role in storing smells and memories.

Atelier Des Ors Parfum from Grasse: Villa Primerose and Marie Salamagne

Jean-Philippe Clermont founded Atelier Des Ors in 2015. The house has its seat in Grasse, in the Villa Primerose, a neoclassical building from 1886. The villa understands itself as a place for creation and encounter, and one of the fragrances bears its name: Villa Primerose combines, according to the description, strength and softness with the elegance of a leather glove.

The fragrances are composed from the beginning with Marie Salamagne, a perfumer at dsm-firmenich. This long collaboration explains why the lines feel like they come from the same hand despite their great range. Salamagne compares a good perfume to Proust's Madeleine, i.e., with a trigger for memories, and thinks of her compositions as pictures with contrasts. In Blue Madeleine, this becomes a tribute to childhood fragrances, in Bois Sikar the founder's world: cigar smoke, cedar wood from cigar boxes, and peaty Islay whisky.

The collections of Atelier Des Ors: Riviera, White, Black

The house organizes its fragrances into collections with their own mood. The Riviera collection is the brightest. Pomelo Riviera combines pomelo and bergamot with orange blossom, jasmine, and rose, Riviera Sunrise focuses on lemon, mandarin, basil, and fig leaf. Riviera Drive brings together herbs, lemon, absinthe, and patchouli, Riviera Lazuli lays citrus over incense, woods, and immortelle.

The black collection shows the dark side of the house. Here stand Lune Féline with spices, woods, and vanilla from Tahiti, Rose Omeyyade around the Damask rose, Larmes Du Désert with amber and incense, Cuir Sacré with leather, saffron, and vetiver, as well as Rouge Sarây, which puts dates in the center. The white collection around Nuda Veritas and Chœur Des Anges feels lighter and more floral.

In addition, there are smaller series: Pink Me Up and Noir By Night form the playful "Frivolité", Blue Madeleine and Villa Primerose the memory line "Memory Lane", Kawa Karda and Cocoa Kimiya with coffee and cocoa the "Abstraction" series.

Atelier Des Ors as Eau de Parfum or Extrait: what the addition reveals

At Atelier Des Ors, it is worth a look at the product name. The Eau de Parfum is the standard. Some fragrances are additionally available as Extrait, then the addition is in the title: Lune Féline, Rose Omeyyade, and Nuda Veritas, for example, in both versions, Cocoa Kimiya and Kawa Karda only as Extrait. In the collection, the versions are listed separately, so you don't mix them up.

What changes? An Extrait contains a higher proportion of fragrance oil, develops more slowly, and brings the base more strongly to the foreground, so in Lune Féline, vanilla and balsam. The Eau de Parfum shows the opening more clearly. A special case is Blanc Polychrome from the Eau line: It takes up the casual character of a Cologne, but according to the description, it is designed with a 20 percent concentration and is thus stronger than the style suggests.

Atelier Des Ors Discovery Set: compare yourself with 2, 5, and 10 ml

Anyone looking for an Atelier Des Ors Discovery Set usually wants a cross-section of the collections. You put it together yourself here, because the fragrances of the brand, in addition to the 100-ml bottle, come in the sizes 2, 5, and 10 ml. Compared to a ready-made set, you decide whether you want to sniff more into the bright Riviera world or into the black collection.

A comparison that is particularly insightful with this house: Order the same creation once as Eau de Parfum and once as Extrait, each in 2 ml, and wear it on two different wrists on the same day. After a few hours you will see which version suits you. A 2-ml sample lasts for up to two weeks. Once you have found your favorite, 5 or 10 ml will accompany you for several weeks before you reach for the large bottle.

How you recognize a bottle from Atelier Des Ors and how you order

With a house with such distinctive equipment, it is worth a look at the detail. Typical for a bottle from this house are the gold flakes in the fragrance, the embossed rays on the back, and the engraved seahorse on the cap. These features are not proof of authenticity, but rather a good first comparison. What remains crucial is where the bottle comes from: Here, every fragrance of the brand is offered with verified authenticity. Anyone who wants to give a fragrance as a gift often also pays attention to the look at this house, because the bottle already looks like an object on the table.

When paying, you do not have to stick to the classic payment methods, payment via cryptocurrency is also possible. An account in Marc Gebauer's club also pays off here, because the club benefits apply when ordering. And if you want to compare the brand with other houses, you will find it under all perfumes in the assortment.

If you don't have a direction yet with this house, take a bright creation from the Riviera collection and one from the black collection as a sample. Anyone who knows both ends of the house finds their own fragrance in between much faster.

Häufig gestellte Fragen

Where does the name Atelier Des Ors come from?

“Ors” is the French plural of “or,” gold. Thus, Atelier Des Ors figuratively means “Workshop of Gold.” The house uses this to refer not only to the precious metal but also to rare raw materials and craftsmanship. The name is spelled with “Des” and “Ors,” not “Ateliers de Ors” or “Atelier d’Ors,” as it is often searched.

Who is behind Atelier Des Ors?

The brand was founded by Jean-Philippe Clermont in 2015. It is based at Villa Primerose in Grasse, a building dating from 1886. From the very beginning, the fragrances have been created with Marie Salamagne, a perfumer at dsm-firmenich. This collaboration produced both the light Riviera fragrances and the dark creations of the Black Collection.

Are there really gold flakes in Atelier Des Ors bottles?

Yes. According to the house, the fragrances contain flakes of 24-karat gold that float in the bottle and sparkle when moved. The flakes are part of the design and allude to the brand’s name. They have no effect on the fragrance itself, which is sprayed on like any other perfume.

What is the difference between Eau de Parfum and Extrait at Atelier Des Ors?

Most of the collection is composed as Eau de Parfum. Some fragrances are also available as Extrait, identifiable by the addition to the name, such as Lune Féline, Rose Omeyyade and Nuda Veritas. The Extrait has a higher fragrance oil concentration, is more subdued and emphasizes the base. Cocoa Kimiya and Kawa Karda are composed exclusively as Extrait.

What should I start with if I am looking for an Atelier Des Ors Discovery Set?

With two or three 2-ml samples from different collections. For example, a fresh fragrance from the Riviera line such as Pomelo Riviera, a warm one such as Lune Féline and a playful one such as Pink Me Up combine well. This way, you cover the brand’s range without having to buy a large bottle right away.

Which Atelier Des Ors fragrances are fresh, and which are warmer?

The fragrances in the Riviera Collection are particularly fresh and citrusy, such as Pomelo Riviera and Riviera Sunrise, as well as Blanc Polychrome. Lune Féline, Rouge Sarây with dates, Novae Vanilla and Blue Madeleine are warm, spicy or sweet. Bois Sikar, Larmes Du Désert and Noir By Night are smoky and dark. Pink Me Up, with champagne, blackberry and rose, falls somewhere in between.