Correction: Buchart Colbert Fragrance Notes 🎶
a revision on the sensory soundtrack of buchart colbert
Hi friends,
I wanted to send a quick follow-up to clarify the fragrance descriptions in our recent spotlight on Buchart Colbert’s collection. In the last newsletter, we had a mix-up with the notes for their debut scents—my apologies for any confusion! Here’s the corrected information for each fragrance, along with a bit more about the brand’s beautiful fusion of scent and music. <3
On October 24, Buchart Colbert made a splash at the Core Club in NYC, debuting their first collection of EDPs for fragrance lovers and friends. The Buchart Colbert Eaux de Parfum collection shares the unique connection between music and fragrances. Both stir emotions and memories while transporting you to another place and time.Â
What’s cool about Buchart Colbert is how they approach fragrance like a musical journey. Each scent unfolds in stages—top, heart, and base notes—just like the verses of a song. So when you wear one of their fragrances, you’re not just smelling nice; you’re experiencing a whole story that builds, changes, and leaves a lasting impression. Think of it as a sensory soundtrack you carry with you.
The founders bring a unique blend of backgrounds; Sean Colbert is the fragrance designer, a classically trained musician, and an aerospace engineer by day. Sean Cavenaugh is the CEO/brand architect and orchestrates the creative production plus retail expansion.
Together, they’re creating scents that are as finely tuned as a piece of music. The collection includes olfactive musical memoirs that features six fragrances ranging from florals to gourmand, woody, and a crisp fougere.Â
Here’s a look at three scents from their debut
Inspired by the opera Lulu by Alban Berg, Le Bain de Lulu is about a blend of contrasts, where playful meets mysterious. Berg was known for shaking up early 20th-century music with his 12-tone technique, which mixed romantic melodies with chaotic, discordant sounds. In classic operatic style, Lulu is trapped in her own madness, swinging between extremes—a victim who becomes the villain, a lover without love, and ultimately, a killer who meets her own tragic end. Layers of spicy cardamom, nutmeg, and burnt sugar add a touch of mystery, while a delicate base of powdery violet and rose bring a soft, sensual warmth.
To capture Lulu’s essence through fragrance, I imagined her getting ready for an event. While it may look chaotic to the outsider, her meticulously orchestrated routine belies a carefully executed preening ritual. Her vanity, littered with strings of pearls, combs, compacts, and a bar of frothy, floral soap, set the scene for the fragrance's development. A fine mist from her hot bath hangs in the air.Â
As you wear this fragrance, embrace the light and dark, sweet and spicy, and masculine and feminine within us all.—Sean Colbert
Inspired by autumn’s deep hues and Stravinsky’s ode to nature’s resilience, Faisan D’Or opens with caramelized sugar and bright Valencia orange, wrapped in a smoke. Suede and cedar and pink pepper add richness, while amber and warm woods ground the fragrance.
I had just finished a European tour as a violist with the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. I played Chant du Rossignol. This tone-poem, composed by Igor Stravinsky and based on the fairytale, The Nightingale, by Hans Christian Andersen, depicts the triumph of nature over artifice. I reinterpreted the nightingale’s devotion and authenticity through the lens of the Golden Pheasant.
Though the pheasant is a common bird, it symbolizes creativity, self-expression, and renewal. Its keen perception is both present and deeply aware, while its vibrant colors and natural instincts reflect the simple confidence of embracing one’s true self.
As you wear this fragrance, consider revealing the secrets you’ve kept hidden; proudly share your genuine allure with the world.—Sean Colbert
Music and fragrance are deeply connected, both able to trigger unexpected waves of emotion and memory. L’Hantise brings these moments to life, like sudden flashbacks of a song or a familiar smell. Inspired by the quiet, moving beauty of Chopin’s Études, this scent brings together nostalgic florals, bursts of bright citrus, and a smoky grounded warmth. Imagine a fresh bouquet of lily, red currant, and raspberry wrapped in an earthy depth of amber and vetiver—fading in and out like a distant memory.
The Haunting is inspired by my journey through music and fragrance. From the lyrical beauty of Chopin’s Études I fell asleep to as a child, to the moment I smelled my first eau de parfum, L’Hantise is about the dimension in which I spent countless hours immersed in scent and sound…a gentle reminder that a haunting memory might not necessarily be such a bad thing.
As you wear this fragrance, I encourage you to reflect on the tender and powerful moments from your past that have shaped who you are today.
—Sean Colbert
Buchart Colbert will also be featured at an exclusive virtual event, which includes a specially-curated discovery sample kit, with Sniffapalooza on December 2nd. Don’t miss the chance to dive deeper into their scents and meet the team—limited seats available. Register here ($20).
Thanks for reading Perfumeverse NYC :) If you enjoyed this, please send it to someone who doesn’t have same taste in music as you.
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