Coty’s 120th anniversary scent collection has a tonic for every emotion

It may be over a century since Coty, the mother-brand of modern perfume, was founded, but that doesn’t mean the American beauty empire is no longer at the forefront of innovation. In the same spirit that they revolutionised scent by blending natural and synthetic ingredients together to create well-known olfactory families — chypre, for example, originates from Coty’s 1917 fragrance of the same name — their 120th anniversary marks the start of the latest generation of perfume. 

At the heart of their ceremonious INFINEMENT COTY PARIS collection, comprising 14 creations from the minds of perfumers Sue Nabi and Nicolas Vu, is science. After 10 years of research, the fragrances are uniquely augmented to enhance both scent and longevity at a molecular level. This doesn’t mean to say, though, that any unnecessary chemicals can be found in these precious bottles. Rather, the ingredients prevent molecules containing scent from evaporating as quickly (making them last for up to 30 hours!), something that Coty refers to as the perfumes’ ‘Molecular Aura’. 

While INFINEMENT is brimming with science, the fragrances are also full of soul. It’s well known that scent is strongly associated with memory, but what we smell also ignites emotional responses within us. It’s for that reason that Coty understands the importance of evoking positive emotions from their perfumes. INFINEMENT’s 14 scents, therefore, are each linked with a specific emotion, its effect having literally been measured by neuroscientists. This spectrum of emotions includes sensuality, pleasure, tenderness, self-esteem to name just a few, categorised into scents for dawn, daylight and dusk, spanning lighter, confidence-boosting aromas to more sensual vespertine notes. 

The appearance of the perfumes also has a scientific edge. Since the elixirs contain nothing but fragrance, purified water, (recycled!) alcohol and Molecular Aura, they are naturally coloured by their unique concoction of ingredients. To match the minimalism of the fragrances, their vessels take an equally scaled-down aesthetic. They are far from plain, however, designed to be an ode to art as much as science. Their ‘i’-shaped bottles can be stacked with its brothers and sisters to create somewhat of an artwork — a glass canvas, if you will — to highlight the artfulness of perfumery. 

The artistic element of INFINEMENT continues into the collection’s campaign, too, in which botanical chimeras — designed by artist Garance du Nord — act as anthropomorphic embodiments of each scent. Meanwhile, at the 1-54 exhibition coming to London from 12 to 15 October, artists and photographers alike will showcase their interpretations of the fragrances, making INFINEMENT one of the most multidisciplinary expressions of emotion in olfactory history.  

Infiniment Coty is available exclusive at Liberty’s in the UK and for more information and international orders, please visit www.infinimentcoty.com