Behind the Founder: My Journey with Fragrance Creation

Fragrance has always been a special part of my life. I’ve been wearing a variation of fig scents for some time, so when Frédéric and I began developing Bastide’s fragrances, I knew I wanted to include a modern fig-based fragrance that could capture the essence of summer in Provence.  

Photo by Benedicte Burguet

The product we ended up creating is our newest fragrance, Figue Amour. Figue Amour was inspired by the fig trees at Chantecler, our property in Provence. Our kids run to pick figs in the early afternoon when they are hot and fragrant and we really wanted to capture the warm, sweetness combined with the woody undertones of Provence cypress and pine trees that surround our bastide. Figue Amour has become my signature scent, and I especially love this one because of the woody base notes which make it feel warm and sexy.

“When you start making fragrance you realize how important quality is: just like wine, a fragrance is only as good as its ingredients.”

We have been working on this particular scent for over a year so I have been wearing different variations until we got it just right. Frederic and I have so much fun collaborating with Mathieu, our “nose” from Grasse because making a fragrance allows us to capture the memories and scents of our life in Provence.

We are lucky to be producing in Provence we can harvest and use our own flowers. I also have very sensitive skin so it’s wonderful to be working with a fourth generation perfumer who helps to guide us in creating high quality scents that are as good as they smell!