Can one compare heroin addiction to perfume addiction? Recently, a quote from the book Opium: A History struck me: “heroin is…an escape to tranquility, a liberation from anxiety and stress…a way out of the drudgery of life.”* Some days I feel that way about my colognes, and a perfume habit, like a drug habit, can deplete my bank account, but at least perfume won’t kill me. (Please, no comments on the chemicals contained in perfumes…those I ignore.)
In 1874, pharmacist C.R. Alder Wright of Saint Mary’s Hospital, London, was experimenting to find a non-addictive replacement for the pain-killer supreme — morphine; Wright boiled morphine with acetic anhydride and created a new substance — diacetylmorphine. Twenty-four years later, the German chemist Heinrich Dreser of Bayer Laboratories (the “birthplace” of aspirin) in Elberfeld, Germany, used diacetylmorphine in a pain killer he named “Heroin” — from the German word heroisch (meaning “mighty, heroic”).* Bayer marketed Heroin as a remedy for tuberculosis, laryngitis, coughs and, most ironically, as a “possible cure for morphine addiction”.**
Heroin was celebrated as a wonder drug — five to eight times more powerful than morphine; it was injected, or taken orally in pastille or lozenge form.* Of all opium-derived drugs, heroin is the most addictive — one can start on the road to addiction with a single dosage or “hit”.* Heroin, like its narcotic relatives opium and morphine, is a drug that relieves pain and induces sleep; heroin also produces a state of euphoria and well-being.** The famous addict, comedian Lenny Bruce, described his use, and the effect, of heroin this way: “I’ll die young, but it’s like kissing God.”*
I’m lucky I didn’t live in an era or environment where opiates were readily available because I’ve always been drawn to images of the opium den, the opium pipe and other opium-smoking paraphernalia. During several post-surgery recoveries and a few other painful illnesses, I’ve been prescribed my fair share of opiates and to say I enjoyed them is an understatement. I relished them. Once, I knew I was in dangerous territory when getting healthy again upset me (my thought: “No more Oxycodone?!”)
Why all this talk of opiates? Because Nasomatto chose to name its latest perfume after a very pure form of heroin: China White. Unlike most “street heroin” which is a brown shade (“brown sugar”), China White is, well, white, a pharmaceutical-grade heroin (more dangerous and powerful than street heroin).
China White, the fragrance, was created by Nasomatto perfumer Alessandro Gualtieri and, as I wrote in my Hindu Grass review, Nasomatto never lists ingredients for its scents; Nasomatto wants you to approach all its perfumes without preconceived notions about their ingredients. I bet Gualtieri is the type who would delight in the following scenario:
Gualtieri: “What DON’T you like when it comes to perfume notes, Kevin?”
Me: “Well, I hate saffron.”
Gualtieri: “Oh Kevin, that’s too bad. Let’s try some perfumes….” (sniffing ensues)
Me: “This one, no. This one, O.K. THIS one…. Oh! This one is lovely!”
Gualtieri: “Reeeeeeally? You know it contains: SAFFRON! HA! HA! HA! HA!”
China White opens sweet and old fashioned; it has a vintage air, an “early Chanel” vibe. Right out of the bottle, China White reminds me of Bois des Îles, but with green notes wafting through the composition. China White has a syrupy (kumquat-like) citrus note, a fragrant-blossoms accord (vaguely smelling of jasmine-violet-ylang-ylang) and a damp-forest aroma. As China White dries down, I smell some smoke, a sweet-charred note (benzoin?), and a powdery finish of ‘vaporized’ wood and nougat. China White smells luxurious, plush, but it’s not “suffocating.” When it comes to its name — ‘China White’ — the perfume would have been better served, in my opinion, by a reference to opulent opium dens, rather than to a type of heroin.
China White is my favorite Nasomatto fragrance and, though it’s not Oxycodone, or even Demerol, it makes me feel good. China White has above-average lasting power, and the scent stays close to the body.
Nasomatto China White is $148 for 30 ml Parfum. For buying information, see the listing for Nasomatto under Perfume Houses.
* Opium: A History by Martin Booth, Simon & Schuster, 1996; p. 85, p. 77, p. 78, p. 91 and p. 84 respectively.
** Opium: A Portrait of the Heavenly Demon by Barbara Hodgson, GreyStone Books/Douglas & McIntyre, 1999; p. 17 and pps. 15-17 respectively.
Note: top left image is Poppies Pod by visualdensity at flickr; some rights reserved.
64 Comments
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Great read on a FABULOUS fragrance. Hands down my fav Nasomatto thus far. It is new to my collection, and I'm sure will remain in the FRONT for quite some time.
C: is the bottle nice? hefty? I love the look of Nasomatto bottles, K
Wow, that's fascinating, and thanks. It doesn't sound one bit like I was expecting (some weird synthetic Rush-type deal). It actually sounds lovely. Squarely unisex? Slightly masculine?
March: Unisex yes, but, to me, veering towards “feminine.”
Beautifully written about a fragrance that didn't sound great to me, but now I'm curious about.
You got it exactly right when you said a more fortunate name would have linked to opium dens. I had in my collection of jade several stems from opium pipes. The jade cooled the smoke, but it also absorbed color and made amazing transformations in the jade.
quinncreative…oooooh, those stems sound lovely and China White's juice DOES have a jade-like color, K
Kevin, you've made this sound very beautiful, though I doubt I'll go out of my way to try it. Nasomatto seems too rarified (or striving to be hip) for me somehow.
When I think of opium, the first thing that comes to mind is always an image of an addiction-ravaged Joan Chen dottering around in the later scenes of Bertolucci's “The Last Emperor” — though I admit the mystique of the opium den holds a certain allure.
Joe: HA! Isn't that the famous scene where she eats an entire lily blossom? I always think of Gong Li…far from ravaged…looking divine and enjoying a recreational smoke!
When I first heard about this I expected something more modern and steely for some reason, more water and air. I'm afraid that now it is going on my list of to-try. I does sound more opium den.
I totally get your attraction to opiates – I tried China White (just snorts) and it is pretty glorious. I understood heroin addiction immediately and knew I'd better stay away (God knew I was already addicted to every other bloody thing then). Maybe the perfumers thought that this would be a great scent to have when you were high? lol
Tama: this WOULD be a great perfume to accompany the GLORIOUS effects of opiates. I've always understood how people could become addicted to this class of drug.
hmm. . . just got to say I don't get the whole addiction to opiates thing. I had morphine once, and yes, it gloriously removed all pain- – - but it also removed my ability to think coherently, to reason, to revel in the mind's abilities to unravel life's messes — on opiates, what messes?!? I guess I'm enough of an empathizer with others that my sense of injustice and my rage at inequity propels me to use all my senses, all my analytical capacity, all my energies to try and right the wrongs in my own little circle of the world, and I couldn't do that on opiates.
Thanks for the review Kevin. (or should I say, thanks a lot- this was not even remotely on my interest meter until now!)
(BTW, lub my Cire Trudon candle- it sits at my bedside and even unlit it is a heavenly scent to awaken to. Your houseguests are spoiled indeed.)
The bottle is nice…fairly thick glass. It actually looks like it could tip over from being top heavy…lol. I have to say, although I love this juice the best of this line….I prefer the wood cap on my Silver Musk. The white plastic cap is a bit cheesy…but that's just me.
You had me at early Chanel! Thank you for a great review.
I know this is going off-topic and probably getting Robin all fidgety-anxious about this train of comments…. but after taking (for injuries & hospitalizations) opiates (Vicodin) and also benzodiazepines (Valium/Xanax), I don't see the attraction or potential addiction — turned me into an absolute Rip Van Winkle. Seemingly slept for days with barely a bathroom or nourishment break. Not my idea of a “fun time” at all. I'm addicted to sleep as it is, so just as well.
The flower-eating scene (more like an entire branch of flowers) is earlier, when Chen's character is still young and beautiful — I love that scene, one of my favorites in any film — with a huge shower of white petals raining down on a big celebration for the Emperor.
C: I thought the cap was ceramic!
Peanut: I understand where you're coming from, but opiates' appeal stems from their ability to STOP coherent thinking, reasoning…what injustice?…what rage? Many used opiates in the past (and now too I'm sure) because the world was just too ugly and unfair…opiates were an 'escape'. Me? I just like to snooze like a cat…purring and happy-like!
Joe: Robin is all busy with WordPress and could probably use a Xanax right about now! HA!
helenviolette: WHEW! I'm SO glad you like your candle!
monkeytoe: you're welcome!
Joe…OK, now I remember…I think the film was recently restored, I should watch it again. Joan Chen is still acting…noticed her in a blurb for the film “Sunflower”…maybe I'll have a double feature at home soon.
Wow! What a great, interesting review, Kevin! I love Nasomatto's bottles too!
Yes. I stand corrected. A plasticy LOOK I should have said. My bottle cap had a lil chip in it…I'm going to have to exchange it. Still prefer the wood cap.
IrisNobile: thanks…I've wanted one of those bottles since I first saw them.
LOL — so true! And Joe, drugs are fine — just stay off the religion & politics
Hi Kevin,
Great review, I love Silver Musk, the bottle too. I got a bit of a rush when I read “early Chanel vibe”. I'll have to give a whiff when the opportunity arises. It sounds intriguing!
Exactly! What I liked was the complete loss of the sense of time. Everything just IS, and you are perfectly happy for it to BE just what it IS. lol
Actually some perfumes can transport me a bit like that, just for a shorter time.
Oh dear, for me this one could have gone in Wednesday's column on perfumes loved & then lost. I got it from luckyscent several months ago & just before Christmas decided that in fact I don't like it at all. I got very sharp green & damp forest notes from this right up front – very little syrup & no opium den. I did like it at first but one night in November after a night out I kept waking up smelling this on me & it made me so nauseous I decided – never again. Perhaps it is better as a guy's fragrance?
You know, the mischevious streak in me loves to find scents that closely resemble taboo activities, just to see how people react to it wafting through the air around me or the house. So, Kevin, is this how Dorian Gray would smell? If not, of what?
SFLizbeth…yes, give it a sniff.
JulyBabe: Oh dear, hope you didn't buy a full bottle!
NLB: HA! You know Dorian Gray COULD smell of this…but it NEEDS something…a whiff of rot under the surface! I remember an Etat Libre d'Orange scent I tried a year ago with a touch of meatiness in it…wish I could remember the name…but that one layered with China White would fit him.
giggles :~)
I get what youi are saying about opiates. I had a medical emergency which left me in a huge amount of pain and once given morphine, not only did I not feel any pain, but I felt invincible! I honestly felt that good that I tried to get up off the hospital guerney and go as I thouight that I wasn't hurt any more. I felt so calm but know that I would never touch drugs for recreational purposes. I do understand why some people are tempted though.
Off-topic again, but if you're a fan of Chen at all, she was also in a film I enjoyed about 2-3 years ago called “Saving Face.” Reminded me a bit of some early Ang Lee work.
Wonderful review Kevin! This is going on my luckyscent sample list right now~!
Ha! Yes, illicit substances IS a less controversial topic than those other two. Good luck with the WordPress!
No lie, collecting perfumes helped wean me off of an opiate addiction. So, as regards your opening sentence: YES. Replacement therapy! I'm going to have to try this fragrance, though I hope I don't like it too much. ;P
And isn't that Barbara Hodgson book glorious?
AussieBec: yep…”invincible” is a good word to use
Thanks Divine…I think you'll like it!
chandrahasa: yes, love the photos…old ads, postcards….
does Opium actually smell like opium?
opium comes up a lot in perfume. it must smell really good.
It kind of annoys me when perfumes have names that seem like they're trying to be ~*controversial*~… I guess I prefer it over the lovey-dovey-ness of most perfumes tho
Gosh, I've never been able to understand how people could NOT like feeling high or drunk or otherwise addled! An opportunity to turn off my brain? Yes, please. Even in my wilder days I never tried illegal opiates, but I can state unequivocally that the happiest moment of my life was having my wisdom teeth out — I recall thinking that if I could have talked, I would have asked the orthodontist to keep going and take 'em all out, just to prolong the ecstasy!
Also, thanks for another marvelous review. I just placed a Luckyscent order, but a sample of this is going on my list for next time.
Wonderful review. I was close to receiving this fragrance in a swap and I changed my mind after reading a few descriptions. If I had read yours, I think I would have chosen this one instead of the one that I finally setlled on. (Although that one was lovely too).
I am also finding the posts about opiate “attractions” fascinating. I have worked with and studied addiction for many years. Although we are far from understanding it, I believe that some people are simply susceptible and others are not. Not that different I suppose, from our attractions to fragrance. For many of us, it is an addictive sensory experience that other people find odd, if not downright bizarre!
krokodilgena: opium scent is fruity-vegetal; some people adore the smell…others are sickened by its bitter-sweetness. And give me controversy in perfume names over the usual “Man” and “Pour Homme” that designers are putting after their own, or their company's, name. Yawn! (not to mention confusing!)
mbanderson61: I agree…some people are affected by the experience in a positive, even GREEDY, way …others are unmoved.
lilydale: HAHAHA! A toothless, but satisfied, customer of the 'laughing gas!”
I'm there with you with the opiates; if there weren't deleterious health effects and horrible expense involved I would be seriously into them. But I do know someone who OD'd on them so I don't fund them amusing, and I am glad that Nasomatto stays this side of bad taste in the marketing of the scent.
Having written that the last time I smelled this with Gaia, The Non Blonde I got a note of really good cocaine in there. Not that I have a personal history or anything
Nope, not nitrous — it was some kind of IV cocktail that included valium and a version of sodium pentothal (and yes, I would have told anyone anything). I'm getting all warm and fuzzy just thinking about it… Just say NO, kiddies!
Tom: Of COURSE not! (And probably most people don't even know what 'china white' means)
I must be totally cute & innocent, because I thought it was named after some type of Chinese ceramic. *Embarrassed grin*
Zoe…ah yes, the famed “china white” glaze! HA!
I thought it would be resinous smelling
I thought it would smell kind of like opoponax but I don't know why.
LOL
at 40+ and living in a downtown core I can hardly be described as cute&innocent (well maybe cute…) but since my other addiction is collecting ceramic and porcelain, I was thinking the same thing.
platinum15: perhaps we NEED a new scent with the aromas of the kiln, clay.
LOL
Dear Kevin: of all people you should know that getting new scents has NOTHING to do with need….
I certainly don't NEED to add to my collection
krokodilgena: I remember one person in a book saying the scent reminded him of roasting peanuts…but with added sweetness. A LOT of people mention pomegranate as the “fruity” note…which I agree with since there's bitter-tart-sweet combined in that….
Platinum: AGREE…I don't need another DROP!
me too!! or i thought it was referring to tea. hee.
sockmonkey: an EXCELLENT guess I must say.
A little old lady-ish at the start. The drydown, however,
settles into something o so lovely and ummm….seductive, reminscent of Auguste's Esprit de Cuir but less overpowering. Bold and sophisticated….a true nostril turner.
js: others have written me to say they didn't like the opening as well as the dry-down. Thankfully, I didn't get “old lady” at the start…or should I say “old fashioned?” K
Has anyone else had any problems with the middle of this scent? The beginning is delish, but there’s some super-sweet musky note in there that hits about 30 minutes in that just won’t quit. it turned what a thought was love at first sniff into a total scrubber.