“When you smell an Issey Miyake perfume, you know it’s from them,” says famed perfumer Fabrice Pellegrin of his latest creation for the house. Lumière d’Issey is of course no exception. The fragrance is at once distinct, and distinctly Issey Miyake.

“Light can be different everywhere in the world, and at the same time it is very important,” explains Pellegrin, who created the scent in collaboration with fellow perfumer, Marie Salamagne. “Without light, you can’t grow anything,” he continues. And so, the Grasse-based perfumer used a spark of radiance as the opening note for this fragrance.

“Expressing light in a perfume was a form of truth for us. It was very important for me, as I come from the south of France. We have a very strong light down there and I thought of the orange blossom because the orange blossoms use the light to give its scent,” he says. “So, there was this truth of building the perfume around this orange flower that brings this light and this generosity to the scent.”

At the top, the fragrance opens with the bright light of 100 percent natural green mandarin, brought to life with a touch of neroli to create a radiantly fresh opening. “The aim was to evoke a smile from the first hint,” says Pellegrin. “When I inhale it, I instantly sense the Mediterranean sunlight that fills it.”

The pairing of oranges enhances each note. “We chose to use this orange blossom together with the mandarin to enhance the effect of a sparkling blossom,” explains Pellegrin. “It makes it even stronger thanks to the mandarin.”

From there, each ingredient added had its own deliberate purpose. “Together with Marie, we decided to use the basic products to convey that feeling of well-being,” says Pellegrin. “We used products like the orange blossom, and the mandarin together with the muskets, the sandalwood, and pistachio wood.”

Where the orange notes are elevated by freesia and white musk accords for a feminine touch and silky texture, it’s the pistachio wood accord “that enhances the allure, like an irresistible call from the sun,” according to Pellegrin. The creaminess of the sandalwood brings the woody notes fully to life, leaving a dazzling yet light trail behind.

Born from light, the Lumière d’Issey scent has been bottled in a creation by the MIYAKE DESIGN STUDIO. To reflect its energy and power, the silhouette of the bottle has been carved with triangular facets to capture and refract light. And through the geometric kaleidoscope are little glimpses of sunlit pink elixir inspired by the morning’s sunrise.

Now, the irresistible Lumière d’Issey scent has extended its range beyond perfume for a complete experience. Lovers of the scent can lather it into a highly moisturizing shower cream and body wash to be layered on skin day and night.

For the perfumers, crafting a fragrance for such an interesting brand is an honour. “When we create for Issey Miyake, we know the DNA—the Japanese side,” says Pellegrin. “It was up to us to find a similar signature working in really in a simple and minimalistic way, where each ingredient has its place in the formula, and each ingredient plays a role in the form and installs a dialogue and tells this story.” And this tale is no doubt a bright one.

Images courtesy of Issey Miyake.