Pantone named Peach Fuzz as the 2024 Color of the Year. Since then, we've been seeing numerous scents created with peach at the center. The latest is Le Monde Gourmand's Pêche Délicieuse, crafted by Jade Bodley.
Pêche Délicieuse is described as "a sensory journey, a symphony of sumptuous scents designed to transport you to a world of indulgence without guilt."
Top Notes: Peach, crumble, cinnamon and orange
Mid Notes: Cocoa, white rose and caramel
Base Notes: Creamy vanilla, soft woods and baked musks
Perfumer & Flavorist+ connected with Bodley (JB) to discuss the inspiration behind the scent and the process of working with a perfumer to have the concept come to life.
Peach is currently trending in fragrance, can you speak to how peachy notes are being utilized in fragrances? What are consumers looking for with this note?
JB: I feel like people look for 1 of 3 different types of peach fragrances. The fresh peach (think fruity shampoo), the juicy peach (think Trader Joe’s peach halves), and the sweet peach (think peach desserts). In Pêche Délicieuse I wanted to capture the juicy peach and the sweet peach as I feel like the fresh peach has been done many times before in fruity floral fragrances especially paired with osmanthus. I wanted to create a new, fun, and delicious take on peach!
What did the process of creating this fragrance with a perfumer look like? Anything you didn't expect? What was the most exciting part of the process?
JB: The process of making Pêche Délicieuse was so fun because I had complete creative control. I made a video board for the fragrance house filled with images, food, fashion, colors, and even songs. There was a ton of burnt orange coloring, peach cobbler, and even Peaches by Justin Bieber and Peaches and Cream by 112. With this inspo the perfumer made different modifications of the fragrance so I could find my favorite. There were things I liked and disliked about every mod in the first round and I was able to communicate that to eventually get my perfect peach perfume after 3 rounds of mods! We probably went through 20-39 mods before landing on what is now Pêche Délicieuse. I loved how interactive the experience was and like I said, I had completely creative control. They were so kind listening to the feedback and really understanding what I was going for. The most exciting part was smelling all of the modifications. Even the ones that weren’t necessarily what I was going for were still all amazing. Some even made me want to reconsider my direction and I wear them to this day.
How does peach complement the other ingredients in this fragrance?
JB: The orange note definitely emphasizes the juiciness of the peach. It makes it smell more succulent. I know I wanted a peach cobbler-inspired scent but I still wanted the peach note to be prominent and very juicy without getting lost in all the sweetness. The orange really supports that. The caramel and peach work well together because it gives it that syrupy vibe of peaches being cooked down and simmering on a stovetop; the base to peach cobbler was so important for me to capture.
How does this fragrance differentiate from what's currently on the market?
JB: I have yet to see a peach cobbler-inspired perfume on the market. It’s a dessert that’s so nostalgic to me so I had to bottle up the fragrance. Most peach fragrances that I’ve seen on the market have been fresh and/or floral. I wanted the fruity aspect of peach but not necessarily any freshness or heavy florals. Peach is often paired with osmanthus which is a flower or something musky like ambrette. Additionally, many gourmand fragrances didn’t feature peach as a prominent note while we were creating this perfume. At the time, the lemon gourmands were trending, nutty and pistachio gourmands were having a moment but there wasn’t a moment for peach. This is different because it has that juicy fruity aspect while also being mouthwatering and smelling like a baked dessert. I find a lot of fruity fragrances really focus on the fruits and sometimes those baked dessert gourmand fragrances really focus on the cakey/baked goods aspect. It’s hard to find a fragrance that does both. And because of that, Pêche Délicieuse is really a gourmand that works all year round. It’s sweet and edible enough for fall/winter wear but juicy and fruity enough for the spring/summer.
