Quick answers
History
Philtre is a perfume by Hiram Green, released in 2024 and, like the whole collection, handmade in Gouda, the Netherlands, entirely from natural materials. Its name refers to philtres, the love potions of legend and theater, the one Tristan and Iseult drink or the one that bewitches Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
The perfumer starts from a simple idea : perfumes are our modern love potions. To build his own, he sets aside the unicorn dust and dragon blood of old spellbooks and keeps only the finest flowers, spices and resins, gathered around a single leading flower, the carnation, known as the flower of love. Deeply floral and honeyed, with vivid spicy facets, carnation is extracted from the petals and forms the heart of the formula.
Around it, clove brings warmth and rich sweetness, while rose, radiant and indulgent, offers its green and peppery facets. Flower stems and black pepper give a green, biting opening, jasmine thickens the heart, then resins and vanilla close the potion on a soft base. True to the slow way of the house, Philtre is built in small batches, all-natural, and is meant, as its author reminds us, to be used with care.
Olfactory pyramid
The house gives a palette of materials rather than a formal pyramid. The layering below follows the progression described in the press kit and on the official site, from the green, peppery opening to the resinous base.
The movement runs from green pepper to soft resin. Clove extends and warms the carnation, rose and jasmine widen the floral heart, while resins and vanilla give the potion its depth and staying power.
Olfactory profile
The olfactory profile of Philtre rests on carnation, a deeply floral, honeyed flower with vivid spicy facets, here extracted from the petals and placed at the center of the formula. Clove extends its warmth, radiant rose and jasmine widen the heart, and black pepper sharpens the opening. It is a dense, sensual, living spicy floral, as the all-natural perfumes of the house tend to be.
The distinctive signature lies in the premise : treating the perfume as a genuine love potion and building it around carnation, the flower of love, rather than a more expected white flower. The result is a warm, enveloping floral, to be worn, in its author’s words, with care.
Perfumes are our modern-day love potions. This is my version, built around the flower of love: carnation.Hiram Green, on Philtre
When and where to wear
Philtre is a spicy floral with temperament, for those who love carnation and warm flowers. Its honeyed, resinous density makes it a late-day and evening perfume, yet the green freshness of its opening also carries it through the day in milder seasons.
Seasonal fit
| Season | Fit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | ★★★★ | The green stems and rose find their brightness. |
| Summer | ★★★ | Floral and spicy, though fairly warm in real heat. |
| Autumn | ★★★★ | Clove and resins warm the season perfectly. |
| Winter | ★★★★ | The honeyed, resinous warmth is ideally enveloping. |
By context, it comes into its own in the evening and in intimate moments, and suits men and women alike who love a bold spicy floral.
Similar perfumes
| Perfume | House · year | Why it is close |
|---|---|---|
| Tabac Tabou | Parfum d’Empire · 2015 | Carnation and animalic narcissus, the same spicy sensuality. |
| Ambre Sultan | Serge Lutens · 1993 | Spices and warm resins close to the base. |
| Moon Bloom | Hiram Green · 2013 | The same jasmine and white flowers, all-natural. |
| Slowdive | Hiram Green · 2017 | A related resinous, honeyed base. |
Common questions
See also
Sources
- Hiram Green · official press kit, "Fact Sheet – Philtre" (family, notes, key materials, inspiration)
- Hiram Green, official Philtre page (Eau de Parfum, 50 ml, natural composition)
- Fragrantica, Philtre entry (2024 release, notes, cross-confirmation)
- Parfumo, Hiram Green catalogue (cross-confirmation)