Olivia de Rothschild first visited Kyrgyzstan around five years before the creation of Atmah, a fragrance that would eventually translate her experience of the Central Asian country into an unusual interpretation of vanilla. The journey left a lasting impression on CARON’s Artistic Director, particularly the extraordinary openness of the landscape and the sensation of being surrounded by mountains, steppes and seemingly endless skies.
The Suusamyr Valley became one of her favourite places. Situated among Kyrgyzstan’s mountainous terrain, the valley is known for its expansive grasslands and dramatic horizons. Olivia was struck by the contrast between the immense scale of her surroundings and the sense of connection she experienced there.
She recalls her mother’s advice to dream while keeping her feet firmly on the ground. Kyrgyzstan gave that familiar sentiment a physical dimension. The altitude, the wind and the openness of the landscape brought together sensations she would later want to express through fragrance.
For CARON, a French perfume house established in 1904, That experience became the starting point for Atmah, an Eau de Parfum developed under Olivia’s artistic direction and composed by perfumer Louise Turner.
A landscape translated into fragrance
Olivia wanted to capture the airiness and mineral character of Kyrgyzstan’s landscapes through vanilla, an ingredient most frequently associated with sweetness, warmth and gourmand compositions.
Vanilla had been largely absent from CARON’s fragrance repertoire, despite its prominence in contemporary perfumery. Olivia and Louise saw an opportunity to explore a different aspect of the material, drawing on its versatility to develop a composition inspired by air, light and open space.
Louise, whose appointment marked a new creative chapter for CARON, approached the brief through a combination of natural ingredients and contemporary aroma molecules. Her task involved interpreting Olivia’s personal recollections, including the colours, textures and physical sensations associated with the journey.
The two women developed a shared visual and olfactory vocabulary. Olivia communicated through landscapes, emotions and images, while Louise explored the materials that could translate those impressions into a wearable fragrance. The resulting composition places vanilla within a distinctly mineral setting, with aromatic, floral and woody elements altering its signature character.
The unexpected character of vanilla
Atmah opens with the brightness of CO₂ extracted pink peppercorn, introducing a fresh, lightly spicy edge. Tuberose and jasmine follow peppercorn, bringing a floral dimension, while Rosyfolia contributes delicate rose like nuances to the mix.
Vanilla remains central, although the surrounding materials give it an unusual expression. Ambrofix, an ambery aroma molecule, introduces the mineral quality that Louise wanted to explore, while Akigalawood contributes woody depth and structure. Vetiver des Sables adds earthy and subtly saline nuances, recalling the contrast between open air and the ground beneath it. Ambrette seeds introduce musky, gently sweet facets before white musk completes the composition.
The mineral accord is particularly significant. Louise has explained that the sensation of stones helped inform its development, providing a reference for the fragrance’s textured, almost crystalline quality.
A name with two histories
Atmah also carries references extending beyond Kyrgyzstan. Its name draws inspiration from Atman, a Sanskrit term associated with the inner self or essential nature in Indian philosophical traditions. CARON connects this idea with the personal freedom and sense of possibility that Olivia experienced during her travels.
The name has a second, more personal significance. According to the house’s archives, Baron Edmond de Rothschild, Olivia’s great great grandfather, acquired a cruising yacht named Atmah in 1898.
The vessel became associated with travel and freedom within the family’s history, giving the fragrance a connection to an earlier generation. For Olivia, the coincidence brought together a personal experience of discovery and a historical reference from her family’s past.
That connection also reflects the approach she has taken to CARON’s artistic direction, drawing on the house’s established identity while introducing references from her own experiences and interests.
