The perfume house and the owner and founder of the restaurant La Boscana co-created a complete menu of dishes and fragrances inspired by the same ingredients. During the event, Eurofragance also presented ICON, its ingredient palette strategy and launched VerdenixTM, a new active ingredient that boosts the elimination of certain malodours.
Eurofragance, the Spanish multinational, presented the results of its collaboration with Michelin-starred chef Joel Castanyé at in-cosmetics Global, the leading cosmetic trade show for personal care ingredients, held from the 28th to the 30th of March in Barcelona. This alliance resulted in the creation of a complete menu of dishes and perfumes for personal care applications and fine fragrances, all loaded with creativity and exclusivity.
These creations were presented along with the company's latest innovations. For instance, during the fair, Eurofragance introduced its ICON Program, its strategy for an improved palette of perfumery raw material; launched VerdenixTM, a new in-house active ingredient that boosts odour elimination; and presented its latest Sensolab innovations, a collection of fragrances applied in innovative product formulations.
Gastronomy and perfumery, two closely linked sectors
At its stand, on the first day of the fair, Eurofragance explained why they sought inspiration through the collaboration with a Michelin-starred Chef. It was also the occasion to formally introduce the creators, namely, Chef Joel Castanyé of La Boscana, Perfumers Angéline Leporini, Isabel Gil and Soizic Beaucourt, along with evaluators Rebeca Cernadas and Consuelo Perez. Working together, they illustrated the powerful synergies shared by the world of perfumery and gastronomy.
From this union between Perfumers and an award-winning Chef has emerged a complete menu composed of four appetisers, four main courses and three desserts. Each dish also inspired the design of perfumes in fine fragrance and personal care applications. Chef Joel Castanyé had this to say: "This collaboration has really been exciting. It was magical to see how two apparently different worlds can complement one another. And especially to see how, in the case of Eurofragance, we share the same values such as the search for kilometre zero and proximity products". Stéphanie Marze, Head of Global Corporate Communication, explained:
"This is a special project for us. Smelling the fragrances created by Eurofragance's perfumers automatically takes us back to the recipes developed by La Boscana. This collaboration once again demonstrates our commitment to innovation in order to continue positioning ourselves as experts in the industry."
The description of the menu, starting with the fragrance and followed by the dish:
Appetisers:
Creation 1:
- Flower Jam – fragrance: Shower gel spheres carry a fragrance combining the exotic scent of lychee and a dewy rose.
- The Rose – flavour: Alginate spheres blending lychee and raspberry are coated with rose water jelly.
Creation 2:
- Almond and Caviar – fragrance: Hand cream spheres combine the scent of rich almond milk and creamy vanilla.
- Almonds and Caviar – flavour: Tender almonds are turned into an unctuous milky texture to which sturgeon caviar is added.
Creation 3:
- Aguachile Mandarin – fragrance: This shower gel bursts with sparkling green mandarin, aromatic coriander, leading to refreshing notes of cucumber and spicy chilli.
- Mandarin Aguachile – flavour: A maceration of sweet mandarin juice, to which has been added cucumber, onion, chilli and lime.
Creation 4:
- Shimmering Paradise – fragrance: This fine fragrance is constructed around the sweetness of a pear and the zesty tanginess of yuzu.
- Pear and Yuzu – flavour: When east meets west translates into an appetiser made of an exotic yuzu and a Conference pear.
"It has been a challenge to combine two ingredients such as almond and caviar that naturally do not interact in a positive way, but we have been able to create a link between these two accords," explains Senior Perfumer Isabel Gil of Eurofragance.
Main courses:
Creation 1:
- Tomato Experience – fragrance: A revitalising shampoo that smells of fresh, natural ingredients including tomato, basil and ginger.
- Tomato Water and Basil – flavour: A flavourful water is obtained from home-grown, sun-drenched tomatoes, and then infused with aromatic leaves of basil.
Creation 2:
- Sparkling Curry – fragrance: This sparkling shower gel combines the sweetness of coconut with the vibrant scent of orange.
- Orange Curry – flavour: Fresh Spanish oranges are prepared with a blend of coconut milk, ginger, galanga and lemongrass.
Creation 3:
- Pea Bubbles and Basil – fragrance: A stimulating shower gel inspired by aromatic herbs and green peas, perfectly balanced with a crip Granny Smith apple.
- Peas with Green Pesto – flavour: Peas are cooked to perfection and then immersed in a green pesto, made of avocado, coriander and basil.
Creation 4:
- OCOO Fig – fragrance: A fig-inspired shampoo invites you to wrap yourself in the aromas of figs, sesame cream and toasted cocoa beans.
- Fig, Eel and Sesame – flavour: A fig cooked to caramelisation in an OCOO is served with eel and a creamy sesame sauce.
"When Joel first described his OCCO fig dish, I was immediately attracted to the way it was presented. It revealed aromas of tobacco, toasted notes... and this dish, served with sesame cream, instantly inspired me," says Senior Perfumer Angéline Leporini.
"There were many surprising combinations proposed by Joel such as curry and orange, olfactive notes that I never would have imagined using to develop a fragrance," says Perfumer Soizic Beaucourt.
Desserts:
Creation 1:
- Spicy Paradise – fragrance: This shampoo fragrance blends the tartness of lime and the softness of coconut milk.
- Green Coconut, Ginger and Lime – flavour: Coconut water is partially transformed into ice cream and shaved ice to which is added lime and ginger jelly.
Creation 2:
- Orange Blast – fragrance: The fragrance of this shower gel is built around a pulpy orange, topped with a touch of basil.
- Orange peel with Pesto – flavour: An entire orange with its skin rendered edible is accompanied by a pesto of citronella, garden herbs and galangal.
Creation 3:
- Day Dream – fragrance: A day cream with a scent inspired by Chantilly with notes of coffee, cocoa and a dash of rum.
- Smoked Cream and Coffee Cigar – flavour: Cigars made of gingerbread are accompanied by smoked cream and a coffee reduction.
This collaboration continues in Joel Castanyé's gastronomic space, as the dishes presented can be tasted in tapa format at the Michelin-starred restaurant La Boscana, located in Bellvis (Lleida).
