The global winner of the competition, announced at the World Perfumery Congress, is established perfumer at Argeville, Jennifer Jambon, whose experience spans 20 years. Fanny Ginolin, assistant perfumer at TAKASAGO was also announced as the winner in the emerging perfumer category.
The ‘Sandalwood Reimagined’ competition encouraged the use of this precious ingredient and provided an opportunity to explore its renowned capabilities and push traditional limits while celebrating Quintis’ sustainable supply. The 10 finalists, spanning five countries, were selected from over 300 high-quality entrants with each demonstrating their own unique approach to formulating with Indian sandalwood.
Chief Marketing Offer at Quintis Sandalwood, Vanessa Ligovich says, “Through our Sandalwood Reimagined competition, we have provided an opportunity for perfumers to create, celebrate, and support the return of Indian sandalwood in fragrance without limits.
“Each creation submitted is a reminder of how Indian sandalwood’s multi-faceted qualities can be interpreted and appreciated by all perfumery skill levels around the world.”
Judging the fragrance creations were an independent panel of fragrance masters, who have collectively worked with major fragrance companies like Givaudan, Firmenich, IFF, Mane, Symrise and Takasago, and have created fragrances for iconic brands like Estée Lauder, Ralph Lauren, Coty, DKNY, and Maesa.
Global winner, Jennifer Jambon says the competition encouraged participants to use Indian sandalwood as their muse, removing parameters of a commercial fragrance brief, like consumer profile and budget.
“The Sandalwood Reimagined competition provided the unique opportunity to explore my creativity and have my fragrance experienced by some of the most respected experts in the field of perfumery,” Jambon said.
Vince Kuczinski, VP Senior Perfumer, Mane and President of the American Society of Perfumers, an expert judge on the panel, said, “Sustainability is a big trend growing within perfumery, and it’s only natural for us to start seeing more consumers push for transparency around ingredients in fragrances to ensure they are ethical and sustainable. That’s why reimagining the use of Indian sandalwood with a sustainable supply from Quintis in a fragrance with this competition made perfect sense.
“Indian sandalwood is a precious and classic ingredient in the perfumery industry that is the cornerstone of so many fragrances. As judges, we were looking for entrants to test their creativity and be inspired by Indian sandalwood. We were looking for something that's wearable and unique in its own way and has the sandalwood signature. We evaluated many fragrances to narrow down to 10 finalists and the two winners. It was an inspiring journey.”
Jennifer Jambon describes her perfume as, “The violet leaf combined with magnolia and mimosa blossom to give a natural floral green start. Then the precious sandalwood rounds the powdery orris to give a creamy rich texture to the fragrance. Finally, balsamic benzoin, mystic olibanum and gourmand tonka bean enrich the perfume’s body and liner on the skin.”
In describing her perfume, Fanny Ginolin said, “Spicy notes of cumin, cardamom, ginger, coriander, black and pink pepper with a light fruity fig that fills out the milky and creamy facets of Indian sandalwood, linking the top notes with the base notes of dry and woody cedar and vetiver, rounding the fragrance. A crunchy nutty accord gives a mysterious dimension of discoveries. The sandalwood accord throughout gives power and helps the natural sandalwood be the heart of the fragrance.”
Quintis CEO, Richard Henfrey, American Society of Perfumers Vice President, Sherri Sebastian and Vince Kuczinski presented the two prizes as part of the WPC 2022 Awards Program – Global Winner, Jennifer Jambon received AUD $10,000 and the Emerging Talent award winner, Fanny Ginolin, received AUD $2,000.
“We value the craftsmanship and artistry of all the entrants in their expression of the ingredient. This competition has been a great celebration of Indian sandalwood, and with over 5.5 million trees we are proud to offer the fragrance industry a reliable and sustainable source,” Ms Ligovich concluded.