This month Berkeley-based natural perfume house, Aftelier, is launching an uplifting fragrance, Candide. Candide is described as a bright, uplifting floral fragrance based on the novel from Voltaire. Candide is all about the feeling of happiness and optimism. This fragrance contains jasmine. Recent research in the Journal of Biological Chemistry says that “jasmine is better than Valium at calming and soothing”. One more reason to justify my fragrance purchases! 🙂

Aftelier Candide contains natural notes of jasmine, frankincense, pink grapefruit, and blood orange.

I do have a sample of Candide and will be posting my review soon. It’s a happy fragrance that doesn’t come across as too radiant. Aftelier’s press release states that jasmine “is the perfect blend of high and low“. I see Candide as a perfect blend of high and low. Like Voltaire’s Candide, this perfume is a bit of a satire of optimism. You can’t have highs without lows…I say this and I’m not a literary expert; it’s been 10 years since I read Candide in French and I can barely remember the details!

An 1/4 oz. pure parfum retails for $150 and the 2 ml mini for $45. Candide is available at Aftelier’s on-line boutique.