The phrase ’Pacific chill,’ also the name of the latest parfum de cologne from French luxury house Louis Vuitton, is one that is open to interpretation. For master perfumer Jacques Cavallier Belletrud, it means a feeling of freedom and a connection with both the self and nature, embodied by California. For artist and Louis Vuitton collaborator Alex Israel, it means a morning routine consisting of a hike along the Pacific Palisades’ Paseo Miramar Trail overlooking the ocean, followed by a green juice. To mark the launch of the fragrance in Malibu on Wednesday, California offered up another, more literal interpretation in the form of a cool, marine layer that enveloped the retreat-style event in a crisp, briny brume.
The fifth fragrance in a series of scents inspired by the dramatic landscape, light, and extravagant beauty of America’s Pacific Coast, Pacific Chill was dreamt up by Belletrud and Israel over a juice at the Beverly Hills Hotel last year. “It was the beginning of April, and the temperature was good,” Belletrud recalls. “Alex and I were drinking this carrot, orange, and ginger juice. It was completely new for me, and I loved the taste. It was amazing. I smelled this blackcurrant note, and I had the idea to mix the scent from the carrot and orange with [it] and to see what happens.” The end result? A unisex scent that evokes both L.A. wellness culture and the regenerative vigor of the ocean through a fruity blend of carrot seeds and coriander combined with ambrette, basil, peppermint, and orange essence, with a hint of May rose for a floral sweetness. “I try to create fragrances that create emotions,” says Belletrud. “And I’m convinced that a good perfume makes you quieter within and allows you to reconnect with yourself.”
