Issey Miyake's latest male fragrance, named Le Sel d'Issey, is inspired by the mystical 'energy of salt'.
In the heart of Tokyo, fashion house Issey Miyake has launched a new men's fragrance, Le Sel d'Issey. This fresh, vibrant Eau de Toilette draws inspiration from the invigorating qualities of the ocean, aiming to capture the essence of the sea's freshness and vitality.
Le Sel d'Issey is a celebration of the sea's pure, aquatic essence. The scent is built around marine notes, primarily synthetic molecules like Calone that mimic the watery, salty smell of the ocean breeze. These are complemented by natural elements such as seaweed, driftwood, or salt crystals, adding texture and depth to the fragrance.
The scent profile of Le Sel d'Issey is a harmonious blend of fresh citrus and woody accents, creating a masculine aroma that is both bright and grounded. Yuzu, a citrusy vibrant note, adds a refreshing zest, while sandalwood provides warmth and elegance, balancing the brightness.
The design and packaging of Le Sel d'Issey reflect its oceanic inspiration. The bottle, designed by Japanese artist Tokujin Yoshioka, aims to evoke a sense of pure radiance and light, symbolising the energy of salt. Made of transparent glass, chrome, and refracted light, it is hewn from 20% recycled glass and has a concave space inside its base that creates dynamic lines of light.
The exhibition accompanying the launch, 'Issey Miyake Le Sel d'Issey: Imagination of Salt', features installations by Tokujin Yoshioka. Circular metallic stands and a long low-lying white wall are among the installations, with a cymatics-inspired campaign film by Marcus Tomlinson displayed dynamically on a nearby wall.
The white wall releases the aroma of Le Sel d'Issey into the air every few minutes through rolling cloud-like mist. The scent of Le Sel d'Issey is infused with laminaria seaweed extract, oakmoss, vetiver, cedar, ginger, saffron, and musk, creating an aroma that is infused with a sense of salt, fresh and uplifting with a hint of sea.
Christophe Venot, global fragrance brand director at Beaute Prestige International, describes the scent as pulsating in waves all day long, creating a real energy. Salt, deeply steeped in the sacred in Japan, symbolizing purification, is at the heart of this new fragrance. It is offered to gods in Shinto shrine rituals, sprinkled in sumo wrestling rings, and placed on small dishes by doorways.
Le Sel d'Issey is the successor to Issey Miyake's L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme, an iconic water-inspired scent released 30 years ago. Perfumer Quentin Bisch aimed to create the scent of the exact moment the waves roll back, transitioning between the earth and sea.
This new scent, Le Sel d'Issey by Issey Miyake, officially launched at gallery 21_21 Design Sight in Tokyo. It reimagines the power of salt in an olfactory expression, defying the challenge of salt being scentless through a careful harmony of natural notes from both land and ocean.
The new men's fragrance, Le Sel d'Issey, embodies a lifestyle that fuses the invigorating qualities of the ocean with contemporary fashion-and-beauty trends. The technology used in the production of Le Sel d'Issey, such as synthetic marine notes like Calone and cymatics-inspired installations, adds depth and originality to its presentation.
