Smell a 150-year-old fragrance

Smell a 150-year-old fragrance

Scents are usually associated with memories and the latest perfume launched by Lili Bermuda is going to take you back, 150 years, to be exact. In 1864, a Civil War blockade runner called the Mary Celestia sank just off the coast of Bermuda, which had luxury perfume bottles in the ship’s bow. Rediscovered in 2011, the bottles were hand-carried to the Drom fragrances laboratories in New Jersey, where they were cracked open and chemically analysed so the scent could be recreated for modern-day use. “Opening the bottles was like going back 150 years into life,” says Jean-Claude Delville, who led the team that recreated the scent. “I was shocked at how fresh and floral it was, and the amount of citrus in it. Opportunities like this don’t come along too often,” Delville adds. “We analysed and captured the unique spirit of the original fragrance, and thus recreated a lost treasure.” The fragrance opens with the smell of sparkling grapefruit and zesty citrus and has notes of rosewood which is complimented by warm amber tones. The scent that comes in limited quantities is available now for $225.