Muscat – Since it was formed in 2016, the Secret Garden Collection of the esteemed Omani High Perfumery House of Amouage has explored fascinating expressions of contemporary femininity, offering new creative perspectives on what has always been a rich territory in the fragrance world. In 2024 the range was entirely reimagined, to embark on further journeys of creative exploration. Now the Secret Garden welcomes an entirely new composition – Love Hibiscus – which adds a distinctly vivacious and mysterious dimension to what was already an alluring range.

“With our Secret Garden perfumes,” says Amouage’s Chief Creative Officer, Renaud Salmon, “we have always kept to the originality of the House and the collection, Each scent has paired a floral note with a gourmand facet. In a segment that is quite saturated, this leads to interesting and different signatures since one complements and enhances the other. Needless to say, we knew that for our next Secret Garden perfume, we would have to adhere to the same code.”

Always determined to avoid easy clichés, Salmon spent a great deal of time considering various floral possibilities for the new composition, but at first, none resonated with the ideas he wanted to explore. However, one day, quite unexpectedly, he realised that the solution to his problem had been within his sights all along.

Hibiscus – vividly mysterious

“Living in Oman,” he says, “I am fortunate to be surrounded by a beautiful range of flowers. One of the most commonly-seen blooms here are Hibiscus, with their unmistakable, brightly-coloured, almost crepe paper-like petals. It occurred to me that as they’re such a prominent part of the Omani landscape, they ought to be invited into our Secret Garden.”

The scent of Hibiscus is not easy to describe. Many varieties are unscented, but those that do possess a smell have an odour profile that is delicately tart – perhaps almost earthy – with a gently sweet inflexion. Their smell is easier to discern when the flowers are turned into tea. On contact with hot water, they reveal their herbal, woody, slightly bitter, red berry-like and yet always soft personality – a suitably mysterious blend for a plant with such strong visual appeal.

“It was clear to me that the Hibiscus element of the perfume would have to be absolutely uncompromising,” says Salmon. “It would have to encompass all the facets – including the more challenging ones – that make the smell of the flower special and unique. By extension, I also realised that the perfume’s gourmand note would have to be equally assertive.”

Sugar-coated Palmiers – the most delectable of contrasts

As the floral component for the new scent was to have its basis in his current home, Salmon decided he would seek inspiration for the gourmand aspect in what he used to call home.

“As a child, I was always surrounded by the smells of cooking. My mother was a cookery teacher, and one of the things she particularly enjoyed preparing was flaky pastry, or pate feuilletée. When she made a batch of the pastry, some of it always ended up as palmiers.”

A staple of European patisserie shops, palmiers are arguably amongst the most addictive pastries ever conceived. With their crumbly, delicate texture, their creamy, buttery taste and, crucially, their ambery-coloured coating of caramelised sugar, they are completely irresistible. Salmon knew that their stark difference from the personality of Hibiscus would create the contrast he was seeking.

“The final piece of the picture arrived,” he says, “when I remembered that the word ‘palmiers’ comes from the same Latin root that gives us ‘palm trees’. And of course, gorgeous palm trees are present in their thousands in Oman. So I went from the palmiers of my childhood to the Hibiscus of Oman, via the country’s palm trees. A genuine delicious connection.”  

Love Hibiscus – the vivacious mystery of femininity

To help him realise his multi-faceted vision for the new addition to the Secret Garden, Salmon turned to Jérome Epinette. A well-established scent-maker with several acclaimed fragrances to his name, Epinette had not yet composed a perfume for Amouage, but Salmon believed that his ability to balance bold contrasts without diminishing their disparate identities would prove invaluable. Sure enough, the result of their work, Love Hibiscus, is remarkable for its expert combination of seemingly irreconcilable elements.

From the very start, the perfume ingeniously presents both of its key ideas in parallel. The Hibiscus note is unmistakable: tart, berry-like, herbaceous and slightly earthy. Right next to it appears the Salted Caramel accord: sweet, buttery, creamy and appetisingly caramelised. Bridging the gap between the two is a carefully-judged blend of complementary materials. Amongst these, Passion Fruit plays a crucial role, with a sharp facet that connects to the Hibiscus, and a sweeter aspect that links neatly with the Salted Caramel accord. Equally important is Frankincense, possessing a smooth, luminous, woody profile, it harmonises the opposing ends of the perfume and enables them to come to a cohesive whole. Finally, Sandalwood, Cypriol and Vanilla bring the heft and depth that allows the scent to become truly indulgent and sensuous.

Both inviting and mysterious, Love Hibiscus is an enticing olfactory representation of the light and shade that characterises vivacious, uncompromising femininity.

Secret Garden – five expressions of contemporary femininity

Love Hibiscus joins the four existing Secret Garden perfumes to add a delectable new dimension to Amouage’s story of the modern woman. Lilac Love combines Cocoa Bean with Lilac to represent the presence of classical femininity in today’s world. Blossom Love blends Amaretto and Cherry Blossom to express unabashedly feminine romanticism. Love Tuberose mixes Chantilly Cream with Tuberose to create an aura of dramatically female sensuality. Love Delight juxtaposes Heliotrope with an accord of honey-glazed Middle Eastern sweets to evoke adventurous, free-spirited womanhood.

Love Hibiscus is housed in the re-imagined Secret Garden flacon, which debuted in 2024. With a colour palette that balances playfulness and a sense of the enigmatic, the bottles feature a special ceramic treatment that causes their exterior to take on a delightfully tactile dimension – a texture not unlike the skin of a peach – thereby grounding the collection in the realm of flora and fauna, while making it irresistibly inviting.

Packaging & presentation

The flacon for Love Hibiscus is in a striking shade of Hibiscus red – a suitably vivacious hue for an exceptionally alluring piece of work. The artwork for the packaging – created, as ever, by the romantic sensibility of Louise Mertens. Visuals of the campaign by Art Director, Jade Lombard, photography by Charles Negre, set design by Juliette Zakowetz and produced by Lambert Lambert.