Grasse-based perfumer Galimard also uses color, or lack
thereof, to differentiate between masculine and feminine scents,
and it uses the power of black and white packaging to impart
modernity to its product line. In existence since 1747, this company nevertheless positions itself —almost— on the cutting edge
of technology with its Perphone perfumes. Provided you still
own an iPhone 5 or 5s, you can give yourself a fragrant spritz
every time you check your text messages, with the Galimard
Perphone, a streamlined phone case that incorporates four
changeable perfume cartridges. Of course, the women’s version
is snow white, and the men’s, pitch black. Both are stamped with
a stylized version of the brand’s logo, the coat of arms of Jean de
Galimard, the house’s noble founder.
The Olson sisters’ fashion and accessories line, Elizabeth and
James, which is widely accepted to be cooler than the sum of its
founders, has hit another homerun with its two Nirvana scents,
which of course come in White, a feminine scent of peony and
musk that is counter-intuitively described as embodying “dark
sophistication,” and Black, a vanilla-intensive masculine-feminine jus. The best packaging: a purse-friendly solid perfume,
housed in either a white or black textured rectangular compact
with luxurious gold trim. The solid perfume within is perfectly
white, which furthers the monochrome visual allure, and the
brand name is discreetly etched into the glimmering gold edge
so as not to detract from the clean lines. Black, white, texture
and gold? That certainly screams luxury.
One notable and new cosmetics brand that uses the power
of darkness for good is Retrouvé Skincare. The brainchild of
Jami Morse Heidegger, granddaughter of the founder of cult
favorite skincare line Kiehl’s, this line is restricted to four unisex, universal products. Precious and incredibly rich, dye-free,
preservative-free, and silicone-free, the potent formulas replete
with rare ingredients and are mixed in an air-free vacuum, then
transferred to elegant, black frosted glass, airless pump containers with a glossy black cap. These containers definitely look great
on the vanity, but more importantly, they protect the product
from maleficent air and light. At close to five hundred dollars a
pop, we want those creams as coddled as possible. Retrouvé’s
black packaging has the side benefit of imparting an ineffable
sense of luxury and timelessness. Not to mention, these containers come nestled in inky matte black boxes and black bags with
the logo rendered in tone-on-tone gloss, so stylish and beautiful
that it seems a shame to ever throw them away.
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