Atelier
Sergio Soldano (1988)

The unlikely discovery of a copaiba balsam forward floral amber in Atelier makes it stand out amongst the multitude of scents to flood the market in the late 80s. Copaiba, technically a natural oleoresin than that of balsam, isn't really profound in its own scent profile, it's softly woody, vaguely cinnamic, and decidedly anodyne. However, its fixative value for florals and spices is extraordinary, and having experimented it in blends some time ago, I can vouch for that.

The fact that it is voted very high by reviewers on Fragrantica is a source of amusement, as I wonder just how many have smelled or could even discern the smell of copaiba among all other components within a perfume. What I do think is that these reviewers pick up on a balsamic feel overall, which motivates them to "vote up" this note. Even The Handbook of Great Italian Perfumery mentions it: "...with sandalwood smoothly complementing a precious thick, sticky balm (Copaiba).

I have no reason to doubt that Copaiba is used here, as it's not quite as "precious" as the quote above asserts—its quite affordable for fragrance use. I'd like to think that its use encases the opulent elements of Atelier into an amber: the petitgrain-citrus, creamy custard ylang ylang, bramble berry tartness, and a heliotrope-scented incense not too dissimilar to that of Cacharel Lou Lou or Joop! Femme. It's woody, vanillic dry down feels velvety and cozy, making Atelier a lovely winter warmer. Lastly, I must mention that I find the catafalque-esque bottle to be so charming.