Lunatique, Liquides Imaginaires: going back to perfume’s mystical origins with Philippe Di Méo
A new fragrance in the Alchemical Trilogy series, Lunatique combines mythology with technology. An interview with Philippe Di Méo on spirituality, mystery, and raw materials
Lunatique by Liquides Imaginaires – embracing human duality
Traditionally, the term lunatic is used to describe a mentally instable or moody person. The word derives from Latin “lunaticus”, which literally means “of the moon” or “moonstruck”. Romans defined this way people affected by either madness or epilepsy, as until the Eighteenth century both diseases were thought to be influenced by the moon, as well as fevers and rheumatisms. Pliny the Elder, for example, wrote that the full moon induced human beings to lunacy and epilepsy, acting on the brain as nocturnal dew.
French designer Philippe Di Méo with his perfumery brand Liquides Imaginaires reinterprets this concept, freeing it from its ancient negative connotation. The new fragrance called Lunatique is a homage to human duality, which is regarded as something natural as the two faces of the moon, one lit and one dark: «The fragrance derives inspiration from alchemy, where the moon is linked to silver, femininity and the most sensible and intimate part of human personality. People usually prefer to show only their most perfect and luminous side, just like the moon. Lunatique is an exhortation to be true to ourselves, embracing both sides of our inner selves. Being capable of displaying our weaknesses is a strong point for me».
Lunatique is the second release of the Alchemical Trilogy perfume series, which was inaugurated with Liquide, a fragrance associated with the alchemical principle of masculinity, strength and gold.
Liquides Imaginaires: from art to niche perfumery
Liquides Imaginaires started first as an art exhibition for the Paris Design Week 2011, where Philippe paid a tribute to the sacred origins of perfume. In several ancient cultures, perfumes symbolized a connection to the divine, with specific scents thought to attract or please deities, creating an atmosphere of sanctity and reverence. In early civilizations like Egypt, Mesopotamia and India, fragrant oils and resins were used to get in contact with deities, purify spaces, accompany prayers and prepare the dead for the afterlife.
Thus, Philippe’s project L’Eau Benité (Holy Water), was born – a fragrance with incense, a typical ritualistic element, as heart note. The designer’s aim was to return to the essence of perfume, getting out of the general codes of beauty and cosmetics in order to retrieve its spiritual dimension.
Philippe then developed the concept in a niche perfumery brand, which he describes with three words: «Spirituality, mystery and sensuality. Sensuality represents the invisible connection between the perfume and the person who wears it. Mystery reflects the alchemical transformation of raw materials into fragrances. Sensuality is the goal of this magical process».
With Liquides Imaginaires Philippe re-proposes the spiritual value of the number three, with perfumes coming out in trilogies – series of three complementary fragrances to be regarded as three chapters of the same book. For example, Les Eaux De L’Âme pays a tribute to human wild nature, with nose considered to be the most animal organ humans possess. The trilogy includes Blanche Bête, representing the power of creativity, imagination, love and mystery; Bête Humaine – a link between civilization and wild nature, and a symbol of freedom; Beauté Du Diable, embodying the eternal seduction of the unknown.
Raw materials: from roughness to sensuality
Turning raw materials into a fragrance is for Philippe, «a creative exercise aimed at transforming the initial roughness of the single ingredients into something sensual and refined. Usually, my creative process begins with the choice of a singular ingredient, which I then demand the nose to create a fragrance with. Lunatique was the first perfume which I chose two key ingredients for, as we needed to represent duality».
The raw materials provided to Vincent Ricord, Lunatique’s nose, were juniper for the bright side and leather for the dark one: «Juniper is a fresh and aromatic ingredient, with a bitter note that gives a boost of energy, just like light. Leather, instead, suggests the idea of depth, mystery and warmth». Juniper is complemented with pear and Sichuan pepper, while leather with tonca bean, iris, carrot and neroli.
«Usually, I prefer raw materials with intense aromas. As I believe that perfume can be a powerful magical element, able to transform the person who wears it, I think it should have a strong and sharp fragrance» explains Philippe, who favors incense, woods and spices. Liquides Imaginaires’ raw materials come from all over the world: «We have no limit. For example, I use citrus fruits from Reggio Calabria, roses and jasmines from France».
Philippe develops his perfumes with two fragrance houses, Swiss Givaudan and Greek Fleur: «It is always a matter of feeling, I do not choose the noses for their popularity. The most important thing is sharing the same vision and philosophy, as it is not easy to understand Liquides Imaginaires».
Philippe Di Méo plays with visible and invisible
The name of the brand, Liquides Imaginaires, joins two antithetical concepts, visible and invisible: «The idea is to infuse fantasy into liquid matter». A dichotomy Philippe has always put at the center of his creations, also as a designer: «When we try so see the invisible, it becomes visible. Every creation was at first in your own imagination only. If we search into invisibility, everything becomes possible». He also wrote a collection of poems on this theme.
Philippe Di Méo started as a designer in Paris, where he founded his own agency: «I have always been a curious person and for me design is a key to open different doors». As a designer he worked with perfumery brands, such as Jean-Paul Gaultier, Guerlain, Dior, as well as wine and champagne producers. In the 2000s he opened an organic restaurant in front of his design agency: «Getting in touch with renowned chefs enriched my own work. Together we tried to establish a sensual culinary ritual. Ritual is a concept I has always been fascinated with. The culinary experience I gained this way influenced my perfumery brand. For example, Les Eaux Sanguines trilogy draws inspiration from wines, while Les Eaux de l’Est includes ingredients from the culinary world. I like to play with these two realms, odor and taste».
Liquides Imaginaires: an olfactory storytelling
Storytelling is the first step in the development of every Liquides Imaginaires perfume. When he decides to launch a new product, Philippe first sends a brief to the nose with a story to be translated into the perfume: «Writing has always been a crucial part of my work. Even as a designer I never start a project with a sketch, but with a written text, as I have the feeling that words give me more freedom».
The storytelling behind Liquides Imaginaires’ fragrances can consist either in Philippe’s «intimate olfactory confessions» or ancient myths and legends: «I see perfumes as a way to exorcize my own thoughts, moods, fears or to find strength to face a challenge. At the same time, I like stories from ancient populations, like Greeks or Romans, because they had the power to survive the passing of time, evolving along with human civilization, therefore I often decide to offer my own interpretation. However, when I tell olfactory stories about the past, I do it without nostalgia. I do not like the idea of the fragrance-souvenir, for me a perfume should be used in the present to look forward, not back».
The amphora bottle: a tribute to Mediterranean culture
The fragrances of Liquides Imaginaires come in amphora-shaped bottles. Philippe created this design as a tribute to Mediterranean culture and to the origins of perfume: «They are like treasures that can be found in the sea still today. Besides, the amphora was the first container ever used in history for liquids: perfumes, wine, oil. The ancient Egyptians already used amphoras to store perfumes».
However, the bottle came afterwards: «During the Paris Design Week 2011 I preferred not to present a perfume bottle, as this would have been a style exercise for a designer. Instead, I wanted the focus to be on the fragrance, so I designed large silver amphoras engraved with a diamond point».
Philippe’s fascination for Mediterranean culture led also to a trilogy dedicated to the myths and legends of the sea, from Ulysses’ Odyssey to Shakespeare’s Prospero – Les Eaux Des Bermudes, including Sirenis, Navis and Abyssis.
Imaginarium: perfumery meets technology
At the Milan Design Week 2024 Philippe presented Imaginarium, an experimental laboratory that joins perfumery and technology. With the collaboration of Givaudan, Alexandre Lepage and Capua 1880, Philippe used artificial intelligence to new hybridizations of citrus fruits: «I used Capua’s citrus fruits to create new imaginary genealogies which in nature do not exist, but that this way came to life in perfumery. Such hybridizations could actually exist in nature too one day, as all the ingredients we used were organic. For example, I combined saffron with citrus».
Philippe chose Capua’s fruits for this project because of the Italian brand’s attention towards ecology: «While usually in perfumery you use only citrus peel, Capua found a way to employ all the fruits and also to recycle them. For example, one the perfumes of the collection is called Upcycled Mandarin».
Liquides Imaginaires
Liquides Imaginaires, founded by French designer Philippe Di Méo, is an artistic perfume brand that blends spirituality, mystery and sensuality. Originally launched as an art project in 2011, the brand explores the history and symbolism of fragrance, drawing inspiration from ancient myths and alchemy. Each scent is released as part of a trilogy, representing a sensory and narrative journey that plays on the duality between visible and invisible.
