Fresh, dry & polite: Aesop to launch a new fragrance

Launching worldwide in September, Tacit will only be Aesop’s second perfume (if you don’t count the long-discontinued Marrakech and Mystra), but this being Aesop there won’t be lots of razzmatazz. Everyone’s favourite Australian skincare brand likes to do things quietly, and Tacit – which means 'what’s left unsaid' – captures the essence of Aesop pretty well.

Created by New York-based International Flavors & Fragrances perfumer Céline Barel, Tacit is an intriguing take on a classic eau de cologne, though with grapefruit-like Japanese yuzu replacing the usual lemony opening, and basil leaves taking the place of rosemary and lavender at its herbaceous heart.

The result is a fresh, unsweetened unisex scent, with a touch of the bracing vermouth dryness of Haitian vetiver, extracted from the root of a tropical grass. But this is no ordinary vetiver: instead, Barel has used IFF-LMR’s trademarked Vetiver Heart – a cleverly smoothed-out version of traditional vetiver oil, using hydro distillation followed by fractional distillation to extract its usual earthy smell, leaving its slightly bitter dryness intact.

Tacit comes as a 50ml eau de parfum (the fragrance industry’s slightly vague term for a solution containing around 10–20 per cent pure perfume) in Aesop’s standard brown glass bottles. Despite the concentration it doesn’t outstay its welcome; in fact, we'd personally like it to last a bit longer. The packaging is rather more extravagant: a slim card box decorated by Australian artist Jonathan McCabe, which nestles inside a chunkier brown box, lidded with a card, which in turn slides inside a brown card sleeve.

Tacit is unlikely to turn heads on the street, but that’s not what Aesop’s about: it’s sexy but well-mannered and discreet, which pretty much sums up the brand. Try it for yourself in-store from September onwards.

Australian generative artist and designer Jonathan McCabe created a short video inspired by Aesop's new fragrance, converting information inputs into algorithms that direct movement of colour and pattern. Courtesy of Aesop