The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Nicolas Beaulieu designed Tubereuse for a house that treats scent like field observation, Headspace, founded in the early 2020s by former fragrance executive Nicolas Chabot, who became obsessed with headspace analysis after reading about its early applications. The house's first public appearance came at ESXENCE 2022, where they previewed the line alongside perfumer CPL Aromas. Tubereuse was one of two debut releases that year, the other being Myrrhe. Together they demonstrated the headspace method on botanical and resinous sources, capturing the raw aroma of a material and presenting it without the usual architecture of top, middle, and base notes. Tubereuse translates that ambition into a single focused study: the white flower as it exists in memory and smoke.
The composition is unusual in its restraint. Tobacco serves as both the opening and the foundation, a rare structural choice that keeps the fragrance tethered to smoke throughout its arc. Galbanum provides a green, almost bitter counterpoint to the tuberose's creamy indolic character, preventing the white flower from becoming another predictable bubblegum interpretation. Blackcurrant and mastic add fruity and resinous dimensions that ground the florals in something earthier, while Bourbon vanilla CO2 in the base creates warmth that lingers close to the skin.
The evolution
Tobacco opens bright and clear, cool smoke rather than warm ash, with a sharpness that reads almost medicinal for the first five minutes. Galbanum arrives quickly, adding a green bite that cuts through the sweetness before it can establish itself. This early phase is the fragrance's most polarizing moment: tobacco and galbanum together can read as bitter, even soapy, on certain skin types. The heart phase is where tuberose takes its throne. Creamy, indolic, and deeply floral, but tobacco and blackcurrant keep it grounded. The sweetness doesn't disappear; it becomes more complex, taking on the fruit's dark edge. This phase lasts roughly two to three hours on most skin types. The drydown shifts toward cedar and vanilla, a warm, woody sweetness that lingers. Tobacco persists here too, threading through the base like a memory. On most skin, expect eight to ten hours of presence. The sillage stays moderate throughout, this is a fragrance that announces itself to those nearby, not to the next room.
Cultural impact
Tubereuse has found its audience among those who remember the late-2000s indie aesthetic, the era of SoHo loft parties, European cigarettes, and calculated nonchalance. For that generation, this fragrance reads as a direct translation of a specific cultural moment: the walk home, the smeared makeup, the feeling of being exactly where you shouldn't be but not caring. It's a departure from the safe sweet florals that dominated the 2010s, offering something more green, more smoky, and more honest about what tuberose can be when it isn't performing for anyone.
