The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Vers Dharamsala is the seventh fragrance in Pour Toujours's catalog, composed by Martine Denisot alongside Amélie Bourgeois. The fragrance was born from a road trip: the long drive from Delhi northward into the Himalayas, bound for Dharamsala and an audience with the Dalai Lama. Released in 2017, it distills a specific sensory memory from that passage into wearable form. Its composition places Bulgarian rose at the center, surrounded by cardamom, black tea, pink pepper, coriander, and a dual musk base of gray and white musk. Rose supplies the floral focus, while the spices sharpen the opening and black tea introduces a dry, tannic structure beneath the petals. The musks soften the finish and keep the composition close to the skin.
The composition is anchored by Bulgarian rose at its center, but the framing is what sets it apart. Cardamom contributes a warm, aromatic spice to the opening, its dry herbal character gradually blending with the brighter notes of pink pepper and coriander. Pink pepper adds a lively rosy facet, while coriander introduces a green, slightly soapy quality. Black tea lends tannic structure beneath the florals, keeping the rose from becoming overly sweet or syrupy. As the fragrance develops, the rose gains definition while the opening spices gradually recede.
The evolution
The opening belongs to the spices. Pink pepper and bergamot strike bright, then coriander threads through, green and slightly soapy. Cardamom arrives almost immediately, warming the opening from within and giving the initial impression a rounded aromatic edge. The rose gradually becomes more present, settling in with greater definition as the bergamot slowly retreats. Its floral character is clear but not heavy, with the pink pepper continuing to reinforce the rose facet. Black tea adds a dry, tannic edge beneath the heart, giving the composition structure and balancing the flower's sweetness. As the fragrance wears, the rose becomes fuller while remaining restrained. The musks then shape the drydown: gray adds depth, and white keeps everything close to skin. The final phase is quiet, warm, and slightly sweet, with the rose, tea, and musks gradually settling into a soft skin scent.
Cultural impact
Vers Dharamsala offers a distinctive way to experience rose by placing it within a broader composition of spice, tea, and musk. Bulgarian rose supplies the floral center, while cardamom and pink pepper bring brightness, black tea adds dryness, and the musk base creates warmth against the skin. The balance gives the fragrance a sense of narrative without relying on loudness. Its rose facet remains recognizable, but it is continually reframed by the surrounding notes, moving from a crisp opening toward a soft, close drydown.
The House
Pour ToujoursPour Toujours is a Paris-based independent fragrance house founded by perfumer Martine Denisot. The label emerged from Denisot's decades-long passion for scent composition, bringing an intimate, atelier-style approach to contemporary perfumery. Known for releasing collections that span unexpected olfactory territories, Pour Toujours crafts fragrances with distinctive conceptual underpinnings, each named with a specificity that hints at its narrative intent. The house operates as a singular creative vision rather than a commercial enterprise, producing scents that appeal to collectors and connoisseurs seeking unconventional compositions. Every release carries Denisot's personal perspective on scent as a medium for memory, travel, and sensory storytelling.
The Creator
Martine Denisot & Amelie BourgeoisDenisot gravitates toward high-quality natural materials and artisanal methods. Her formulations reflect a chemist's precision and a creator's boldness.
