The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Parallel Souls arrived in 2024 as part of Zlaza's White Collection, a curated lineup from a designer's catalog of fragrance compositions. The composition was created by Bérangère Bourgarel, a perfumer whose portfolio spans a range of projects. Here, the brief reads almost like a poem: two people who recognize each other across a room, a frequency that needs no translation. The name itself, Parallel Souls, frames the scent as a meditation on that recognition, on the idea that some connections run alongside a groove already cut into you. Parallel Souls is composed with a measured restraint that reflects the conceptual framing of the White Collection, where each release seems to occupy its own quiet interior rather than competing for attention.
What makes Parallel Souls structurally interesting is how it balances a deceptively simple top-to-base arc. Green pear and lemon provide a sharp, bright opening that could easily tip into commercial fresh territory, but Bourgarel pulls it back through a single rose heart before anchoring the whole composition in myrrh and amber. Myrrh in particular is a resinous choice, one that brings depth and gravity to what could have been a simple fruit floral.
The evolution
On skin, Parallel Souls begins with a bright, almost sparkling green pear cut by lemon zest, clean and lifted in the first ten minutes. It smells like biting into fruit that hasn't quite ripened, with a crispness that wakes the nose rather than coating it. The pear note carries a faintly vegetal edge, as though the fruit were still attached to its stem, and the lemon adds a sharpened zestiness that keeps the opening from collapsing into sweetness. By the thirty-minute mark, the citrus has burned off and a single, restrained rose steps in, not a bouquet but a petal pressed between pages. This rose has a slightly powdery, almost dry character, more reminiscent of rose absolute than a fresh garden bloom, and it occupies the composition without crowding it. Around the two-hour point, the base begins its slow takeover.
Cultural impact
Parallel Souls sits in a curious middle space, more constructed and intentional than a casual everyday scent, yet more accessible than compositions that lean heavily on resin and smoke. It is the kind of scent that tends to attract wearers who want something quietly distinctive, a fragrance that reveals itself slowly rather than announcing itself at the door. The combination of green pear, rose, myrrh, and amber gives it a profile that feels both familiar and slightly off-center, grounded enough for daily wear but unusual enough to invite a second sniff.
The House
ZlazaZlaza is an artisanal fragrance house built around emotional storytelling, where each scent is conceived as a personal narrative rather than a commercial product. Based in Lusignan, France, with a presence reportedly spanning both French and Albanian markets, the brand draws on a founders' shared love of scent, travel, and partnership to compose fragrances that aim to bottle intangible moments. The catalog centers on artistic, identity-driven compositions across multiple collections, including the 2024 lineup of Cybell, Aetheria, Astral, Desiderium, Meridian, Timeless, Oud & Tonka, Scenteligence, Celestique, and Oud & Pear, alongside newer launches such as the Volo D'Amore series and the White Collection.
The Creator
Bérengère BourgarelBérengère Bourgarel's compositional style appears characterized by clarity and structure. Her fragrances tend to unfold methodically, with distinct but harmonious transitions between top, heart, and base notes.
