Zarko Pavlov is the man behind Zarko Perfumes. He is a self taught perfumer and currently is Denmark’s only practising perfumer. His niche perfume range currently consists of six fragrances which have been launched into the UK at Space NK. There is a wave of Scandi beauty products hitting our shores and Zarko Perfumes is definitely part of that. The french perfumery tradition has a generous dose of nordic aesthetic and sensibility.
Zarko Perfumes incorporate the ‘molecules’ into their range and this is reflected in the names. I’ve been testing the most popular and most feminine fragrance from the range – Pink Molecule 090.09 Designed to evoke the feeling of pink champagne and Danish dark trees Pink Molecule is interesting because it is designed without middle notes. The fragrance pyramid is a way to describe not only the elements of the fragrance but how long the elements stay on the skin. The top notes are what you smell first and have the least longevity on the skin. The middle and heart notes provide intensity and depth. Pink Molecule has no middle which is unusual in fragrance.
This is a sweet fragrance. Sweeter than I wear but somehow I would not give this to the teens in my life. It is described as a fruity floral and the opening is definitely fruity. The sweetness of fruit that is on the cusp of being over ripe. That sweetness lasts for about half an hour. Bold, full on apricot and sweet blackcurrant – the opening is not for me. There is no heart in this fragrance and on my skin it goes from bold ripened fruit to hint of fruit in a heartbeat. It is bizarre but as I am not a fan of the over ripened element, it is also a relief. This fragrance does not work on my skin because within an hour it goes from hint of fruit to no fruit. It does not stay on my skin at all. This is definitely a fragrance that I would need to spray onto scarf to maximise longevity.
My favourites from the range are Oud-ish which manages to be light, powdery and woody at the same time, and Molecule Number 8 which takes you from citrus to wood in a couple of hours. This is a range that you definitely need to spray on the skin as what you smell on the blotter does not translate. Definitely worth investigating when you are next in SpaceNK. The range retails for £75 for 100ml