The House of Amouage presents the final chapter

Journeys… and returns

Renaud Salmon, Chief Creative Officer at the House of Amouage, is no stranger to travel. “It is one of the most precious joys of my life,” he explains, “but I must admit that, quite often, my favourite journeys are the ones that take me to quiet, remote destinations. That’s why, as soon as I moved to Oman – with its beautiful, rich landscape – I knew that one day, I would have to make a trip to its very summit.”

Jebel Shams – Arabic for ‘mountain of the sun’ – is the highest point in Oman, rising to around 3,000 m. Those wishing to reach its peak have to navigate a rugged, off-road track, before leaving their car and embarking on a four-hour trek on foot.

“When I arrived at the base of the mountain and started walking,” says Salmon, “something caught my eye. Across the terrain were what looked like conifers at first, but when I got closer to them, I saw they were juniper trees – their branches twisted into unusual shapes.”

The sight of the trees marked the first important moment in Salmon’s journey. Junipers are amongst the most ancient, most revered species in this part of Oman. Many are survivors of the electrical storms that frequently occur in the region. When a juniper tree is struck by lightning, the heat turns the sap within the trunk into steam, causing the bark to split and fossilise. Many of the trees do not make it through this experience. A few manage to recover and live on – scarred, but very much alive. According to local legends, these trees take on a mystical quality, and their wood is sometimes burnt at home, very much like Frankincense.

With the trees high on his mind, Salmon continued to approach the summit, noticing the clouds growing so thick, that they completely obscured the land below. This marked the second crucial incident in his solitary voyage. All he could see was sky above him, clouds beneath, and a few remnants of the mountainous landscape around him.

“It was an experience I can’t even begin to put into words. I knew I was connected to the earth, and yet I also felt as though I was floating. The disorientation was profound, and curiously serene and liberating.”

Eventually, Salmon had to make his way back to the realities of the day-to-day world. “But as I started the return drive, I was filled with complete certainty about one thing: my experience would somehow have to be expressed as perfume creations for Amouage.” He shared his feelings about his trip with acclaimed perfumer Quentin Bisch. They began exchanging ideas on what an olfactory representation of Jabal Shams might smell like. Finally, after months of trials and discussions, they arrived at a duo of majestic compositions: Decision and Existence.

DECISION – the expression of a transformative moment

In keeping with Salmon and Bisch’s attempt to convey the life-changing power of a conscious choice, the opening of Decision is extraordinarily piercing: an olfactory bolt of lightning banishing the darkness of uncertainty. This striking effect is achieved through a combination of Bergamot, Juniper Berries, Frankincense and Myrrh. The former lend a cool, woody quality – echoing the petrified bark of the trees – while the remainder project a flinty, citrusy, mineralic sparkle. The luminosity of the trio is arresting and unavoidable, compelling all around to take note of its might.

After this unequivocal beginning, the light appears to spread further, aided by the all-pervasive, gleaming effect of Atlas Cedarwood. When coupled with a deeply grounding, almost surprisingly warm Vanilla in the base, the wood note captures the profoundly liberating effect of acceptance. It imbues its wearer with the conviction that all of life is there for the taking – as long as one makes a determined attempt to surrender to its complexities.

Uncompromising, distinctive and incandescent, the perfume captures the paradox that lies at the core of all of life’s most powerful decisions: it is focussed on its goal while remaining open to countless possibilities.

EXISTENCE – the serenity of endlessness

If Decision is a sharp beam of enlightenment, then Existence is the complete absence of lines, edges or angles: a space where the notion of material territories is non-existent. This evocation of endlessness is achieved primarily through a heart-breaking lily of the valley note. Fashioned by Bisch into an entity that is suitably delicate and fragile, it is also possessed of a remarkable expansiveness, thanks to the addition of tender Frankincense.

As the scent develops, its embrace of the infinite becomes increasingly all-encompassing. An Aldehyde note enhances the impression of pristine whiteness. A Rose facet introduces a suggestion of living, breathing physicality. And the use of Benzoin in the base conveys the idea that this landscape is firmly rooted to the complicated reality of the earth. As though placing us in the position of the figure in Friedrich’s Wanderer Above The Sea Of Fog – a painting which formed part of Salmon’s inspiration for this perfume – Existence is suspended within life itself. It is both out of time and entirely at one with it.

Bright, sincere and emotive, Existence captures the incomprehensible vastness of the infinite, with all of its life-affirming optimism.  

 COMPLETION

The release of Decision and Existence marks the conclusion of the Odyssey narrative of perfumes at Amouage, which began in 2020 with Meander, Ashore, Crimson Rocks and Enclave. Exploring not just the geographical territory of the varied Omani landscape, but also more metaphysical notions of travel, the collection continued with Boundless and Material (2021), as well as Lineage, Search, Guidance and Purpose (2023). Now, this new chapter ends this particular story, while hinting at further journeys to come.

PACKAGING & PRESENTATION

Decision and Existence are housed in the iconic Amouage flacons, featuring details and motifs inspired by the culture of Oman. The seagull-grey colour of the flacon for Decision reflects the scent’s dazzling single-mindedness, whereas the celadon hue of Existence is an expression of the perfume’s more ethereal sensibility. As ever, the external packaging displays the dreamily sensuous visuals of Belgian artist Louise Mertens. Her creation for Decision features a bold, eye-catching motif of a cross-section of a tree bark, reflecting the perfume’s focus on juniper trees, while her composition for Existence is a dreamy, abstract conjuration of what could be a canopy of clouds or an unending sea.

The visual campaign accompanying this release – created by Louise Mertens – ingeniously transforms incense smoke into an ethereal cloud-scape. The flacons for Decision and Existence pierce the whiteness like majestic summits cutting through mist – symbols of transcendence, surrounded by the all-enveloping undeniability of the eternal.

KEY FRAGRANCES INFORMATION

Decision

FRAGRANCE FAMILY: Fresh Woody Aromatic

Top notes: Pink Pepper, Bergamot, Cardamom

Heart notes: Frankincense, Juniper, Myrrh

Base notes: Patchouli, Cedarwood, Vanilla

Perfumer: Quentin Bisch

Concentration: Eau De Parfum, containing 33% of pure oils.

Ageing: Maturation: 2 weeks | Maceration: 3 weeks.

Existence

FRAGRANCE FAMILY: Floral Musky

Top notes: Lily of the Valley, Rose

Heart notes: Frankincense, Mystikal, Labdanum

Base notes: Ambergris, White Musk, Benzoin

Perfumer: Quentin Bisch

Concentration: Eau De Parfum, containing 20% of pure oils.

Ageing: Maturation: 2 weeks | Maceration: 2 weeks.

Amouage Decision and Existence can be purchased exclusively in avant-premiere online at www.amouage.com as of March 12th, at Amouage boutiques as of April 1^st, and at distributors worldwide as of May 1^st, 2025.