Masa is a fragrance born from a fusion of inspiration, precision, and artistic collaboration. Crafted by renowned senior perfumer Marc Daniel Heimgartner, it captures the essence of a unique and complex creation. In this interview, Marc shares the story behind Masa, revealing the thoughtful balance of rare ingredients, the challenges of harmonizing its distinctive aquatic and ambery notes, and the personal influences that breathe life into this extraordinary scent. 

What was the eureka moment or key inspiration behind the creation of Masa? Could you share the story or the emotional journey that led to its inception?

This close collaboration with the Brand was simply amazing. Moe shared his ideas and the vision for a top-secret aquatic crispy idea with me at the KAJAL stand at Esxence 2022. The final name of MASA at this stage was not yet defined. Purely by coincidence, I was working on a futuristic clear, shining aquatic creation and had several samples with me. We smelled different formulations, and one of the samples attracted Moe. We had an intense and important discussion about the brand in general, the KAJAL signature and collections, and dos and don'ts for this new and unique idea. This was the unexpected key and starting point of the MASA creation. Not an easy target, it needed to be fresh, green, unique aquatic, not too fruity or woody or ambery or with similar ingredients as other fragrances in the collection. This overall unisex (leaned 10% more to the masculine direction) new scent must be multifaceted, surprising, and contemporary and with a certain complex modernity.

What guided your selection of botanicals and other elements in Masa? What secret qualities do these ingredients bring to the fragrance that are crucial for its unique scent profile?

All the other Kajal fragrances were so successful, with an educated fan base. The brand is very dedicated to the overall design - including bottles and packaging, so we all raised the bar to an elevated level for this new creation. With the MASA idea, I wanted to include the specific green colour, the story of the single diamond, the lunar moon phase, and beyond. We knew we wanted to use high-quality ingredients to ensure we keep and extend this unique Kajal signature. I used a quite large amount of a rare diffusive high-priced and characteristic-smelling patchouli quality. This quality contains a high amount of patchoulol (patchouli alcohol). This quality helped to increase the sillage and diffusion without being too earthy, which is especially useful when you want to blend additional ambery and woody molecules with florals, citrus oils, and fruity accords. In this specific case, the patchouli quality needed to fit this "exceptional aquatic" accord we had at the beginning of the fragrance brainstorming.

Could you detail the artistic and technical steps you take from sketching the initial scent idea to perfecting the final fragrance? What innovative methods do you use in testing and refining the scent?

When you create a fragrance, you have a big responsibility with the perfect aesthetics and the right product fit for the requested consumer group or market requirements. A successful scent needs a certain balance and interaction of all the ingredients. I love to touch people's noses and hearts with my fragrance creations, a stimulation and reactivation of their hidden olfactive memories and emotions. To work exclusively on MASA was an enormous privilege, and we had a great collaboration in every step of the creation process. KAJAL received 3-5 new creation submissions with some slight changes. We evaluated the new blends, and I received helpful feedback. Before the final decision at the Pitti Fragranze in Florence, it became apparent that we would go for one of the previous versions. In the last blind tests with Kajal customers, distributors, friends of the brand, and visitors of the niche fragrance exhibition, it was clear that sample 5D was the most attractive one.

What unexpected hurdles did you encounter in the making of Masa, especially with regards to sourcing or harmonizing the ingredients?

The adaptation of the magnificent transparent aquatic accord into the overall patchouli ambery blend was the trickiest part of the creation. On a private trip to Scotland in Summer 2022, I smelled a unique sea breeze consisting of aromatic plants, rain showers, and herbs which would fit perfectly to the MASA concept. The Gulf of Corryvreckan is a special place on earth. I recreated this coniferous resinous accord with a botanical vegetal character later in my laboratory, and it was the perfect match. Furthermore, I increased the rosemary in the formula for a better olfactive "green" colour fit. Passionate perfumers are dreamers; we always try to turn the fragrance in a different direction and make the blends more attractive than before. We never give up. For the diamond lucidity and crispness, I used bergamot and other citrus essential oils, with a playful soft yellow plum accord (Mirabelle).

Is there a distinctive mark or a recurring theme you strive to embed in all your perfumes? How does this signature manifest in Masa?

Briefings can be vastly different, but I mainly love to create with my eclectic style, detailed, complex, and in a mysterious way with an Arabic touch. Creating fragrances is an art form, a craftsmanship full of intuition and melancholia. Polarizing or extravagant, aesthetic olfactive concepts can be very fascinating. I love when fragrance users explore new facets in my fragrance creations.

Do any of the ingredients in Masa have a personal or cultural significance to you? How does this connection shape your creative approach?

My approach is the quote of Paracelsus - "Dosis sola facit venenum" which means, "Only the dose makes the poison." It's hard to explain, but what I love is the invisible power of the art and beauty of chemistry and the synthetic molecules, and the interaction of the natural ingredients.

What intriguing or unexpected reactions have people had to Masa? Can you share any memorable feedback that surprised you?

Perfumers learn at an early stage of their careers to be open to negative or sometimes disrespectful criticism of a perfume. Especially when you are creating a unique niche fragrance, there is always a bigger risk that not everybody will like it. The responses and reactions on MASA are truly incredibly positive. A big niche fragrance enthusiast approached me in the middle of Esxence in Milan this year, saying, "OMG, are YOU the perfumer who created MASA? Thank you so much for this; it's an incredible gem, a masterpiece. I love it so much." Frankly, after this situation, I urgently needed a second espresso.