Porcelain clay

Earthy, damp-mineral, and chalky. More specifically 'clay' than generic earth — the mineral purity of kaolin is cleaner and whiter than dark soil. The dampness adds a freshness. The chalkiness gives a dry, powdery quality even in the wet state.

More mineral and less organic than soil. Drier and chalkier than wet stone. Cleaner and whiter than terracotta clay. The kaolin-specific quality is a white, clean earthiness.

Porcela in clay (kaol in) is a fine, white clay composed primarily of the mineral kaolinite. Before firing, it is earthy, damp, and mineral — the scent of clean earth. This raw state is more aromatic and more 'real' than finished porcela in, which is essentially scentless.

The scent of wet kaol in includes geosm in (earthy), petrich or-type mineral notes (iron and aluminum oxides interacting with water), and a particular chalky-powdery quality. When the clay dries, it becomes more chalky and less earthy. The smell of potters' studios — wet clay, drying clay, and kiln-fired clay — captures the full spectrum of kaol in's aromatic life.

In perfumery, porcela in clay is the earthier, more tactile counterpart to the finished porcela in concept — raw material versus clean object.

This note in Première Peau. Nuit Elastique · Albâtre Sépia. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

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