BDK Parfums Vanille Caviar
*A conversation on scent, texture, and the quiet architecture of desire
written + interview ALBAN E. SMAJLI
The afternoon opened inside a suite at Château Royal in Berlin. The rain pressed against the windows, the city somewhere below, blurred and slow. The air in the room carried a scent that felt immediate, dense, deliberate. David Benedek and Alexandra Carlin sat on a sofa, both dressed entirely in black, her blond hair catching the only light.
On the table, a single vanilla pod and the new perfume, radiating its presence before anyone spoke. The conversation began in that atmosphere, unhurried, shaped by the perfume itself, expanding through pauses and silences that smelled of warmth and depth.
They spoke about texture, about the way matter finds rhythm, about Pierre Soulages and the color black when it starts to behave like light. Vanilla, for them, is not an ingredient but a substance that carries memory, a kind of living pigment. The dialogue moved with a certain discipline, each idea unfolding as if sculpted. The perfume followed every word, invisible yet precise, marking the air with the same structure that defines the formula. Hours later the day continued at The Feuerle Collection. The city had dissolved into night, and the bunker-turned-museum seemed built for this scent. Antiques glowed beside a table that extended into darkness, lined with bottles of Vanille Caviar—glass bodies filled with golden liquid. The dinner stretched into conversation, the perfume still present, subtle, constant, shaping the mood of the room. But before language fails to describe what still lingers from that evening we return to where it began, the interview and the visuals that carry its echo.
BDK Parfums
Vanille Caviar, 100ml
Alexandra Carlin and David Benedek
at Feuerle Collection
David, you speak about Madagascar and Pierre Soulages. How did those two worlds meet in Vanille Caviar?
David
I’ve always been passionate about art since I was very young — as Alexandra has been too. When we first met, it was supposed to be just a lunch, but it lasted all afternoon. We discovered that we share the same love for art. One of my favorite artists is Pierre Soulages, but I also admire Rothko and all artists who work deeply with texture, color, and abstraction.
The first time I went to Madagascar, I witnessed a vanilla harvest and saw what we call the “caviar” of vanilla — the black grains inside the pod. When I shared this idea with Alexandra, she immediately understood what I meant. That sparked a conversation between us. From there, the project evolved — first through the idea of the smell and texture of vanilla caviar, and then into the visual and tactile world of Soulages, his play of light, depth, and the richness of black.
Alexandra
I also had Soulages in mind when I saw the vanilla fields. When the pods are laid out to dry under the sun, they create this incredible surface — sometimes matte, sometimes glossy — that truly looks like a Soulages painting. Vanilla is such a luxurious ingredient; it takes months to reach that perfect color, scent, and taste.
So, while David expressed his vision through emotion and imagery, I translated those impressions into ingredients. Each ingredient is like a word in my language as a perfumer. My goal was to recreate the sensual, dark texture of this “vanilla caviar.”.
David
It’s really a dialogue between us. I don’t only bring emotions, and she doesn’t only bring raw materials. It’s an ongoing conversation. We share both feelings and technical reflections, building the perfume together over time.
Alexandra, when you first heard David’s vision for Vanille Caviar, how did it take shape for you as a perfumer?
Alexandra
For me, it began with a visual impression — the texture of the vanilla pods drying under the sun and the depth of color, like Soulages’ blacks. I imagined translating that into scent. I used my vocabulary of ingredients to express what we both felt: warmth, sensuality, and complexity. Each raw material became a word in that story.
If you could describe the scent without using the word “vanilla,” what would you say?
David
I’d use three words: dark, enigmatic, and unexpected. It’s not the typical gourmand vanilla we often smell in perfumery. We wanted to show the darker, more leathery side of vanilla — something mysterious that draws you in.
Alexandra
I’d add “umber,” “spicy,” “balsamic,” and “addictive.” It’s warm and rich, but never sticky or overly sweet. There’s a refined sensuality to it.
“The perfume moves like emotions do. It opens fresh and spicy, then becomes warmer and deeper. Vanille Caviar carries the rhythm of life.”
David Benedek
Ann-Christin Witte, Nobilis Group
at Feuerle Collection
Fav Falone
at Feuerle Collection
When you work with something as raw as vanilla, how do you make it breathe on skin?
Alexandra
I wanted to bring the “caviar” of vanilla to life. I used an overdose of two types of vanilla extracts — the CO₂ extract and the absolute — each for different purposes. The goal was to create a texture that feels slightly oily, but in a beautiful way: rich, dense, warm, and balsamic, with a hint of leather.
It’s very much a skin perfume. We paid close attention to strength and sillage — that warm vanilla aura that feels natural, woody, spicy, and true to the raw material, without being overly sweet.
What’s the most human part of this perfume?
David
For me, it’s the evolution of the scent throughout the day. The perfume moves like emotions do. It opens fresh and spicy, then becomes warmer with the vanilla CO₂, the absolute, and the cocoa. It’s like experiencing different moods — the calm of morning, the sensual encounters of the day, the intimacy of evening. Vanille Caviar carries that rhythm of life.
And do you think of Vanille Caviar as tender or restless?
Alexandra
Definitely restless — even rebellious. It was a statement to create this kind of vanilla. The materials we used have strong personalities; they are not quiet ingredients. The perfume asserts itself.
Is there a part of Vanille Caviar you prefer not to explain and keep to yourself?
David
Not really. I wanted to share my full vision of vanilla with everyone — nothing hidden, no secret meaning behind it.
Alexandra
For me, there’s always a little secret in the formula. I keep a few ingredients to myself — elements I use for a very specific purpose. Even David doesn’t know them. Every material I include has meaning, and if it doesn’t, I remove it. That’s my secret: the invisible part of creation.
photographer: Daniel Graf
location: Feuerle Collection, Berlin
thanks to BDK Parfums and NOBILIS Group