Chapter II · Green · Eau de Parfum
A Friday afternoon · Shinjuku Gyoen · Tokyo
A Rain Reverie
Green leaves wet with rain, wild flowers by the lake, then a slow settling into the warmth of anise and clove.
R Parfums editors · from the words of Rei Nguyen
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Pluviophile is a green scent by Rei Nguyen. Its story begins in Shinjuku Gyoen, Tokyo: every Friday afternoon, Rei would sit on a wooden bench, eating a bento and watching the rain dance on the lake. From that bench, Pluviophile went on to two exhibitions: “Pluviophile – The Rain Lover” in 2024 and “Pluviophile – Chapter 2” in 2026.
Friday afternoon. Rain falls over Shinjuku Gyoen.
You linger on a wooden bench, watching a silver veil of rain dance on the lake.
A cool wind carries the scent of wild flowers. Somewhere, the bees are still humming.
No one is waiting for you. There is no need to hurry.
Key note · what the eye cannot see
Geosmin is a compound made by bacteria in the soil; it is part of the damp, earthy smell that rises when rain first touches the ground. In Pluviophile, geosmin draws a faint trace of earth through the rain.
Less than 0.01% of the formula. Just enough to remind you how the ground smells.
A clock on the skin
Choose a moment. The scent opens layer by layer, the way that afternoon’s rain slowly eased.
Green Leaves · Rain · Rhubarb
The first drops fall. Green leaves, damp earth, a touch of tart rhubarb.
The bottle · Patina
Pluviophile wears Verde Patina, the colour of water on a clear lake. Through the glass, the green of the brass melts into the blue of the perfume.
The idea came from relics in Huế; twelve months of research and development went into the Patina line.
Each bottle is one of a kind, for one owner.
The story of the plateFilm · Series #1
Series #1 — The Patina Bottle: the first film in R Parfums’ craft series, following the brass from the first day to today.
The bottle · Ceramic
The same scent, in a 50 ml glass bottle under a round ceramic cap that has been through the kiln, its glaze recalling Chu Đậu ware. The glaze follows the scent, white for Pluviophile, and the maker’s hand the tassel, so each Ceramic bottle comes to you as it was finished.
“Sometimes I still can imagine myself sitting on that wooden bench in Shinjuku Park, watching the falling rain. My heart was light and my mind flowed with the water. It was strange that I never felt lonely in the rain.
Pluviophile is for those who seek peace in the tranquility of rain.”
Rei Nguyen, perfumer · from the Journal piece on Pluviophile, 18 September 2023
Glass raindrops hanging on threads, at a Pluviophile exhibition.
19–31 July 2024 · rains from Vietnam to Japan, in seven scents made for the exhibition · the exhibition in the Archive →
Bare feet on soft grass. To touch the earth is a wonderful thing. An earthly scent. When feet kiss the ground.
The earth smiles at a passing shower. After days of drought. The scent of a gentle wait.
Do you know the best thing about a clear umbrella? You feel the rain close around you, and yet you stay dry.
A wandering cloud has two choices. It can weave itself into other clouds and become rain. Or it can vanish for ever. Whatever form it takes, at heart it remains a lonely cloud, at ease with itself.
Rain comes softly down from the sky to wander over a calm lake. With every breath of wind, it dances as it pleases. A tender meeting of waters.
Wood has a natural memory: it keeps the thoughts and feelings of those who sit on it. When you need somewhere to think alone, sometimes a wooden bench is all it takes.
Beneath the great trunks of the trees. Above carpets of deep green grass.
One scent, two 50 ml bottles. One carries a brass plate turned to patina; the other wears a ceramic cap that has been through the fire.
See the full pyramid and choose a bottle on the Pluviophile page →
Patina · brass and time
Three pieces of brass on the bottle, in Verde Patina, each at a different stage of patina.
Eau de Parfum · each bottle with its own brass plate.
Watch the craft film →
Ceramic · clay, glaze and fire
A round ceramic cap that has been through the fire, in the white glaze of Pluviophile. A two-sided ceramic charm (the R logo on one face, the name of its scent on the other) below the neck.
Eau de Parfum · each bottle has a look of its own.
Watch the craft film →Smaller sizes · Pluviophile 12 ml 1.069.200 ₫US$45 · 2 ml sample 194.400 ₫US$8 · Discovery Set, five 2 ml vials, 918.000 ₫US$35 · incl. 8% VAT
See smaller sizes →R Space, 34 Nguyễn Duy Hiệu, Thảo Điền — An Khánh Ward · 8:00–18:00
42 Nguyễn Huệ, The Café Apartment, Level 2, Sài Gòn Ward — inside NOTE – The Scent Lab · 9:00–22:00
26 Lý Tự Trọng, Level 3, Sài Gòn Ward — inside Saigon Scent Lab · 10:00–21:30
Ho Chi Minh City · open daily · every house has all six scents to try on skin
We currently deliver within Vietnam only. Visiting from abroad? Collect your order at any of our three houses.
Delivery and returns →Bank Transfer by VietQR (VND) or Credit Card (USD). VietQR orders are held for 60 minutes while we wait for payment.
How to pay →The rains pass quickly. The scent of one who loves them lingers on the skin.
