Patchouli Riviera
Mistral Patchouli
Atelier Cologne 2013

Patchouli Riviera / Mistral Patchouli by Atelier Cologne

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7.4 / 10 211 Ratings

A perfume by Atelier Cologne for women and men, released in 2013. The scent is fresh-spicy. It is being marketed by L'Oréal.

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Main accords

Fresh

Spicy

Earthy

Citrus

Green

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Florida grapefruit

Star anise

Madagascar pepper

Heart Notes

Egyptian geranium

Iris tingitana

Somalian frankincense

Base Notes

Indonesian patchouli

Haitian vetiver

Siam benzoin

Perfumer

Jérôme Epinette

Ratings

Scent

7.4211 Ratings

Longevity

6.3157 Ratings

Sillage

5.7165 Ratings

Bottle

7.0143 Ratings

Value for money

6.133 Ratings

Submitted by DonVanVliet, last update on 06/03/2025.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Mandragore

Mandragore Pourpre Eau de Toilette

Terre d'Hermès Eau de Toilette

Patchouli vrai

Reviews

5 in-depth fragrance descriptions

04/15/2014

7
Scent

Silverfire
130 Reviews

Silverfire

Helpful Review 3

Light Soapy Citrus

Mistral Patchouli goes on with an orange rind, very sour lemon aroma commingled with a citrusy and expansive iris. I also detect neroli, though it's not listed. This doesn't radiate anything nautical to me (unlike Nautica Voyage); the accompanying postcard suggests various knickknacks of the sea. The scent is nice and fresh without crossing over into toilet deodorizer territory.

An hour in it floralizes and expands its silage wings, turning more feminine. By six hours it recedes to a velvety fresh citrus skin scent. It's not terribly masculine nor feminine. Exposing it to heat brings it back, though -- a light, soapy, citrusy smell. It lasts, and it works as an all-around cologne, but despite its frissions of quality, Mistral Patchouli lacks the underlying aggression that would make it a standout fragrance.

06/03/2025

ClaireV
958 Reviews

ClaireV

1

Mistral was the more apt moniker

Mistral was a good name for this (now re-named Riviera) because it really does smell like a bunch of garrigue herbs - anise, wild mint, mastic - and tangy citruses bruised and whipped up into the salty sting of the Mistral wind that occasionally pummels the South of France. A colleague of mine once brought me into the Garrigue that lies to the west of Montpelier and first, I am ashamed to say that this was when I learned that the garrigue was not some vague perfumery term for the type of sunburnt, anisic herbs you smell in Eau Noire but an actual physical type of eco-region in Southern France, and second, there really is a special scent on the wind there.

For me, L'Eau Trois and Eau Noire really capture this scent, as do many of Marc-Antoine Cortecchiato's creations for Parfum d'Empire. Mistral features a great deal of this 'air' - it smells like anise, pepper, crushed geranium leaves, mint, and pastis, cut with the sharp horny outer peel of pomelos and inedible citrus like bergamot and citron. The dankness of the patchouli is there alright, but you catch only glimpses of it now and then through the gauzy haze of herbs and citrus peel, and even then it is hard to tell where the patchouli begins and the camphor of the mastic begins.

I have only two caveats. First, there is a lingering sourness to the citrus plunged into white musks here that reminds me of linens washed in rainwater and folded away damp. This is not an unfamiliar accord to me - I smell it also in Musc Panache and Gatsby 22. This type of thing is 10% refreshing and 90% wearying to my nose. Second, and perhaps the nail in the coffin, I am not overly fond of Atelier Cologne's habit of drenching most of its lighter, citrusy fragrances in that Iso E Super-y white musk nonsense. I feel personally affronted by 'niche' fragrances that lay out all the exciting stuff in the topnotes and then default to an exceptionally lazy and boring paint by numbers basenotes accord. Atelier Cologne is, of course, not the only brand to do it, but it is a frequent offender (oh, the glory of Orange Sanguine for all of the five minutes it sings before collapsing into white musk). To its credit, Mistral Patchouli is far subtler in its transition to the Iso E Super and musk, and the herbal freshness up top is really invigorating, so it gets a pass.

04/03/2015

LicoriceRain
57 Reviews

LicoriceRain

Awkward, but still a nice orange and patchouli fragrance.

Unusual grapefruit and licorice (anise) opening, but actually smells like oranges. Now I think orange and patchouli make a nice blend, but something is off. As much as I love the smell of grapefruit, licorice, and pepper, *individually*, I’m not sure they blend well together, or with patchouli. Now, if Atelier Cologne removed the pepper, which I think tries to dominate by wrestling with the licorice, I think it might work because grapefruit, licorice, and patchouli would flow together, not stagnate, as it does with the pepper. But as it is now, Mistral Patchouli seems to be a slightly confused, discordant blend. A much better patchouli frag is Fields of Rubus by Kerosene, which isn’t so heavy-handed, but is actually a “happy” scent, although quite strong. That berry-apple jam, vanilla, and patchouli socialize far better than the awkward notes in Mistral Patchouli. Definitely not the best from Atelier Cologne.
UPDATE: While wearing it again, I really like the opening. Maybe I've been too picky in my review because I like Mistral Patchouli in spite of the muddled feeling. Overall, I am fascinated with Atelier Colognes, and plan to sample more.

05/23/2019

7
Bottle 7
Sillage 7
Longevity 8.5
Scent

Wanderman
2 Reviews

Translated Show original

Wanderman

Top Review 20

Mediterranean in low season

My spring fragrance and in my top 3 of all Atelier Colognes fragrances (with Emeraude Agar for autumn and Oud Sapphire for winter). I'm sure it's helpful if you like aniseed. It smells a bit like cold pastis enriched with a good shot of grapefruit. Normally I don't like perfumes that smell like food and drink, but I like to make an exception for anise. It was a good choice for Atelier Cologne to choose anise to evoke the French Mistral sea wind, which is a sharp, cutting wind instead of a gentle summer breeze. M.P. is not sweet anise, licorice or sambucco, but bitter and sour. Like cold sea water on your face sailing in spring. Fortunately, the scent does not try to smell of the sea itself, as these sea scents usually smell very chemical. M.P. smells very natural. Instead of taking a perfect photo of the sea, M.P. evokes the Mediterranean Sea in the harsher season with a few brushstrokes in white, green and blue.

07/08/2021

6
Pricing 7
Bottle 6
Sillage 6
Longevity 8.5
Scent

Unruh
19 Reviews

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Unruh

Very helpful Review 10

Love at second sight

Back then, when the fragrance was still called "Mistral Patchouli", I tested it for the first time. But somehow it has not sparked - probably due to wrong or not yet mature patchouli ideas and little olfactory experience. Eight years later, the fragrance, now with a modified name, inspires me all the more.

I love yes patchouli, primarily in its dry, tart expression. Unfortunately, the fine substance is too often plastered with sweetish companions such as vanilla, tonka bean or gourmandigen notes. Accordingly, it is difficult to find a summery patchouli scent. Bottega Veneta pour Homme Essence Aromatique has already managed this well. What both have in common is the subtle use of my favorite scent note, as well as their primarily green-herbaceous rather than dry-earthy hues.

"Patchouli Riviera" starts off very fruity-citrusy, with pepper and anise contributing a pleasant, exciting spiciness. The similarity to Ouzo or Pastis described in other comments I can understand. Over time, the scent becomes minimally powdery, a bit more tart, and turns grayish-green, herbaceous, with a pleasantly toned-down freshness. Not much happens now, the scent becomes minimally woodier over time and quieter and quieter until it fades away after about 5-6 hours.

Now what about the patchouli? I didn't warm up to "Mistral Patchouli" because I missed the scent. At the time. Today I know, there is not only earthy-peaty patchouli. It also comes in fresh-green-herbaceous coinage, like this one. I love both. Now. Just the strong floral direction I do not like. Still.

In general, "Patchouli Riviera" thrills me with its absence of overly bold citrus or excessive freshness (as offered by far too many summer perfumes), as well as its very exciting anise spice. This, together with its manageable development, secure it a place in the perfume selection for the summer and warm spring days.

...now first to the Greek, delicious gyro plate and a glass of ouzo. :D