L'Eau de Cologne Eau Fraîche Christian Tortu 1997
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A Cologne
'Eau Fraîche' is a wonderful, slightly modernized, classic cologne. Unobtrusive, gently aromatic, sun-kissed and very natural. Less complex than a cologne, but - despite its lightness - somewhat denser and richer. Like a Mediterranean edition. Juicy in its dominant citrus notes, dry-powdery in its subtle cinnamon spice, delicately floral and elegant in its rose geranium tone and close to nature in its gentle, leafy-mossy base.
The reason why I am writing a review a year and a half after my statement lies in the fact that there are two versions of this fragrance that are noticeably different. My statement refers to the second version, called 'L'Eau de Cologne', which I got to know at Duft & Kultur in Vienna. Now I was lucky enough to get my hands on the original version, 'Eau Fraîche', through a Parfumo swap - my heartfelt thanks go to Hammelburg28. And I find it a good deal more successful.
**Fragrance description:**
in the tradition of classic colognes, 'Eau Fraîche' focuses on a collection of citrus notes. Here, a verbena or verbena-like note stands out for me, which is reminiscent of the taste of yellow Nimm2 sweets. Juicy, fruity, sweet and lemony with a delicate, bitter lemon balm note. This citrus tone takes center stage throughout the entire fragrance. The fact that it doesn't get lost in this - albeit very pleasant - monotony, as happens for me with L'Occitane en Provences 'Verveine' fragrance, for example, is due to the sensitive support of excellently coordinated leg notes.
The combination of the dominant citrus accord of light tartness and moderate sweetness is first picked up by a soft, slightly powdery cinnamon note, which also combines both characteristics and lends a neat, charming, sweet-woody aroma. For me, this is the most striking of the notes, but remains wonderfully restrained. It is even more subtle with a rose geranium-like note - in my nose - which adds a barely noticeable florality and reinforces the elegant impression. Both notes, cinnamon and rose geranium, can be found in many classic men's fragrances and this one also has subtle hints of them. Due to the minimal dosage, however, it does not come across as a self-confident men's fragrance, but rather as a sensitive, dreamy variation on it. This is one of the main reasons why I like it so much. Finally, it is given further depth by a vetiver-related, leafy nuance with a delicate mossy touch.
In combination, the fragrance strikes me as a blend of ripe, juicy, sweet citrus notes with a slightly powdery layer of crushed, cinnamon leaves and a hint of florality. The southern Italian sun has removed almost all moisture and clear boundaries between the ingredients, so that its consistency appears hazy and dry.
Since only agrum is listed in the official fragrance notes, the mentioned notes are my personal guess. Perhaps the aromatic aspects of the fragrance are achieved solely through the profile of the Amalfi lemon, which is supposed to be very complex (juicy, sweet, mildly sour, aromatic), but unfortunately I don't know. This "complexity" is also the main difference to the follow-up version. This is because the latter only shows its green coloration at the beginning - where it is more galbanum-like and much more intense in the dosage than its predecessor - but then very quickly retreats to a monotonous, lemony, less juicy and much less aromatic base. The cinnamon spice and light florality are completely absent. If at least the galbanum coloration had remained, my rating would have been higher. This now creates the original version, which I would rate a 9.0. However, since the current version is concisely noted on this page, I will leave my previous rating unchanged.
**Shelf life and silage:**
In keeping with its cologne-like characteristics, it is a fragrance that is close to the body and lasts for a day if used generously. This makes it much more persistent than the 'L'Eau de Cologne' version, which I am also leaving here for the reason mentioned above (for the original version, I share Rivegauche's assessment {7.5}, which - judging by his flacon photos - refers to that one).
**Info about the brand:**
Christian Tortu is one of the best-known French florists and is primarily known in the fragrance sector for his scented candles and room fragrances. As far as I know, he has released three fragrances in the perfume sector: the 'Eau Fraîche' and 'L'Eau de Cologne' discussed here as well as the 'Riviera' from 2019 (also listed until recently at "Duft & Kultur" in Vienna) and an 'Eau de Toilette', which is supposed to be a completely floral fragrance, but which I have never seen in nature (only on Fragrantica in picture and text and on perfumica.com in text form). Tortu's style emphasizes in particular the freshness and naturalness of nature. The main characters are flowers, citrus fruits, plants and forests, which is why most of his fragrances are citrusy, green, woody and floral. Incidentally, there is an interesting connection to James Heeley, who designed vases for Tortu while he was still a designer. Tortu's collaboration is said to have been the trigger for Heeley's fascination with fragrances.
**Conclusion:**
If you like cologne, you will probably enjoy this fragrance. It is a slender, timeless, Mediterranean interpretation, natural, sensitive and unpretentious - almost unperfumed. A wonderfully modest quality fragrance. Unfortunately, it shares the fate of discontinued fragrances and is also almost impossible to find.
The reason why I am writing a review a year and a half after my statement lies in the fact that there are two versions of this fragrance that are noticeably different. My statement refers to the second version, called 'L'Eau de Cologne', which I got to know at Duft & Kultur in Vienna. Now I was lucky enough to get my hands on the original version, 'Eau Fraîche', through a Parfumo swap - my heartfelt thanks go to Hammelburg28. And I find it a good deal more successful.
**Fragrance description:**
in the tradition of classic colognes, 'Eau Fraîche' focuses on a collection of citrus notes. Here, a verbena or verbena-like note stands out for me, which is reminiscent of the taste of yellow Nimm2 sweets. Juicy, fruity, sweet and lemony with a delicate, bitter lemon balm note. This citrus tone takes center stage throughout the entire fragrance. The fact that it doesn't get lost in this - albeit very pleasant - monotony, as happens for me with L'Occitane en Provences 'Verveine' fragrance, for example, is due to the sensitive support of excellently coordinated leg notes.
The combination of the dominant citrus accord of light tartness and moderate sweetness is first picked up by a soft, slightly powdery cinnamon note, which also combines both characteristics and lends a neat, charming, sweet-woody aroma. For me, this is the most striking of the notes, but remains wonderfully restrained. It is even more subtle with a rose geranium-like note - in my nose - which adds a barely noticeable florality and reinforces the elegant impression. Both notes, cinnamon and rose geranium, can be found in many classic men's fragrances and this one also has subtle hints of them. Due to the minimal dosage, however, it does not come across as a self-confident men's fragrance, but rather as a sensitive, dreamy variation on it. This is one of the main reasons why I like it so much. Finally, it is given further depth by a vetiver-related, leafy nuance with a delicate mossy touch.
In combination, the fragrance strikes me as a blend of ripe, juicy, sweet citrus notes with a slightly powdery layer of crushed, cinnamon leaves and a hint of florality. The southern Italian sun has removed almost all moisture and clear boundaries between the ingredients, so that its consistency appears hazy and dry.
Since only agrum is listed in the official fragrance notes, the mentioned notes are my personal guess. Perhaps the aromatic aspects of the fragrance are achieved solely through the profile of the Amalfi lemon, which is supposed to be very complex (juicy, sweet, mildly sour, aromatic), but unfortunately I don't know. This "complexity" is also the main difference to the follow-up version. This is because the latter only shows its green coloration at the beginning - where it is more galbanum-like and much more intense in the dosage than its predecessor - but then very quickly retreats to a monotonous, lemony, less juicy and much less aromatic base. The cinnamon spice and light florality are completely absent. If at least the galbanum coloration had remained, my rating would have been higher. This now creates the original version, which I would rate a 9.0. However, since the current version is concisely noted on this page, I will leave my previous rating unchanged.
**Shelf life and silage:**
In keeping with its cologne-like characteristics, it is a fragrance that is close to the body and lasts for a day if used generously. This makes it much more persistent than the 'L'Eau de Cologne' version, which I am also leaving here for the reason mentioned above (for the original version, I share Rivegauche's assessment {7.5}, which - judging by his flacon photos - refers to that one).
**Info about the brand:**
Christian Tortu is one of the best-known French florists and is primarily known in the fragrance sector for his scented candles and room fragrances. As far as I know, he has released three fragrances in the perfume sector: the 'Eau Fraîche' and 'L'Eau de Cologne' discussed here as well as the 'Riviera' from 2019 (also listed until recently at "Duft & Kultur" in Vienna) and an 'Eau de Toilette', which is supposed to be a completely floral fragrance, but which I have never seen in nature (only on Fragrantica in picture and text and on perfumica.com in text form). Tortu's style emphasizes in particular the freshness and naturalness of nature. The main characters are flowers, citrus fruits, plants and forests, which is why most of his fragrances are citrusy, green, woody and floral. Incidentally, there is an interesting connection to James Heeley, who designed vases for Tortu while he was still a designer. Tortu's collaboration is said to have been the trigger for Heeley's fascination with fragrances.
**Conclusion:**
If you like cologne, you will probably enjoy this fragrance. It is a slender, timeless, Mediterranean interpretation, natural, sensitive and unpretentious - almost unperfumed. A wonderfully modest quality fragrance. Unfortunately, it shares the fate of discontinued fragrances and is also almost impossible to find.
18 Comments
Apparently his scented candles and room fragrances are sold in Germany, but not the scents.
I should like his direction very much.
Simply a pleasure to read!