Eau Dynamisante Clarins 1987

I have been wearing a lot of chypre perfumes these cold winter nights, and it occurred to me that my very first chypre was Clarins EAU DYNAMISANTE, although it does not fit the standard profile of either chypre floral or chypre fruity perfumes familiar to me. Instead, EAU DYNAMISANTE opens as a very bracing aromatic fragrance, with lemon and caraway standing out immediately.

EAU DYNAMISANTE is marketed as a "body treatment fragrance," but it is really as much of a jolt to one's mind as to one's body, serving to invigorate and uplift the wearer. I used to spray this all over my body after every single bath. If the intense opening lasted longer than it takes to get dressed, ED would probably be too much to wear as a perfume. Happily, the fragrance settles down, leaving only a faintly floral-caraway-clean patchouli behind, one which will complement any other chypre, it seems to me. In fact, I think I'll test that hypothesis shortly...

I have consumed about ten gallons of EAU DYNAMISANTE, probably more than all of the others combined, and I still love it! When Dior's EAU SVELTE was discontinued, I started to worry that the fate of EAU DYNAMISANTE would be the same, so I began stockpiling this treasure, of which a couple of bottles still remain. Needless to say, I highly recommend this fragrance. It is bright and sharp, but Clarins uses all natural ingredients and essential oils, so there is no cause for fear that the sharpness might be due to sci-fi secret agents... Spray on!!!

A very aromatic and sensual fragrance. Eau Dynamisante took me by surprise.

I always avoided trying the Clarins range because of the bottles which looked like they contained makeup remover or toner fluid rather than perfume. What shocked me was the high quality of this fragrance.

This fragrance is fresh, spicy and woodsy, perfect for wear in the warmer months.

The opening that consists of lively citrus and herbaceous coriander and caraway, blends together beautifully. During the drydown, before the big patchouli finale, I hinted something that smelt rather like Indian cuisine, rich and spicy.

Patchouli is what rounds off Eau Dynamisante. The patchouli is very appealing to my nose as it has a slightly musty feel to it and it lasts on the skin for ages.

I really love the way in which Eau Dynamisante transforms from a bright and lively citrus scent to a rich, spicy, earthy and musty patchouli. This is a scent that transcends beyond being unique and ventures into a world where a fragrance can be many scents all in one.

I will not examine the veracity of the claim that Eau Dyanmisante a "treatment fragrance" that provides "firmness," but I will say it does embody vitality and freshness. It's opening flourish delights my nose with a lemon and rosemary, soon giving way to a stimulating accord reminding me of herbes de provence. It's rendered mildly spicy, cool, and earthy in its dry down. It's a pick-me-up, a spa treatment in bottled form, but not merely a means to an end that descends with a murmur.

Granted, one may want to apply more than once throughout the day, but there are a number of other fragrances, niche, designer, you name it, that are less substantive than Eau Dynamisante. Attractive sillage and an aromatherapy quality: who could ask for more? Fans of Sisley Eau de Campagne and Goutal Eau de Sud would surely approve. Even the clinical red glass bottle has charm.   

If red Vermouth were a perfume, it might have smelled like this.
Dynamisante was red, citrus, herbal and spicy; but softer - mellowed by sweet and woody-powdery notes.

It had a salubrious touch, which makes me think of muscle rub. And that means oil of wintergreen or Methyl salicylate, which Wikipedia describes as 'a fruity odour reminiscent of root beer'.

Medicinal and slightly camphoraceous - as well as herbal and softly perfumed - Eau Dynamisante fell somewhere between perfume and medication.

If you took away the red hue, and allow the green tint of herbs to come through, you might have had something like l'Occitane's Eau des 4 voleurs, which was based on a homemade brew that a gang of thieves used to protect themselves from infection when burgling plague victim's houses. Even though it has ancient origins, the 4 Thieves Water didn't appear until 4 years later than the Clarins. Dynamisante may have been a perfume oddity, but it wasn't without influence.

I think, nowadays, it's not the same as it used to be. The current version feels lighter and less powdery than the vintage one, but it's still good, more of a woody fougère.

A friend took a bottle to a clinic to recouperate from an operation. I don't know whether it protected her from Hospital Aquired Infections - or the Plague - but I can say she made a full recovery.

My memories comes back to the Eighties , when I was just a little girl and my mother wore this fragrance expecially in the hottest days: it was her "energy scent". I didn't like it because it was too bitter and almost masculin and nowadays, after 30 years it is so. Anyway, I recognize that this eau by Clarins is really powerful and with aromacologic good effects. I think it is wearable by men too, because its spicy-aromatic-citrusy acchord is unisex.