Contre-Jour by Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle

See Prices

More

We may earn a commission when you buy from links on our site, including the eBay Partner Network and Amazon.

Contre-Jour Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle 2026

7.1 / 10 47 Ratings

A new perfume by Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle for women and men, released in 2026. The scent is floral-woody. The longevity is above-average. It is being marketed by Estēe Lauder Companies.
Pronunciation Compare

More

We may earn a commission when you buy from links on our site, including the eBay Partner Network and Amazon.

Main accords

Floral

Woody

Green

Spicy

Resinous

Fragrance Notes

Immortelle

Rose absolute

Sandalwood

Perfumer

Annick Ménardo

Ratings

Scent

7.147 Ratings

Longevity

8.137 Ratings

Sillage

7.438 Ratings

Bottle

7.839 Ratings

Value for money

5.529 Ratings

Submitted by Sveti · last update on 04/04/2026.

Source-backed & verified

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Reviews

3 in-depth fragrance descriptions

02/27/2026

10Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

FrankieMax
1 Review

FrankieMax

1

A pleasant surprise

Contre Jour hits hard right away. Spicy, vibrant, alive on skin. It has that clear vintage fougère feel.

It really reminds me of Loewe Pour Homme vintage: same spicy elegance, same masculine backbone.

Performance isheavy duty. Sure to be a very polarizing scent, not made to please everyone.

Anyway it was a pleasant surprise for it's a blind buy

Trust Annick Menardo when it comes to an iconic and weird scent

03/28/2026

7.5Scent

Flavia82
26 Reviews

Translated · Show original

Flavia82

2

Immortelle

Contre Jour is the first lovage-immortelle scent that captivates me. Previously, this intensely savory gourmand type always put me off. Here, it is rather tame.

After the test strip lay on the dresser for a day, where I constantly walk by, I smelled a (typical for me, but not yet fully clarified) rose, wood dry-scratchy powder accord (For Her, Le Cri, and Le Mat, is that rose - patchouli - sandalwood?), which then also wanders towards classic men’s perfume (not exactly sure which - fougère).

The test strip from last week still smells today. I am currently smelling Portrait of a Lady, and it also goes in that direction, the same rose.

Wishlist. Need to test it on the skin.

Updated on 04/04/2026

02/11/2026

8Scent 9Longevity 8Sillage

Rivegauche
42 Reviews

Translated · Show original

Rivegauche

Top Review 37

Fortunately Backlight

A new Malle after the departure of Frédéric Malle? Of course, I was incredibly curious.

The three mentioned notes of the fragrance pyramid are clearly recognizable, even though we now know that the official fragrance pyramids of the brands are only meant to provide a guideline for what the customer should smell. A quick look at the mandatory ingredients listed on the back of each perfume package reveals the absence of certain elements in the pyramid published by the brand. It's quite interesting that there is supposedly software that all brands use to entice customers with an imaginary fragrance pyramid.

The straw flower, Immortelle, is easily identifiable with its sun-warm, dry, and spicy facets, which of course also offer the well-known curry-like aspects (fortunately). The coffee-like aspects are not really present. The obligatory scorching heat of the Mediterranean maquis is not far away. Overall, the Immortelle note here feels more brittle, almost factual and "modern." Unfortunately, just a week ago, I let my 100 ml bottle of Muskethanol from Æther shatter in the bedroom, so I still have the scent fresh in my mind; something about it reminds me of that.

The rose facet is familiar with its almost liqueur-like and wet character. Floral, natural & only slightly soapy...and (thankfully) not sweet. It almost seems, due to its brief dominance, that Contre Jour is an extension of Malle's range of rose fragrances. I also briefly think of Rosa Carnivora by Dries van Noten; Contre Jour is (thankfully) not clean. On paper, the rose appears more dominant than on my skin, fortunately. The rose flatters the Immortelle and softens it.

The third member of the trio, the mentioned sandalwood, is (thankfully) not thick, creamy, milky & sweet. It feels more traditional, accentuating the Immortelle with balsamic warmth and complementing the wood. One inevitably thinks of Annick Goutal's legendary Sables; here, the creaminess, the almost sweetness, the "cuddly Orientalism," the thickness is missing. Contre Jour remains dustily dry in the resinous atmosphere.

The three mentioned notes are well intertwined; everything is finely blended together, it is neither an Immortelle nor a rose soliflore. Contre Jour reveals no sweetness (when I think of Givenchy's Immortelle Tribal). It does not reveal any celery-like green facets like Sables or the old L'Être Aimé by Divine, nor does it have the thick, syrupy labdanum-laden air like Tucson by Astier de Villatte; incense is also absent. Interestingly, the saleswoman noted that male customers with a preference for Monsieur from their own house might take a liking to Contre Jour, as the characters of both fragrances share some similarities. As a French perfume, it is "fragrant" and elegant enough not to pass as a nature-identical landscape perfume.

Contre Jour stays true to the brand, which naturally pleases me as a long-time fan of the brand. A somewhat unwieldy fragrance that is likely aimed more at an adult audience.
Since it is from 2026, it certainly holds up excellently. I can imagine wearing it in all seasons, at least for now...in summer heat, Immortelle really comes into its own, as the plant of the maquis. By the way, I can only recommend wearing Goutal's Sables at 33 degrees Celsius; only then do you truly understand it!
Is there actually a synthetic substitute for real Immortelle essences by now, or can the scent of Immortelle be recreated differently with synthetic ingredients?

Funny enough, I had already wondered how a new Malle fragrance might smell. Immortelle was still missing from Malle's portfolio and seems to be somewhat on trend at the moment, so I had that as a possible idea in mind...I should become a fortune teller (not fortunately).

Updated on 02/12/2026