Jicky Guerlain 1889 Eau de Toilette

It is completely unnecessary to add another comment to this page, as almost everything has been said, and if not here, then on the page of the Eau de Parfum or the Extraits. Jicky is one of the oldest fragrances, perhaps the first modern perfume with synthetic ingredients, sometimes declared as a women's fragrance and sometimes as a men's fragrance, shimmering like hardly any other perfume, perhaps out of time or timeless. I don't know.

For lavender lovers, and I am writing this comment only for them, the scent is a special revelation. While lavender in the context of coumarin usually appears much more herbal and green, in its pure form as true lavender it has a fresh-floral-herbaceous quality and, in contrast with sweet base notes (vanilla/vanillin in Caron Pour Un Homme), creates a tension, only in Jicky does this contrast of lavender, delicate fougère accents, and animalic notes (civet) exist. Truly, only Jicky (setting aside its close relationship with Mouchoir de Monsieur) smells like this. Additionally, there is a nostalgically dusty powderiness, while the lavender is complemented by citrus notes in the top notes. It is actually superfluous to describe all this, as almost everyone knows the scent. However, that it results in such a peculiar overall sound is something one wouldn't really suspect when reading the ingredients.
Moreover, you probably won't like Jicky upon first testing. I even claim: One cannot like it at all. There is something strict (sometimes I think of gasoline), something tension-filled, and a backward-looking nostalgia that must lead to irritation.
However, if you allow yourself to embrace the perspective of the fragrance and acknowledge that the concept dates back to the late 19th century (1889), it becomes clear that lavender, coumarin, vanillin (or their modern substitutes), and civet lead back to the future. I confess that when wearing the fragrance, I sometimes feel like I am flying.