Le Sel d'Issey Issey Miyake 2024 Eau de Toilette

This is going to be a VERY emotional, and passionate review for me. I LOVE fragrances. I have a collection of 330 bottles, and it has become increasingly harder to impress me with new releases.

With that being said....

What Quentin Bisch did with this fragrance brought me to LITERAL tears.... The nostalgia, and beauty of this scent spoke to my SOUL...

I grew up on the east coast in the USA. Every year, my family would go to Hatteras Island in the Outer Banks of North Carolina for vacation. 18 years of visiting this island for summer vacation, and it NEVER got old for me.

As a teenager, when I came to understand and know my sexuality, I realized my attraction toward men was part of my design as human, and as a spiritual being on this planet. And this is IMPORTANT for this review.

You see.... During the years, my awakening to my sexuality, and my desire for LIFE, was steadily occuring... But each year, when we went to the beach, and the smell of the ocean surrounding me... Being on the beach in my bathing suit, with my body exposed to the elements.... And seeing other men in their bathing suits entering, and leaving the waters of the ocean, with the sun and water glistening on their torsos.... my excitement for life, my sexuality, my awakening to myself, would just EXPLODE within me. That mixture of the scent of the ocean, and the scent of men being in the sun all day, covered in salty water, with the seaweed, and slightly spicy nuances of various sun lotions..... It was like my soul went into hyperdrive, in its excitement for life, and the exploration of it.... The ocean just made me feel the MOST ALIVE.

Now, back to the scent-

When I first tested this scent, I was in a perfume outlet, and I sprayed this directly on my skin, without first testing on a strip... I let it set for a minute and walked around before smelling, and I was already getting whiffs of something that made my energy start to peek.... I lifted my hand to my nose, and I kid you not.... I started crying in the store... Almost INSTANTLY, I was a teenager sitting on the beach, excited about life, and all of its possibility....

The scent to me is the personification of a man who is FREE, ALIVE, IN the natural elements of this world, kissed by the ocean and sun.... It is this SALTY, SENSUAL, SPICY, and yet CLEAN aroma.... As a teenager, when my hormones were RAGING, this was the scent that I imagined I would experience the FIRST TIME I was allowed to have intimate contact with a man.

In my mind it would be in the summer, on the beach, as the sun begins to set. The heat and scent of my partner's body, from being in the ocean and sun all day, begins to fill the air around him. He is dressed in a white unbuttoned, linen shirt (freshly washed, and dried in the ocean air), his chest, and torso exposed, still in his bathing suit, sunglasses on, wind in his hair, the lingering scent of a gingery, sweet sunscreen still on his skin..... The smell of the ocean water still in his hair.....

This scent is just the MOST nostalgic, and sensual fragrance I have ever smelled.... I am OBSESSED... I bought 3 bottles immediately in fear of it ever going out of stock...

My only wish now, is that I can get through smelling it without being brought to tears.

So... Who should wear this?

Any one out there who identifies masculinely, who wants the world to experience them as wild, untamed, free, and so excited about life itself that they exude the natural origins of life itself (the ocean).... You want to smell clean, but also have that edge of natural, masculine, salty musk about you.... This smell is for you.... The ginger lifts this scent to a vibrant etheric aura, while the seaweed and salt ground it in the origins of life on this earth (the ocean), woods and vetiver deepen the masculinity of this scent as if to say, I am strong, I am sturdy, I am.... If this describes you... BUY THIS, you will not be dissapointed.

I think I just had another awakening at the age of 40, thanks to this fragrance.... WOW, and THANK YOU Quentin Bisch... THANK YOU!

I really wanted to like this one and the fresh, spicy opening seemed very promising. I did not get heavy aquatics with it. As it started to dry down, I got mainly a light, fresh woody scent, without citrus being used to lighten it up. But as it continued to evolve, a strange scent appeared that mixed in an unpleasant way with the fresh woody scent. It varied between being mineral-like, electronic, plastic and even very slightly minty - all very synthetic. It did not work for me.

Longevity was quite good. After applying it in the evening, it was still quite noticeable the next morning before showering. Projection was more moderate after the first hour or so. Price very good at discounters.

I agree with the comparisons that have been floating around. This fragrance is like a more restrained version of Megamare (or Atlas), though it leans more toward Kenzo’s Pour Homme Intense - perhaps even a bit fresher, especially as it dries down.
You’ll catch faint traces of other fragrances from Quentin Bisch’s portfolio, but not to the level of a significant similarity.

Now, while it may not be the most original scent out there, I still think it’s a solid buy - especially when the price drops a little.
The performance is where Sel really shines. I sprayed it at 3 p.m., and by 10 p.m., I was still getting whiffs of those mid notes. Fast forward to 7 a.m. the next day, and it was still there on my skin as a faint scent.

In short: a great addition to your collection if you're after a lasting oceanic vibe that doesn't overpower.

Really? People love THIS? This smells like a generic blue "ocean" toilet cleaner. lmao. I cannot believe this is considered good. You want a great salt marine fragrance? Get LITERALLY any other scent, it's pretty difficult to do worse than this. I hate this scent with passion. Generally, mainstream houses are way less impressive than people make them out to be. Let's have higher standards, shall we?

Smells like the usual, average attempt at being an “aquatic” scent. It’s very light, salty, and airy. If you want a “coastal” or “ocean” experience though? I have to let you know that this is no where near close being to “marine” or “oceanic.”

Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice. A very light freshness that gets reactivated by heat. This is a slightly salty, slightly cool (temperature wise) freshie. Very clean and calm.

When I think of marine scents or deeper oceanic scents however, I think of the Bvlgari Aqva line as far as designers go, and deeper still is Megamare. These actually give you the vibe of being NEAR the ocean. It’s not easily put into words, but it is a definitely unique scent/feel/experience. Having lived in Hawaii for over 40 years might make me more sensitive to what it actually is, but the ocean has its own persona, and it varies from being on a beach, to being on a pier, to being on a boat. Even being on a beach changes from when there are waves crashing, or if it’s calm and serene. The Pacific is different than the Atlantic, and they are themselves different than the Mediterranean. This being said, they all share an “oceanic” DNA. Its raw. It’s rough. It’s blowing in the coastal breeze as the waves crash into the rocks. The mist of the ocean. This is not present in this scent.

This scent is going more along the lines of what Aqua Di Gio and all of its clones do… giving you that “freshie” vibe… not true marine vibes, but a fresh, almost soapy, saltiness. I visualize a steamy, white tiled, glass door spa. Frosted glass doors. Like a luxury, indoor saltwater bathhouse. Clean, relaxing, and expensive. Salt that is refined and used for cleanliness. That is what this is.

I came into the summer looking for Oceanic scents because I’m from the pacific, and I want the true ocean feel.

Now scent wise it IS nice, it’s just not a marine oceanic. Again, performance is airy and light, giving a faint scent bubble that extends to around a 2ft radius. Sillage is light, but it is there. The airiness however, leaves you wondering who it is coming from. Longevity is ok if you don’t mind it being a skin scent.

For $40, I am not going to complain. Its just not quite what I was hoping for.