Softly Jil Sander 2017

A cuddly, clean cotton musk. The name and bottle colors suit it perfectly.
Softly smells of white musk, not the super fluffy and creamy kind, but the kind that is also found in many affordable drugstore fragrances for decades. Which doesn‘t mean that it smells cheap in an unpleasant way, but that it is a familiar scent. The opening has some fresh neroli and citrus notes, and if you know it‘s meant to be in it, you can also sniff out the ginger note. The drydown is a little sweeter with added vanilla and heliotrope, but still clean and unintrusive. I think there is also a some discretely soft spicy Jil Sander DNA in it.

Overall I like Softly, but there are so many musks that I enjoy even more, for example the Narciso cubes, Sylvaine Delacourte‘s musks, Cacharel Noa... Still, Softly is a nice and budget friendly option for musk lovers.

It is a well-known cliché often mentioned in this forum that a fragrance - at least when we do not approach it in the form of blind tests under laboratory conditions - is defined not only by its mundane scent (this applies not only to the evaluation but even to the perception) but also by its accidentialia: the color of the liquid, the shape of the bottle, the face of the advertising campaign, the declaration as "masculine" or "feminine," the name of the product, and the image of the company. For those who look closer, the perfumer, the indicated fragrance pyramid (which often leads us down completely false paths!), and perhaps also the comments of previous reviewers come into play.

"Softly" by Jil Sander is a case that can be wonderfully studied in this context: there are 107 female owners (including many who have given themselves cute nicknames like Flöckchen and Rosawolke, which I have nothing against, by the way; I actually quite like "Flöckchen") and one (1) male owner. One can understand this: the fragrance is declared as a "women's fragrance," the pyramid with magnolia, jasmine, orange blossom, and vanilla could not be fluffier, and what is kept in suspense by color and shape (after all, it is neither pink nor plush) tips over with the name of the little water: "Softly"! What guy wants to wear "Softly"! Unless he is a confessed softie. But even then, he would probably only use the appropriate tissues.

But I would bet that this fragrance, created by the extraordinarily productive Nathalie Lorson (who has 200 listed creations, including a full Boucheron series, among others an Amouage, three Cool Water flankers, two Le Labos, a whole bunch of other Jil Sanders, and surely her most famous creation: Encre Noir), would reach a completely different customer base with a different name and marketed as "unisex."

I perceive "Softly" today, after several consecutive days of use (from a sample purchased in the souk), just as I did about 2 years ago when I first tested it and wrote a statement about it: as neither particularly soft nor particularly feminine. First of all, it is completely devoid of any sweetness or sugary quality, as well as any exaggerated fluffiness; the Cashmeran warning lights remain completely dark. Despite the vanilla, orange blossom, jasmine, and musk, this is definitely not a cotton candy scent.

This fragrance starts with a distinctly pleasant citrus freshness (focused on orange), which is as far removed from cologne-like crystalline clarity as it is from fabric softener flattery. There is also a slightly soapy note, which may indeed remind one a bit of (a very good) laundry detergent. This is not a cuddly-soft scent, but a fragrance like orange-fresh (also a bit reminiscent of petitgrain or even neroli) cotton; like a shirt or T-shirt that someone has walked past with a high-quality cologne sprayer. After just half an hour, "Softly" has connected with the skin and is then actually no longer a "perfume" (that’s why it doesn’t surprise me that among 108 owners, none refers to it as a "signature scent"), but a skin scent enhancer, an aura booster: it imparts an aura of freshness, friendliness, and cleanliness, perhaps also of balance and tranquility - but not of sticky lethargy, rather the kind of calm that holds strength. In this mode, where our fellow humans perceive us as "good smelling" without being sure whether we have applied anything at all, "Softly" lasts for several hours.

I am quite sure that some work goes into creating a fragrance that appears so effortless, unobtrusive, and easy. Certainly not a milestone in the history of perfumery, but more than just solid: a perfectly balanced, elegantly subtle scent enhancer that is suitable for firefighters and tilers just as much as for feathers and Flöckchen.

As a child, I dragged the washed bed linen to the mangle at the laundry. In my neighborhood, there was still a “real” laundry, not like today’s “drop-off point.” In the front part of the store, there was a counter and many shelves on the walls, where the starched and mangled laundry was neatly packaged and stored. In the back area was the washing and ironing station, where there was usually lively activity. Even then, I sensed that this was backbreaking work; the heat there was indescribable, especially in the warm months. But the ladies who worked there in snow-white aprons were always cheerful and friendly to me. I loved that scent of laundry detergent and starch, the scent of damp warmth. And on top of that, the owners had a gray parrot that greeted every customer with a creaky voice from its perch and sometimes whistled old hits. I would have loved to pick up or drop off laundry every day. Today, I think differently about the keeping of the parrot; however, I must say that as long as I knew him, he had all his feathers and seemed to be in good spirits. And now my introduction is longer than my fragrance description again…

Softly was a spontaneous purchase; I had a 20% coupon that expired the next day and wanted to find something at Kaufhof. Sprayed Softly, oh, this is the old laundry, bought. Softly is for me the scent of fresh bed linen and a cotton sweatshirt with a brushed inside. Soft, clean, slightly ozonic and neat, no more and no less. A hint of orange blossom makes Softly floral, a lot of musk gives it a powdery note. This scent is delicate and fresh, for the days when you want to smell pleasant but not perfumed. Longevity and sillage are medium to weak; I really like the round glass bottle in turquoise blue, and it is easy to handle. I can also imagine Softly well on the strong sex in summer; a colleague smells quite similar; I used to think it was Musc Bleu, but it’s just the fabric softener. So, anyone looking for an unobtrusive scent for warm days will be well served with Softly.

There are days in life when everything goes wrong: It’s raining, exhausting meetings, tiring guests, complaining employees, and it’s still raining… On such days, I wish I could beam myself to the sea. To a beach with plenty of salty air at the North Sea or in Brittany.

Even better:
a. in a beach bar with a glass of white wine and great lounge music or
b. in a wellness hotel with a sauna and white loungers by the beach or
c. on a sailboat
…unfortunately, the rain is still hitting my office windows, there’s another meeting coming up, and I hope to get home somewhat on time…

For such days and also for the weekend, I have been looking for a -gentle - clean - fresh sea air feel-good fragrance for a while, and with Softly, I have now found it. Softly is not necessarily a perfume but rather a body spray, and that’s a good thing. You can spray it generously without poisoning your environment.
The scent starts softly fresh like a gentle breeze of fresh clear air. It remains soft and harmonious throughout but then becomes a bit softer and warmer, and you can sense the white flowers and sandalwood.

What I like is that it neither becomes too powdery nor too musky, as both cause me headaches and nausea. It also contains no citrus fruits, which are often found in body sprays and are usually too fresh for me.

Jil Sander has developed a great fragrance concept here. I was positively surprised, as I usually don’t like Jil Sander fragrances that much. The bottle with the blue liquid is very chic and aesthetically designed. The price for 80ml at around €30 is reasonable. Thumbs up! The longevity on the skin is surprisingly high for a body spray, lasting about 4-6 hours, and it still lingers on the laundry the next day.

Softly is for me the perfect wellness feel-good weekend fragrance that beams me for a moment to where I would like to be right now: By the sea in the sun, caressed by a gentle fresh breeze…

The sentence was in Otfried Preußler's book "The Little Witch" - or so I thought. It comes to mind when I leave the house early in the morning, the sky blue from the sky bluing and little sheep clouds grazing on the sky meadow. Then I am inwardly calm and filled with quiet anticipation for the day. The Little Witch appears before me with her raven and the girl with the paper flowers that the Little Witch made fragrant.
Every time the washing machine runs, that sentence comes to mind. The sound of the washing or rinsing machine has always given me a feeling of home, of security. I sit again in the children's room and play while the washing machine runs. Softly reminds me of that sentence and the sound of the washing machine with its gentle gurgling and bubbling and this feeling of being cradled in the world.

The first test disappointed me. Right after spraying, Softly was too sharp for me and the top note too soapy.
In the meantime, I like the scent. After several tests, we have become friends. And there is something in Softly that could make me addicted.
At first, I perceive the ginger - its refreshing sharpness pairs well with the cotton note. It smells like dried laundry taken from the drying rack and folded. I can faintly smell magnolia.
Immediately, orange blossoms and jasmine take over the lead. I can only faintly discern the heliotrope. Over time, the scent becomes a bit powdery and creamy and, above all, softer. And very slightly sweet - but really only hinted at. Musk and sandalwood support the flowers and give it more depth. Strangely, even after multiple attempts, I cannot detect the vanilla in the base note, even though I love vanilla. Or can I just not smell it, and it is the vanilla scent that could make me addicted?

Softly is an unusual scent. Something different. However, not love at first spray.
With Softly, I feel fresh and well-groomed even on sultry, hot summer days. Softly feels like a pure, white bed sheet. Like that feeling when you step out of the shower soaking wet and the water beads off. Clean, but not unsexy. I would love to bathe in it. Unfortunately, the scent does not last as long as I wish it would.
The bottle is beautiful. It feels good and pleasantly heavy in the hand. The shape is balanced, almost perfect. Although the liquid in the bottle is the same color as the cap, the light blue is not heavenly enough for me. Which brings us back to the sky. Oh yes - the sentence. I flipped through the book. I did not find the sentence. Maybe it is not even in there. I don’t need it anymore. I have Softly now.