Eau de Cade L'Occitane en Provence 2014 Eau de Toilette

For a long time, I have been circling around various fragrances from L'Occitane. The supposed naturalness, the regional image, and the calmness of the brand appeal to me. By chance, I discovered that there is a small L'Occitane shop in Cologne. I already knew from tests in the duty-free area at the airport that I liked the scents "Eau de Cade" and "L'Eau de L'Occitane." I just couldn't get into "Eau des Baux," which was too harsh-smoky for me, a bit too overpowering.

So it has become "Eau de Cade," which comes across as a bit earthier and woodier than its almost identical brother "L'Eau de L'Occitane." It should be noted that juniper plays a crucial role here, specifically the so-called prickly or cedar juniper, as the ingredient list on the packaging reveals. In the fragrance pyramid, one should definitely replace cedar with juniper!

Now to the scent itself. "Eau de Cade" starts for me with one of the best top notes I know: fresh-balsamic-herbaceous, simply delightful. Nothing artificial penetrates my nose, and a subtle soapy touch joins in, promising purity. Gradually, the woodiness takes center stage, and it plays virtuously: no sawdust, no ash, just beautifully scented wood, paired with the spice of juniper. But even after two hours, the scent remains fresh-peppery in its basic orientation. Chapeau!

With "Eau de Cade," I have certainly found one of those fragrances I may have been searching for years. Neither grandpa image nor hipster nonsense, and completely free of any disturbing element. Somehow soft yet still distinctive. And (very importantly): no comparison to anything that has come my way, so absolutely unique, in my opinion. One can even feel cool with it when someone asks again, "What's that?" :-) Because here, image is nothing and scent is everything!

However, after a while, I now have to deduct points in the B-grade. Due to my initial enthusiasm, I initially gave this fragrance a full score, but I must now admit that this EDT, while smelling exceptionally good, does not come across as sensual or seductive at all. As I already mentioned about its brother L'Eau de L'Occitane, Eau de Cade is, after some testing and reflection, more of a smell than a scent for me, even if it is a very, very good one!