Encre Indigo Lalique 2023

Lalique Encre Indigo, is a sequel to Encre Noire — the iconic men's fragrances launched in 2007 and created by Natalie Lorson.

I do wonder why was it not developed further by her, the Encre Noir extreme was very strong, in comparison to this one. The other Encre Flankers are very particular, but this one can become the mainstream darling of Lalique for men.

What does it remind of? Ombre Noire, but less boozy / strong.
Longevity / Silage: Not too great, within one hour is close 2 skin.
Versatility: Very versatile, a scent to spray all the times, no worries
Price: Too high, but it´s normal for launch. Will go down for sure – ok.

The final score now is: 8 / 10 – I find it very creative, not your typical blue scent, with inky notes, vetiver and brewed black tea. If it will macerate and last as long as OMBRE Noire, than it´s a 9 / 10.

As a big fan of Lalique and the whole Encre line, I got EI just a short few months after it's initial release in early 2024 before it had officially been distributed in the US. It's definitely a departure from the original three EN frags, but certainly maintains some of their character and definitely maintains their quality standards.

Opens punchy, fresh, and metallic with bergamot, pink pepper, juniper, strong freshly macerated black tea leaves with a zingy saffron backbone. The saffron can be a little polarizing and in your face in my opinion, but fortunately only plays a support role once the dry down starts. The tope notes mostly fade with the exception of the tea which becomes the heartbeat of the fragrance. As it dries down the signature Encre vetiver comes to the front with light whispers of patchouli. It stays fresh and green throughout its entire duration. The tea is definitely the star of the show!

Longevity is very good at around 8 hours on skin with strong projection in the first 3 hours, and I feel like it's longevity has massively improved over time since oxygen has been introduced to the bottle. It's a very versatile fragrance and can be worn year round, although I may avoid using it in the extremes of hot and cold weather. This is completely unisex, and as a matter of fact, my wife wears this fragrance far more often than I do (luckily I have a back up bottle).

This, much like the rest of the Encre line, can be polarizing, but the quality is undeniable. I think this is a 8.5/10 fragrance and only trails behind the Extrême flanker in terms of scent profile. If you include Ombre Noire as part of the line, that one is by far the best beating all of the Encre frags. This is definitely signature worthy and unlike any other fragrance I have smelled.

Encre Indigo by Lalique is a fresh and earthy scent with a soft smoky edge. It starts off a little spicy with juniper and pink pepper, then settles into a nice mix of tea, saffron, and green leaves. The dry down is smooth and natural with vetiver, patchouli, and a touch of ambergris. Nothing about it is loud—projection and longevity are both pretty average, but it lasts long enough to enjoy. It feels calm, clean, and slightly mysterious, like walking through a foggy forest. The bottle is solid, but the round cap is a bit disappointing since it doesn’t match the sharp, square look of the others in the line. This one completes the Encre collection so far, and while it’s not the boldest, it adds a fresh, green twist that fits in nicely.

Encre Indigo clearly has the Encre Noire family DNA. While I've never tried the OG, I do have Encre Noire a L'Extreme, which I enjoy, and have tested Encre Noire Sport.

I found the opening of Encre Indigo not very pleasant. It's a bit of spice and citrus but some other component that gave a medicinal or hospital smell impression (maybe the saffron??). Luckily, that phase didn't last very long and the expected woody, vetiver base appeared topped with a very noticeable tea note. I'm not a big tea drinker, however, I could easily identify the tea note as black tea - fairly strong, almost like the smell of a freshly dunked tea bag. Underneath it all, there was a very subtle, warm funk which I'd attribute to the ambergris. Overall, a nice, versatile, masculine, tea + woody scent.

Performance is not very good, similar to what I found with L'Extreme and Sport. Projection is noticeable for about an hour with the scent quickly diminishing to a very intimate scent bubble. I'm currently at about 9 hours since I applied it and it's still here, but only nose to skin. While I like and wear L'Extreme, especially on occasions where I need something more subtle, I'll pass on Indigo.

I don’t really like ratings, but I feel it necessary to contribute to boosting Encre Indigo’s standing on the site, and it is one of the rare perfumes that will work perfectly as a year around signature scent if you like it.
The opening has a lot of citric impressions that quickly fades, so I recommend you test this on your skin if you wish to give it a fair judgment. In the course of ten minutes, it establishes itself nicely. Saffron works well here and gives a nice, lightly spiced suede impression, and the juniper is somehow more aromatic than coniferous I think. It might be the citrus and ambergris combination that keeps it in check, but what do I know.

The most important personal impression at this stage, is that it is impossible not to think of Ganymede. And yet: If Ganymede is the perfume of classic science fiction films that smells of an imagined spaceship interior, Encre Indigo is the perfume of the writer who penned the film’s manuscript.

So it is not a comparison I will take too far, and Encre Indigo is probably less polarising and projects less. There is no akigala, and although there are mineral and metallic effects, they feel more natural and rounded, which is probably the somewhat omnipresent vetiver effect.
On the other hand: the reviews that complain about performance could, at least some of them, reflect an expectation that Indigo should work as the vetiver totem that is Encre Noire does. But as with many EDPs, you are fooled into thinking that it should smell stronger the closer you stick your nose towards the skin. It does not. A bit like with Eau Sauvage Parfum, the strongest scent is 3-6 feet around you, and I could not help revisiting a few reviews that complained for that one too. Ask someone around you who was not recently drenched in scent themselves, and I am certain that most people would be convinced that it is there.
I also get a few seconds sillage effect for the first maybe three hours. If you are a city dweller like me, I would be surprised if the person next to you on the bus, tram or metro service did not notice it on your way home from work.

Revisiting the Ganymede comparison, I would say Encre Indigo is rather well behaved, and where I reserve Ganymede for specific occasions, Encre Indigo is far more office friendly and apt for daily use.

Yet it is important ti say that it is far from being a daily barbershop scent. It behaves niche-y; rather a tongue in cheek role play with elements from the style Sauvage, perhaps Chanel Bleu and the like represent, but there are also youngish, fresh and a bit cheeky nods to those various leathery styles that rather try to focus on date nights and seduction.

After three hours, it becomes more vetiver centric and starts reminding more about Encre Noire. But it manages to keep many of the fascinating initial aspects, albeit more subdued, until it fades after ten hours’ time.

Obligatory to try it, methinks.