L'Astre Le Galion 2023

Recently, I assisted a fellow fragrance enthusiast by filling out a survey for her university thesis. One of the questions was "Have you ever bought a perfume because you felt connected with its story?" I realized that I have, in fact, not done so. This brings me to L'Astre, which is a recreation of a fragrance by Paul Vachner, owner of the original incarnation of Le Galion, composed personally for Golden Age Hollywood legend Ava Gardner. Rodrigo Flores-Roux uses his appreciable skill to create this composition as a collaboration with the Ava Gardner Trust, which oversees Gardner's heritage. L'Astre had been lovingly described by others and I knew I must sample it, but then I also realized: I am ignorant of much of Gardner's oeuvre. Never have I watched Mogambo, The Barefoot Contessa, or The Night of the Iguana. It highlighted a glaring blind spot I have for this age of film, as I had focused so much on arthouse, French new wave, avant-garde, and the like. The movies-to-watch list immediately grew, but as for Le Galion itself, the story, as always, becomes more a personal narrative that grows with wear.

The glamour and fur-lined splendor is evident, but on my skin, it translates differently, with the fennel most forward in among the aromatics in its opening: peppery, earthy, anisic and green. There is this combination of verdant and creamy, with florals voluminous yet showing a kind restraint among the spiciness. The orange blossom is what I first detect, followed not long after by the classic trio of tuberose, ylang, and jasmine, all in a soft focus but nonetheless grand. A sweet, nectar-like quality seems drizzled over these ebullient flowers, with a kindled, cinnamic tolu and amber enveloping it all over time. There is also a supple musk that overarches the experience. My final assessment is that L'Astre's resurrection, just like that of Le Galion itself, is to bridge the past with modern sensibilities, to strike a balance where both authenticity and commercial viability (remember, perfume is business) remain intact. Be that as it may, I am convinced that much is drawn from the original composition, and for that, it's a spectacular wear for those fond of the classics. Now, I must catch up on some long overdue Gardner viewing.

With the help of several experienced noses - Thomas Fontaine in particular - Le Galion has spent the past decade mostly on re-releasing their classics from back in the day. They have been doing so with decent success and I would recommend their whole line to anyone who appreciates traditional French perfumery. Now the time has come to move on and bring out completely new concepts. L'Astre is not their first new-new release, but for me it is the first one I have worn a full day.

In short, L'Astre is a big cloud of ylang. A fierce and expansive cloud, I must say, to the point of being room-filling. More heady in the opening phase, but this turns into a dense, puffy yellow flower. All is presented against a cutting-fresh spicy note and a buttery suede background. An awkward contrast that is amplified even further by a lack of woods or earth in the base.

This Le Galion scores high in in opulence and note clarity, but I cannot get along with its composition. Perhaps it is the musky amber that inflates the fluffy part without offering a solid base. I have been on the lookout for an ylang that works for me. I am not yet ready to accept that ylang is not my kind of floral, but I can say with certainty that Le Galion's one is not the one for me.