L'Eau Neuve Lubin 1968

L'Eau Neuve by Lubin is a fragrance that I always come to love more and more. It is fresh, vibrant, happy and also a little clever.

It opens up with a bright citrus combination of lemon, orange and bergamot, followed by a hint of lavender. It's very zesty and fresh, like the opening of a classic eau de cologne (for example a Guerlain Eau de Cologne). But what really sets this one apart is the very interesting use of herbs in the mid. Thyme, sage, marjoram & coriander... this combined with the bright, zesty top notes is what makes it so intriguing. I love the combination and it does keep you interested in the fragrance and makes it last longer. Finally the base has a light patchouli, cedar wood, sandalwood & oak moss.

So this fragrance was inspired by the 1960's feeling of optimism and hope. It does strike me as a very optimistic and bright fragrance. There is a camomile note which reminds me of camomile herbal tea, with a hint of very fresh lemon. It's very relaxing and the entire fragrance gives you such a good feeling. To me this fragrance epitomises the bright colours of yellow, blue, green and orange. There is nothing heavy or "dark" here. It's like walking in the park in spring... or camping in the outdoors, amongst nature. This is a fantastic fragrance for spring. If you like fragrances like Dior Eau Sauvage or the classic feel of a sparkling traditional herbs & citrus Eau de Cologne, then I think you will really love this. Modern, fresh and unisex. This is an underrated bright, fresh classic!

You have to like these fresh, citrusy Chypres; you need to have a penchant for classic, sometimes old-fashioned scents, as they almost exclusively originate from the period between 1950 and 1970.
Lubin's “L’Eau Neuve” was one of the later ones.

Once again, it was the great Edmond Roudnitska who, picking up an older idea from François Coty, began to formulate the concept of a fresh Chypre in the late 1940s. However, he initially approached this concept indirectly: while “Moustache” from 1949 was still more of a fresh-aromatic Fougère, it already contained a core idea, namely to enhance a classic Cologne framework, particularly its somewhat insubstantial base with oakmoss and patchouli. The result was not meant to be a true fresh Chypre, but the path leading to “Eau Sauvage” and ultimately “Diorella” had been set. With “Eau d’Hermès,” Roudnitska took a step further, initially in a leathery-animalic direction, but just two years later, in 1953, he created the fragrance that would define the genre: “Eau Fraîche” by Dior.
All that followed him, whether it was Chanel's “Pour Monsieur,” Givenchy's “Monsieur,” the already mentioned “Eau Sauvage” and “Diorella,” but also “Ô de Lancôme,” Chanel's “Cristalle,” Sisley's “Eau de Campagne,” and indeed “L’Eau Neuve” by Lubin, were heavily influenced by this early Dior scent.

When Lubin now names its work, the 1968 launched “L’Eau Neuve,” particularly the in-house 1798 created “Eau de Lubin” as a foundation and starting point, this is true in the sense that the ancient scent was a classic Eau-de-Cologne, and this reappears as a backbone in the new “Eau,” but the actual characteristic of the fragrance is inconceivable without “Eau Fraîche” and its direct descendants.
However, ultimately it was not the early Dior scent that “L’Eau Neuve” had to measure up to, nor the two “Monsieurs,” but the immensely successful and influential “Eau Sauvage,” the Roudnitska classic par excellence. Yet, unlike today, where successful fragrances are cloned to death, half a century ago, one still felt called to want to surpass a success. This did not always go well, but the results were usually visible: well-crafted fragrances that aimed to maintain, if not elevate, a certain level - “Ô de Lancôme” is an excellent example of such an endeavor.

But Roger Broudoux, the “nose” behind Lubin's new “Eau,” achieves this brilliantly. With this, he created a particularly aromatic, herb-spicy, fresh Chypre that stands out not only through the classic Eau-de-Cologne ingredients (citrusy-floral-woody) and the reinforcement of the base with Chypre notes like oakmoss and patchouli but especially through a strong herbal bouquet of thyme, marjoram, and coriander. This clearly structured spiciness is neither contrasted by slightly indolic jasmine nor ventilated with a hint of Hedione (“Eau Sauvage”), nor softened by powdery and floral nuances (“Ô de Lancôme”). On the contrary: it remains clearly recognizable and forms - as mentioned - the actual characteristic of this fragrance. Here, in my opinion, marjoram stands out, followed by a clearly recognizable pinch of thyme, a few coriander leaves, and a faint hint of aromatic chamomile. This herbal tea impression (which the heart of the fragrance truly reminds me of!) is embedded in an exceptionally fresh hesperidic opening with lemon, orange, and bergamot on one hand, and a woody-dry Chypre finish with cedarwood, patchouli, and oakmoss on the other.
The bitter-sweet, balsamic labdanum so typical of many Chypres seems to be completely absent here, as the fragrance develops, apart from the fruity opening, almost no sweetness. While there is still some citrusy, slightly bitter residual sweetness lingering in the spicy heart, by the time we reach the base, “L’Eau Neuve” becomes increasingly dry and herbaceous. The rose petals and jasmine mentioned by the manufacturer, which are supposedly acting in the background, I cannot detect. At most, there is a slight animalic nuance that could indeed stem from the indolic facets of jasmine, but just as well from the addition of a bit of civet - who knows. In any case, the strongly spicy heart is permeated by a faint animalic touch that never becomes prominent like in “Eau d’Hermès” and does not particularly characterize the fragrance, but perhaps makes it a bit more interesting.

Towards the end of the fragrance development, a surprisingly enduring mossy-woody patchouli accord remains, which the house of Lubin today celebrates as a reminiscence of the Flower Power generation.
This seems a bit far-fetched and somewhat forced to me, but so be it. After all, the fragrance was launched in the now legendary year of 1968 - the starting point and longing point of alternative utopias and life concepts. And if one were to look for an olfactory accompaniment to this hopeful and discourse-rich time, it would indeed only be the patchouli that was then so popular as a natural oil.
So while the 68er rebellion and Flower Power connection may have some justification, it still feels quite constructed, as the generation of those who rebelled back then - I know this from my own experience - had other things to do than to perfume themselves. On the contrary: wearing perfume was generally seen as an expression of hated bourgeois lifestyle. Only the use of crackling patchouli oils was tolerated, or perhaps the occasional wax chunk that intensely smelled of musk and came from Morocco.

Today, however, in the age of retro fashions, it may be acceptable to market this fragrance as typical for its time and as an expression of it - but it is not entirely correct.
After all, this fragrance initiated the revival of a small but all the more exquisite series of classic Lubin scents in 2008, which continued with the relaunch of “Le Vetiver,” “Gin Fizz,” and “Nuit de Longchamps.”
It was reorchestrated by Lucien Ferrero, who also worked on the reformulation of “Le Vetiver” (reportedly very close to the original, just like “L’Eau Neuve”) and furthermore composed the new, equally fabulous “Le Vetiver - Itasca.” Three fragrances that I consider to be extremely successful, conveying a sense of classic proportions and grandeur, but also speaking of stylish taste.

It's wonderful that “L’Eau Neuve,” this masterpiece of a dry-spicy Chypre, is back!
And if a fragrance of this genre is said to be “unisex” in a modern way, then certainly this one.

So what is L’Eau Neuve actually? A Chypre? A Cologne? A classic? A victim or winner of reformulation? A gentle entry? Or even a modern hippie scent, as the promotional images suggest? Categorized as feminine, yet 75% of its owners are male... Challenge accepted!

Detective Aura Spürli lies in wait, the trembling, greedy high-precision nose primed and ready, observing.

After the first spray, it’s all clear: a Cologne. But so unmistakably! Hesperides, slightly stale lavender, more for the gentleman... pff, come on! Don’t insult my nasal intelligence! Case solved, next!

While I’m still indignantly flaring my nostrils, a whiff of Nimm-2 candy wafts into my nose. The citrus doesn’t fade, but on the contrary, it adds a hefty dose. Aaah... the prey resists, wants to play... just the way I like it! My interest is newly piqued. What other tricks do you have, hmm? Come on, tell Mummy.

I know you, I’ve smelled you before, this intrusive sharp lemon combined with oriental-spiced notes... GOT YOU! Jasmine, rose, woods, musk betray you, that’s what you have in common. And you’ve definitely hidden some cinnamon somewhere, haven’t you? You are... drumroll... a Malabah twin!

So, time for my winner’s champagne! You thought you could lead me by the nose,... tsts, others have tried that before...
What are you doing again? Will you finally hold still! Where did you suddenly get the patchouli from, tell me???!!! Smoky patchouli and ethereal-woody moss? You can’t be serious, right? And you’re dipping the Hesperides in a cream pot... Why? Oh, you just thought that was funny? Do you finally know what you want, you pubescent whiny brat??
Yesss, yes, I’m watching, I’m smelling. Yes, you’ve done well, you’re quite a pretty scent, and no, not a Cologne and not a Malabah twin. Yes, you are something independent, I’ve just said that. But it took you an hour and a half to get there! What? Aha, you’re tired now, you’d rather leave? Well then... disappear!

Phew, finally peace! So, just between us, now that he or she or whatever that was is gone: The base is really great. A little bit of everything, citrusy, spicy, floral, woody, with lightness and depth, all very finely creamy intertwined. But it’s really exhausting until it gets to the point. As if a “jokester” added a 0 to the “Nimm 2” logo. The head doesn’t match the heart and the heart doesn’t match the base. Such a shame for the dreamily beautiful base, because it’s far too weak and short-lived.

In the end, I do know what L’Eau Neuve is: No Surf, no Turf. Neither fish nor flesh.

I have known since acquiring my (similar) Eau de Guerlain that these classic citrus chypres fascinate me, but I definitely don't need too many of them in my collection. On one hand, I still feel too young for that, on the other hand, I am captivated by the simplicity and simultaneous beauty, like that of an unadorned, pretty woman. On one hand, it is extremely interesting to discover the different nuances and differences among the many similar citrus chypres, on the other hand, many just smell too similar. On one hand, hardly anything is classically more beautiful, on the other hand, hardly anything is perceived as more old-fashioned in my generation than such scents, especially on a man. But as a fragrance enthusiast, one can be indifferent to that; after all, you don't wear fragrances just for compliments and others.

This reissue of a Lubin classic starts off spicy-citrusy, one might think it's a typical Eau de Cologne. But then, similar to many Eaux de... from Guerlain, you realize that there is much more behind it. Elegance, freshness, a bit of arrogance, cleanliness, floral calmness, balsamic, green creaminess. The scent sometimes feels almost like soft grass. And also soothing flowers reminiscent of chamomile tea often flicker and enchant, calming the wearer. So it's not all that simple, but extremely well thought out. The base is then mossy-woody, still green but now without sweetness and still clean, but without freshness or soap. The only criticisms I can mention are the somewhat harsh 4711 top note and the medicinal sage.

Bottle: these new Lubin editions are cool and true collector's items!
Sillage & Longevity: overall, quite mediocre over the 6 hours, but that usually belongs to this type of fragrance. Not for compliments!

I am sure that the older I get, the more of such fragrances will find their way into my collection. So let's talk again in 20 years ;) until then, my best wishes and recommendations remain.

This will be one of my office summer fragrances this year.
I bought L´Eau Neuve blind today. It was on sale at the store, so I thought: take it! If I don’t like it, I’ll give it away.
So, I sprayed it on after showering, and since then I’ve been enveloped in a deliciously calming, yet pleasantly fresh scent.
About the fragrance: the top note is fresh, but without the cleaning product feeling that many fresh scents tend to give off.
In the heart, it remains pleasantly light and elegant despite the herbs and spices.
The base is subtly woody and has more of a grass accord on my skin, which reminds me a bit of vetiver.
The comparison to 4711 is a bit off, though. The fragrance family? Yes, but with much better execution!