Entre Ciel et Mer Pierre Guillaume 2015

Uncommented Fragrances No. 61

The new collection from the highly regarded Pierre Guillaume (Parfumerie Générale) is entirely dedicated to aquatic fragrances: Collection Croisière.

Did you hear that right?

The Aquatics, a fragrance category that, after the endless hype of Cool Water and various protagonists - perhaps rightly - faced harsh criticism. Too many scents of this kind flooded the market like a spring tide. In the 90s, there were phases where only a few fragrances dominated the market: Cool Water, Acqua di Gio, and CK One (although the latter two are certainly not classic aquatics, they perfectly captured the zeitgeist of brightness and androgyny).

However, now that the frenzy has settled and the aversion from fragrance lovers is not as strong as it was in the early 2000s, it might just be time to make a fresh start. This is likely what Pierre Guillaume thought, having the courage to launch four aquatic fragrances under his name.

First, I must say that I personally have a weakness for aquatics. Cool Water is still one of the best fragrances of all time for me - and that after testing more than 3000 perfumes and colognes. Its fragrance twin, Green Irish Tweed, is also indispensable and rightly indicates in its name that many of the seemingly "blue" scents should rather be classified as green, which is particularly true for Cool Water. It is also pleasing that Cool Water is one of the few reasonably reformulated fragrances: no disaster like with Eau Sauvage, which would also be a classic for eternity if only its formula were better managed.

Regarding the aversion of many fragrance lovers, especially many perfumers, towards aquatic fragrances, there is a parallel: For those of us from the older generation (born in '67), there was nothing worse in the 70s than scents reminiscent of Cologne Water. 4711, the cheap classic of this type, was carried by older ladies in their handbags, on handkerchiefs, for scenting their homes, and always at the ready for clothing... For us younger folks, it was the epitome of the outdated, a remnant from the previous generation. Who would have thought that with the reintroduction of Acqua di Parma's Colonia, the re-establishment of 'Farina gegenüber', and the many stylish offshoots of 4711 (Acqua Colonia series), such fragrances could become en vogue again? Despite my previous aversion, I am now a big fan of this direction. It is often the case that the older generation knows very well what is good...

So why not a renaissance of aqua fragrances?

To get an overview of the direction of Pierre Guillaume's new fragrances, I ordered all four as a sample set and was overall positively surprised. Certainly, one could still criticize these fragrances upon a first, quick encounter, pointing out that there are a large number of drugstore fragrances, deodorants, and room scents that smell quite similar, raising the question of what could justify the significantly higher price of the aforementioned series. However, after various tests, I believe that the four new scents do indeed differ in quality and longevity from the inexpensive drugstore "refugees".

Nevertheless, a warning: Pierre's new creations do not belong to the category of trendy sea-salty aquatics like Sel Marine, Salina, Transat, or Acqua di Sale. They remain watery-blue, rather fresh (Entre Ciel et Mer, Paris Seychelle), or imbued with a light breeze of spice (Jangala, Long Courrier).

The large number of high-quality ingredients seems to pay off, in my opinion. I am not a chemist (like my wife), but I think the scent unfolds in a significantly more nuanced way than many drugstore fragrances, which - as charming as they can sometimes be (!) - often develop in a very synthetic, harsh, one-dimensional manner. Quite the opposite are the fragrances from Pierre Guillaume, especially Ciel et Mer, which may not even be the best or most exciting of the four, but it develops an immediate charm that caught my attention first.

I can clearly identify the pear, which surprisingly lasts a long time, the lavender, which one must like (I do), and the moist-watery element that could be described with algae absolute.

The references to "wet leaves," iodine, tree moss... pique my curiosity; whether they are truly distinguishable, I cannot say for sure. The (aquatic) blend makes it - and indeed evokes associations of sea and wind.

The land that lies here between heaven and sea (Entre Ciel et Mer), which the fragrance is supposed to capture, seems to me to be a bright, ascetic landscape with warmth, sky blue, and sea breeze, perhaps a bit too endearing, comparable to a kitschy sunset photo from the Mediterranean and thus teetering on the edge of trash - and ultimately still on the side of quality; in sum, however, certainly not for aquatic haters.

But for those who can now reconcile with this direction, they are gifted an interesting fragrance here that offers an indeterminate déjà-vu with associations to many other aquatics, for which I strongly recommend testing before purchase.