Gingembre Roger & Gallet 2003

For a year, I wanted to test Gingembre, but it was only a few days ago that I encountered it in person - finally found a pharmacy that had the entire range in stock and set up for testing, and then at a reduced price. You can easily imagine how my encounter ended - I left the pharmacy with two more fragrances, a lamenting wallet, and a jubilant nose.

Now to the scent, which is absolutely not boring; this Eau has something to offer. It starts with a bitter-fresh bergamot that is gradually overlaid by the ginger note. It is fresh ginger - I just cut open a ginger root for comparison - it smells slightly lemony, spicy, and sharp, just like Gingembre. Well done, I can only say! It has pep. The sharpness increases in the heart note, but it doesn’t scratch the nose because the scent simultaneously becomes softer and rounder, as if one or two flowers have come to life. Now Gingembre reminds me of my favorite summer drink: lemon juice with pureed ginger and elderflower syrup, all stretched with water and served over ice - I know no better refreshment. (Recipe available upon request via PM ;-) ) - I think I’ll take a short trip to the balcony, grab a long drink glass and a straw, put on my sun hat, sway a little in my hammock, and listen to Sunshine Reggae… After an hour of letting my soul dangle, the ginger has largely said goodbye, and what remains is a warm-spicy, subtly sweet accord on the skin, for which I hold the musk and benzoin (as indicated on Basenotes) responsible. With this soft feel-good scent all over my body, I would love to sail off to dreamland. The spicy scent on the skin lasts quite a long time, but unfortunately, you can only perceive it directly on the skin. Those who want to achieve more projection will need to reapply after 2 hours and should best reach for the 200ml family pack.

There are now legions of fresh waters, most of which are citrus bombs, many of them synthetic and harsh, some reminiscent of toilet cleaner or baking aroma, which definitely gives them an "ick" factor for me. The scents from Roger & Gallet stand out in their fine balance and naturalness. Until now, I only knew their fine soaps and am now completely taken with the discovery of these Eaux Fraîches Parfumées, which can easily overshadow some fragrances that are twice as expensive.