Fourreau noir 2009

Fourreau noir by Serge Lutens
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8.0 / 10 232 Ratings
A popular perfume by Serge Lutens for women and men, released in 2009. The scent is spicy-smoky. The longevity is above-average. It is still in production.
Pronunciation
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Main accords

Spicy
Smoky
Sweet
Woody
Gourmand

Fragrance Notes

Tonka beanTonka bean LavenderLavender Smoky notesSmoky notes AlmondAlmond MuskMusk

Perfumers

Ratings
Scent
8.0232 Ratings
Longevity
8.0173 Ratings
Sillage
7.1166 Ratings
Bottle
8.2153 Ratings
Value for money
7.020 Ratings
Submitted by Kankuro, last update on 01/14/2025.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to
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Kashnoir
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Ambra
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Alexandrie mon Amour
Ambre & Santal by L'Occitane en Provence
Ambre & Santal
Gris clair... (2006) by Serge Lutens
Gris clair... (2006)
J'Ose (2011) (Eau de Parfum) by Eisenberg
J'Ose (2011) Eau de Parfum

Reviews

6 in-depth fragrance descriptions
10
Longevity
8
Scent
Ysbrand

84 Reviews
Ysbrand
Ysbrand
Very helpful Review 7  
Purring fougere
Fourreau Noir´s limited edition bottle (that sadly i don´t own) was decorated with a crouching cat watching the moon, and how appropriate is the image of the cat to describe this scent! I cannot be more against the use of furs, as clothes and as names, so i was happy to know the fourreau in question was still on its legitimate owner and that this one is no other than a feline.

To be honest, Fourreau Noir didn´t trigger my curiosity from the beginning since it features a very traditional tonka bean-lavender. Of course, being a Lutens it couldn´t be in the expected, conventional, fougere way. Nevertheless, let me tell you, Fourreau Noir is one of this Lutens that are not difficult to wear at all, and many of the Lutens-skepticals will find it pleasant and lovable.

So this fawn fluid smell first and foremost to tonka. Picture an elastic body covered of the smoothest hair, moving with a wild elegance. Sweet, warm and balsamic, full of nuances as tonka is. Then the most important modifyer is a truly invisible lavender, just as a subtle herb/camphor fresh overlay that brings vivacity to the tonka. This incognito lavender is a drop of full awaken grey that balances the warmth of the fragance: the crystalline cat eyes, the spark of a fang or a claw breaking the sweet/smoky evenness of the fur. This is not a decorative dead skin, it has well-tempered muscles and nerves of steel underneath.

This seamless blend, the way lavender is there but it is not, and the smokiness, is what makes this perfume IMHO remarkable in its category.

The evolution is pretty linear. In any case, it starts slightly sweeter and it gets more balsamic, after a while... but its a perfect ratio of sweet, aromatic and smoky, with master touches of spice, resin and seductive animalic musk. Noir? probably not, dark, yes. Dun fur.

Fourreau Noir is not an attention seeker, but captivates unintentionally instead; like we admire the cat graciously running with swift feet along the balcony´s railing: defying gravity, totally in control of his furry body, careless of being noticed or not, leaving us in awe.
3 Comments
jtd

484 Reviews
jtd
jtd
Helpful Review 6  
flanker?
Fourreau Noir makes me consider the possibilities of copying and repetition. Part of a series, variation on a theme? Uninventive, deliberate, derivative? Sequel, flanker, gender counterpart, homage?

However it’s come about, Fourreau Noir smells remarkably similar to Chergui. A little less raspy and a bit cooler and herbal from the lavender. It’s syrupy, sweet and woody. It’s a spin on the coumarin accord of Chergui, a range that Sheldrake and Lutens do very well. Sadly, it holds no surprise here, but then again, I’m not a great fan of Chergui.

Worse luck, Fourreau Noir has a large helping of the same masculine contemporary notes linking ‘freshness’ (I can’t quite use that word without qualifier) and wood that Chergui has. This capitulation is what turned Chergui for me, and it does the same to Fourreau Noir. It fact, this is where the similarity of the two is to be found. Sheldrake and Lutens manage to make many distinctive perfumes in what might seem a small range of spicy syrup (see Arabie, Cedre, Cuir Mauresque). But in both Chergui and here in Fourreau Noir, the perfume makers cede the middle ground to convention and, despite Fourreau Noir’s lavender, which could be a logical entree to the world of the contempo-homo (my stage name for the state of current perfumery for men), Fourreau Noir winds up fairly faceless and undistinguished like Chergui.

Clearly, I’m not hiding my preferences, but to take a step back, how are we to view Fourreau Noir? Lutens don’t group it with Chergui in their “Sudden Sweetness” series where Chergui is found, but the composition is similar. The generous thing to do would be to paint the two as a Bernard Chant/Estee Lauder gender pairing such as Azuree/Aramis or Aromatics Elixir /Aramis 900. Less generous would be to call Fourreau Noir a retread.

from scent hurdle.com
1 Comment
8
Scent
Kxnaiades

50 Reviews
Kxnaiades
Kxnaiades
Helpful Review 6  
a smoky, sweet, dark lavender
With one stroke, this satisfied my hunger for a lavender based scent as well as a tonka dominant scent, hence knocking Guerlain's Tonka Imperial off my want list and saving me wads of cash. After an almost futile search of finding a lavender perfect for me in a Goldilocks fashion of none too herbal, none too sweet, this is my perfect lavender over L'erbolario (too herbal, too sleep aid but a true lavender) and also from the same house, Gris Clair, which a very very kind member here sent me samples of. This is a smoky, sweet and dark lavender on me and fits its colour very well. I smell everything all at once and yet I would not describe it as a linear scent. All the ingredients just seem to dance around each other in perfect step. Sillage and longevity are very good, but I have not had an issue regarding both when it comes to Lutens, to my great benefit!
0 Comments
2.5
Bottle
5
Sillage
5
Longevity
5
Scent
WRoth

154 Reviews
WRoth
WRoth
3  
Fourreau Noir
This fragrance opens with almond and tonka bean notes. A subtle smokey accent counterbalances the two top notes and heralds the arrival of the principal note: lavender. The highly aromatic herb gradually reveals itself, not to overwhelm the sweeter notes and to change the scent's direction, but to enhance the best features of the composition. I now see a rich, sensual oriental fragrance that is easy to wear and pleasant to smell on others. Compared to Louve and Rahat Loukum, Fourreau Noir is - in my opinion - the superior scent, for its depth and compelling presence put it in a league of its own. The intoxicating tonka-vanilla-lavender blend lasts for several hours until the opening notes slowly start to retreat - the fragrance enters its final stage. What remains is an earthy-smokey lavender note with a pale vanillic halo.
0 Comments
10
Longevity
8
Scent
Njdeb

63 Reviews
Njdeb
Njdeb
Helpful Review 1  
Smokey, mysterious and a little bit dirty
This is one hard to pin down perfume. At first spray, I am bowled over by a darkly glamorous, very film noire-type scent. I picture a femme fatale wearing this, with deep red stained lips and a full-length black mink coat - seductive and mysterious. The lavender is not too pronounced to me. I get more of a smokey, slightly sweet, gourmand aroma with a hint of radiant citrus that somehow reminds me of the bergamot at top of Shalimar. The scent is really stunning. At this point, this confirmed Lutensophile is convinced she has found a new favorite.

Ok.... that was the incredible beginning. For me, the middle phase of this perfume is not quite so appealing as I find it quite dirty in an animalistic and musky way. The change in the character of this fragrance is striking.

The drydown does lose that animalistic aspect and mellows into something sweeter, but still musky and also with a certain murkiness. I do like this phase of the perfume better than the second, but not as much as the first.

As with many Serge Lutens perfumes, Fourreau Noir takes you on a multifaceted journey to many places. I just would have prefered to spend more time at first stop. Still, an incredible creation.
0 Comments
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Statements

3 short views on the fragrance
IncensenutIncensenut 23 days ago
7
Bottle
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
7.5
Scent
The vintage fougere-like blast in the opening lingers into the lavender (and more interesting) version of Chergui.
0 Comments
IrvingIrving 7 months ago
4
Bottle
6
Sillage
9
Longevity
9.5
Scent
A shapeshifting smoky, almondy lavender. Sensual and comforting at the same time
0 Comments
MrMoustacheMrMoustache 3 years ago
8
Bottle
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
9
Scent
Lutens is a magician! Smoky, sweet and boozy notes woven around a dark dry lavender. It’s so seductive w/ a dirty touch! True craftmanship!
1 Comment

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