Collection Noire

Chergui Serge Lutens 2001 Eau de Parfum

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Ranked 75 in Unisex Perfume

8.1 / 10 1714 Ratings

A popular perfume by Serge Lutens for women and men, released in 2001. The scent is spicy-oriental. The longevity is above-average. It is being marketed by Shiseido Group / Beauté Prestige International.
Pronunciation

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Main accords

Spicy

Oriental

Sweet

Woody

Resinous

Fragrance Notes

Hay

Immortelle

Russian leather

Perfumers

Serge Lutens, Christopher Sheldrake

Videos

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Ratings

Scent

8.11714 Ratings

Longevity

8.31383 Ratings

Sillage

7.51359 Ratings

Bottle

7.71234 Ratings

Value for money

7.6526 Ratings

Submitted by DonVanVliet, last update on 03/16/2025.

Interesting Facts

The fragrance is part of the "Collection Noire" collection.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Chergui Confit de Parfum

Chergui Limited Edition

Les Zazous

Elite IV

Tolu Eau de Parfum

Tabac Exquis

Reviews

54 in-depth fragrance descriptions

01/25/2013

jtd
484 Reviews

jtd

Top Review 11

some of its parts

Chergui is apparently one of the best sellers in the Lutens line. When I test it and read the list of notes, I'm a believer more or less. I can make out the notes I'm told are there. Yes, there is hay, tobacco, musk. But lord know I've nearly derailed going too far into the madness of a 'list of notes'.

'Notes' are in fact suggestions. But what lies behind a set of notes is an intent. Does the list of notes describe? Or do notes try to convince, that is, lie? Somehow, despite the recognizeability of the notes, I'm not convinced by Chergui. Testing, on blotter and on skin, I say yes to the notes but no to the whole package. It doesn't suggest a Moroccan wind, as the fable goes. Notes aside, Chergui shares the sensibility of many mainstream men's fragrances of the past 10-15 years. The strategy, for want of a better word, is Creedian. Sell it as nich-y, but aim for the height of the bell curve.

I don't mind the strategy. As I've mentioned about the current Guerlain line-up, the big sellers in a line should better the odds that the lower-selling oddball that I love will remain in the line. Either that, or the take-away for the perfumer is that the bell curve is a sales strategy and every perfume should should be a best seller. I try to be optomistic.

12/20/2012

5
Bottle 5
Sillage 7.5
Longevity 8
Scent

Drseid
821 Reviews

Drseid

Top Review 10

Hay, This Is A Good One...

Chergui opens with a sweet dose of sugary hay. The heart notes appear shortly afterwards, showcasing a deep pipe-like sweet tobacco amber combo, with clove-laced honey and incense accents. The scent winds down with the tobacco and amber combo receding, while joining a pleasant musk base finishing off the scent's development. Longevity is quite good, with average projection.

I am not a sweet scent fan at all, but I definitely like Chergui. The tobacco and amber combo is really addictive, and the incense just compliments it so well. I think the scent is very unisex and would work for just about anyone. I have only smelled a handful of scents from the house of Lutens to date, but I am quite impressed. Chergui is highly recommended to all, but a "no brainer" for sophisticated sweet scent lovers, IMO. It is a gorgeous composition earning an excellent 4 stars out of 5.

01/13/2018

8
Bottle 8
Sillage 9
Longevity 8
Scent

Pepdal
238 Reviews

Pepdal

Top Review 8

Chergui review

This isn't the east wind that picks up spices, dust and heat. It is the east wind that infiltrates nomadic tents and absorbs the odours of honey, tobacco, animal bedding and dusty iris and rose.
Chergui is a cozy, dusty blanket seeping sweetness. From afar it stays linear, but as i am want to do when i wear this, i cannot stop smelling close and recognising its various elements taking turns at showing themselves.
Moderate projection and excellent longevity.
Try this in warmer weather as well. It blooms.

03/14/2014

7.5
Bottle 2.5
Sillage 7.5
Longevity 7
Scent

Deefit
33 Reviews

Deefit

Very helpful Review 8

The hot desert wind

Wow! A thousand times wow! It is not often that I immediately am captivated by a fragrance, let alone a niche fragrance. I'm usually quite picky but when I received this bottle in a swap (thank you again Tomaz) just now and I took the bottle out of its very carefully packaged box, I got a very promising first whiff of what is inside this bottle.

So, I took off the cap and sprayed some on, carefully. Just a little. Carefully brought this to my nose, exhaled a bit and then softly inhaled..

WOW!

This has a note that I recognize from Santal Majuscule, only it's softer in Chergui. More round, and sweet. Most Lutens' I've smelled were very strong, usually too strong for my taste. But this, wow! I'm so very excited by this! When I picture a Moroccan desert wind, it makes it even more beautiful. I am totally captivated by it and I can't stop smelling my wrist.

So yes, I know this has a vast group of people loving it but I was a bit scared that besides sweet it would have a particular note in there that would put me off. However, this is not the case. It's balanced nicely and the ingredients are pure. The quality is better than many mainstream or designer scents, though I can't imagine a lot of people disliking it. I think it's safe to say this is one of the more approachable niche offerings out there?

I'm somewhat glad I did not get a bottle of Santal Majuscule, as I have been doubting about that one for a long time. I really liked that, but sometimes I felt like I didn't want to smell like that. But now, Chergui has come along. Bringing me that part of Santal Majuscule I really loved but in sucha sweet, round and refined way. I am a VERY happy man!

12/14/2012

10
Sillage 10
Longevity 10
Scent

Dulcemio
34 Reviews

Dulcemio

Top Review 9

I'll never underestimate hay again

Most of the notes here seem sort of expected for a sweet oriental unisex perfume with massive sillage and longevity - the amber, leather, musk, tobacco, incense, etc., but I feel like the hay is responsible for that interesting little twist in Chergui's personality that makes it instantly recognizable.

That stuff lying around the barn that horses eat . . . who woulda thought?

Chergui accomplishes a unisex status by doing what lots of other unisex perfumes try to do but fail, which is to come right to the brink of femininity (or masculinity, depending on which side you start on) and then backing off mere molecules shy of going over.

I love the stuff.

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