10/09/2024
Intersport
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Intersport
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'When I presented L'eau to my team, I felt like Saint-Just...'
"When I presented L'eau to my team, I felt like Saint-Just informing the nobles they were going to lose their privileges"
(Serge Lutens)
...according to Serge Lutens at the internal presentation of the 'Eaux' series, which was first launched around 14 years ago.
I first had to read up on who Louis Antoine de Saint-Just was - I quickly realized what Lutens was trying to say: the image of the 'Eaux' line [L'Eau (2010), L'Eau Froid (2012), etc.] was contrary, even contradictory to the reputation of the brand, which since its launch in 1993 had long been synonymous with sometimes idiosyncratic, and even more so, in the 90's and 00's, solitary fragrances that completely eluded the zeitgeist. Many of them with an exceptionally consistent composition and quality. It was precisely this hard-earned terroir and the privileges and reputation gained with it that Lutens seemed to want to pull out from under his own feet...?
I was a little suspicious of this 'Eaux', the concept of 'water' as a central theme reminded me too much of Issey Miyake's first fragrances and the resulting cleanliness fever. But it also reminded me of the sequential reduction and skillful use of artificiality that Comme des Garçons had practiced in previous years. Once tested, it was clear to me that Lutens had also done an extremely solid job here with the implementation of C. Sheldrake: Favorites from this period - the bubbly thanks to all the aldehydes including the clearly non-natural aura L'Eau Froid (2012) and Laine de Verre (2014).
... fast forward: perhaps the team or someone in Shiseido's management got cold feet after all, or perhaps things got a bit confused: in 2022, the former eaux were reallocated internally for a second time. It wasn't until 2019 that they were to be refilled into square-like, transparent bottles under the branding 'Eaux de Politesse', and received a solid, but in the meantime already discontinued new addition in the form of the sugared mugwort-Immortelle L'Eau d'Armoise (2019), see my review. Two internal reclassifications of older fragrances: Santal Blanc (2001) and Gris Clair (2006) - formerly brilliant fragrances, but unfortunately considerably battered or broken-formulated in the course of this move. Laine de Verre was also long gone by this time.
2022/2024: in the meantime, L'Eau Froid managed to upgrade its price to the premium economy class of 75ml bell jars, and the 'Matin Lutens' range - again with a new title - received two rather unnoticed new additions: Parole d'eau (2022), a summery hybrid version that combines opposites like the menthol-ish laboratory cold of L'Eau Froid with the campsite pine-resin & needle atmosphere of Fille en aiguilles (2009); and Dans le bleu qui pétille (2022), where a maritime incense seaweed mix sits on a base in the vein of Ambre sultan (1993). Both fragrances deserve to be explored in more detail, as they are unique enough in their own right, but also come closest to the idea of the flanker - which Lutens has remarkably ignored completely to date. But let's move on to the present, here too there is a similar dichotomy.
Point du jour
Point du jour starts like a dense bundle of dry herbs and spices: In addition to central thyme and sage, I see cumin of equal magnitude here, as well as cloves, rosemary, some eucalyptus and lavender. An extended bouquet garni with a Lutens touch. I like citrus-free yet refreshing fragrances that rely entirely on essential oils like these. The form is tightly woven, balanced, it is immediately clear that an experienced perfumer was at work here, nothing is exuberant; spicy notes have always marked the brand's portfolio. This makes me think of a favorite in this genre, Lorenzo Villoresi's Spezie (1994), a more compact, less baroque and less green Spezie - especially with Point du jour's opening .... And because of the distinct cumin, also Diptyque's cumin gem L'Autre (1973) - the most uncompromising of all cumin fragrances. If you like these two, you might enjoy Point du jour.
The new dryness
All of this would be enough for me and Point du jour could now disappear in the manner of an Eau Fraîche - but it goes on. The twist that now follows emphasizes, as with other releases in the former 'Eaux' series, that we are not dealing here with reproduced impressionistic landscapes.
A unifying element among the 'Eaux' was a - sometimes more, sometimes less clear - commentary on the incense complex. This ranged from the concept of unburnt frankincense drops in L'Eau Froid, or traces of the same in L'Eau de Paille (2016) to the extinguished candle smoke-aldehyde note of the original Gris Clair. Encens et lavande (1996), an early, calm Lutens, can perhaps be seen as the nucleus of this constellation, and a reinterpretation of Encens et lavande was quickly hoped for in the sporadically presented Point du jour in the English forums, but: 2024 is not 1996.
Point du jour shifts after a while to an increasingly dry, abstract note with the lightest incense aspects, but it would be negligent to treat this impression as monochrome or flawless incense. Rather, it is an entirely artificial dryness with a slight mineral shimmer: if I had to put this metaphorically into a list of notes, I would probably suggest 'terracotta' or 'unglazed earthenware'. I first encountered this note prominently in Ultræ (2018), and more recently in the finish of the so carefully orchestrated Sahar (2024) by Prin Lomros. Perhaps it's something along the lines of Synarome's Aldambre, which sits between clean iron chic and dust-dry woody-amber edginess...
This new dryness seems to appear at different times, depending on the constellation with other players and climatic circumstances: If it is still centrally noticeable and thematically relevant in Ultræ, it takes far lower temperatures and less humidity in Sahar to even notice it. In Point du jour, on the other hand, it appears quickly at high humidity (80%) and only after a long delay and less prominently at lower humidity (46%). I have always found fluctuations in temperature and humidity to be a kind of litmus test that can efficiently short-circuit the course and structure of a perfume. And this is nothing new in itself, most fragrances simply work differently in one place/season/climate and in another. I have not yet been able to find any conclusive analyses of the influence of these 'climatic' factors on the perceived presence of individual fragrances, nor would such studies be conducive to the promise of universal, permanently consistent quality. At Point de jour, depending on the temperature and humidity, this new dryness or terracotta flair is somewhat irritating
(Serge Lutens)
...according to Serge Lutens at the internal presentation of the 'Eaux' series, which was first launched around 14 years ago.
I first had to read up on who Louis Antoine de Saint-Just was - I quickly realized what Lutens was trying to say: the image of the 'Eaux' line [L'Eau (2010), L'Eau Froid (2012), etc.] was contrary, even contradictory to the reputation of the brand, which since its launch in 1993 had long been synonymous with sometimes idiosyncratic, and even more so, in the 90's and 00's, solitary fragrances that completely eluded the zeitgeist. Many of them with an exceptionally consistent composition and quality. It was precisely this hard-earned terroir and the privileges and reputation gained with it that Lutens seemed to want to pull out from under his own feet...?
I was a little suspicious of this 'Eaux', the concept of 'water' as a central theme reminded me too much of Issey Miyake's first fragrances and the resulting cleanliness fever. But it also reminded me of the sequential reduction and skillful use of artificiality that Comme des Garçons had practiced in previous years. Once tested, it was clear to me that Lutens had also done an extremely solid job here with the implementation of C. Sheldrake: Favorites from this period - the bubbly thanks to all the aldehydes including the clearly non-natural aura L'Eau Froid (2012) and Laine de Verre (2014).
... fast forward: perhaps the team or someone in Shiseido's management got cold feet after all, or perhaps things got a bit confused: in 2022, the former eaux were reallocated internally for a second time. It wasn't until 2019 that they were to be refilled into square-like, transparent bottles under the branding 'Eaux de Politesse', and received a solid, but in the meantime already discontinued new addition in the form of the sugared mugwort-Immortelle L'Eau d'Armoise (2019), see my review. Two internal reclassifications of older fragrances: Santal Blanc (2001) and Gris Clair (2006) - formerly brilliant fragrances, but unfortunately considerably battered or broken-formulated in the course of this move. Laine de Verre was also long gone by this time.
2022/2024: in the meantime, L'Eau Froid managed to upgrade its price to the premium economy class of 75ml bell jars, and the 'Matin Lutens' range - again with a new title - received two rather unnoticed new additions: Parole d'eau (2022), a summery hybrid version that combines opposites like the menthol-ish laboratory cold of L'Eau Froid with the campsite pine-resin & needle atmosphere of Fille en aiguilles (2009); and Dans le bleu qui pétille (2022), where a maritime incense seaweed mix sits on a base in the vein of Ambre sultan (1993). Both fragrances deserve to be explored in more detail, as they are unique enough in their own right, but also come closest to the idea of the flanker - which Lutens has remarkably ignored completely to date. But let's move on to the present, here too there is a similar dichotomy.
Point du jour
Point du jour starts like a dense bundle of dry herbs and spices: In addition to central thyme and sage, I see cumin of equal magnitude here, as well as cloves, rosemary, some eucalyptus and lavender. An extended bouquet garni with a Lutens touch. I like citrus-free yet refreshing fragrances that rely entirely on essential oils like these. The form is tightly woven, balanced, it is immediately clear that an experienced perfumer was at work here, nothing is exuberant; spicy notes have always marked the brand's portfolio. This makes me think of a favorite in this genre, Lorenzo Villoresi's Spezie (1994), a more compact, less baroque and less green Spezie - especially with Point du jour's opening .... And because of the distinct cumin, also Diptyque's cumin gem L'Autre (1973) - the most uncompromising of all cumin fragrances. If you like these two, you might enjoy Point du jour.
The new dryness
All of this would be enough for me and Point du jour could now disappear in the manner of an Eau Fraîche - but it goes on. The twist that now follows emphasizes, as with other releases in the former 'Eaux' series, that we are not dealing here with reproduced impressionistic landscapes.
A unifying element among the 'Eaux' was a - sometimes more, sometimes less clear - commentary on the incense complex. This ranged from the concept of unburnt frankincense drops in L'Eau Froid, or traces of the same in L'Eau de Paille (2016) to the extinguished candle smoke-aldehyde note of the original Gris Clair. Encens et lavande (1996), an early, calm Lutens, can perhaps be seen as the nucleus of this constellation, and a reinterpretation of Encens et lavande was quickly hoped for in the sporadically presented Point du jour in the English forums, but: 2024 is not 1996.
Point du jour shifts after a while to an increasingly dry, abstract note with the lightest incense aspects, but it would be negligent to treat this impression as monochrome or flawless incense. Rather, it is an entirely artificial dryness with a slight mineral shimmer: if I had to put this metaphorically into a list of notes, I would probably suggest 'terracotta' or 'unglazed earthenware'. I first encountered this note prominently in Ultræ (2018), and more recently in the finish of the so carefully orchestrated Sahar (2024) by Prin Lomros. Perhaps it's something along the lines of Synarome's Aldambre, which sits between clean iron chic and dust-dry woody-amber edginess...
This new dryness seems to appear at different times, depending on the constellation with other players and climatic circumstances: If it is still centrally noticeable and thematically relevant in Ultræ, it takes far lower temperatures and less humidity in Sahar to even notice it. In Point du jour, on the other hand, it appears quickly at high humidity (80%) and only after a long delay and less prominently at lower humidity (46%). I have always found fluctuations in temperature and humidity to be a kind of litmus test that can efficiently short-circuit the course and structure of a perfume. And this is nothing new in itself, most fragrances simply work differently in one place/season/climate and in another. I have not yet been able to find any conclusive analyses of the influence of these 'climatic' factors on the perceived presence of individual fragrances, nor would such studies be conducive to the promise of universal, permanently consistent quality. At Point de jour, depending on the temperature and humidity, this new dryness or terracotta flair is somewhat irritating
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