The last day before a vacation is usually more stressful. Linda had a lot to think about before heading to the beach. She was a cleaner at Câline and liked the staff. But she liked the pleasant smells that wafted out of every laboratory even better. Disposed test tubes smelled of roses, coffee or vanilla. There really were worse jobs.
Hunger was driving her, and since all the dishes were already in the running dishwasher, she grabbed a plastic bowl from the lab. Coconut milk and a few hazelnuts to soak. She didn't get to eat because of the workload, as a new fragrance was in production. It was to be a copy of the popular
Cheirosa '62, "the girls will love it" exclaimed the boss euphorically. Sweet, salty pistachio dipped in caramel. That's how it should smell. The creative heads were spinning.
"If I'm no longer needed, I'm off on vacation now," Linda waved to the group.
"Only if you tell me where you're going," was her reply. "To the French sun," she winked.
The employees winced and gave each other promising looks.
Linda had no time for interpretation. Perhaps they had been sniffing the tonka beans for too long. The side effects of working in a perfume laboratory sometimes take on strange forms.
She had no idea that the relaxing effect of her week-long vacation would be gone sooner than she thought.
What was in the air? A strange note that she couldn't place. But it didn't matter, because everyone was expected in the conference room to attend the presentation of the new Câline. The CEOs and managing directors of several drugstores shook hands vigorously in anticipation of what was about to be unveiled. Linda caught herself recognizing dancing dollar signs in the eyes of those present.
The presentation started. "Soleil de France" appeared as a cover sheet in Câline's typical glass bottle with small framed roses at the base. Very beautiful! The perfumers looked at Linda with a smile. Wait a minute, had she been the source of inspiration? Belly brushed, she looked forward to the first test. Would she soon be able to call a signature fragrance her own?
Every step of the production process was documented photographically and projected onto an XXL wall.
"... and here you can see the coconut milk, which was responsible for the creaminess in the top note..."
Wait a minute... Linda rubbed her eyes. Was that her cereal bowl that she had forgotten before the vacation?
Her heart was pounding in her throat. The pictures showed every detail of her breakfast, beautifully crafted with all the other scents. No one seemed to know that the filled bowl had been sitting around for almost a week. She needed security. It couldn't possibly be. So she got up quietly and went to the lab. Several bin bags were already lined up waiting for her, because she didn't have a replacement. With trembling fingers, she found what she was looking for... a strangely deformed cereal bowl. The plastic seemed to have melted. Then it came to her, boiling hot: she had left her breakfast on the hob.
The nausea was not only due to the rising fear of being discovered, but also to the acrid plastic smell that combined with the remains of rotten coconut milk.
Of course, she didn't tell anyone about it and after this shock, she sat down again inconspicuously in the hall. Those present seemed to have fallen victim to mass hypnosis as they passed the pretty bottle around in a thick cloud of scent, emitting "aaahs" and "ooohs". They outwitted themselves brainstorming clever marketing on social media. To top it all off, Linda received the first bottle as the namesake. To thunderous applause, she only wanted one thing: to throw up.
So what does the French sun smell like? The pyramid sounds like a dream. An alternative
Cheirosa '62 ? Ha, of course I'll buy it! Youtubers were already producing videos before the constantly sold-out fragrance even reached my drugstores. My excitement grew immeasurably, I wanted it so badly. Especially at such an affordable price. What the heck, if the shelf life turned out to be like the well-known body spray, then just buy two bottles.
When I finally tested it, I was full of joyful anticipation of a gourmand sun cream fragrance. However, the test was like a belly flop into a swimming pool with ankle-deep water.
An austere note pervades the top note, which unfortunately does not disappear until the drydown. What is that? Fermented coconut milk? Melted plastic? Spoiled hazelnuts? I can only identify it as such. I've never smelled anything like it. Unfortunately, it's far too pungently penetrating to ignore. The sweet, salty pistachio in the background. The heart note is already similar to
Cheirosa '62. But the disruptive note remains. It really steps on the gas again in the drydown. The longevity is moderate, I would have liked it to be shorter in this case.
I couldn't believe what I smelled and initially assumed that my nose was faulty, so many customers can't be wrong. However, several tests on different days in different stores and testers produced exactly the same results. It is therefore not a copy of the
Cheirosa '62 body spray or the
Sol Cheirosa '62 perfume.
Câline I would have gladly carried my money after you. But not for a plastic accident. I suggest a reformulation. There is potential, but next time without a melted cereal bowl with spoiled ingredients. They have no place in perfume.
At this point, love from Linda. It's not her fault.
Top Notes 
Almond
Pistachio
Coconut milk
Hazelnut
Heart Notes 
Salted caramel
Bourbon vanilla
Apple
Base Notes 
Sandalwood
Chocolate
Tonka bean
