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Esterel Harry Lehmann

7.7 / 10 58 Ratings

A popular perfume by Harry Lehmann for women and men. The release year is unknown. The scent is citrusy-fresh. It is still in production.
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Main accords

Citrus

Fresh

Green

Spicy

Woody

Fragrance Notes

Lemon

Musk

Neroli

Vetiver

Pink pepper

Ratings

Scent

7.758 Ratings

Longevity

7.248 Ratings

Sillage

6.349 Ratings

Bottle

6.137 Ratings

Value for money

8.216 Ratings

Submitted by FvSpee, last update on 10/11/2025.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Cédrat Enivrant

Eau d'Hadrien Eau de Toilette

Ray of Light

Reviews

3 in-depth fragrance descriptions

05/13/2020

8Scent 6Longevity 6Sillage

Chizza
299 Reviews

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Chizza

Top Review 14

All Roads Lead to Berlin

Isn't it amazing how you automatically come into contact with certain brands here on Parfumo? Whether through reading statements, comments, or forum posts. I'm not talking about houses like PdM, Amouage, etc., as they are not that unknown outside of Parfumo either. I'm more referring to small perfume manufacturers. For me, two have made it from sampling to purchase over time (so far with one, the other will follow). One of them - and you often read about it here from well-known and respected authors - is Lehmann. The last time I was in Berlin was several years ago, so I don't know the store. Back then, I strolled with my wife through the well-known areas, spending several days in the museums. Thankfully, I now had the opportunity to test four fragrances from Lehmann.
You know how it is: the more you test, the harder it becomes for a fragrance to be purchased. Now, Lehmann offers a beautifully fresh scent with Esterel, which for me is not only citrusy but also bright green, and I made a direct purchase.

Regarding the scent itself, I can only agree with FvSpee, whom I consulted as a Lehmann advisor due to his expertise before the purchase; I would have likely perceived the scent more simply without his comment, as the fragrance seems more robust and green compared to Springfield. Over time, Esterel evolves away from this all-encompassing citrus note towards this green nuance, yet it remains refreshing. And here, I must also agree with the honorable FvSpee, Springfield develops a deeply hidden and masculine animalic quality after its intense freshness phase. We don't have that here.

That being said, Esterel is a straightforward scent; no one is playing on the perfume keyboard here but delivers what happens with a penetration that one can only appreciate. Here, the rule is: less is more. Simple, clear statement, with edges and corners.

The longevity and sillage are not mind-blowing; even Ormonde Man is really stronger, and he is more of a quiet presence in my eyes. I once wore it for comparison. But honestly, for the price and for a summer scent, I couldn't care less; after four hours, you just reapply or put something heavier on later in the day.
Lastly, a thank you to Pollita for the testing opportunity!

03/27/2020

8.5Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

FvSpee
249 Reviews

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FvSpee

Top Review 33

CoViD Comments, Ninth Piece: Summer Revisions

Do you know the feeling of having made it through a tough week to the safe shore of the weekend and then celebrating with a nice dinner? Of course. It's somehow an anthropological fundamental experience. That's my state right now. And that's why I actually wanted to skip episode 9 and mindlessly sit in front of the TV. But just at that moment, I received a PM from a (remarkably talented) fellow perfumer praising the simple act of writing despite various adversities. And with that, I was grabbed by the mantle collar of honor. So I changed my mind, and here comes another episode. The ratings aren't sinking yet either...

So, let's stay in Provence, where we were already yesterday in Lourmarin. Today we're heading to Esterel, which is a mountain range on the Cote d'Azur, and it gets really hot there in summer. Moreover, there's a lot of wilderness and landscape with plenty of plants and animals, and once upon a time, there were holy hermits in hermit caves and less holy robbers in robber caves, which the good Stanze, who is probably very busy with her job now, vividly described in her previous comment. About 2 years ago, Harry Lehmann had another French phase and gave a few new fragrances such names, this one being "Esterel." So it's a new Lehmann. By the way, I give 9.5 points for the name because it sounds nice, is short, thematically fits the fragrance, and somehow fits like a glove. It's not entirely unique, as there are a few other fragrances with the same name. Otherwise, I might have given it a 10.

Esterel is fundamentally similar to the "Dimanche à la Campagne" from Guerlain that was commented on yesterday: a citrus-green summer fragrance, initially more citrusy, then gently shifting into green, and overall very simply constructed yet with a great, striking effect in its simplicity. However, the two fragrances differ significantly. The Guerlain has a soft musk base that radiates essentially into the top note, creating a light veil over the fragrance, like a haze over the summer landscape. This makes it reminiscent of early summer, and the absolutely unisex fragrance has a slight tendency towards the feminine. Esterel, on the other hand, is much harder, edgier, almost a bit rough, and completely without softening. It comes across as more masculine and more summery. Clear contrasts. Blazing heat with sharp light, and perhaps an ice-cold, crystalline water against it. Additionally, in "Dimanche," the citrus and green notes (which also include herbs here) are roughly balanced, whereas Esterel is predominantly a citrus fragrance that is only lightly greened. And, not surprisingly for Lehmann: Esterel has much more body, heft, longevity, and sillage than the Guerlain. What both have in common is that the citrus is a bright, yellow one; I suspect here mainly lemons, around which other citrus fruits might gather. Because this is less strongly balanced by green notes and musky softening in Esterel, the citrus gains a certain sharpness at the beginning, which indeed sometimes brushes against the dreaded "Ata-scouring powder note," although I don't find that bad at all. They added those scent substances to the scouring powder because they smell good, not because they stink; otherwise, scouring powder would smell like old sweat.

Friends of Harry might now notice and say: Wait a minute, citrus-green bombers, we already have those in the lineup. Right! Springfield. And there it is again, the reference freshie from the Lehmann house. Hence, here's another comparison (I made sure to spray 2 sprays each of Springfield and Esterel on kitchen towels before starting this comment to compare directly): The citrus of Esterel is lemony, while that of Springfield is, and I only notice this so clearly in comparison now, much more bitter and also a bit sweeter, leaning more towards bitter orange and orange. Esterel is, as mentioned, predominantly citrusy, whereas Springfield is actually somewhat greener. And Springfield has this deeply hidden, barely perceptible animalistic subtext, making it even more masculine than Esterel and, above all, both a much more erotic and a much more refined fragrance. But Esterel doesn't want to be that; Esterel remains a cheerful, honest, strong, prime summer fragrance.

Yesterday, we also talked about Camus, and one of his main works, "l'homme revolté," is always translated into German as "Der Mensch in der Revolte," but I think it's not about revolt in the sense of street battles, but more about something like reversal (of course, it's a play with nuances of word meanings either way). In any case, it's an occasion for me to thoroughly revise myself here again, after revising my decision not to write a comment today. I just deleted my old statement about this fragrance without replacement. Back then, I gave it 5.5 points and rambled about fermented fruits. Either the fragrance I tried back then had gone off, or I picked the wrong glass balloon at Lehmann's store (yes, those are the kinds of places where, before the plague, people used to go in to buy things), or I had eaten too many fermented fruits. Nonsense. Stanze had written underneath: "I'm surprised, I was sure you would like it." She's right. I like it too. And I perceive the fragrance very similarly to how she described it in her comment.

Esterel is thus a bright citrus fragrance, slightly enhanced with some green, playing just a bit towards the masculine, a high-summer and good-mood scent. Rich, round, full, a bit loud, a bit edgy, but really very beautiful. I wore it a lot during my trip to Thailand in January, and in that heat, it came out very well and was praised both by the Farang (i.e., Westerners) and by the Thai side. But even in Germany, under office conditions, it's a fragrance that is always met with goodwill and lifts the mood of the surroundings. Fragrances like Esterel show that the times of the good Lehmanni are far from over and give hope that the shop will continue to thrive for a long time. Clear test or blind buy recommendation for all fans of citrus summer fragrances and all fans of the Lehmanniade!

07/07/2019

7.5Scent 8Longevity 5Sillage

Stanze
101 Reviews

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Stanze

Top Review 32

In the Woods There Are Robbers

We are in the year 1778. A stagecoach is traveling on the Malpey road ("Miserable Area") through the Esterel mountains in southeastern France. The coach is running late. The travelers, a young couple with a chambermaid, a portly clergyman, and a merchant, hope to reach the inn soon. The coachman urges the horses to run faster. Suddenly, robbers jump out of the underbrush at the side of the road. The robbers immediately draw their weapons, flintlock pistols and long knives. It is Gaspard de Besse, the Robin Hood of Provence, with his men. The coachman comes to a halt. Gaspard de Besse is a picturesque figure, dressed like a nobleman. He has never killed or even injured anyone. His men approach the coach and open the door. The travelers have huddled trembling in a corner. The husband steps protectively in front of his two companions. Gaspard de Besse steps forward, inviting the travelers to dine with him at the inn. No one dares to disagree. The robbers jump on their horses and accompany the coach, where a heated discussion ensues about how to proceed. Whether to comply or if a sudden escape would be an option. In the end, however, no one dares to oppose Gaspard de Besse. Upon arriving at the inn, the travelers are led by the robbers into the guest room. Aside from the usual fare-bread, meat, and soup-there are citrus fruits from nearby Italy. After the meal, Gaspard de Besse takes a portion of the travelers' money and jewelry. While he relieves the young wife of her jewelry, he praises her beauty and grace, and as the woman blushes with shame and delight, the husband feels his honor wounded. He had to leave his weapons at the entrance, so he is left with no choice but to punch the cheeky bandit in the face. A small scuffle breaks out, during which only the husband's pride is hurt. He is sulkily pushed back onto the polished wooden bench. Then the robbers take their leave. Gaspard de Besse bows and waves his hat in the air. Shortly thereafter, he and his men disappear into the underbrush.

As for scent notes, I can definitely detect lemons. Perhaps there are other citrus fruits and a bit of orange blossom as well. It seems to me that something woody is involved later on, maybe sandalwood. I am reluctant to stick my neck out.

The lemon reminds me-like so often-of Ata cleaning powder-I have simply spent too long polishing castles with prehistoric means. Towards the base, the scent becomes creamier and more flattering. I don’t quite understand why Mr. Lehmann calls Esterel "green, herb." I had a brief impression of green, but that might also be because I was expecting something green. So far (for an hour), Esterel has been almost exclusively citrusy. The price-performance ratio is fantastic, as with all Lehmanns.

Family tester M announces, after I tell him what it smells like: "Sandalwood and cleaning powder."

Esterel can be worn well in summer, certainly also for sports (how terrifying), when robbing people and hosting banquets. Esterel keeps you fresh when you deliver long speeches and wear exotic clothes. Esterel is suitable for robbers and noblewomen alike.