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Eaux de Parfum Remarquables

Smyrna Le Couvent 2018

7.3 / 10 68 Ratings

A perfume by Le Couvent for women and men, released in 2018. The scent is spicy-floral. It is being marketed by Colgate-Palmolive.
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Main accords

Spicy

Floral

Woody

Fresh

Powdery

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Bergamot

Heart Notes

Black pepper

Turkish damask rose absolute

Base Notes

Sandalwood Cedar

Cedar

Ratings

Scent

7.368 Ratings

Longevity

6.956 Ratings

Sillage

6.656 Ratings

Bottle

7.762 Ratings

Value for money

7.431 Ratings

Submitted by Franfan20, last update on 11/11/2025.

Interesting Facts

The fragrance is part of the Eaux de Parfum Remarquables collection.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Rose 31 Eau de Parfum

Elisabethan Rose Eau de Parfum

Esprit du Tigre

Messe de Minuit Eau de Toilette

Reviews

6 in-depth fragrance descriptions

04/29/2023

Perfeptions
146 Reviews

Perfeptions

3

Peppery bright rose

Smyrna by Le Couvent is a rose and pepper perfume on a bed of woods. The perfume has moderate projection and average to long longevity. The scent profile may recall Juliette has a gun lady vengeance but here the rose is plushier and the pepper rougher in comparison. The blend is extremely pleasant and it smells very natural and faithful to the main notes. If you are interested in a video review please take a look at the YouTube video linked here below.

06/10/2025

ClaireV
969 Reviews

ClaireV

1

Draft of TDC Rose Poivrée

Although Le Couvent house perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena art-directed rather than authored Smyrna, he almost certainly slipped whoever did it an early draft of his own Rose Poivrée (The Different Company). But while Rose Poivrée’s pepper, cumin, and coriander overload created a savory, metallic funk that came uncomfortably close to the scent of second-day men’s underwear, the formula for Smyrna has been stripped back to a simple premise of rose, woods, and a bit of black pepper.

Where Smyrna remains similar to Rose Poivrée and even Rose 31 (Le Labo) is in that neat sleight of hand where, despite it ostensibly being a rose scent, the rose comes and goes, as unreliable as sunbeams on a cloudy day. Sometimes it smells like a peppery rose, sometimes like gently spiced woods. But never the twain shall meet. Smyrna, for the most part, reminds me of the steamy, botanical smell of a warm greenhouse where you are dividing geranium plantlets – the vaporous aroma of sun-warmed wood frames, the peppery snap of the roots and stalks, the rosy-minty smell of the geraniums. The black pepper gives the scent a kick but no funk. It smells planty, not underpanty.

Simultaneously, though, it also smells like a body lotion or shampoo, one scented with Turkish rosewater or loukhoum. Unlike in Rose 31 or Rose Poivrée, therefore, every time the spice threatens to flare up to the point of pungency, there is enough of this balm to sooth it all down again. In fact, there is an almost Uncanny Valley lack of sharp corners here. The scent is preternaturally smooth.

I’m in two minds about Smyrna, to be honest. On the one hand, fragrances like Rose Poivrée (the original version at least) are too vegetally-sharp or culinarily stinky for me to enjoy comfortably. Smyrna resolves this by removing the more pungent spicing and adding an almost candied rosewater balminess. It is therefore much brighter and easier to wear. But ultimately, Smyrna remains a copy of something that, while not to my personal taste, was deeply original and artistic. Wearing Smyrna kind of feels like wearing the original soaked in stain remover and put through the hot cycle – it suits me better, but it also feels like a bit of a cop out.

01/04/2025

6Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

Itasca89
34 Reviews

Itasca89

1

Rose du Mal(e)

I don't understand why roses that aim at a male audience or that are not really in line with the gourmand tastes of the moment always have to have such an outcome that is not really to my taste. I would love a beautiful rose with all its facets combined with a wood (maybe not agar) and that would be deep and interesting. In this case, the intention was there and so was the expertise but the result does not convince me because the result is a synthesis that loses track of the individual parts and yet does not enhance them. That said, I can understand that it has admirers and those who can appreciate it but, unfortunately, I am not one of them.

04/17/2022

DasguteLeben
136 Reviews

Translated · Show original

DasguteLeben

6

More Wellness than Perfume Art

This line belongs to a luxury hotel and spa of the same name in southeastern France, and Jean Claude Ellena is the Creative Director. Those are already good references. Ellena's Peppery Rose immediately brings to mind Rose Poivrée, one of my favorite fragrances from the master. Unfortunately, Smyrna does not meet such expectations. It evokes associations for me with skincare for established ladies ("the magic of the Turkish rose for mature skin"). The rose note is quite pleasant, a lot of citrusy linalool, yellowish, in full bloom on a mild summer day, a bit soapy, not artistic. The spice notes are flat, peppery-dusty, but without contributing any depth or telling a story. The woods in the base are hardly noticeable; Smyrna is rather static, and what remains at the end smells more like Rhubofix, at least citrusy. All in all, it smells exactly as I would expect from a luxury hotel product - Molton Brown with a better budget, but no haute parfumerie. It probably works quite well as a souvenir if one has stayed at the Couvent des Minimes. But I haven't.

05/04/2025

10Scent 7Longevity 6Sillage

annlaurin
8 Reviews

Translated · Show original

annlaurin

3

Lokum with an Intense Green Accord

Right from the start, the blend of bergamot, black pepper (and vetiver?) creates such an intense green accord that it can be off-putting. This was the case during my first test - and it still happens when the scented skin is covered by clothing. However, on open skin, this powerful opening dissipates quickly, leaving behind an oily rose, some pepper, and unusually long-lasting citrus notes. The scent is most reminiscent of rose pastries (Lokum). It sounds simple, but the fragrance is not sticky-sweet at all - on the contrary, it is very beautiful. And very pleasant to wear. One of my three absolute favorites from Le Couvent.

Le Couvent has an overall very appealing design, and the spray head is simply magnificent - it creates an extremely fine mist, almost like a fragrance veil. The best I have ever experienced.

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