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Pure, unsweet citrus

Posted by Robin on 23 February 2010 21 Comments

Then, in our madcap Saks round, [Luca] Turin randomly sprayed on a Guerlain eau de toilette that, he said, was the only thing he wore for years. I loved it. Eau de Guerlain is pure, unsweet citrus, with a lingering light verbena scent on the drydown. "If you want citrus, there is simply nothing better out there," his review says. Bergamot and citrus, also the dominant notes in Eau Sauvage, are apparently what I want.

— Food writer Corby Kummer goes shopping for a new fragrance in A Rose by Another Name at Technology Review.

Filed Under: perfume in the news
Tagged With: luca turin

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21 Comments

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  1. Chanterais says:
    23 February 2010 at 9:50 am

    Oh my stars and garter! Kummer mentions that “Chypre” translates to English as cypress. Do you know, for my entire life, I have always, unthinkingly and unblinkingly, believed chypre to mean “cypher”. As in a secret code, as in spies. As in dangerous women with a pistol strapped to their stockinged thigh, or sleek men who can seduce the plutocrat’s wife and copy the nuclear codes in one swift moment.

    I am hilariously embarrassed. I always loved the idea that chypres were, in their complicated way, slightly menacing, and to be dismissed or ignored at one’s peril. It seemed to fit so well with what I felt about those formidable bergmot-oakmoss-and-labdanum beauties. But it just means cypress, huh? Hmmm. Cypress trees are nice. Pointy.

    I think I prefer my definition.

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    • sweetlife (ahtx) says:
      23 February 2010 at 9:55 am

      Chanterais, you can keep some of your mystery! It’s not “cypress” the tree, so much as it is “Cyprus” the place–the Mediterranean island. Ancient home to perfume. And, um, other stuff.

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    • Helle says:
      23 February 2010 at 9:58 am

      I absolutely love your own translation of Chypre, it does seem really fitting! I think the word means “Cyprus” though, as in the Mediterranean island, no?

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    • Robin says:
      23 February 2010 at 10:01 am

      Yes, cyprus, not cypress.

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    • Joe says:
      23 February 2010 at 12:10 pm

      And for more information that you probably ever wanted on the etymology of ‘Cyprus’:
      http://www.cyprus.com/cyprus-general-info-ancient-names-of-cyprus.php

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    • Aparatchick says:
      23 February 2010 at 1:23 pm

      I’m laughing with you because it always reads as “cypher” to me too. I have to stop myself before I say it because I’m always sure I’ll pronounce it that way!

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  2. Daisy says:
    23 February 2010 at 10:03 am

    my vote goes with Chanterais…..I’m all for the secret agents with pistols tangled up in their undergarments. Dangerous business that.

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    • Julia says:
      23 February 2010 at 10:14 am

      I like that image, too. I kind of feel that way when I wear Une Rose Chypre. I also think of Katherine Hepburn in a severe suit and fabulous shoes. Good bones, well tailored lines, and no-nonsense accessories.
      I knew it referred to Cyprus, but my understanding is that it refers to a particular oakmoss which grows there and that is what gives chypres their characteristic earthy scent.

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  3. mjr17 says:
    23 February 2010 at 10:03 am

    Yes, I believe it’s Cyprus, not Cypress as author wrote. details details lost in translation

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    • Joe says:
      23 February 2010 at 12:11 pm

      Homophones. They are notoriously difficult.

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  4. flittersniffer says:
    23 February 2010 at 10:36 am

    Great article – what fun to go sniffing with LT! Or to have a tour of Robertet’s labs and smell things like hedione on their own.

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    • Robin says:
      23 February 2010 at 11:34 am

      Does sound fun!

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  5. ScentScelf says:
    23 February 2010 at 10:38 am

    Aw, that’s a shame, the error in translation. I have enjoyed Kummer’s writing on food for years. I think maybe we can just blame the editor here…or maybe the lack of fact checkers for the MIT publication? 😉

    Interesting to hear the proposal that foodies are into citrus fragrances. Is it a cleansing of the palate thing? Why not herbs? (Oh, I’m just lobbing out thoughts without thinking much.)

    How did I miss Turin’s theory of vibration to explain how so few receptors do so much? I totally love it! And it can be reconciled with his love of music. Hmmm hmmm hmmm. If only I could go off to Cyprus for a while to think… 🙂

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    • Robin says:
      23 February 2010 at 11:36 am

      I do wonder if more foodies are into citrus than other people. I mean, it’s a very popular category among people in general.

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  6. Celestia says:
    23 February 2010 at 10:47 am

    “Unsweet citrus”? He’s gotta be kidding. Of the four unisex eaux, Eau de Guerlain is certainly the most sweet to me and therefore my least favourite. But, hey, different strokes! I much prefer the orangey sunshine deliciousness of Eau de Fleur de Cedrat. Eau de Cologne Imperiale and Eau du Coq are also not sweet.

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    • Robin says:
      23 February 2010 at 11:35 am

      I adore it, and don’t find it sweet at all — more mossy & crisp.

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      • Robin says:
        23 February 2010 at 11:35 am

        And yes — different strokes!

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  7. k-scott says:
    23 February 2010 at 12:41 pm

    Thanks for the link to a really engaging article! It’s interesting to think about how a love of food and cooking relates to the love of scent and fragrance.

    I love Eau Sauvage- looks like I should give Eau de Guerlain a try!

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    • Robin says:
      23 February 2010 at 12:53 pm

      Yes…although despite the slant of the article, I don’t find it any more “modern” than Eau Sauvage.

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  8. Celestia says:
    23 February 2010 at 7:40 pm

    I work in the perfume dept. Coincidentally last Sun. my partner and I were trying various fragrances of this ilk. We discovered that Escale de Portofino is almost a dead ringer for Monsieur de Givenchy. For those of you out there who like this category, we recommend trying those along with the afore-mentioned Guerlain Eau Imperiale and Dior Eau Sauvage.

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    • Haunani says:
      23 February 2010 at 7:47 pm

      Thanks for the tip. I’m still on the lookout for the perfect refreshing citrus. The opening of Escale a Portofino is pretty perfect, but it’s so darned fleeting!

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