Lavender cologne reminds me of wash day or scented tissues. Tuberose makes me feel I'm wearing silk panties and fishnet stockings. Lilac reminds me of the silver-haired lady who arranged flowers at church.
We all have flowers we love to smell in nature but avoid in fragrances. Lavender, tuberose and lilac always are given revered spots in my garden...but not in my perfume cabinet.
La Parfumerie Moderne (founded by Philippe Neirinck in concert with Parfum d'Empire perfumer Marc-Antoine Corticchiato) recently launched Désarmant,1 a lilac scent. According to La Perfumerie Moderne:
Désarmant resurrects the scent of the mysterious bottle found in a splendid Neo-baroque luxury hotel…. Now, putting out a lilac scent today is a pretty bold move. Of course, everybody loves the spring flower. But it’s been ages since perfumers have given it a starring role. Mossy undergrowth, luxuriant mauve clusters, vanilla-tinged nectar, and then that heady, animalic, almost leathery whiff the flowers exhale at the height of their blossoming…. Désarmant returns lilac to its proper rank and refinement.
Lilac seems to be having a "moment" in perfume and I hope I can, at last, find a lilac fragrance I enjoy: a lilac for Tarot readers, not church ladies, if you will.
Désarmant goes on smelling like sweet lilac wine (queue the great Nina Simone song of that name). This "wine" has a spring flavor, with added notes that remind me of hyacinth and jasmine. Mixing with the lilac are pale cinnamon, ylang-ylang and rose. Too soon after application the lilac becomes "dry" (I miss the wine) as a powdery note (orange blossom?) emerges. Désarmant wraps up its show pretty quickly with benzoin-vanilla and off-white musk (conjuring the scent of a sudsy basin of delicate hand washing — see panties and fishnet stockings above). Mildest lilac remains throughout the life of Désarmant, but it's way too pastel and tame for me; what I was hoping for was a bold, liquor-y deep-purple lilac with ripe greens and damp earth (some strong vetiver or iris root would have been welcome). If you enjoy pastel, spring florals, don't discount Désarmant, give it a try.
I didn't find my lilac perfume with Désarmant; if you can recommend a great lilac fragrance, please do! (And don't assume I've tried something just because it's famous!)
La Parfumerie Moderne Désarmant is available in 100 ml Eau de Parfum at Jovoy Paris in France (€160) or Twisted Lily in the US ($220).
1. Listed notes of orange, lilac, storax, cinnamon, ylang-ylang, rose, osmanthus, benzoin and vanilla.
Note: top image of a Syringa microphylla 'Superba' from the author's garden; this heavily scented lilac blooms TWICE a year.
It looks like Jardin de France no longer makes Lilas which was very nice and could be had for a song. Not great perfumery, but inexpensive enough to be used as a room spray or personal scent for a burst of springtime. My great aunt Monta used to love Highland Lilac of Rochester, and I remember it fondly, but I haven’t smelled that one in decades. En Passant is probably my favorite lilac based scent, but even then I would rather wear Apres l’Ondee when in the mood for a springtime after a rain scent.
I own and enjoy Higland Lilac of Rochester. I don’t know what it smelled like in the past; my bottle is a couple of years old.
Kindcrow…how does it smell?
It’s spicy, not soapy, and it’s potent. It smells pretty realistic and it’s a soliflore.
Monkeytoe…thanks. ‘After a rain’ has always been my problem with Apres l’Ondee! Ha!
Lilac is one of those floral notes that smells rich and beautiful in real life to me, but pale and soapy in perfume. Even En Passant, the best lilac I have yet smelled, is pretty watery. None of them satisfy the way I want.
Desirae, agree…much soapiness in lilac perfumes…it’s a cliche to imagine lilacs drenched in rain, too!
Real lilac on the bush is one of the most intoxicating smells in the world, and I’ve never encountered a perfume that captures that (and I’ve really looked). Demeter Lilac, of all things, comes the closest, for a brief moment, but it doesn’t last, turning very synthetic almost immediately.
Pyramus: Montale of all companies once had a great lilac…but it must have been discontinued. I didn’t buy a bottle when I had the chance.
Jean Patou Vacances is a beautiful green lilac. But it’s not dark or earthy.
Soivohle made a scent called Lilacs and Heliotrope that I thought was brilliant. It was fluffy and delightful and not especially floral after the first 10 minutes. Perhaps shouldn’t mention this one because I don’t think Liz Zorn is making it anymore.
Perfume sniffer…I will try Vacances…love the older Patou scents.
I don’t like lilac scents, but I really liked this one. But I’ll be more than happy with the 5 ml decant I was gifted…I don’t think I would spring for a bottle.
mike: the pricing on this one is a bit “off” to me.
Roja Dove makes a Lilac extrait. I’ve sampled it but not recently, and not for long enough to make up my mind about it. I think it’s probably not green enough for you, but would be worth sniffing if you pass a Roja Dove counter (although I personally would save my skin for Diaghilev). There is also Puredistance Opardu, which has some lilac, but, again, is probably warmer and softer than what you are seeking.
Maybe you could layer CBIH Black March and a simple lilac cologne? Or e-mail Christopher Brosius with your idea? Sneaking away from the party with crystal champagne glasses in hand to play hide and seek among the lilac bushes on a cool spring night…
Noz: hey, that’s a good story for the “perfume to be”! My most glorious lilac is yet to bloom this year, a heavenly lilac liquor aroma.
I have the Roja Dove Lilac extrait and it is pretty realistic, as lilac in perfumes go. But I believe it is discontinued.
Leilani Bishop has a lilac fragrance oil that is the closest to the real thing that I have smelled. I’ll have to dig out my sample.
Kevin, I just tried Desarmant today. I like it fine, but it’s not quite right for me, either. Have you tried Ex Nihilo’s Sweet Morphine? It’s a warmer, greener lilac with iris, spicy mimosa, heliotrope and vanilla. I think it’s really well done and thus far is my favorite lilac perfume.
Opardu is heady lilac – I loved it for ages then it got a bit much. Every time I moved there was another waft of LILAC. It is beautiful though. I’m wearing Désarmant now for the second time and really enjoying it now. Also the price of Opardu makes Désarmant look a bargain option…