French niche line Etat Libre d’Orange has launched The Ghost in the Shell, a new fresh floral fragrance. The Ghost in the Shell was developed through an "alliance" with Japanese manga artist Shirow Masamune, author of the series Ghost in the Shell.
By mixing biotech and natural materials, this perfume silently celebrates the wake of the future and also whispers of a day to come, by providence or chance, when humanity is reunited and organized. A day when all consciousness is summoned by the infosphere to constitute a superior being and pass from the inert to the living. As the molecules assemble to make the living, we will then make a qualitative leap that becomes the starting point and arrival of transhumanism.
This perfume is the future. It comes to us from the 20th century.
Ghost in the Shell, a perfume that speaks of the human phenomenon and its paradox, a perfume to wear on oneself ab libitum, at one’s pleasure. A perfume as a propagation towards the other, that makes you the axis and the arrow of evolution; modern, indeed! From the bottom of the matter, rise up.
The notes feature aqual (Mane marine note), yuzu, hexyl acetate (green fruity note), jasmine, mugane (Mane floral note), milky skin accord, moss accord, vinyl gaiacol (Mane vanilla-like note) and orcanox (Mane amber note).
Etat Libre d’Orange The Ghost in the Shell is available in 50 and 100 ml Eau de Parfum.
(via etatlibredorange)
Nope, nope, nope. If this is the future, I’m staying in the past, thank you very much. ??
The whole thing sounds pretty weird!
I like the idea. I probably don’t like the fragrance.
We can sit together!
? If you get cold, I’ve got a shawl you can borrow (spritzed with a bit of vintage L’Heure Bleue.)
Ew, ew, ew, incoherent descriptions, mangled Latin, and desperate visions…. Yikes! “the wake of the future” ??? “ab libitum”?? My 9th grade Latin teacher Mrs. Ashe is rolling in her grave!
There is a longer description on the EldO website…I just took the end of it. In the part I didn’t quote, Etienne de Swardt talks about the book Hyperion by Dan Simmons. Since I have not read it, nor have I read Ghost in the Shell, it did not help me, but maybe all of this would make more sense if I’d included it, I don’t know.
https://www.etatlibredorange.com/products/the-ghost-in-the-shell
Read the Hyperion series when it came out years ago. Like 25 or 30 years ago. Still have my copy. Basically it’s a redo of the Canterbury Tales. A group of pilgrims each tell their story. Just don’t see it in the perfume description. Don’t see Ghost in the Shell either.
Thoughts….
Is this a new version of Secretions Magnifique?
Is this the reverse of Soylent Green is people?!? I.e.: “all consciousness is summoned…to constitute a superior being and pass from the inert to the living. As the molecules assemble to make the living…”
Whatever it is, it’s disturbing.
From the sound of it, the books are meant to be disturbing in the same way that many sci-fi books are meant to be disturbing, that is, they’re meant to make you think about where we are heading.
Yep, sci fi is good for that (I’m thinking of Philip K. Dick in particular,) but my problem is that I’m disturbed by where we already are!
And, Robin, my apologies if for starting a big negatron ball rolling here.
Oh, not at all!! We can all say what we like about fragrances. We can choose not to read disturbing books, we can choose not to wear fragrances with disturbing blurbs…
I was not meaning to argue with anybody at all, just pointing out that you’d expect a disturbing description given the inspiration here.
I know there’s not any arguing here, Robin. That’s part of why we all love it! ?
Well I am neither left nor right with this. I am as HUGE of an anime/manga fab as I am of perfume. Ghost in the shell as in manga is probably not my thing with the cyberpunk vibe, but I just googled it and I love the illustrations especially from the 80s/early 90s.
Anyway this is about perfume afterall? But I get excited when I hear perfumers reach out to collaborate with manga people and Japan in general. I would probably buy a 30ml just for that reason alone and maybe kept it new in the box as a keepsake. The notes aren’t my thing either.
I like that NST scooped Fragrantica – not found there just now! But that picture creeps me out.
Even for perfume ad copy, famously over-the-top, that is a whole lot of deranged bafflegab.
This also sounds pretty dreadful, or at least very much not my thing.
They lost me at “floral.” I think a lot of things are lost in translation, and this line in particular likes to push the envelope. I’ve always found them very tongue in cheek rather than disturbing, and so appreciate they go their own way. I would sample it if some came my way.
Weather or not the frag is any good I was pleased to see that they work with the creator of ghost in the shell. I haven’t smelt any recent Etat frags so I have no idea how this will smell. Having seen the Movie and anime of this my brain imagines ‘Major’ smelling Like Mugler’s Womanity. I remember sampling womanity and I’m my mind it straddled this natural and totally synthetic vibe. A colorless saline rinsing almost human skin. I don’t know why I never purchased a bottle. Sorry for the rant.