Luxury on Jean-Paul Guerlain’s account is something pretty and discreet: “[Luxury] must not be brash”. To embody this, I use this creation to prove his point.

Coming from the master of the abstract symphony, Jacques Guerlain, Eau de Fleurs de Cedrat is a simple cologne that may have been Jacques’ most elegant creation. Luxury or richness will never shout. It just is. A perfumer known for his masterful restraint, Fleurs steers the cologne styling in a linearly luxurious direction that begs to be applied and then reapplied, and then reapplied, and then reapplied once again.

Hence, Eau de Fleurs de Cedrat is short lived. Coming from a period before citrus scents were elevated to substantial and long lasting fragrances it fades in a matter of moments. However in my opinion, the ultimate luxury is something fleeting. It must be reapplied by the hour, and it allows you to experience the sharp zing often, the fresh breath of the mediterranean and the expansive, picturesque blue coastlines and dazzling summer sunlight. To do this, cedrat (interchangeable with citron) adds the required diffusiveness – a sour and tart accent that is the ultimate lifter of spirits.

© Liam Sardea 2015

Eau de Fleurs de Cedrat is a simple, yet an overly discerning cologne that layers wonderfully. It features cedrat which is a bracing and bitter lemon note, then compounded with a suave interlude of musk and the typical Guerlain style Herbs de Provence accord – featuring a cool hum of lavender found mainly in Jicky rounded and finished with anisic aromatics.

The citron note is expressed with Jacques Guerlain’s typical elegant styling. Existing somewhere between lemon, orange, and grapefruit – this citrus note is stretched with a sugariness, redolent of syrup and the naturally sweet and sour flesh of citrus fruits.

The floral undertone – a predominately soft orange blossom and humming lavender affair (which may just be a result of the herbs accord) adds the right amount of substance and severity to an otherwise harmless scent. The humid indolic floral is hidden underneath a dazzling dosage of citrus, and merely peaks around the edges. On the dry down (virtually inexistent due to a lack of base notes) we are left with a sparkling lemon note melding into the skin of the wearer.

I find this scent hard to label as a fragrance, namely due to its brisk and fleeting personality. Instead, it is a pick-me-up; a French Tiramisu. It is a functional and luxurious water designed to be splashed decadently without consideration of cost or wastage. Rather – it is perfect left near the front door to conquer the outside world, when awakening to revitalise, slapped on after shaving, in the fridge to energise, or of course after a wash to extend the freshness.

For a classic eaux structure, you cannot do any better. It gives you everything you want, and then disappears. Taunting you. 

Subjective rating : 5/5

Objective rating: 5/5