Balenciaga
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Violet leaf bursts forth with green, peppery immediacy, almost mentholated in its clarity, whilst green notes create a crisp, slightly bitter backdrop that feels almost galbanum-adjacent. Within moments, a subtle spice emerges—not warm, but rather that cool, almost camphoraceous quality that violet leaf brings when treated with respect.
The composition settles into a sophisticated herbal-woody zone where violet transforms into something more structural, anchored by vetiver that carries an almost ionone-like sparkle. Resins materialise now, adding subtle warmth and a resinous depth that prevents the fragrance from becoming too austere or linear.
Leather becomes the protagonist, lending a dry, almost tobacco-like character without actual tobacco sweetness, whilst moss and woods create a muted, forest-floor aesthetic. What remains is contemplative and skin-close, a subtle interplay of earth and leather that whispers rather than speaks—though longevity and sillage data suggest this whisper fades considerably within a few hours.
Paris L'Essence is a fragrance that respects the intelligence of its wearer. Olivier Polge has constructed something genuinely unusual here—a scent that refuses the obvious path of violet florals, instead letting green notes and violet leaf dominate the opening before the composition pivots toward something altogether earthier and more austere.
This is a fragrance built on restraint and botanical precision. The violet leaf cuts through with that characteristic crushed-green quality, slightly peppery and herbaceous, refusing any sweetness. When the heart notes emerge, the violet shifts character entirely—no powdery indulgence, but rather a structural element that anchors the resins and vetiver. There's a mineral quality here, something almost metallic in the way the vetiver interacts with the green notes, creating an almost aldehydic shimmer despite no aldehydes listed.
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3.7/5 (139)