Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle
Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle
277 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Saffron hits immediately—metallic, slightly bitter, and threaded with the peppery-clove facets of carnation that create an almost medicinal sharpness. The citrus barely registers as brightness; instead, bergamot and lemon provide a fleeting sparkle before surrendering to the spice, whilst nutmeg adds a dusty, aromatic warmth that hovers at the edges.
The sandalwood emerges with its characteristic creaminess, merging with jasmine's heady floralcy to create something skin-like and intimate. Patchouli darkens the composition without overwhelming it, adding chocolate-earth tones that complement rather than dominate, whilst the carnation continues its spicy insistence, now softened by powder and wood.
What remains is a woody-musky embrace—sulfurol's abstract cashmere quality wrapping around vanilla and balsam, creating a sweet but sophisticated finish. The powder becomes more pronounced here, almost iris-like in its lipstick softness, whilst the sandalwood persists as a creamy, subtly animalic whisper against the skin.
Dries Van Noten par Frédéric Malle is a fragrance of beautiful contradictions—simultaneously austere and indulgent, woody yet laced with gourmand sweetness, angular but draped in powder. Bruno Jovanovic constructs a scent around the rare interplay of saffron and carnation, two notes that share a spicy, metallic edge, amplified here by nutmeg's warmth. This isn't the sunny carnation of Victorian bouquets; it's darker, almost leathery, with saffron lending its bitter-sweet medicinal facets that feel more apothecary than flower shop.
The Mysore sandalwood—increasingly rare in modern perfumery—provides a creamy, almost fatty woodiness that anchors the composition with genuine luxe. Egyptian jasmine absolute weaves through with its indolic richness, whilst patchouli adds earthen shadows without tipping into headshop territory. What makes this composition fascinating is how sulfurol (cashmeran) creates an abstract, velvety haze around everything, softening edges whilst maintaining structure. The vanilla and Peru balsam in the base offer resinous sweetness without cloying, allowing the spice-wood architecture to remain visible through the gauze of musk.
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3.9/5 (145)