Issey Miyake
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Lotus and freesia arrive with surprising clarity, almost green in their freshness, creating a cool opening that suggests dewey skin rather than heavy fragrance. Within minutes, the freesia begins to fade, ceding space to the more complex florals waiting beneath.
Night-blooming jasmine and tuberose emerge simultaneously, the honey threading through both, creating a creamy, honeyed floral mass that's soft rather than oppressive. A powdery haze develops, lending an almost soapy, skin-like quality that makes this phase oddly wearable despite the heavy florals at play.
The precious woods and bourbon vanilla gradually dominate, the florals receding into the background as a warm, subtly sweet embrace. What remains is decidedly woody with honeyed vanilla undertones—intimate and skin-like rather than fragrant in any obvious sense.
L'Eau d'Issey Absolue is a fragrance that refuses easy categorisation, operating in that ambiguous territory where floral intensity meets gourmand restraint. Olivier Cresp has constructed something genuinely interesting here: a night-blooming composition that doesn't surrender to the honeyed excess such notes typically invite. The lotus and freesia opening feels almost aqueous, lending a dewy freshness that anchors what could otherwise become a cloying affair, whilst the heart—dominated by night-blooming jasmine, Provençal honey, and tuberose—builds into something decidedly sensual without tipping into indulgence.
What makes this scent compelling is the restraint. The honey isn't caramelised or thick; instead, it acts as a soft sweetener that glazes the jasmine and tuberose rather than drowning them. There's a powdery quality that rises midway through, likely from the tuberose's natural aldehydic character, which lends an almost vintage elegance. The woody base—precious woods, not aggressively rendered—provides structure and prevents the composition from drifting into pure floral abstraction.
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3.1/5 (79)