L'Artisan Parfumeur
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The blackcurrant bud hits first with its characteristic cat-piss sharpness, immediately tempered by absinthe's green bitterness and angelica's rooty earthiness. It's an aggressively herbal opening that smells like snapping stems rather than sniffing flowers, with a brightness that borders on astringent.
The spice choir enters—clove and nutmeg humming underneath whilst pepper sparks across the surface and ginger adds a fibrous warmth. Patchouli weaves through the middle, not earthy but green-woody, holding the botanical chaos together whilst pine needles pierce through with medicinal sharpness.
The resins finally make themselves known as cistus and fir balsam create a soft, ambery-green base that's simultaneously warm and cool. The spices fade to a gentle prickling whilst the woody elements remain, leaving a skin scent that's subtly forested, slightly spiced, and quietly strange.
Olivia Giacobetti's Fou d'Absinthe captures the green, slightly deranged spirit of absinthe without falling into cheap anisic clichés. This is absinthe as wormwood—bitter, botanical, and bracingly herbal rather than sweet. The opening delivers a jolt of blackcurrant bud's feline pungency meeting angelica's earthy greenness, creating a verdant fug that feels like crushing herbs between your fingers in a damp garden shed. As it develops, the spice accord becomes prominent but never overpowering: nutmeg and clove bring warmth without cosiness, whilst pepper and ginger add a restless, fidgety quality that keeps the composition from ever settling into comfort.
The genius lies in how Giacobetti uses the resinous base—cistus and fir balsam—to anchor all this nervous botanical energy. The pine needles aren't festive; they're sharp and medicinal, amplifying the green bitterness rather than sweetening it. Patchouli appears not as headshop earthiness but as a structural element, giving the spices something to grip onto. The whole composition feels like the olfactory equivalent of absinthe's reputation: a touch dangerous, decidedly bohemian, certainly not for everyone.
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4.0/5 (80)