Van Cleef & Arpels
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Pink pepper delivers a snappy, almost metallic bite that cuts through bergamot's citrus oil, creating a bright but slightly austere introduction. Within minutes, the iris begins its powdery whisper, already hinting at the refined earthiness to come rather than offering conventional floral prettiness.
Rose emerges in its most sophisticated register—neither dewy nor jammy, but rather the dried petals pressed between pages, mingling with iris's cosmetic facets. The patchouli starts its slow reveal, earthy and dark beneath the florals like rich soil under a manicured garden, whilst suede wraps everything in soft, napped texture that blurs the edges between notes.
The florals fade to ghosts of themselves, leaving patchouli and suede as the dominant pair—earthy, slightly animalic, with iris's powder still dusting the surface. It's warm skin, worn leather goods, and the faintest memory of roses, settling into something intimate and just slightly melancholic.
Moonlight Patchouli is Sonia Constant's meditation on contrast—a fragrance that takes patchouli's earthy, almost brutish character and refracts it through the cool elegance of iris and the gentility of rose. This isn't the hippie-trail patchouli of incense shops; it's been scrubbed clean, dressed in suede, and given impeccable manners. The bergamot and pink pepper opening provides a brief moment of crystalline brightness before the composition plunges into its true nature: a floral-dominant study in which patchouli acts not as protagonist but as the dark earth from which cultivated blooms emerge. The iris brings its signature lipstick-powder refinement, creating an almost dusty texture that mingles with suede to produce something both soft and slightly austere. This is patchouli for those who find straight patchouli too much—tempered, civilised, wearing good tailoring. It occupies an intriguing space between the wardrobe and the garden, equally suited to the person who wears cashmere jumpers to art exhibitions as to those who prefer their florals with backbone rather than sweetness. There's a coolness here, almost aloof, yet the rose prevents it from becoming entirely cerebral. The leather-suede accord adds tactile dimension without venturing into biker jacket territory—think vintage handbags and worn book bindings instead. It's confident without shouting, complex without being challenging, the sort of fragrance worn by someone who's long past needing to make an entrance.
Add fragrances to your collection and unlock your personalised scent DNA, note map, and shareable identity card.
4.0/5 (184)