If there is an off shoot of the trend towards transparency that I will welcome it is the chance for the more fragile ingredients to shine. The majority of the time I have satisfied my desire for that quality by finding it in the independent perfume community. With L’Artisan Le Chant de Camargue it might be finding its way to a broader audience.
Le Chant de Camargue is the fifth release in the “Les Paysages” collection. This group of perfumes is meant to highlight a different region of France. Since its inception in 2017 I have found it to be one of the best group of perfumes from L’Artisan in years. Le Chant de Camargue does not break that streak.
Alberto Morillas
For this homage to the Camargue region perfumer Alberto Morillas chose to create a fragrance around the “white gold” of the area; rice. Rice is one of those accords that is difficult to construct. When done well it is magical. M. Morillas spent months building his accord. The construction of the perfume is kept simple to protect the fragility of that rice accord. What is also remarkable about this perfume is the precise use of three of the most common synthetic ingredients to provide a stronger backbone to the overall fragrance.
Bergamot leads to the rice accord as this opens. The rice accord has a beautiful watery green effect before going milky through a powdery phase. What M. Morillas does is to titrate in exact amounts of hedione and Paradisone. These are usually powerful jasmine alternatives. Here they are used with a restrained hand providing a floral veil. The milky rice accord finds a complement in an equally creamy sandalwood. Just the right amount of ambrox supports the final accord without overwhelming it.
Le Chant de Camargue has 8-10 hour longevity and average sillage.
I think this will become my favorite of the Les Paysages collection. I find M. Morillas’ ability to provide strength to fragility as compelling as it can be.
Disclosure: this review is based on a sample provided by L’Artisan Parfumeur.
–Mark Behnke
