I admit I do not understand the marketing behind some perfumes. There are many releases which carry names which have absolutely nothing to do with the scent. A year ago L’Occitane Herbae promised me a green herbal, base on the name. Inside the bottle was a fantastic blackberry fragrance. The brand is back a year later with the same baffling approach with L’Occitane Herbae L’Eau.
What is funny is Herbae L’Eau is that non-rose spring floral I keep asking for. The original was composed by Nadege Le Garlantezec and Shyamala Maisondieu. I haven’t been able to find out who the perfumer(s) are behind this new version. I have a suspicion it is the same two perfumers as before, but I’ll update when I find out.
Angelica Flower
The keynote at the center of Herbae L’Eau is the musky green of angelica flower. This still has the freshness of other spring florals but with a much greener effect. The whole composition works off this but for an enjoyable gourmand surprise in the end.
Herbae L’Eau opens with a flare of bright lemon. It is a classic citrus choice. What goes with it is the soft green of clover. I liked this because of the use of that ingredient sets the table for the angelica. The green of the angelica shows up next carrying the musky undercurrent along for the ride. This is those cool mornings of spring with bright sun and the smell of green buds everywhere. At this point I was happy that a perfume promising herbs was at least trending green. Then marshmallow showed up and elevated it all. When I say marshmallow, I’m not describing the ones you make s’mores with. I am describing the marshmallow water used in desserts. It adds a watery confection-like pool for the angelica to float on top of. It works much better than I would have imagined. Instead of sugary sweet it acts like the promise of the sweet floral blooms to come from the green buds. Some white musks add life to the final stages to keep this all on the lighter side.
Herbae L’Eau has 8-10 hour longevity and average sillage.
Herbae L’Eau is my idea of a spring floral. It is many times more interesting than all the derivative roses covering my desk at the moment. If you would like to try a different spring floral this should be on your list to try.
Disclosure: This review is based on a sample provided by L’Occitane.
–Mark Behnke
Recent Comments