Eau de Cartier Zeste de Soleil

I first met Zeste de Soleil, a Cartier LE summer flanker, in Heathrow airport in 2013 and it stuck in my mind as a perfect mango-scent. Mango is my favourite fruit. Fast-forward 7 years and I finally purchased it based only on a memory without re-testing, as I badly needed some serious happy scent-remedy against Covid angst... And now, I instead of mango perceive as almost photorealistic passionfruit! Just for a touch in the opening, for about 10 sec, I still get a Hello! from slightly unripe mango... and then its all about Passionfruit from then on, lightened by citrus and all very juicy, cheerful and straight-forward. I can't smell much mint in the composition and wish it would come out more. Its a lovely fresh natural-smelling summer scent and I'm going through my bottle with alarming speed... Its a real pity Cartier discontinued it although it was always going to be limited summer edition. This mango-passionfruit makes it very unique and addictive for me. Btw, the performance is more like a cologne and it lacks distinguishable base notes. But even 1-2 h of bliss, its totally worth it :) Now, if anyone knows better pure passionfruit scent, or even better one with the long-lasting photorealistic mango note, drop me a line...

I really enjoy this eau de cologne by Mathilde Laurent at Cartier. Zeste de Soleil is a flanker of the original Eau de Cartier. The focus here is on a sweet yellow citrus note - the perfumer’s take on Yuzu. It is accompanied by a tropical fruit note they call passionfruit. I don’t know exactly what passionfruit smells like, but I am definitely reminded of soft, tropical fruits like mango, papaya, kiwi... especially if you have ever been to a tropical country where the fruits are served at room temperature (I.e. warm) and they are silky soft and almost overripe. Almost. Zeste de Soleil gives us a sprig of mint to keep things fresh. There is some very light muskiness to serve as a base, but overall performs like a cologne. Great for running a quick errand. Douse yourself liberally and enjoy the tasteful tropical vacation top notes.

I loved the sound of this one so I ordered a mini bottle. On first spray I get lovely citrusy yuzu and a little mint. If it could stay in this stage I would love it, but it only gets a like. I'm not too sure what litchi smells like, but in this drydown I get mostly floral (maybe the notes are incomplete?), and a slight fruitiness. It is definitely for warm months, so I will give it another try then.

Loved, loved, loved this one when I got to smell it today. FRUITY and fun. Sweet citrusy fruits, and that's about it, and I'm not complaining. It will be my summer scent for next yr. LOVE it, and my favorite from the Eau de Cartier flankers so far, with last yr's Rose coming in at a close second, and I don't even love rose fragrances. This one's a must smell from fruity lovers. : )

pure sunshine in a bottle. The name and packaging perfectly reflect this fragrance. Sunny, gentle, pure summertime happiness and whimsy. I tend to like perfumes that are pretty much impossible to over-apply, and this is definitely that. Terrible staying power, but absolutely lovely in the summer.

Gostei muito deste perfume. Apesar de ser muito intenso logo ao aplicar, seu aroma não é muito marcante. A longevidade e sillage são baixas. A composição de aromas é perfeita; um ótimo exemplar para dias e noites quentes.

Simple and beautiful. Perfect when you want a sniff of pure sunshine during cold winter months, or as a pick me up scent in summer. Very very light though, with no lasting power. If it lasted I would own a giant bottle!

Oh this gorgeous beauty!!! It needs a hot summer’s day to reveal its crispy minty secrets... juicy, citrusy, green, sweet, refreshing... all the goodness! Very pleasant !

Really great yuzu scent, with added tanginess from the passionfruit and accented briefly by mint.

Perfeito nos aromas. Pouco marcante...

I got this sample as a gift from a lovely fragrantican. I'm not big on citruses so I likely wouldn't have picked it out on my own, but I do like it. Don't love it, but I appreciate it and would recommend it to anyone looking for a summery grapefruit/yuzu. In my opinion these two citruses smell quite similar, but yuzu is even more refreshing and has a different kind of bitter edge. Zeste de Soleil shows off the whole fruit, zest, piths and juice. It's tart, sparkling and also a little sweet, but not sugary, only the passion fruit adds a nice fruity sweetness. The mint is very subtle, but not completely unnoticeable. A single twig of mint in your yuzu and maracuja cocktail, if you will. Even though this is more of a high end body splash than a long-lasting perfume, I think this has a well-constructed base that smells clean and creamy close to the skin, when the scent is almost gone. The scent is very light and airy, but doesn't feel thin, if that makes sense to you.

How can anyone hate this? It is so innocent, refreshing and natural smelling! Quite similar to Pomelos by Micallef, but more delicate. It's tropical, aromatic, without anything in your face. sweet but not sickly so. The initial burst is almost all Pomello, and then gently transitions into a mild fruity juicy floral. It would fit nicely into the Allegoria line from Guerlain .. Unfortunately the silage and lasting power are probably some of the worst I've ever seen. Still, considering you can find it at a good discount these days, it's worth every penny. Perfect for hot summer days. I imagine fairy dust smelling like this.

This is a sunny fruit cocktail. Simple, I get a peppery yellow citrus top note, and a little something green and smooth to round it out. It would be very nice for day wear in the warmer months if you prefer simple and straightforward scents. My skin doesn't wear these notes well, but if I could, this is one I'd pick. Update: I can see how this could be unisex on the right person. The citrus and mint remind me of the notes in other mens' colognes I like, and I bet if you're a man who can pull off bergamot and green citrus without feeling 'girly', this might work on you.

A lovely fresh citrus -- ultimate daytime happy fresh scent. Like truly if I needed a mood booster, I'd reach for this. Very zesty, clean, even a bit soapy, but in an expensive bar soap way. The yuzu, passionfruit, mint combo is very pleasant, and skews a bit grapefruit-like to me. Thinking of something comparable, I'd compare this one to all the Atelier citruses (which besides Pacific Lime really don't do it for me). This is much more interesting to me. This also feels 100p unisex to me. The dry down reminds me of Burberry Brit. Anyone else?

That's what it was mint! Grapefruit, mint, passionfruit (that's there just to balance the grapefruit because the sweetness of the mint wouldn't have helped much),so healthy! I'm curios if I put them in a blender will it smell like this? How would it taste? I don't juice, I prefer my body to do the job that's meant for, plus I'm very lazy :)(be careful guys apparently there's such a thing has getting too much sugar from fruits juices and if they aren't just made... adios vitaminas ... hola acid(and not the good one from lemon ang=d grapefruit)

Another fresh, summery scent from Cartier with the same longevity issues that others have from this house. It’s very natural with citrus and herbal elements, I also pick up vanilla. Linear from start to finish, but that’s not a deal breaker for me. I think Cartier makes some of the nicest, good buys out there. I like Zest de Soleil, and could imagine even loving it but I will need to revisit this when the weather turns warmer.

I just picked this little guy up and it's pretty great. Of course, I get the initial citrus blast at the top, but then it dries down to something I equate to the middle of Bond's Fire Island... that kinda suntan oil smell. Not as pronounced of course, but there's something oilish (is that even a word?) in the middle notes. Maybe my nose is just toast after sniffing this stuff non-stop for an entire day. :-)

4 hours later and strong essential oils applied in other places, still I can smell it. So I'm very pleased about longevity(not if I did pay what Cartier retail it at:) It's 20°C and I have poor circulation down to my arms, so I would say it's good even when it's not particularly warm. Otherwise mint and grapefruit are good for my acid reflux, so maybe that's way my skin isn't getting rid of it :)

Unisex but on the feminine side, this is sweet and citrusy, with very freshly scraped zest/peel top notes, it's like sticking your nose in a grater after someone's attacked some fruit with it. The mint is very well blended in, it's not toothpaste obvious, it's just fresh. Dries down into mild cologne. It actually lasted a decent five hours on me but I did absolutely drown myself in it :/

Pleasant after shower tropical grassy body spray. But it lasts so shortly that I highly recommend not to waist your money, cause I’d spray whole bottle in a week in attempt to smell something. Really after 15 minutes it completely disappears. By its mood Zeste De Soleil reminds me Luxuriance, but with fruity twist.

Zeste de Soleil is a fresh fruity with a deep green undertones. From the first sniff, I thought it was another fig fragrance. This juice smells like fig cocktail, but examining closer: it is a mix of passion fruit, yuzu and mint. To me it's a bit on a masculine side. Very nice, something different for summer!

In the beginning Zeste de Soleil is really fresh and tropical and, would say, more feminine, but the drydown comes fast and it's masculine for me, though quite nice and acceptable. The staying power is very long, over 10 hours. Maybe it's because of winter, will try again in summer.

Love the smell of it, so summery and tropical. Refreshing and addictive. Yet, as much as I love the opening, there is no development to it, simply because it disappointingly vanishes into thin air in about two hours. You have to spray and spray. It stays a bit more on fabric..

Very well done summer cologne. Zesty passion fruit spiced up with a hint of mint. Not offensive, close to skin, just like it should be. Too bad that it's so fleeting. They call it EDT, but it's more like a body mist. Anyway, good as a summer refreshment.

In addition to my other review below.. It's hot today, so this is having an airing.. it's definitely got a violet note in it, every so often it peeks out. How come no-one else mentions it? I really want to add it to the note list!

nice refreshing perfume ,i found it the best among l'eau de cartier series , simple not complicated and really you can easily detect all the ingredient , it is pleasant but neither long lasting neither detected .

Zest of The Sunshine! Simple 3 notes, stays on for no more than 3 hours and remains within 3 cm distance from the skin. It did a magnificent job on a vacation to the sultry Maldives!

I doubt that this is unisex. This is a gorgeous mango cocktail, not getting any green notes, but am getting a delicious mango drink.

Love the burst of fresh orangey fragrance

Unisex as is was created for. Not sweet, not sour. Kindda citrussy but not in a clear way. On my in hot summer almost does not exist.

Bit too masculine for me. Has sort of a sharp soap scent.

I liked this at first and was delighted that a friend bought me it, always lovely to receive a botttle of perfume. But as I'm committed to being honest in all perfume reviews, I have to say that now I've worn it a few times I notice the drydown is just a bit aftershave-like. The opening is nice, with an authentic smelling mint leaf though. I like quite a lot of unisex perfumes, but I'm not keen on grapefruit and also find that aqua notes give me a headache. Zeste de Soleil doesn't have the usual aqua note, but the fruity note of passion fruit has that effect and it's a bit synthetic Ah well, I think if you like perfumes like Acqua di Gio but want something simpler this might appeal very much.

First spray I get citrusy mint and no matter how much I keep sniffing that seems to be about it so I will come back to it in a bit. Dry down turned into a disappointing powdery barely there experience and the whole thing lasted less than an hour. I'm sure it's just my weird body chemistry but I won't be going for a big bottle of this one any time soon.

To me this is flat and industrially soapy, kind of like orange scented Pledge smells or Murphy's oil, if you know what I'm referring to. I feel an outsider saying this, but I want freshness in my citrusy perfumes, not this stale kind of wilted and muddy citrus... A disappointment, especially since I bought a full bottle.

This smells just like tomato leaves to me. Didn't even want to wait for drydown....

REALLY fruity...passion fruit and pineapple notes..not for me.

It's supposed to be unisex, but although anyone can enjoy this lovely fruity scent, I don't think a man could wear this and feel comfortable. It smells very feminine to me. Nonetheless, what really surprised me is how natural it smells. I'm not so knowledgeable about scents but this eau the toilette must be the epitome of passion fruit in fragrances. Now, passion fruit is essentially acidic, and maybe that's why some people might find this smell citrusy. I don't find this fragrance citrusy at all. I couldn't pick any yuzu note. Only a very sweet passion fruit that might be playing with some mint to create an ilusion of freshness. And that's what happens in the top and middle notes. The dry down shows up in less than 40 mins, and it is an absolutely feminine smell that reminds me a bit of make up, but not in a bad way. All in all, this is a nice fragrance but I can't see myself wearing it.

Thanks for the vivid reviews. I am about to send in a Nordstrom order and get some "free samples" Zeste de Soleil is one of the three. ( Not a misleading offer since I found items I wanted!) I had just been searching for a summery,citrus fresh scent that will not be reminiscent of lemon floor wash! I'll let you all know how I like it! The other samples are Marc Jacob's Honey and Philosophy's Loveswept. I'm really looking forward to this order: M.A.C pigment powder in "Hi-def Cyan" and Stonehenge gray and floral tank dress.

I would have to disagree with "mermeflorez1978" review. A man CAN wear this and feel confident. It does not smell feminine as citrus smells are catered to both sexes because they are bright scents not sweet like berries. On a mans skin this dries to a woodsy zesty Yuzu and oranges. Its very summer and clean fruity and when I say fruity I do not mean strawberries sweetness but I mean Zest citrus fruit. It reminds me of Jil Sander's Sander for men but with more Oranges while Sander is a bit more woodsy, Pepper & Cinnamon.

Zeste de Soleil is the perfect name for this bottle of sunshine. This has a faint bit of the traditional Eau de Cartier base which is pepped up with a warm sweet tropical fruit and mint. Tropical fruits can smell fake, but here they are warm and genuine. This has better longevity than many of the the Eau de Cartiers, but it's still not going to last all day. Zeste de Soleil is such a happy, bright fragrance that I forgive the longevity and respray with abandon.

These are random samples from my collection. They are not based on season, only to remind us of the beauty that awaits if we choose them. Draw 1: Dior Aqua Fahrenheit Draw 2: Original Penguin Rocks Draw 3: Jil Sander Man Draw 4: YSL Pour Homme Draw 5: Cartier Zeste de Soleil Draw 6: Tom Ford Noir de Noir Draw 7: Miller Harris Vetiver Bourbon Draw 8: Guerlain Homme L'eau Boisee Draw 9: John Varvatos Oud Draw 10: Bond No 9 The Scent of Peace for Him

The lady in the fragrance department recommended this to me. I think I like it. It's fresh in the non-squeaky way, and I like the unisex vibe. Apart from that it doesn't have much vibe. It is grown-up fruity, soft, non-intrusive and a bit soapy. I was looking for an evening/dressed up perfume and I don't this one is really right for that, it is probably better for daytime wear.

you know what is absolutely gorgeous about this scent? it is like a really classy, dry cologne structure with a passionfruit top note. and normally tropical fruits in perfumery and treated with too much sweet gross coconutty "tropical"--and here it just smells like a timeless, summery, gorgeous cologne with passionfruit on top. lovely. never tiresome.

This was a blind buy and I was very hesitate about this order because I do not like scents that are too citrusy. To my surprise, this turned out to be a great blind buy. The scent is so refreshing and tropical. The fragrance is like a bougie version of a Bath and Body Works summer scent.

@vivalajuju Hilarious. Your other reviews are a good read too. I think, however, I’ll give this fragrance a miss!

Strong Yuzu with Passionfruit combination, a bit hints Mango and Papaya. This one is so Tropical scent.

Another beauty that I love and want, but never buy due its so poor perfomance :(((