The Point

Clue! The excitement around this brand is contagious, and for good reason: all of their scents are so original and interesting, and their sensibility is so distinctive: a little bit cute, a little bit retro, tasteful and highly considered yet unpretentious, experimental but accessible, and surprising above all. I feel like the essence of Clue is a thought bubble with an exclamation point and question mark in it (an interrobang??). I love the Harry Nilsson soundtrack for the 1971 film that inspired this fragrance and the description sounded like such a perfect summer scent: “A cup of jasmine tea brewed with ocean water.” And it smells exactly like that! The seawater accord is incredible: salty, sandy, and briny in a way that most fresh, “aquatic” perfumes do not accurately nail at all. The jasmine tea is dreamy and mysterious. It gets washed out by the ocean notes in a sort of watercolour way, but it retains a feeling of seriousness that fits with the evocation of the deep sea. On that basis, the brand’s line “a cartoon drawing of jasmine tea” feels a tiny bit misleading, since I feel like there’s something quite wild and poetic about The Point, it doesn’t feel as “cute” as Warm Bulb (which does evoke a comic-strip drawing of a light bulb for me). The floral note of the jasmine combines with the honeyed patchouli of the heart notes to suggest a vintage flavour, a tinge of hippie vibes that fit with the 70s aesthetic of the source material, but in an abstract way that doesn’t go overboard into beads-and-fringes paisley head-shop territory. The mineral top notes and seaweedy ambergris in the base also inflect the patchouli in a surprisingly masculine way: at times, The Point almost seems to be giving whiffs of fougère, though the fragrance drifts and eddies like the tide going out, it’s very nonlinear. I love the sandy drydown—it really smells like wet sand, and I feel like I’m picking up sun-bleached driftwood in there, too. Unlike some other commenters, I’m not finding that it lasts very long (only about 3 hours), though this might be an issue with dabbing from a sample vial. In my fairly limited experience with tea scents, they present a light screen that benefits from generous application. I’m super tempted to get a full bottle of this just to enjoy for the remainder of summer, though I also think I’m really going to want a FB of Warm Bulb when the autumn rolls around, so I might hold off for that.

This is a fascinating, intimate perfume. Do not overspray!! This is definitely intended to be sprayed lightly, I do not recommend using more than one spray on any given area. When used sparingly, it's an extremely subtle and romantic salty jasmine, very atmospheric and evocative of the ocean. The experience is akin to walking past a patch of jasmine and being hit with such a airy whiff of fragrance that you have to turn back to sniff deeper. It fades to a very muted marine scent that is hard to put your finger on, but soft, comforting and very alluring. Almost like going to the beach and leaving with an indiscernible lingering sea smell. It's so lovely and ephemeral. Loving the scent so much, I bumped up to a few more sprays, but doing so completely ruins the fragrance. When oversprayed it truly smells like an overpowering combination of generic perfume counter floral, as if 50 perfumes were sprayed at once. It's not unpleasant per se but it's very distracting and very loud, and completely loses the nuance that you get from spraying lightly. Long story short - this frag really shines when used in a intimate way. It's best worn close to the skin, not broadcast to the world. I find it romantic that it's meant to be so private, a little treat for just me. If you're looking for projection I'd look elsewhere. I highly recommend if you're looking for something special and personal. It's a beautiful atmospheric experience when used the right way. I'm very impressed by the integrity and insistent subtlety of this fragrance. Love.

A beautiful pairing for the film it takes its name from (for those interested, the full 1971 film The Point can be found on YouTube), Clue's latest is their most approachable offering yet, without sacrificing their distinctly niche creative mission. The rendition of seawater here is deep and smooth, cooling and immersive and mineralic. Not a day at the beach, but the walk across the sand before submerging yourself in the waves. If perfume could be smelled through water, I'd say this should be paired with a day of swimming and diving - it wants to be worn under the surface. The sea accord is intimately entwined with the jasmine tea accord (which leans more floral and almost-fruity than tea-like to my nose); the pitch about a cup of tea brewed with sea water feels apt, as the sea water is what gives the perfume its body and cradles the delicate, slightly heady jasmine. This jasmine doesn't feel quite literal, but more emblematic - the avatar of a sea spirit, drawn with clean lines and pastel colors. Throughout the perfume's life and more noticeable in the drydown, there's an almost-salty patchouli-muskiness in the background that gives a cozy tingle and keeps the whole composition around for longer than I would have expected. In all, it's whimsical and vivid in the images it paints, and confirms that I'm gonna be hooked on whatever Clue puts out for the forseeable future.

You know, perfume is such a fascinating hobby. When I initially sampled this fragrance, it underwhelmed me. I put my sample away for a while and forgot about The Point while wearing other scents. Then, after a few months, I felt compelled to spray it onto my hand again... and I was WOWED. A few more sample wears later and I now own a full bottle. This is an absolutely gorgeous oceanic fragrance. Honey notes usually tend to turn cloying and overwhelming on my skin, but the sweetness of the honey is tempered perfectly by the salty and mineralic aspects. What really seals the deal for me is the dry-down; ambergris and sand add just enough dirt and grit to fully captivate my senses. It's hard for me to describe the jasmine tea accord with words, but it noticeably adds headiness to the fragrance. The Point smells like a day at the ocean as seen through a kaleidoscopic fantasy lens. The sea water is a more vibrant shade of blue than in reality, the sun lovingly warms skin with no threat of sunburn, and out of the corner of your eye you swear you might've just seen a mermaid diving underneath the waves.

Absolute perfection, The Point captures a specific summer moment- freshly brewed jasmine tea in your favorite porcelain mug, a wooden deck damp with steamy rain, watching a looming summer storm roll out to sea. I have found jasmine tea to be a difficult note to translate into perfumes I have sampled in the past, but it’s wonderfully realized in The Point. There’s a heady, honeyed patchouli note, that gives depth and a strong foundation for the rest of the softer notes to sit on. The scent dries into something like an ocean breeze, but specifically after a sudden thunderstorm- briny and humid, like you can feel the salt in the air sticking to your skin (the use of ambergris in this scent is so intentional and balanced). Just a touch of that original jasmine tea remains in the dry down to keep everything fresh. The copy describes this as “jasmine tea brewed with ocean water” and that’s really spot on. The Point is such a nuanced “oceanic scent”, unlike anything I’ve ever sniffed, and I’m thrilled to have it in my collection. Yet another stunning piece of olfactory art from Clue Perfumery!

a fragrance that transports you: i sit in a little white house on a coastal cliff while the rain disturbs the sea. the window i sit by is open, and i feel the salty mist dampening my hair. the lights are off as i enjoy the half darkness and i sip on yesterday’s forgotten tea: stale but pleasant. the breeze chills my skin and i find myself reheating the tea with a dollop of honey for comfort. the ornate mug in white and blue compliments the colors of the storm, but the crisp floral designs on the china lay in contrast to the faded walls and old creaking floors around me. i love her. perfect for a moody day. decent silage and great performance... when i layer this fragrance, which seems subtle on the nose, the other fragrance disappears almost entirely. it dominates. it is mineral... cold... rainy. humidity on skin. personally, this does not evoke sunshine to me. it screams transitional seasons, fall, and wishing you had your cardigan while you sit by sea to watch the waves.

I didn’t love this at first. In fact, I told a friend that I was actually disappointed. The scent turned briny on me, almost muddy. I couldn’t pick out the sweet notes or the tea, and I chalked it up to a sample that I wouldn’t pursue a bottle for. And then the strangest thing happened: I kept reaching for it. Over and over from my collection, The Point kept being the one I reached for. It’s a horribly muggy summer here, 35+ degree temperatures, and every day I’ve been sweating the second I walk out the door. The idea of smelling ‘clean’ and ‘fresh’ is a pipe dream. The Point became a ‘my sweat but better’ kind of scent; salty water became, well, salty water. The floral notes opened up. The minerals became richer. All under the backdrop of sweaty skin and sunshine, it became really nice to tweak how god damn humid I felt into an ocean breeze. The Point isn’t a dynamic or evolving scent, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s gorgeous, and perfect for what it is.

This is the only time I think I have been in love with anything jasmine or jasmine adjacent. This also smells like a hug from my grandmother in her enormous, bright pink, quilted coat. I wasn't sure how a "honey soaked patchouli" was going to read but good god. It's lovely. There is nothing sugary or super green here. It's powder soft but well hydrated. Honestly, a damn good "your skin but better" fragrance. Everything is balanced perfectly. The jasmine tea has a hint of sweetness that plays well with that mellow patchouli and it all takes on this vintage quality. I assume from the ambergris. The dry down does the opposite of drying and a tide of midday warm ocean water washes over it all. This was the one I was least excited for and it has me in awe. Going on the FB wishlist for sure. Edit: Quick edit on all of these reviews. They have SOUNDSCAPES for each of their fragrances on their site. Beautiful. Transcendent. Oh my god.

A very nice opening tea note which is brief, followed by this amazing clean (not briny) salty sea air effect which for me was unique and a first in fragrance. A lovely light patchouli and ambergris base. Nice amber too. Not overly synthetic. It’s a very contemplative fragrance- tea by the sea. Not a bright sunny beach day, but a bit more melancholy. Like a Cure song. Performance is fair. No one has noticed it on me with 3 days wear of sample. I get an intimate bubble. Minimal silage. 6-8 hours as a pleasant skin scent. I really like this as a light aquatic but not enough performance for a purchase. It leans feminine to me but I felt very comfortable wearing it. Addendum: That sea air note had me breaking open the sample bottle to get one more sniff. It’s pretty addictive and I hate that at some point I’ll probably indulge a purchase.

The summer version of Le Labo Baie 19. Which means I LOVE IT. As a newbie perfume enthusiast, I was expecting a briny, sea air smell. Instead, I'm pleasantly surprised to find it smells the way I imagine "spring water" to smell: on the greener side, floral, fresh, infused with jasmine. This is the wearers first impression. As it warms up and dries down, patchouli becomes more present a long with the sand and ambergris notes. It smells a lot more "dank" than I believe it's marketed as, which is my favorite way to smell. The honey and sea water is unbelievably complimentary to this. As another commenter said, it smells very strong and bright on paper so I was nervous to try it but I'm so happy i did! Overall, this is a beautifully blended perfume. As many have said, a sexy mermaid/merman fragrance and so perfect for the summer.

Came across this scent in my search for tea + marine perfumes and it is exactly what I was hoping for. Moaned when I smelled it. I was super pleasantly surprised by how strong the jasmine tea scent is in this, as green tea can have kind of a light smell. Can also definitely smell the honey, but I have a hard time picking out some of the other notes, though I think the reviews below noting hints of melon are spot-on. The jasmine isn't overly floral. Sweeter than I thought it would be and I wish it was just a pinch saltier because I love an "ocean air" smell, but I am delighted with this. Kind of nostalgic but I can't pin down why. Only downside is that it stays so close to skin and the strong opening smell fades relatively quickly, though it does seem to stick around on skin a while longer.

I love when my assumption proves me flat out wrong. I thought this was going to be the most linear and least favorite in the Clue discovery kit but I ended up draining this vial first in an absolute feral way. I tore the atomizer off just to pour the last drops of this juice! Such a journeyed, dynamic aquatic I almost don't want to even classify it in that way or associate it as a "blue." The jasmine and honey were such a surprising and welcomed pretty-ness to the usually bold, unrelenting scents that have sea notes & ambergris. I am in awe of how this house is able to blend photorealistic notes like porcelain and sand (shout out to the Dust, Steam and Paper notes in Warm Bulb as well!) So much joy and delight in these scents but they are also intelligent and studied. Masterful really!

I received this scent as part of the Discovery set and loved the charming packaging, especially the Clue-branded twist tie securing the tester to an information card. The way the scent progresses is pleasantly narrative. The jasmine tea note is dominant throughout, a little powdery, but not cloying or sickly. This one smells like curling up with a shoreside cup of tea after a long day at the cannery, you're mercifully upwind from it and are left with fresh beachy air and salt spray. It's like my own cup of tea after a cold day on the Bering sea, full of honey to soothe my sore throat. Despite being so floral, it also feels very marine without being seaweedy. It is my current (June/July 2026) go-to while handling fish for its pleasantness and longevity against the fish smells.

im trying clue for the first time after hearing abt dandelion butter and warm bulb but tbh i feel this one is kind of really beautiful too. the jasmine can be a bit sharp but it mellows down. its very floral, borders on soapy in the beginning (if you overspray lol) but its kinda tamped down by that salty wet sand smell in the first few mins. over time it takes on this kind of reflective, airy/glassy feeling that reflects the notes around than lingering truly on my skin, if that makes sense. first wear, it kinda got very satisfyingly skin scented after 3-4 hours and the honey scent comes thru at this point a bit more.... i wish the longevity was better on the floral and oceanic end, tho i wouuuld potentially consider getting a full bottle anyways !

At first the honey and jasmine tea are strong, but it mellows into a mineral/aquatic skin scent. It really does smell like wet rocks and salty skin on a hot day. The smell is slightly humid and maintains a slight sweetness. Despite all the layers of atmosphere going on in this perfume, it still feels like a clean oceanic scent that’s safe to wear on a hot day. Definitely a unisex scent, silage is decent at first but eventually drops down as the day goes on. It’s unique, interesting, wearable, and a little addicting. If the person you love is wearing this, it makes you want to pull them a little closer, it feels romantic and inviting. This was an instant buy for me,

When my hair is in loose beachy curls, this is my go-to. I feel like the most beautiful happy mermaid. This is such a well crafted, unique scent! The description of "Jasmine tea brewed with a cup of seawater" is SPOT ON! My boyfriend is a big jasmine lover but jasmine is typically a bit too strong for me to handle. The aquatic notes in this fragrance really balance it out for me! Unfortunately I don't detect the honey or patchouli notes-- and those are two of my favorites! Even though I can't smell those notes, I don't think there's anything I'd change about this perfume. She'll be on my wrists and in my curls all summer :)

Oh wow. This gives me a whole new standard for what a “complex” fragrance is. My sister says I smell exactly like our grandparents’ house by the coast in New Jersey right now. This is a deeply nostalgic smell. It’s a salty wind stinging your face, overcast aquatic but at the same time it’s sticking your nose right into a porcelain vase. A lot of aquatic fragrances feel very sunny to me, which is nice, but this is a gray, rainy scent and I’m OBSESSED with it. I never imagined something with such intense “mineral notes” would become an instant favorite for me. I feel transported by this. Wow.

smelled this for the first time a few months ago and had to go back the next day to buy a full size. i put one spray on the crook of my elbow and was sniffing it the entire rest of the day. i live in san francisco and it's my perfect foggy day scent-- it smells like a mug of jasmine tea abandoned at the beach on a windy, foggy, day. a little bit salty and almost humid. i wouldn't say it projects particularly far, but it stays close to the skin for almost 24 hours, i had put 2 sprays on before a flight and my friend still smelled it on me when she hugged me the next morning.

Omg I just got a sample of this and I have to write a review within 20 minutes of spraying because it’s SO good. It’s a lovely jasmine tea slightly sweetened with honey, it’s light and really really nice. I’ll update as time goes on 🍵 but it’s a jasmine scent I haven’t smelled before I feel, just really light and sweet and lovely. Edit: it dries down to a salty sea scent but not overpowering. It is exactly what it says in the notes, Clue never goes wrong. It reminds me of Serge Lutens dans le bleu qui pétille with the salty incense-y marine smells. Enjoying this!

Clue's done it again. The opener is the Sea but like the platonic ideal of the sea, this is not photorealistic but rather the vibes of seascape painting. I'm not normally huge on jasmine, but I love how it was woven in here, it slowly shifts into, like someone said below, the mermaid's teacup, and as it ends the honey and green notes come out to the point it brought to mind Fini's watermelon gum, the ones with the sour pink insides. The downside is that is doesn't last long and it has weak sillage. Still, loved this one, Clue does weird so very, very well.