Eau de Cologne Fraîche

Among Edmond Roudnitska’s fantastic creations for Dior, Eau de Cologne Fraîche often flies under the radar compared to the great presence of his other masterpieces. However, I do not think it deserves the neglect it recieves, for it is truly a beautiful scent. As eau de colognes go, this is one of my absolute favourites. It’s dominated by one of the most beautifully realistic lemon notes I’ve ever smelled, heightened further by verbena - it doesn’t smell synthetic or like a cleaning product as some lemons do. To counter this is a divinely serene creamy base of oakmoss and rosewood. For the most part, that is the entire scent, but it thrives in its simplicity for the balance between everything is perfect. Due to the fact this scent is so overlooked, you can often find it incredibly cheap online. I bought a full 60ml bottle for about £20. You will run into the risk of the top notes being lost, but I was very lucky that my bottle smells beautifully intact. Definitely seek this one out if you’re fan of lemon!

This is a beautiful vintage scent exuberanting freshness and carefreeness. The scent is pretty strong but not overpowering, sometimes you need a pick me up to give you that alertness during your day.

I've had a bottle of this in my collection for a few years, a vintage the I found at a flea market, new in box. I go to it quite rarely as I don't often feel like wearing a cologne. Now it's late autumn, not the obvious weather to choose a cologne. Alas, I did. The lemon on top is fresh and green, not lemony in a traditional sense, but it does stay lingering around as a lemon peel bitterness. The woody, mossy base is blooming beautifully in this cold weather, I can even smell the rose that I seem to miss during the warmer period. Definitely a classic and elegant chypre. Edmond Roudnitska worked on this theme on several fragrances, and he had a wonderful mind. This makes me feel classy and calm, very feminine without any sweetness involved. The oakmoss is your best friend. Do not get cheated by the name cologne och fraiche, this i a strong and long lasting perfume, eau de toilette strength. Stays on my skin a good 8 hours and has an inoffensive sillage, but it is not shy, it is there all the time and whiffs of the scent entangle me when I move. Cleanliness has a different undertone when defined in the fifties. I find this to be an important part of my collection.

A classic 1950’s cologne, oakmoss based but with some sweetness from vanilla and florals. Lemon verbena and oakmoss dominating. Dior quality blending. Fragrance of its era.

Masterpiece. Nothing comparable today.