Philtre d'Amour

This feels like an elegant, contemporary interpretation of Guerlain's own Sous le Vent. The citrusey top spiked with anisic tarragon and aromatic verbena feels like a clear quotation of that long lost Guerlain classic. That bracing top segues to a semi-sweet floral core and light Guerlinade drydown. That floral core is missing the notable carnation accord from Sous le Vent, which does get a rep as an old fashioned floral note. Philtre d'Amour is less sweet, less honeyed, and less floral than Sous le Vent and, thus, reads a tad more as a modern masculine citrusey chypre...though Sous le Vent itself never felt particularly "femme" to begin with. Both now are quite rare, sadly. They each have their own unique charms and it's too bad neither is in production. I feel lucky to own a partial bottle of this unique "love potion!"

How is it possible for a bitter juice to have the title "philtre d'Amour"? I believe it's quite possible since the creator is Jean-Paul Guerlain. It's not a common perfume. Citrus, green and extremely bitter at the opening but the drydown is soft, warm and why not,romantic. As Nakedcity has already written, the citrus note lasts unusually long but I also think that it's always there and when it's time for the flowers to show up, it gives them a great freshness and shine. Moreover, the myrhh is very intense to my nose and imho it gives the composition a warm and earthy quality. It seems like being a simple perfume but in fact it's multi-dimensional and it depends on one's skin chemistry. And maybe that's the reason they named it "philtre"...

I wonder what they were thinking at Guerlain when coming up with the name for this perfume. There is absolutely nothing sexy or romantic in Pd'A, by which I am not saying it isn't good. In fact, it is absolutely amazing for hot summer days like today. To me it evokes scorching summer afternoons laying in a meadow of dry grass and wild herbs, with the scent of distant flower gardens on the breeze. It smells herbaceous, almost medicinal, has an sense of wholesomeness, and a quite air of the introvert, yet...somehow at the same time it is also rather quirky and eccentric. Keeps me on my toes all day long, never fails to entertain my nose. Highly recommended if you can find it.

Pretty sure Fragrantica has the launch date wrong yet again. Wasn't this available in 1994? The opening is a divine, shimmering, watery, lemon-heavy citrus, but very dimensional and almost edible. Not sharp, but sweet lemons. The heart is a beautiful, almost waterlily floral. The base is a straightforward, quite linear light patchouli more in line with Coca Cola than hippie funk/dirt/petrichor dark patchouli. Great sillage and lasting power without being headache-inducing. Absolutely beautiful. Smells a tiny bit like 7-Up. Very much love.

Very elegant and down to earth citrus, with the right amount of flowers and greenery to make it unisex. The citrus note lasts unusually long, I suspect a touch of oakmoss is giving it a hand, but it never goes the chypre way. It's very austere but approachable thanks to the white flowers. The patchouli is clean and earthy but not minty, just lovely. The bottle is very elegant and has a lavender hue in certain lighting. I'm happy I have my bottle considering it's become hard to find now. Recommended!