Jean-Louis Scherrer

Just like I said Scherrer 2 has survived in excellent form, I have to say Scherrer also has, just not that good. Credit is due where credit is due, but simply the color of a 1981 bottle, golden honey compared to emerald green today, tells something. And the nose test is the ultimate one. Whereas Scherrer today is a beautiful green 'chypre' (I say 'chypre' because what can be called a true chypre today? With all the limitations and although some brands try to do their best with what's available and permitted, a true chypre can't be made today like it used to 2 decades ago) the vintage one is a gorgeous leather chypre, in the vein of Bandit and Futur, and to some extent Cabochard/Azuree/Aramis. The above three are decidedly more butch, rougher, but Bandit in its vintage form had some glorious florals hidden beneath the surface; way way hidden, and Scherrer vintage boasts a huge galbanum, leather and civet note, with hidden florals just like Bandit. And that is what I mostly get; galbanum all the way in it's beautiful green bitterness, worn leather of a well made bag, an ambiguous floral heart to soften the edges, and a wallop of civet in the base that runs from the beginning to make Scherrer, ultimately, the Bandit of the 80's; powerful, a slap in the face big personality that feels so different from the orientals and florals of the day but so refreshing and revitalizing for the woman or man that wanted to take the big city by the balls. Always walking the line of ambiguity, it is masculine and feminine and everything in between. Perfect for anyone that loves a tough leather chypre with no sweetness at all and no excess frills, just good ol' oakmoss, galbanum, animalic leather and some flowers in the heart. Today, Scherrer is more of a green floral, that still feels dry, sparkling, but the galbanum feels absent, as well as the leather, and the animalic notes feel sharper. Huge sillage and longevity on both versions, with the original one feeling just a tad 'bigger' and warmer. Definitely give it a try, because Designer Parfums are really working magic with the brands they own, Patou included. If you love Futur especially, with the galbanum/oakmoss duo singing together, Scherrer is a sure bet!

Taken aback... that is what you will be with the first sniff of this green chypre. But alas, it is a 'love' for me because next to taken aback, I was surprised... surprised that I knew this fragrance intimately without knowing that we had previously been acquainted. My mam, with her goût impressionant de parfum, must have used this exclusively when I was a babe and only switched to her great love, Oscar by oscar de la renta, when I was old enough to find my way to her vanity. The greenness smacks you in the face in such a pretty way that you could not be offended- aldehydes, hyacinth, oakmoss, carnation, orris, and civet... all my favourite things are in this 20th century wonder. I never spray this on my clothing, no, the greenness could offend my colleagues and that is not my aim when scenting myself. Of the EDP I use 3 sprays, four at the most, in a very specific way. I start with applying a green notes-based perfume oil to my skin and then apply the EDP- One spray to my upper sternum, one to my lower back, another to the back of my knees, and if I'm feeling adventurous and want to be overwhelmed with projections of fresh, green, mossiness, I spritz a little between my two clavicle bones. Why not apply to the pulse points you might wonder? With the EDT I could and would, but this scent is so unapologetically potent in the opening, that I don’t want my perfume to be all I manage to smell. It is strong and overpowering when it is there but like a guest rushing off to another party, it all but disappears when it dries down. There is no 'skin scent' quality to this. Wham, bham, gone. Addendum: I brought the EDT along with me on a holiday to a swelteringly humid climate, went against my rules and applied 5 sprays. 4 sprays shared at pulse points and one to my sides, and wow, a new light has been shone. There is something endearingly fresh and floral about this moss bomb. I will play around with it some more.

I have two small bottles of "vintage" Jean Louis Scherrer parfum, a short hexagonal one with round white knob-cap, and a tall hexagonal bottle with black screw cap. They are quite different in color, one being much deeper gold---almost brownish. They smell very similar overall, but with perhaps a bit more depth to the darker colored one; that one has a richer, stronger oakmoss component to it. I don't know if the lighter, less deep version was exposed to light/heat, perhaps, or is simply a later formulation. In either case, though, it's a fine perfume. It's a lovely chypre, sophisticated and earthy together. An initial scent of aldehydes and oakmoss mellows into a woody, green scent as the vetiver and iris root kicks in, along with a fairly delicate floral melange. The oakmoss continues present throughout, becoming richer. I notice first a hyacinth, but as time passes more of a white flowers note comes into play. Rose doesn't register to me, unless it's as a subtle underlining of the jasmine-tuberose notes. Wait a little longer, and a fine cedar is evident along with sandalwood. Finally, a restrained civet and/or a soupcon of musk can be detected as the base notes really get humming. In the darker, presumably older, version, these notes are more harmoniously enfolded into the oakmoss and floral and vetiver; there is a slight brashness to the animal notes in the lighter version. I still like that version, but it definitely has a thinner, more astringent quality than the darker incarnation. Sillage is moderate, at least as dabbed on; might be better if sprayed. It lasts quite well, though. (Again, the darker variant seems more enduring.) Overall, a really beautiful scent that reminds me of diamonds scattered across a polished mahogany table. Full-bottle worthy, and wearable at any time or occasion. A fine chypre that harks back to the glory days of that category.

I am a big Chypre devotee, I have all the classics like Mitsouko, Chanel 19, YSL Rive Gauche, Paloma Picasso, Ivoire, Jolie Madame but Jean Louis Sherrer is the star. It is a special fragrance for me, It is the perfume I wore when I met my love of my life and he was litterarly smittered and completely hypnotised by this perfume. It symbolised the start of an amazing & unique love life and although I received many beautiful perfumes from him, he still talks about this perfume as epitome of beauty and class. Unfortunately, the actual versions are such a pale ressemblance of the glorious perfume of the 90's and it really breaks my heart that my 2 favourite chypres, Jean Louis and Mitsouko are completely "revamped" or "cloned" into some synthetic fragrances, all the depth and poetry is gone. I did some search on ebay today and it is even on ebay almost impossible to find the vintage version of Jean Louis, it is sad to see that such beauties are fading away and that the real passionate perfume lover as mysefl can only cherish some inforgettable souvenirs of one of the most fragrances ever, immortalised by memories which will not fade away, even if I feverishly try to find some substitutes, but such beauties cannot be substituted. Jean Louis is a hidden jewel, no big perfume house is doing a massive commercial campaign, the bottle is always hidden somewhere on the shelf and most of the younger generation of sales people have difficulties to even know what it is, looking at you as if you are from Mars. I just bought a bottle, not to wear it on me because if feels like betrayal but just as a souvenir so that I can sniff it from time to time for just the sake of nostalgia. Still hopeful that some genius can reproduce such pieces of arts again...

Beautiful opening of hyacinth and well-balanced leafy green notes. Clearly a smell that's 'vintage' without smelling like an old-lady. . From the start it has an ere of class and formality to it, but the prominence of the hyacinth to me does indicate a bit more of a "pop" or a break from the mould while staying 'within the lines'. I am getting a mix of a few different florals and not just hyacinth, but definitely in the white/purple floral area. This is a bright floral done very well, very clean. After the aldehydes settle, I'm really positively surprised by a gentle white floral - mix of gardenia and jasmine, there's a slight wateriness that goes along with the florals and it makes the experience like smelling actual flowers, rather than a compound or a synthetic scent. It just works. The orris root brings a level of depth to the gardenia which I really appreciate. On my skin, I'm not getting a lot of carnation, mostly gardenia supported by a slight hint of rose and orris. It's not overly sweet at all, so I'd steer clear if you're into sweet fragrances. It's labelled as 'for women', and I can see why, it does feel dainty, however you could probably pull this off as a man as well. The goal is to smell nice, not to smell like whichever locker room you last visited. Ideal springtime and fall scent - might also work for winter and summer, but is ideal for temperate weather, daytime. The scent is not a 'cold' fragrance in how it smells, it has a solid base with some warmth from the oakmoss especially. After roughly 5-6 hours, it does become a skin-scent and is hardly noticeable, although a moist/humid skin is going to help keep it alive.