Fougere Emeraude

In typical Les Indemodables style, the perfume is misnamed. It's not a fougere, nor does it have anything to do with Emeraude, the 1921 legendary classic from Coty. Emeraude translates to emerald in English, and since gems do not have a smell we must presume it was named for the color. Coty's Emeraude was so named for this reason, as it was meant to evoke a vision of an emerald green fern, and became modern perfumery's first fougere (trans. fern). Aside from the green blast of the top notes, there really isn't anything else that is green/emerald about Fougere Emeraude, little alone fern like, so, we'll start there, with the only part of the perfume that is green. The opening accord is a blast, a big one. You get an effect of hesperidics without getting any actual hesperidic notes: there is a sourness and piquancy to the opening that tickles the nose in the way citrus would, but it's vividly green. Camphoraceous and soapy sage and lavender amplify the naturally sweet green pepper type note that usually hovers over the top of a tuberose accord. LI has taken that green note of tuberose and turned it up to 11. It's incredibly striking, if only for a few minutes when the only green/emerald/vaguely-fougere type notes of this perfume give way, fully and completely, to the yellow florals of mimosa and the sweet and creamy florals of tuberose. Within 30 minutes or so these notes are filled in and rounded out by an earthy vanillic tonka bean. Fougere Emeraude then spends a significant amount of time undulating back and forth between these creamy, sweet, white, and heady floral notes and the vanillics; the golden yellows of mimosa mostly playing the role of glue between the floralcy of what used to be the lavender note to the sweet earthy vanillics of the tonka. I smell Fougere Emeraude on the back of my hand, and then immediately go to smell it on my forearm, and it smells different: on the back of my hand it smells of "tuberose", but then on my forearm I get a lot more vanillics. A few minutes later I smell both sections of skin again, and I get something different - maybe a touch more mimosa and lavender type florals and heady tuberose notes, and on the other sections of a sweet, creamy, and earthy vanilla like that of a pudding or creme brulee. For the first half of FE's life, it's an incredibly pretty deconstructed tuberose; it's tuberose without really ever being tuberose. It's in the dry down where I remain a little unsure, since, as time passes, it leans heavier and heavier into the creamy, vanillic sweetness that makes the whole of the experience seem more like a gourmand perfume with a significant floral theme far more than anything of the fougere genre. The vanillic gourmand is one of my touchiest and least liked categories, so while I don't have a natural affinity for this genre, leave it to Les Indemodables to present one that I happily credit with exception. The materials in FE are absolutely sublime, as one would expect of Les Indemodables; their quality and richness keep the Pulverails' reputation well-intact. But, if you're hoping for an actual fougere, either of a cologne style, or even one of a richer cold-weather-appropriate green and earthy aromatic affair, be warned: Fougere Emeraude is none of those things. This has far more in common with a gourmand or an amber with a significant floral theme than it does anything in the fougere or related genres. Taken on the merits of the quality of the materials and the blending gone into creating this perfume, and for the very unique way in which it presents tuberose to us, I absolutely love it. It's a gorgeous piece of work, even and especially for one that's having an identity crisis.

I went through every drop of my sample (rougthly 2.5ml) to try to understand this composition that to my humbe opinion seems to work very well in summer: there is a certain vacation-relaxation vibes that emanate through it. The idea is ingenous: take the most "masculine" within the fragrance genres - fougere - and makes it heart with one of the most "feminime" of flowers - tubereuse. Now, the idea of using tubereuse in a "masculine" construction is not new; we can point out the interesting Savile Row, Richard James where the aromatic, zesty, and spicy opening is followed by a heart of tuberouse laced with lavender. But what makes Fougere Emeraude unique is the quality of raw material and the beautiful blending. A blendong so well done that isolating the tubereuse becomes quite an enterprise. It opens with a tubereuse that has nothing to do with Fracas: it is crisp, fresh, sweet, and green-tinted. This greeness is enhaced by a good amount of clary sage (again Les Indemodables is paying homage to its Alpine origin territory). It is fainlty soapy, very herbaceous and refreshing. The most gorgeous part is when a muscular lavender, smelling both floral and aromatic, barrels its way onto center stage, seizing the now herbal tuberose and giving it a spin. Within minutes, mimosa will join the party; it is replete with sweet yellow pollen and a little bit creamy. I am surronded by a cloud of green, white at purple that is voluminous and robust up close, but sheer and light from afar. This is elegance! I was lucky enough to smell the materials even if only in a bottler; the tubereuse alcholat is indeed very green, but what I really (and I mean really enjoy) is the lavender. In Fougere Emeraude, the lavender smells like the fresh, quietly sweet flowers growing in a meadow. The material smells predominantly floral in nature and does not posses any of the aggressive pungency of the dried lavender sachets. The mixing of the herbaceous and floral aspect is a study in contrast that renders the scent profile extremely interesting. The tonka bean from Venezuela imparts that vanillic smothness that I usually like. Follom me on IG @alexolympia6

I truly love this potion. What an amazing tuberose and mimosa that also succeeds at being one of the most bearable tuberose and mimosa scents I've smelled. By all accounts, I should hate this one knowing those notes of tuberose and mimosa in other fragrances have never worked on my skin and have always assaulted me like cheap hotel soap or makeup powder being propelled up my nose. But Fougère Emeraude has charmed me like no other. To me this does not wear like a fougère though - maybe the brand is trying to be artistic with the name here - but after this I'm all for accepting the new direction. The Fougère is typically referenced as a genre or olfactive family that is reserved for males where the characteristics of green and brown, leafy and woody materials are displayed like pine resins, cedar, sandalwoods, ambers, vetiver, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, carnation, geranium, anise, peppers, as well as herbs such as lavender, rosemary, basil, mint, thyme, sage and tarragon. The typical notes that indicate the backbone of a Fougère being a creamy sandalwood and/or a soapy lavender on a pedestal of coumarin or tonka bean. But Fougère Emeraude is bent on entertaining the looseness of identity in smell and semantics by throwing something controversial into the mix: White and Yellow florals. What this scent encapsulates is an expensive hotel spa experience where a hot water bath has just been run for me. This scent is the expensive hotel branded bath soap and shower gels made of real natural essentials that are the stars of my bath. I smell a fantasy of healthy, bright, sharp, flowers and soapy sweetness in steamy air. I am on holiday, and I can only afford this experience once this year so I indulge in a long endless soak and let all my thoughts await me on the towel only a reach away... 🧼 🌸 10/10

I am adding another review now that I used quite a bit of my full bottle. Part of the first quartet released by Les Indemodables, Fougere Emeraude is an attempt to subvert the classical masculine fougere structure. It a scent where an incredible creative work has been put into. The fougere element are all there: the herbaceous and lavender opening and the tonka-vanillin dry down, but the floral heart is not about geranium, but about a green camphoraceous tuberose softened by a hint of dusty pollen replete mimosa; soft, but sour; dusty, but floral; comforting, but unusual. Let me try to explain it better. The opening is a gorgeous green, GREEN and not coconutty - tuberose which greeness is elevated by the usual @atelier_francais_des_matieres 's clary sage: a hint of soapyness, a faint leathery undertone, and a tons of herbal nunaces. Soon this tuberose laced with clary sage is siezed by a muscular lavender...and what lavender! Herbal and dusty, but also very floral. The floral component seems to gain territory once the mimosa comes into play: sweet and yellow pollen, creamy and ivory. What a surprising touch that shifts me away from the classical fougere territory. In the meantime, the lavender with its floral aspect becomes more prominent and so does an added "sweetness" from the base; bear in mind, that sweetness is a relative term here, as the scent still retains its herbal and aromatic DNA; only now it is less prominent. In the drydown a tonka which is quite vanillic and without comunarin reinforces the base adding the feeling of dusty powderness below the floral bouquet made of tuberose essentially and a hint of lavender, the mimosa being disappeared. Follow me on IG @alexolympia6

This is absolutely stunning! *eyes wide open, full agape* If you're into French perfumery, this is for you. If you enjoy fragrances like Sultan Vetiver (esp in the late dry down), this also is for you. If you like long lasting, discreet fragrances, with a distinct, manly and classy appeal: THIS is for you, my friend. To use tuberose in this way is just genius. Due to Tubéreuse criminelle and now this, I am currently on a tuberose kick and will definitely be buying both: Odor 93 (Meo Fusciuni) and the recently announced, Tubéreuse Astrale (Maison Crivelli). Just when I felt I was content with what I own, in comes something creative and new (to my nose) and just reinvigorates my passion. In any event, I will be selling a good chunk of my fragrances (outside of my custom shelves on Fragrantica). If I can get rid of about 100, I will be acquiring everything from my "want" list and, from that point forward, focus only on rare notes that are done well. I just have to stop being lazy and post them on somebody's site. Until next time... UPDATE: This thing thrives in balmy, wet, weather