Fleurs de Sel

Fleurs de Sel awakens my senses like few other fragrances can. It's breathing in the great outdoors and suddenly feeling truly alive. To be clear, this is no rendition of pristine and sun-kissed rolling fields. There is neither clean mountain air nor the sweet aroma of white flowers carried along a gentle breeze. Instead, you have an unpromising landscape upon which to inspire a fragrance. A stirring wind. Dull greens, muted yellows and harsh browns. Tall reeds, coarse grass, thick bracken and knotted roots resting atop a brine-soaked wetland. Despite appearances though, there is a thriving, aroma-rich underbelly that is well worth exploring. Things begin with a nose-tingling experience of punchy wild herbs and astringent green flora - flitting between medicinal, mentholated and mineral. It's seemingly a lot to handle but it's suitably contained. Mid-development the fragrance has mellowed with a soft iris, yet intermittently perks up again with hits of the underlying salt base. A persistent leather note works wonders: it binds, gives depth, acts as an olfactory distraction. I should add that I experience no woody facets here. Rather, it's strongly herbaceous. Fleurs de Sel is a slice of nature that's been fully imagined and perfectly realised. Hats off to Lyn Harris.

Just wow! The smell reminds me of an artists studio overlooking a secluded beach. Has a definite incense and honey playfulness underneath a gorgeous salty sage. I layered this over ambergris for amplification which is working really well. I also layered over a black musk attar and the artist has found a gorgeous hippy girl who is happy to be his /her muse for a fleeting weekend enjoying the sunsets with sweet riesling and fresh baklava. Has a faint resinous medicinal touch that some may not enjoy. Not a safe blind buy so get a sample and take it from there. I'm off to buy a bottle. I've been looking for a warm weather fragrance that has the balls to step away from the generic 'shower gel' and powdery flowers and I believe that I've found it. Blissful.

Loved it on first spritz! I opened this early in the morning as I started off a long drive to the Scottish coast, thinking that the salt would be a good match and the herbal feel would be calming and nd fresh. Not quite correct but I love it! This reminds me of Dzongkha by L'artisan but without the sweet liquorice note! I think it's the herbal leather but it's so smooth under the salt and warm too! I'd say it would work as a unisex but I don't fancy sharing! Excellent work by a fail proof brand! Sillage and longevity is pretty good as usual for Miller Harris!

This was the most wearable salty aromatic sea-shore fragrance I've ever had. Remember the clip of Le vent nous portera by Noir Désir? This fragrance had the exact same vibe. And I've got to say that I just love it when a perfume house discontinues one of my favourite fragrances, and in fact I urge them to do this more often so that I can just give up wearing anything altogether and save all my precious Euros on a car or a house.

This is not a fragrance I wear every day, but for the right mood it is very nice; it is a complex, natural and aromatic poem of scents that keeps talking to me, at times it gets slightly annoying (cough syrup?), but mostly, it is woody, free and mysterious (cooler climate coastal vegetation?) and has a bit of florals to soften the oakmoss. I like it best after about 30 minutes.

My first wearing of this perfume today. I am three hours into the perfume and I do enjoy it enormously. I never smelled a salt marsh and it's vegetation but if this is it, I will go and visit. I am getting whiffs of different scents constantly, it changes all the time. Find it truly amazing that one can create a perfume like this.

It reminds me of drinking Campari sodas in the south of France :)

The key for liking Fleurs de Sel is: 1. loving strongly herbal/aromatic scents 2. loving fragrance with classicaly strong woody-mossy-leather-base. A salt, prounounced in the name of fragrance might be on a third place. Not the first, not the second. I can say a few things for sure: Fleurs de Sel has classic structure, it is strong - somewhere between piercing and bracing, it is kinda warm also, definitely voluminous and not quite light. A tough one, for sure - classically tough, but still very far from "cologne" / "barber shop" vibe. Firmly unisex. The opening is strong, sharp, piercing enough to clear the sinuses. I know rosemary, laurel (bay leaf) and thyme by heart, as I grow them and use them in cooking: they are all very aromatic, but here is also some shy background warmth attached to this particular herbal concoction which makes them even stronger altogether. When this aromatic blast settles a little, I can actually smell the salty note. Now, about this salt: On me, Sel de Vetyver is definitely more salty. Acqua Divina is maybe more salty, Eau de Melvilles is definitely just about same salty, but the salty note is different - in EdM is pushed more upfront. Reveal is less salty. Olympea and Womanty are so deep in the womanly territory that comparing their saltiness to the kind of saltiness that Fleurs the Sel presents seems pointless. Salt is here present, but the strong herbal accord definitely keeps it in the background. This perfume has other qualities that make it specific. In the middle, flowers are shy. So shy I don't really get how this fragrance fits to chypre-floral group. It's much more chypre-woody. Very, very aromatic chypre woody. I don't smell narcissus. I do smell presence of iris and maybe rose, but only as a neutralizing, calming and milding factor to the very aromatic opening. But, the middle is still definitely unisex. In the drydown, the herbal-aromatic concoction (thyme + rosemary+laurel) is back, but it is not piercing anymore. It is still very bracing, along with some discrete sweetness and warmth. The very classic vetyver- oak moss combo prevents the sweetness to develop. And there is leather, the additional and quite prominent firming factor. So, if you know leather from vintage Cabochard and Bandit - it's pretty close. I definitely don't sense amber, which is listed among the main accords here. Regarding the base, I think it's safe to say that none of the classic manly chiypres or leathery-orientals would feel uncomfortable with this base. It is fearlessly tough, but polite and well behaved. This fragrance just refuses to step near the unquestionably feminine territory, it is classicly beautiful but modern unisex with strong character. *like *longevity: long lasting (8+ hours) *silage: moderate + *weather / time: Regardless of its aromatic, herbal, fresh nature and bracing character, Fleurs de Sel didn't work well on me as a summer fragrance. BUT, on fresher days in late summer (up to 25 C) it is beautiful. I suppose it will be great for transitional seasons. Casual to formal. Day.

Incredibly complex, dynamic fragrance. If shifts between herbal, fresh and green spice that leads into something medicinal, and also strong leather and whiskey. Very hard to pin down as it keeps changing, although the leather remains a constant feature for me. The initial opening impression is whiskey, but one can immediately unpack that into the thyme, rosemary, clary sage, all coming together into a bracing medicinal or herbalist vapor (a similar impact as in Terre de Bois, currently my favourite from MH). The leather is there, a bit stronger than I would like, probably amplified by the iris. The salt comes later, not marine, but more imbued with vegetal and woody undertones, although a bit of table salt with iodine surfaces now and again. It manages to convey at the same time freshness (the green herbs) and some kind of confinement (the leather), with the salt coming into it more as an effort of the imagination and maybe tying the two together. Excellent staying power, good projection. More of a daytime or afternoon wear, but would work in the evening, too. There is some confusion about whether this is a feminine or masculine or unisex fragrance (currently, on the Miller Harris website it is listed for men). I am more inclined to say that this is predominantly masculine, but very appropriate for assertive, strong, sensible women. Definitely not girly, but not hyper-masculine either, as far away from fragrance gender stereotypes as possible. A serious grown-up scent, sophisticated and a tad complicated.

I must admit I was pretty apprehensive about this scent after reading the varied reviews, but it is glorious. It opens with a big hit of rosemary and salt, then quite quickly softens to an earthy herby scent, with the salt present but not overpowering throughout. I don't detect any floral notes at all. I can see the confusion whether this is feminine or masculine as a lot of the notes are masculine, but I think it is more on the feminine side, although a strong one at that! I can't wait to wear this in summer, as it instantly takes me to a cliff top with a strong wind coming in from the sea and beautiful coastal plants underfoot. Another challenging yet beautiful Miller Harris masterpiece!

A bit perplexed why it says for women as its clearly unisex. If anything perhaps leaning towards the masculine. Strong aromatic/herbal creation. Equally herbal as salty. Very tasty. I cant say I think of the sea. It smells like one of my herbal mixes that I add to cooking. This would be excellent to wear on a hot sunny day as it is refreshing and almost biting in its herbal strength. The sage, narcissus and vetiver certainly add plenty of kick. This could possible be migraine inducing! I appreciate it for what it is and will let my fella have this to wear when it is hot. Strong sillage and good longevity.

What Thranduilseyebrows said about this smelling like a childhood doc office is spot on. It opens with antiseptic/medicinal notes, then shifts to a very beautiful herbaceous scent like taking a lavender salt bath. I know this lists iris, narcissus and rose but I actually don't detect much floral here and I think that's what makes this scent unique. Once the dry down hit it reminds me of a very smooth after shave scent in a good way. This is very unisex. I could see this being worn in all seasons for the right person. Clung close to my skin, but lasted.

Fleurs de sel smells like men's shaving cream to me. Straight up Barbasol. Cool, powdery minty-ness. I like that smell-- it reminds me of childhood-- and it's not unpleasant, but I think you could probably just shave with Barbasol and save some cash. Definitely unisex. Doesn't last long on my skin. Drydown is less shaving-cream-y and a little sweet.

The opening is packed with aromatic herbs and dominated by a salty note. There are definitely woods in the background and a faint leather note. The intensity drops a lot after the first half hour, but the fragrance doesn't change too much. It smells like a salty breeze over a garden of herbs. 7/10

Plenty of people have described this bracing, herbal, salty scent already. Yes, it smells like a rocky, wild beach in northern Maine. But I would not say that it's unisex in the common view. The vetiver is just too strong and makes this decidedly masculine.

dry, green, minty seabreeze... cooling, enveloping... i can detect some of the green/salty top notes + a trace of dry peppery leather... drydown seems to be a little bit sweeter. a very nice , comforting, dry summer scent!!!

Gorgeous! lots of herbs: Thyme and Clary Sage, bedding down into Leather and Vetiver with a bit of salt spray. Does what it says it's going to. Marvellous. A tad masculine, but that's fine by me.

Aromatic without becoming medicinal. Quite masculine. Hint of aquatics and distinguishable salt in the background. This is quite a subtle and complex fragrance for a piece with that much aromatic herbs on the top. I think there is someone out there - a man most likely - who would really love this. There is a certain private quality to this one but when you really smell it up close you sense all the nuances. Lovely, just not for me personally but for a thoughtful, intelligent, quiet man.

Smells like a childhood doctors office to me in a good way. Very herbaceous but i feel like it needs some citrus as a top note. It would probably be good on a ot day, try again. 3/5 to me

I got a sample of this in London the other day, and when I tested it last night, without checking this database, I was absolutely sure this is a masculine, or unisex, at best. I am very much surprized to find, that it meant to be a feminine fragrance. To my taste it is totally, 100% masculine, and one that failed to impress me. I wouldn't even like it on my husband, to be honest. To my nose it is more sour than salty, sour, dry, metallic, and I find it rather irritating. Unfortunately for me both the staying power and projection are very good. Definitely not a keeper.

When I first put this on I could have sworn I smelled spicy wood and incense. Then I looked at the notes and was completely surprised that this consists of a bunch of herbs. After the dry down I could smell the salt, thyme, clary sage, oakmoss and vetiver, a nice herb garden. About an hour later I noticed the smell of men's cologne and it was on me. This started out nice but turned out to be too masculine for me to wear.

I was really excited to try this, because the aromatic salty notes sounded so appealing. Unfortunately, on my skin the combination smelled like olives, which are the only food I can’t bring myself to like. It softens a lot after the opening, becoming a gentle herbal scent that’s totally unisex and quite pleasant, but I can’t get the olives out of my mind. Sigh.

This is very savory. The pungent salt and herb mix with a leather backdrop are masculine and sensual. This comes across very much as a modern cologne, though it is technically unisex. Thirty minutes later the base notes dominate, with leather being the heaviest, and a pleasant rosemary and thyme add a bare hint of sweetness.

I really wanted to like this--love the name, respect for Harris but the woods in here were so off-putting. What was supposed to read as driftwood perhaps just conjured up the old wood of a barn. That special wood that is infused with rot and animal badness. If anyone wants my sample let me know. :(

"Are you going to Scarborough Fair? Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme.." Now that we got that out of the way, the idea of salt, herbs, and flowers sounded really appealing to me, as I have a distinct affinity for herbal and aromatic notes, and Fleurs de Sel showcases them in a nuanced, naturalistic manner typical of Miller Harris. The saline quality is immediately evident in the arresting top notes, and reminds me of walks along the New England coast, particularly the rockier shorelines that brim with seaside plants: juniper, bayberry, sea rocket, sandwort. The rosemary note really imparts this quality and always gives me this impression of this savory saltiness, while the thyme is a bit more of camphorous earthiness. As Fleurs de Sel simmers down, the salt effect is more pronounced, but the green herbs yield to their more woody characteristics, and this hint of rose that *almost* reminds me of the beach rose (Rosa rugosa) that is ubiquitous on our NE coasts. Ever so subtle, the leather in this fragrance almost serves to extend the herbal quality into the base; one can draw parallels that may at first seem unlikely, but then in the discrete whole of the composition, seem to make perfect sense. A lovely accompaniment that has sadly been discontinued.

Well, this is another triumph for Lynn Harris... A scent which evokes the outdoors (specifically a little town in Brittany called "Batz sur Mer" where Lynn Harris used to spend her childhood holidays). The name "Fleurs du Sel" relates to the process of collecting the top grains of salt from the salt making process. So the idea is to evoke a setting where people are sitting by the sea, in the midst of nature, making salt. What I get from this is a great mix between salt, earth and dry herbs. It's a very dry, aromatic fragrance. Herbs like sage, rosemary, thyme all dry and sprinkled with salt. There is also a floral backup to "soften" the whole composition. Even though this has salt and herbs, for some reason I find it very refreshing. It's incredibly well blended and softened by notes such as rose, iris and vetiver. It's not as harsh as you would think, and it has a great drydown of vetiver and sweet leather. A really great fragrance. It's not all about the salt (and to be honest I've tried much drier/saltier fragrances than this and this is quite soft and subtle in comparison).

As in the case of LA PLUIE, the name of Miller Harris FLEURS DE SEL is going to set up some expectations among people. This is not a floral fragrance at all, for one thing. Fleur de sel is an epicurean sea salt, so one might suppose that this would be a very salty perfume. Against all expectations, FLEURS DE SEL is a totally woody perfume, with an incense-like vibe imparted perhaps by the mixture of the vetiver, the oakmoss, and the flowers. I've worn this creation a couple of times now and it in each case it has conjured up in my mind memories of Bond no 9 ANDY WARHOL SILVER FACTORY. The difference is that this pseudo-incense perfume does not have the "silver" or metallic facet of the Bond no 9. I think that this smells really great, but it's more unisex than feminine and even leans toward the masculine side. In wafts, I even find myself thinking of Lalique ENCRE NOIRE while wearing FLEURS DE SEL. Is it ink or is it incense? Maybe a bit of both, at least in terms of its final effect, whatever the intended notes were meant to have been.

I totally agree with shushkin below in saying this is a mistake on the part of Fragrantica to list this as a female scent. Everywhere else I've seen this, it is listed as unisex. It is DEFINITELY unisex, and I would agree even leaning toward masculine. Men would be missing out on a treat by overlooking this one. It's an aromatic, salty vetiver dream with a slight touch of flowers - perfect for summer. Don't be scared off by the sharp opening - the dry down is soft and gorgeous - woody and slightly smoky, and a little sweeter so women can rock this just as well as men. If you're looking for an authentic, salty "beachy" rather than a sweet tropical "beachy" this is definitely worth a try. Luca Turin calls this a seaside bouquet, and I'd say he was right on. Because it's so expensive to get here in the States, I'm not sure I will spring for a full bottle, but the scent is definitely FB worthy for me. I'll just have to see how sad I feel when I finish my sample...

I retried this recently, many years after my first review. Then, it struck me as woody green and minty. This time, though, it seems darker and more sinister. Sea salt, green notes, dry leather and a faint boozy fruit are the main notes I detect. While an aquatic, it's not as crisp or clean as the usual modern citrus/white flower (not a problem with me, I must admit) and has an almost tar-like heavy floral base this is probably the narcisus, which can be like carnation in old style scents and strikes my nose as tar-like. This is avery dark, stark scent, almost depressing, but intriguing still. Almost Bauhaus in simplicity and bareness. Dries to a wonderful unisex salt water/ocean scent. I'm not sure I want to go through the got-into-my-guy's-cologne stage, but I do love that dry down. On another day, it dried down with an added animalic leather note. (Probably the Sage, by the feel.) I still find it interesting, still not FBW.

The wonder of this composition is that here we have a marine fragrance with salt instead of the usual chemical ozone note. Sprayed out of a bottle it feels like a hit of sea air, you can actually smell the salt, over a sharpness of herbs supported by florals that are clean and not sweet, mimicking the freshness and vibrant nature of windblown air and underneath mossy earthy green underpinnings. This base is well blended, you can pick out the individual qualities but the olfactory impression is sunny earthy vegetation including flowers and grasses with the marine air over them, as it never gets too dark. I guess over time the story goes from a windy day to stillness, as the top notes wear off and the heart opens up and takes us into the dry down. The leather is soft and feels like it connects the body to this natural landscape. It's a great summer perfume.

This is expensive but I read all the reviews and thought it sounded so glorious I had to go for it. Classic mistake not to have tried it first, of course. I actually find it unpleasant from the opening notes to the base notes and everything in between. As soon as I took the cellophane off this antiseptic, hospital smell hit me. Then I tried it and it only got worse; there are some lavenders that don't smell soft and feminine, but harsh and medicinal instead and that's what this is. It even felt like it was scorching the place on my arm that I'd sprayed it - maybe that was psychosomatic!

Yes. This is one of those fragrances where you can detect within the channeling and development of its unwinding, each special equation that makes it way more than the sum of its parts. A highly creative fragrance that I love. it does work on your mind, clears out the cobwebs, lets in fresh new light. Is this sounding too spiritual? Well, that was one of the first reasons humans applied perfumes. And I think the artist has created some new kinds of flowers here that while they may only be on earth in this bottle, I fully expect to find them in Heaven.

Fleurs de Sel to my nose is a spicy , herbal , earthy perfume with predominant notes of clary sage , thyme and salt . On my skin it is very herbal , quite spicy with a fresh aura that leans towards the masculine side . A breezy , earthy spicy fragrance , definitely complex .it doesn't change a lot . The opening and the drydown is quite similar on me . Average lasting power and low silage .

Omg, what a complex, strong, cologne. Really high quality ingredients used in this one. It lasts and lasts. It's bergamot, vetiver, and a lot of green herbs so intricately woven together like a green, grassy, citrusy tapestry that's been lightly sprinkled with sea salt. It's a masterpiece but not really for me.

the rose in this is a surprise, reminiscent of the uber rose in ysl paris. this is the parisienne who has a weekend house in britanny (as imagined by an englishwoman, lyn harris :-)). i like to layer this with other, tamer marine fragrances to add some naturalistic realness to them.

Lol seen some comments reminiscing about dads wearing a similar fragrance. And I most agree, makes me very nostalgic. It’s not as pungent, but very fresh. I do like this, perhaps for men. Summer and any beach vacation

I used to slather my arms with my dad's Barbasol shaving cream because I liked the way it smelled. This brought back the memory of doing that. A long lasting and energizing sage scent.

Woody green with minty notes that remind of me of true eucalyptus. Great cool herbal woody scent, easily unisex. Somehow mind-clearing,like a breeze on a crisp summer morning.

i think lyn harris is a genius.