Foin Fraichement Coupe

The notion of new-mown hay in perfume comes with some truth and some poetic license. The concept in perfume was embroidered by the idyllic romance of the late 19th century retreat from early industrial toil: coming home to the essential. Built heavily around coumarin, linalool, clary sage, lavender, with also a fair amount of acetophenone—a sweetly pungent material that smells of hawthorn and mimosa blossoms—this concept would be quite popular in the early 20th century. Even Guerlain and California Perfume Company, a predecessor to Avon, would have their own versions. One prized "New Mown Hay" is that of Floris London, of which I was able to acquire a sample. It's simple, vivacious splendor reminds me of crushed woodruff and braided sweetgrass, whipped in a musky sunlit haze. In Poucher's Perfumes, Cosmetics, and Soaps Volume II, there lies a section devoted to New Mown Hay with a Foin Coupe base and a finished New-mown hay perfume demonstration. This leads me to Oriza L. Legrand's Foin Fraîchement Coupé, which is the closest to what I've smelled of that vintage Floris—a bracing, heirloom barbershop fanfare opening all clean, soapy, yet rustic, anisic and pastel green pepperiness. Here, there is that fair amount of clary sage, sheering out the middle, that aforementioned acetophenone, and also benzophenone (also listed in the Poucher base), which is powdery and sharp, what I would best describe if a geranium scented wood existed in nature. In Legrand's notes breakdown, sainfoin is listed: an herbaceous legume with pink blooms often used for hay crop with a sweet clover scent of which I am not acquainted but would love to be. Also listed is, curiously enough, soapwort, an old-word wildflower that had been introduced to the US which is distantly related to carnation (Caryophyllaceae). Also referred to charmingly as "bouncing bet," I am quite familiar with its late-summer fragrance that reminds me of a more gentle orange blossom when met with intimacy. I do pick up this sensation in the heart. The exuberant core of Foin Fraîchement Coupé eventually winds down to a powdery, yellow-green cut-grass musk, blanketing my skin with comfort. It's great to imagine another time, long ago, when the whimsy of a 'new-mown hay' perfume such as this one would lead to reverie for weary minds, whether it be applied to ones skin to nurture the heart or applied to a handkerchief to be inhaled for a brief escape. Now this isn't the only one of its kind in my collection, I also have and adore Fieno from Santa Maria Novella, decidedly Italian in design with its hesperidic opening, being more resinous in its base: equally charming; see my review for that gem.

Foin Fraîchement Coupé (“freshly cut hay”) is my fourth favourite Oriza fragrance, right after Le Regent, Relique, and Secret Joly. Each of them carries its own unique story and was love at first sniff for me. This may be the cleanest fragrance from the house that I’ve tested so far, with a strong presence of the brand’s classic DNA, perhaps heightened by the cool brightness of mint and star anise. There’s a light, almost storybook-like delicacy to it- airy and graceful, yet grounded in that unmistakable Oriza signature. The opening is indeed reminiscent of a vintage barbershop. The scent of shaving foam and aftershave weaves through the composition from start to finish, gradually softening in the dry-down. Beneath that lies a refined blend of dry herbs, soft musk, and a gentle powderiness that gives the fragrance a vintage character. It feels clean in an intimate, skin-like way- comforting rather than sharp- with the musk forming a steady backbone throughout its development. The green aspect here isn’t lush or dewy; instead, it leans toward sun-dried grass and freshly cut hay- crisp, slightly austere, and beautifully restrained. My partner notes a faint synthetic nuance, almost reminiscent of an air freshener. I can somewhat agree; however, I find this impression is limited to the first hour of wear, likely due to its strong projection- which I personally appreciate. Its longevity and sillage are amazing- I would say it matches Le Regent in this regard.

"Aromatic green" is misleading because it's extremely powdery and not very green at all. I do smell a bit of mint when it hits the skin, but it quickly dries down into a powdery musk. It's quite potent, with strong sillage. I have been around a lot of hay, and this does not smell like hay. It smells more like a classic, powdery Italian cologne, reminding me of Fieno ("Hay") by Santa Maria Novella, another one that doesn't smell like hay, but I prefer Foin Fraichement Coup, as it seems brighter. The herbs give it a carefree feeling. I don't know why these perfumes even mention "hay" because there is nothing powdery about hay. I have to surmise it's because of their delicate, underlying sweetness. Powdery perfumes are often cloying and can be borderline stuffy, so I would not suggest this in warm weather but in cool weather when you want to feel cozy. Essentially it's a powdery perfume with a really nice herbal twist. I would highly recommend to someone who is looking for a very unique powdery perfume that is not a loukhoum-type nor a floral-powder like baby powder (Ombre Rose, for example). Regardless of whether there is hay in here or not, I find it absolutely beautiful.

This fragrance definitely opens with angelica, hay and musk. Im really starting to warm to the angelic note. This is fresh, sweet and yet so delicate. I am immediately transported to a walk through a woodland in spring. Everything is fresh and bursting forth into life after their winter slumber. I dont get any plastic or baby diapers!! It has that same uplifting quality as Chypre Mousse. I love star anise and I think its part of what makes me love it so much although it is not very obvious. I will make a guess that its the sainfoin and clover that provide the very natural nectary sweetness here. One of the best green spring fragrance I have had the pleasure to put my nose to.

I was in the woods this morning, walking and really enjoying the subtle green freshness in the air. Dew dripped from the leaves, soil breathed out lightly, birds sang to each other as the sun rose over the trees. This perfume recreates that feeling. Cool morning air laced with a watery green freshness. Everything feeling of nature, natural and innocent. This is a very clean perfume, but not at all in the sense of soapiness. It’s truly lovely. There is the slightest refrain of mint, of anise, and later of peppery pelargonium. But mainly it smells of sweet fresh greenery. For all its gentleness it has moderate sillage and 7 plus hour longevity.

Freshly cut hay says the name. Being from the tropics I can't say I've spent much time around hay to remember what it smells like, freshly cut or otherwise. However I have always linked hay to sunshine and happiness, watching movies where lovers tumble about in haystacks and cute kittens and puppies always seem to be found around haystacks in a certain genre of movies. What makes me happy is discovering a new interesting scent with the added bonus of being an olfactory heaven. Opening with a strong leathery scent of clary sage which I've become familiar with in Violette de Fumee, mint that is present but not as sweet as Nuit Etoilee, mixed with something spicy and herbal, the latter identified as Angelica which is fast becoming a favourite note and the former apparently represented by Ivy, a note I'm not that familiar with. Just as I'm wondering where the musk was, musk showed up and literally filled up the airspace with its presence. This isn't a polite Narciso Rodriguez musk either, this is gorgeous dirty musk along the lines of L'air de Rien, being less sweet than the Miller Harris beauty but less in your face animalistic than Musc Koublai Khan. This is what I imagine dryads would smell like! This is what I imagine a roll in the hay would smell like! This is sunshine, nature and no or very little inhibitions! The sillage is a little on the quieter side but not so bad that I have to stick my nose to my skin. Longevity has gone over the four hour mark so far. This goes on the want list. Definitely. I want to smell like a happy, naughty dryad!

Ooh, y'all angloparlants just don't know the joy this brings me. There's this soap from Spain that exists since over a century ago called "Heno de Pravia" that translates to Pravia Hay, Pravia being a region in Spain. It's a classic, and it is nowadays made by or linked somehow to Puig it appears. This smells a lot like that soap, but more developed and with added depth. I'd been on the lookout for a perfume that was akin to that soap since the scent is gorgeous but doesn't linger on me after using it in the shower. They do sell an eau de cologne but it is also rather faint, though severely inexpensive, at least. I can pick up the Angelica, the clary sage (I worked for just a bit for Clarins and clary sage reminds me so much of their products and that time. Such a herbal, astringent, medicinal note, fabulous, but an aquired taste). This scent makes me think of olivine green, plush cushions, heavy curtains, and furnishings in an old victorian study room. Old timey, apothecary-ish. Diaphanous, but only to the right person! This beautiful resemblance with the soap does stop at the 3-4 hour mark, and you're left with a vaseliney smell (to the person that mentioned nivea cream, I would've never made the association, but I can't unsmell it now. I hate you a little for that). This "issue" does make me hold for the steep price point, but I hear Oriza has a buy a "100ml bottle, get a 50ml bottle free" promotion a couple times a year. I'll be a jaguar, hiding behind a curtain of clary sage and hay, calculating the pounce...

A whimsical beauty... Like a forest fairy dancing through the trees... This is a fresh, herbal, dry, soapy, and clean musk-based scent with a powdery touch; and it also has a distinctive nostalgic vein. It sits somewhere between baby powder and a coastal grandma vibe. Every time I smelled it, it evoked different moments for me. The inherently clean musk base remained present throughout every stage. There's a slight herbalist shop feel present too. Don’t think of the green accord here as dewy or juicy; this is a dry green, and it’s truly lovely. Tag(s): Dry green, hay-like, herbal, soapy

Baby wipes, very strong. I can't detect any of the notes that are listed. Edit: Something about this changed my mind. After the dry down, the hay comes through and is really comforting. It's initially very sweet, but give it half an hour. I don't usually wear this going out, but I like it when I am working at my desk at home. It's nostalgic from way before my time, definitely not a modern scent, and I've grown to really enjoy it.

Very green. Very spicy! I'm imagining myself drinking spiced tea while camping in the high sierra desert. It settles into a soft mix of mint and powder. I'm keeping the sample around for layering because right now I'm in the mood for scents that smell like meadows and weeds.

a powdery amber with citrus in the top like Amour de Palazzo meets Shalimar but softer softer oh so softer like a whisp with a hint of floral in there; very pretty but barely there skin scent

reminds me of cooled mint tea, quite pleasing and refreshing and dries down slightly powdery

Anise floral with a tiny bit of mint at the top. Not like any hay I ever smelled.

I'm glad I don't blind-buy because I thought I might like this scent with the green and musky accords, but this smells soapy and powdery to me. It reminds me of baby shampoo. It smells slightly better on my clothes - I think the middle floral notes are more apparent, but the dry down is all powder and it lasts until the next day. It is a unisex scent but more feminine-leaning imo. Might be right for some but definitely not me. That said, I really like the house of Oriza L. Legrand so far.

Baby wipe clean musk, sweet wildflowers, and powdery star anise. Very odd. I imagine this could be very nice on the right person, but I could never wear this. I've enjoyed what I've smelled so far from this brand, but this one is my least favorite.

This is a very strange perfume to be called "fresh cut hay." It smells of vanillic powder, like the underbust of a slightly too warm woman who uses dusting powder.

Opening is Fresh, aldyhydic, lightly sweet, maybe citrus, then slightly powdery, & soapy After 10 mins it smells like febreeze, aldehyde chemicals, mixed with grass, it smells like fake fresh grass! Further into the dry down all I smell is concentrated baby wipes. Scrubbed it off with soap & water. Not a fan.

Mouthwash, powder, and lavender. It's quite pretty if you like powdery scents. Nice silage, strong but not overpowering.

Foin Fraichement Coupé, based on a formula from 1886. The opening doesn't smell like freshly mown hay, ...though I haven't smelled all hays mowed afresh. Instead, it smells just like the listed notes: anise (star or otherwise), mint, ...and angelica. ...and it really is an amazing opening in itself, most worthy of savouring. As the top notes lessen (...but don't disappear!), the sweetly honeyed green-gold scent of clover & hay begins to gain ground. A soupcon of dill in the mix. This is now becoming a magnificent melange of notes, ....and I suppose it is also whitely musky at the base as well. The deep drydown is a minty, musky powder. Overall, this is a remarkably special fragrance, that smells mostly unlike any of the now overplayed popular trends of the 2010s and 2020s. If anyone out there is seeking the future's next novelty, they would be wise to re-explore the past, ...further back and faster. Edit: The mint and dill do evoke a vague and incomplete resemblance with ELDO's You or Someone Like You, though that is more tartly green, while this plays much more dusty sweet.

First notes I smell in the opening are mint and lots and lots of fresh coumarin notes. I smell angelica as well, though very mildly underneath the coumarins. There's lots of other green notes in there, clary sage the strongest, but they don't appear on my skin until much later-- then I really start to smell the darker greenish notes and the musk underneath. The mint also makes a comeback, giving the scent an interesting top note. The drydown is a powdery green and light iris with a minty tingle on top. Sillage and longevity are moderate on me. This scent acts strange on my skin, the coumarins are ridiculously strong! Definitely not a green scent on me, this one is lemony fresh. I will try this one again in a different season, I have a feeling this one does not work as designed on me. It is very different on my skin than on the tester strip!