Le Cri de la Lumière

As an iris lover, I have long wanted to try this scent. Featuring a light-yet-decadent powdery iris note as a focal point, Le Cri is a bright, clear aldehydic floral scent with a soft yet satisfying chypre base. The aldehydes add subtle sparkle, brightening the florals to perfection without overpowering the scent with blinding white soapiness. It is a exercise in balance, with each note serving to complement the iris-rose accord beautifully. So far, I am very impressed with Parfum d'Empire as a house, and quite admire Marc-Antoine Corticchiato's work as a nose. Le Cri is very different in style to the dense, mossy compositions I have already tried from Parfum d'Empire (Corsica Furiosa, Vétiver Bourbon et al.), but it is just as good. Le Cri opens with a delicious, powdery iris note, feather-light yet luxurious. The luminous aldehydes round things out, adding a crystalline quality to the florals. As it develops, rose emerges, and in doing so, forms the lipstick accord that forms the heart of this scent. The raspberry complements it perfectly here too, adding a hint of fruitiness. As it develops further, the musky ambrette emerges, complementing the powdery iris-rose accord to perfection. It is softly sweet, slightly woody and very smooth. The earthy patchouli forms an unexpected, subtle chypre base alongside the woody notes and musk, tying everything together beautifully. It fades to a musky, mossy skin scent with remnants of the powdery florals remaining. Sillage and longevity are moderate. It is a feminine-leaning, transeasonal, daytime scent in my opinion. A beautiful, lightweight iris-rose chypre, Le Cri is immensely wearable and exudes sophistication. If Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist is a steely grey thunderstorm, Le Cri is a bright, cloudless sunny day. 4.5/5.

Le Cri would make Chanel No. 18 blush with an underachiever’s embarrassment. “You call that ambrette seed?! I’ll show you ambrette seed!” The two have more in common than either Polge or Corticchiato would like to admit, I suspect. Ambrette, fruits, iris, a woody base, and seemingly the same abstraction. Both want to play with light. Where No. 18 wants to bend light through a prism to create a kaleidoscope of purples, pinks, reds, and blues, Le Cri wants to cast a heavenly glow straight into your eyes like you’re being lifted out of your body by The Almighty Himself. Once that white glow subsides at the top from the ambrette and iris, an incredibly potent combo that is nearly blinding in intensity, then comes a burnished bronze of warming light evocated by powdery and sumptuously textured pink rose nestled on a base of milky woods that is likely some mix of high-quality materials pushing sandalwood, cedar, and rosewood. After wearing it for a few hours I finally Googled it and, a bit to my surprise, this perfume has garnered a lot of attention by perfumistas and critics, and even Mr. Turin who apparently, like myself, also smelled more than a connection to No. 18, as have many others. So, I guess the question is do you buy this instead of No. 18? My answer is yes, depending upon what you want. Corticchiato’s style is a lot more straightforward, no surprise. Le Cri seems to be a lot less challenging than No. 18. I love No. 18, so don’t get me wrong here, but where No. 18 succeeds in genuine mind-blowing complexity and challenges, Le Cri succeeds in being simple but it’s done exceptionally well and with exceptional materials.

I had sampled this (on paper) nearly three times and had nearly given up. Each time it was ghostly, barely there, I struggled to find it on the strip. I was incredulous as ambrette, iris and rose are all favorites and this brand is my absolute favorite, desert island brand. Then the temperature rose about 10 degrees (this is wintertime in Canada) and I tried once more, determinedly, on skin this time. There it was! Green, woody, tart, sparkling, starchy. This time it projected and rose to meet my nose. It seems decidedly classical in its design and proportions but also modern and like a kind of new age anti-perfume as well. Green apple, pear, musc, steam, linen, light. A hint of frozen red berries. Twigs in the wind. Bread notes. Steel. 10/10 this is a masterpiece. UPDATE: I love this so much I didn't really care if it was one of those perfumes I barely ever use, cause I have many I hardly use but still love lots, but I find myself using this one quite a lot. It's easy to wear as I don't think it reads as floral so much as just a tart, fresh, green musk. It kinda has a low profile which works when I don`t want to make a huge statement to those around me, but still lasts a long time and is there for me to notice. I will be buying (multiple) back up bottles although I'm praying it's a permanent scent in the PdE collection.

This is a very very great fragrance. It's a floral musky woody fragrance. The three major notes are ambrette, iris, and rose. It is inspired by the abstract painting "The Scream" by Edvard Munch and the child's birth. The ambrette is a beautiful ingredient I love a lot giving it a musky and powdery dimension. These days most musk fragrances use synthetic musk which I found very unpleasant on drydow. But there are few, like this one, that use an expensive ambrette (a plant-based musk), which has the complexity and will not turn to synthetic smells on dry down. And then a beautiful dance of iris and rose. I don't know how the perfumer did it but these flowers are so greatly well-blended together. To me, the top notes of bergamot, aldehydes, and raspberry were unnecessary and did not add any character to the fragrance. They just added to make it more pleasant. These notes give virginity, elegance, and passion to the perfume. It's more feminine but men can wear it as well. It's not very loud and I like the projection as it is. Amazing stuff 9.5/10

One of my favourites of Parfum d'Empires range so far. Though apparently most similar to No 18, Le Cri de la Lumiere is in fact very evocative of the general Chanel house style, being replete as it is with aldehydes and iris. I'd even say it's not a million miles away from Irisss by Xerjoff or Iris Poudre by Frederic Malle, though Le Cri is rosier than either. The aldehydes in the opening give the classical angelic/cloud-like effect you'd expect: a weightlessness and, to some extent, soapiness of an ethereal nature. The heart has a note-perfected iris-rose combination, with both clearly detectable to my nose and smelling of powdery rose with some soft, cosmetic-rooty undertones. The base is musk, again in a very Chanel-like style. It's a really exquisite scent and very classical in feel - likely not quite daring enough for those looking for unconventional fragrances. It's something of a masterclass in classical feminine perfumery, and has the string-of-pearls, lace gloves feeling you'd expect. Top-tier soap scent.

Begins with an extraordinary dance between rose and iris... so well coordinated, bright, and tangy-green with musk and Ambrette that it’s hard to distinguish the rose from the iris. As if a new flower has been created. I’ve never smelled quite as crisp and clear a floral accord. The Iris somehow blends with the aldehydes to lift the rose. I love it. I can see why Luca Turin loves it. Dries down to a woody lightly musky Ambrette floral pillow. (But it projects a lot for at least the first 3-5 hours!) The alchemy that makes the rose-iris so brilliant is that rather than a typical heavy patchouli rose and a typically powdery iris, instead it’s a floral with both the fresh intensity and fast-evaporating qualities of citruses. Yet they last! I apply three sprays of Cri de la Lumiere—and it lasts, as an ambery uplifted yet crisp floral, all day. Beware: for the first hour your WHOLE house will smell like HEAVEN! I’d buy a FB for a gorgeous spring scent. I’m male and this floral WORKS.

According to the official description, Le Cri is conceived as a cry of rebirth, an evocation of light and dawn. Its scent, however, does not match the power suggested by its name, nor the impression given by its note pyramid. Seeing aldehydes, iris, and rose listed together initially led me to expect something close to powdery iris compositions or even in the vein of Chanel No. 5 In reality, the fragrance feels thoroughly modern, light and sheer like a cicada’s wing, or like a flash of brightness suspended in the air. The most prominent elements are rose and red berries, while the aldehydes and iris are refined to an extremely thin, translucent texture. They function almost like a layer of pristine white gauze laid at the base of the olfactory structure, so fully integrated into the composition that they are difficult to detect unless one pays close attention The quality of the materials is evident, and taken as a whole, it strikes me as a fragrance very much worth purchasing

Parfums d’Empire Le Cri de la Lumiere (2017) - luminous iris - #marcantoinecorticchiato is making me a fan of his and could easily be a creation amongst my collection of classics with Chanel and Guerlain. Starts with a fruity and tart Raspberry-Bergamot opening. I get some aldehydes, but this isn’t in the same context as Chanel no. 5’s waxy smell, but creates a crisp and luminous effect leading to the heart: Iris and Rose. It’s base is supported by Ambrette Musk, woods, and Patchouli giving it a foresty-earthy mossy base and refocuses your attention back to the Orris. It’s construction and transitions so effortless and beautiful. It reminded me of a #russianballet dancer I got to watch. Sure, she was a technical ballet master, but her dance transcended time itself - transfixed and in awe.

On my cooler than average skin, the fragrance opened with bright airy and slightly fruity Rose scent. I detected the somewhat bitter, musky and metallic Ambrette note together with powdery Orris almost immediately. At that point, Le Cri de la Lumiere reminded me of Cabaret by Gres for its fresh powdery, somewhat Aldehydic and fruity Rose scent. As the scent developed, the powdery vibe sort of tamed down the brightness of the fruity Rose and the musky Ambrette became more prominent. I personally find this fragrance a bit too feminine to be called a unisex fragrance. In general, it is a beautiful Rose/Orris/Musk fragrance with moderate to soft sillage. I personally would probably layer it with a more woody or earthy fragrance to make the scent a bit less feminine.

Pleasant and fun to wear. The opening is gentle with citrus and fruity aldehydes which soon give way to an austere, powdery suede, and violet tinged orris butter with a hint of green aromatics. Just as we get used to the this profile, we get a tiny visit from a musky rose. For just a few minutes it reminded me of a very quiet Guerlain Musc Noble with a toned down musk (which I prefer). That dissipated and the powdery suede was back. I really like austere perfumes and this seems to have hit good balance of approachability that I quite enjoyed wearing this. I wish it was slightly louder than it was on me. I reapplied after 4 hours but only gently for fear of smelling like a leather boot in case it gets too much.

Parfums D’Empire - Le Cri The smell of beauty. Aldehydes on top with a touch of raspberry and barely detectable citrus into a blessed heart of rose and iris. You can smell those musks and ambrette seeds off the top even can barely get the patchouli but you know it’s there from memory. Impossibly beautiful. Astonishingly happy. One of few scents that evokes a strong emotion and what better than happiness and joy! I’ll have to get a bottle of this asap. Thanks Marc-Antoine for putting a smile on my face and making my day. With houses like Parfum D’Empire we have hope in the fragrances of tomorrow. The scream of joy! Scent: 10/10 Sillage: Moderate but noticeable Value: Excellent in a world of price increases

Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous I like a good ambrette perfume, but they often feel a little skeletal. Le Cri avoids this pitfall and is unequivocally the best version of this profile I've smelled (not a rare feat for Corticchiato clearly). It plays in the repertoire of Diptyque or CDG while completing the picture. Both the iris and rose show up in a delicate, airy form while the aldehydes glimmer through it all. The whole fragrance has this bright, extroverted nature, yet the heart carries a melancholy. I still can't pinpoint what exactly what does it. I don't think any note breakdown can really get to the heart of it. The sad clown paradox of perfumery. An ode to the moments of lights in darkness.

This is going to be an odd comparison, but hear me out. You know how Vietnamese food is so satisfying because it hits the sweet, salty, sour, fresh and spicy taste buds all at once? Le Cri pulls off the equivalent in terms of olfactive accords. It is at once an intensely fruity rose and a musky iris, and an animalic Ambrette seed. There is nothing missing in Le Cri. And yet there is not too much of anything either. Le Cri tells a story about balance. Perhaps because Le Cri is hitting the sweet and floral and musky and animalic notes all at once, it triggers the dopamine receptors like I’ve never experienced before. It is a thing of wonder and very, very addictive.

For me, Le Cri starts with zingy, white-yellow notes of pear, lemon, and grapefruit, luxuriously encapsulated, and muted, by a gorgeous iris root butter. The iris butter melts and exposes the bright fruit, moving Le Cri into crisp, refreshing Sauvignon blanc territory. Unexpected, but fantastic. The leather, suede, unsweet rose, ambrette, and a squeaky-clean patchouli twang become increasingly present until, as my brain processes it, these notes conspire to transform Le Cri into a chypre not unlike Aromatics Elixir, but with the exposure and brightness dialed up to a blinding 10. Perfect for all seasons. A welcome palate cleanser. I’m addicted.

Marc-Antoine truly has a gift for crafting fragrances. Parfum d’Empire feels like a classic French perfumery house, yet with a modern, edgy twist and it’s one of the few French houses I genuinely love. The ingredients are exceptional, and you can immediately sense the quality in every composition. Now, about Le Cri (The Scream), often referred to as Le Cri de la Lumière (The Scream of Light): this fragrance radiates brightness. It isn’t a scream of fear, but rather a scream of life, luminous and pure. At its core lies iris and rose, wrapped in a subtle zestiness. The result is a beautifully complex perfume.

I did not have high hope for this. My body chemistry hates rose and musk combo, they smell like wet socks on my skin. Since Parfum d'Empire now offer sample set which is very convenient, I think why not give Le Cri a try? The moment I sprayed it on my skin - Oh, beautiful! Aldehydes and iris change everything. Bright and uplifting floral scent. Like a shaft of sunlight shines through curtains, onto the pink rose bouquet by the window. It seems that Parfum d'Empire have changed its name from Le Cri de la Lumière to Le Cri. I don't understand. The original name sounds so poetic.

A stunningly beautiful, ethereal, feminine-leaning floral. I can't believe it has such a (relatively) small note list. The rose is wet, dewy, and surrounds the iris, which is pitch-perfect. Top 5 roses I have smelled, and top 5 florals. This is a relative of Nishane Sultan Vetiver and Atelier des Ors Rose Omeyyade, in my mind. All have the rose or a rosy scent as the centerpiece, and the centerpiece is surrounded by various other florals. Really like this mildly ambery scent profile that all these fragrances share.

Whenever I wear Le Cri, it gives me a real confidence boost, almost a “boss” kind of energy, though I can’t quite explain why. I love that it has a cold, distant feel, it’s not warm, cute, or approachable. Instead, it’s elegant and effortlessly chic. It’s also the only rose perfume in my collection, which says a lot, since I’m usually not a fan of the rose note. But here, it’s beautifully blended with iris, aldehydes, and ambrette seeds and that perfect blend is probably why I love it so much.

The ambrette and patchouli are so deep and rich and earthy yet radiant, clear, and smooth. They are subtle but intense. I use 6-8 sprays on moisturized skin. The atomizer is so tightly tuned you can control the rate and location of dispersion with precision. This fragrance’s floral ingredients are somehow pure, almost too clean, but the base notes hold them to the wet vegetal woody ground. I sprayed before bed and woke up 8 hours later in a plush floral-woody-musky cloud.

Quite an intro. Unbelievably gorgeous, perfumer’s dream of iris and rose and musk to get things started while the scent is at its’ most potent. Beyond this a quieter achievement. A rose that breathes. A thoroughly modern lite pink musk of raspberry and rosewater that I could wear everyday and not feel like a dandy OR a vixen, but like St. Valentine after a bath. The very best of the recent rose/iris/musk concoctions. 4.5 out of 5.