Douce Amere

Bittersweet according to a direct translation. But who knows if that’s literally true; this is Serge Lutens remember. It checks out though. Douce Amere is a beautiful contrast between sweet and bitter. My nose is acutely toned to detect sweetness, sometimes to my own detriment. Sweet smells and sweet flavors are my least favorite palate category. So, to me, Douce leans quite a bit more sweet than bitter, but that could also just be me. So let’s break it down that way: The sweetness comes in the form of muguet, and a lot of it. Lily is given a big wrapping of spun sugar; I have an image in my mind of a bouquet of muguet surrounded by cotton candy. But this is not to the detriment of muguet’s other characteristics, namely the meaty and unctuous, slightly salty, and watery qualities. Muguet often smells heady and honeyed, but here the sweetness is more of a hot sugary aroma, something akin to a lightly browned caramel, a touch vanillic, if not cotton candy. Then comes the bitter, which is, unquestionably, a wormwood accord. Ahhh, now this is much more my speed. It is herbal and woody at the same time whilst being bitter and bracingly green; bitter herbs and young wood. It is most readily apparent in the opening, which, in terms of this lily imagery in my head makes the lily seem like it’s still a bud and unbloomed. Curiously, it stays unique, and separated by a distance, from the cinnamon and anise notes, which seem to want to accent the sweet muguet. The spices with the sweetness is scrumptious, but my interest lies with the bitter and portentous wormwood stringing its way from top to bottom of the perfume. It holds into the heart but considerably less strident than it was in the opening, holding on for dear life. Just like my life; always holding out for something other than sweet but being beat down. Its watermark is ever present throughout the life of Douce, just not as much as I wish it was. It is present by proxy via a pungent, green, and piquant cedar note in the dry down. I’m not throwing out many compliments here, and certainly a fair number of criticisms, but that is not reflective of what I truly think of Douce Amere. This is one of Serge Lutens’s underrated gems. That’s probably because Douce is a little weirdo. It is so angular and highly contrasted, a black and white presentation - no grays, light versus dark - no shadows, that I’m sure many of the average consumer segment find it difficult to understand and adding polarity to their individual experience of it. “I want my sweet, creamy, baking spice flecked latte - what is this bitter stuff?! Coffee?!” Whereas the coffee lovers are asking the same but vice versa, “what have you done to my coffee, you heathen?!” I can understand both perspectives, but I live in the middle of them with the grays and the shadows. Wonderful work.

I've never met a fragrance which fits its name so perfectly like this. Douce Amere. Bittersweet. My first experience with it tested on my wrist has been rather disappointing so in this light I was not prepared for the loveliness of Douce Amere, but being a hot sunny day today I craved for a refreshing scent so I gave it a second chance. The choice was just perfect. Bitter and sweet notes blended beautifully, none of them tried to dominate. Soon after the first sniff I envisioned ouzo. Ouzo is an anise flavoured spirit (optionally added other flavorings, such as star anise, coriander, cloves, and cinnamon) traditionally known in Greece (and Albania as I know from a friend). It does not change drastically on the skin, this note never really fades made the scent so lively throghout the day. The sweetness is presented by flowers but I am unable to identify them although I'm fairly sure that I can't smell jasmine which is one of my favourite notes. The tenacity is exceptional - with a lovely sillage - considering that I sprayed it at 5am and 12 hours later I can still smell it in full bloom. (I have to admit that I could seen Douce Amere to tend annoying when the wheather warms up because of the toothpaste-like freshness. Nevertheless, I would definitely want a bottle for the hot summer days.)

Surprise! On opening the sample vial, the first thing I smelled was lots of sandalwood, not what I thought an absinthe-inspired fragrance should smell like. Within seconds, however, the anise came through loud and clear, like pure ouzo being drunk from a sandalwood cup. There’s something dry and herbal along with the wood and anise, presumably the artemesia that one would think should be a prominent note, and just a little hint of flowers. I like the fact that the cinnamon doesn’t overpower the anise, but instead blends perfectly with it. Wow! Once this develops it is unique and marvellous. After a few hours it dries down into a mostly woody scent with notes of sandalwood and cedar, nice in its own right. Later, the vanilla becomes prominent, and for the last several hours it is a sweet and almost ambery skin scent. It’s a lovely sequence of very different perfumes, three for the price of one. Sillage is good, and the scent lasts all day in one form or another. I read that Douce Amere being discontinued - why, oh why, when it’s one of the best SL creations?

I was on a short trip to Paris and I defiantly wanted to go to Serge Lutens flagship store at Palais Royale so I could try all "old" perfumes that they sell now in bell jars because you can't find then anywhere else. I made a list of 8 perfumes that I wanted to test out and out of those eight I liked Douce Amber the most. It's really beautiful and interesting green vanilla scent but absinthe alcohol green like and because of that it leans more on the masculine side IMO. Yes it's sweet and little bit powdery but still it doesn't go into average sweet powdery vanilla scent profile. Definitely unique scent and everyone that likes vanilla as a note should definitely try this one because I don't think they will find anything similar to Douce Amere. In the end I got my bottle from Vinted (old Palais Royal version from 00's) because I was not sure how I'm gonna use it if I buy bell jar version because I like to spray my perfumes. (they prob supple you with a small decant bottle that you can fill them up and then spray it but that's a bit annoying for me)

Just found a bottle of this scent--I forgot how cozy and comfortable it is. It's hard to believe it didn't do well enough in all markets to stay in the "export" line, as it always struck me as very loveable. What I appreciate most about it is that the bittersweetness is so well balanced. The wormwood and anisic notes are absolutely there, but the vanilla, musks, a light white florals provide such a complementary counterpoint. This has also always smelled to me a bit like Chergui but without the big coumarin note--in other words, the contemporary haziness of hedione, iso e super, and various white musks cocooning a huge vanilla. In Douce Amere, that beautiful base serves as the structure for a gorgeously green and herbal wormwood/white floral core instead of the spices and incense and hay of Chergui. Some other light touches of things (a hint of citrus and one of those pineapple-galbanum aromachemicals, maybe a light sprinkle of something like cinnamon) continue to contour and shape it.

So many others below have done such a great job describing Douce Amere, I especially like gtabasso describing this as having a cake batter feel without the sugar. I feel that pretty accurately describes the gourmand feel: a dry cake batter Douce Amere is so expertly blended that no single note stands out, they are all there except for the jasmine (thankfully I can't pick it out). There is a slight tropical vibe, a slight gourmand vibe and a very slight spicy herbal vibe. This is one of the easiest to wear from the Serge Luten line-up, but sadly I believe Douce Amere has been discontinued. I guard the remaining 20 ml I have left in my bottle and only wear it on special occasions. I think it's perfect accompaniement on a warm Spring or Fall day. I get about 4-5 hours of longevity with very light projection. An absolute stunner, one of my favorites from the house of Luten.

The opening is vibrant. There is Absinthe listed on my card from Serge Lutens, not listed above in the notes. In the opening, the Absinthe comes through like licorice, a spicy anise, with a cutting dryness. The Vanilla peeks out, but awaits in the background, letting the florals burst and bloom and play out. I cannot individually distinguish the floral notes, but they are a pungent bouquet. The dry down comes too quickly for me, but it's such a beautiful mix of spirited Cinnamon, creamy, gourmand Vanilla, and very light Absinthe remains. The dry down has lasted for many hours now. This is an artistic, lucious, luxurious, inspiring scent. One might use it daily to exeperience the best sensations in life at all times, or, use it only with the finest black velvet dress for special nights, to savour it slowly.

Do you want comfort in a bottle? I do and I've been wearing Douce Amère since the early 2000s when it was in spray format. It may seem a shame that it's now only available in bell jars but that makes it more special and uncommon. Not many people will have come across such a beautiful blend of scents in one fragrance: An opening of mild medicinal, absinthe, liquorice mix gives way to bitter almond (like the essence used in pastries), then the journey continues from marzipan to marshmallow (of the traditional type) to settle onto sweet vanilla. So you guessed it, we travel from bitter to sweet and back and forth - Douce Amère means bittersweet, how apt. It all comes in waves and it envelopes your senses in a beautiful comforting blanket that says sophistication and class.

Very nice. Like it a lot, but not really love tough. On me it smells very dry, herbal and a bit of hay... reminds me a lot of the north swedish countryside in the late summer, when the flowers have overbloomed and the hay is ready to been cut off (don ́t know what it is called in english!?) Underneath the surface of dry herbs and hay there is something soft and lush lingering... like the next summers flowers waiting to bloom again... Absolutly worth trying, nice non-offending, good stayingpower and with quite much personality...

I discovered Serge Lutens with Douce Amère, have loved it since (2002!). At the time, it was as niche as I had ever tried, and the unusual presence of artemisia and absinthe captivated me. An enchanting, real unisex perfume, so wearable by a woman that I have never been without it since, but gorgeous on a man - the salesman was wearing it to perfection. The longevity is very good, much better than newer Lutens fragrances, I have to say; it shares longevity with Un Bois Vanille, another Lutens favourite of mine.

I too sort of overlooked this lil gem; tried it years ago and reminded me of five o'clock (which came later); a bit cloying & not my thing. But I recently 'blind bought' a used bottle for peanuts and voila! what a sophisticated, original and impressive frag. it does indeed manifest a duality of pastis & wormwood, sharp & soft. even has a chanel pour monsieur vibe for the first 30 min which is very interesting and pleasant, drying down to a soft vanilla musk. great juice!

Absolutely unique and elegant stunner from the eclectic Serge Lutens line This cheery floral wood showcases the beauty of the tiare fower in its full bloom. Surrounding this central note are hints of vanilla, cinnamon, jasmine and artemisia. Light, lingering and happy, this unisex (slight female leaning) perfume has moderate to strong projection, sillage and longevity. Perfect for hotter weather, this is a very unusual and haunting fragrance. Enjoy!

The perfect library scent for me and a fantastic creation to my nose! Old books on dusty shelves, peaceful solitude, and the vanilla comfort of a friendly, worn space. Afternoon shafts of light pouring through the decrepit yet happy windows, highlighting the dust specks. Tea is being served in an adjacent room into delicate little cups. The few souls present are whispering or silently reading. A cat sleeps on an old cushioned chair.

Note: hard to wear sometimes, because of how green it is. One sniff and I fell in love. I love an anisic component (in this case absinthe) in a sweet fragrance (Love & Crime from Ex Idolo, Vanilla & Anise Jo Malone) ; this one nailed it. I love how its sweetness is sugary, and how the florals flirt with the absinthe No idea how artemisia smells like. This might be my favorite SL 🤭 on par Ambre Sultan and Un Bois Vanille

This is a gorgeous herbal-vanilla. It's not overly herbal. It still reads as a vanilla-dominant fragrance. This makes me want to hunt down other herbal+vanillas and other fragrances with absinthe as a note. When Serge Lutens gets it right they really get it right. Absolute love. It feels special. I don't find it that similar to Angelique Noire at all, but would say it's in the same family. I prefer this to AN.

I have regret my last review a little. I do love Douce Amere, but it ́s a soft, laidback and quiet kind of love. Some perfumes from SL keep growing on me, it can take some months to realise that I really cant live without them, Douce Amere is one of these perfumes. Longlasting, beautiful, soft, mature and extremly caressing. I am feeling totally comfortable when I wear this.

Vanillic green woods, not sweet at all despite it being so creamy. Surprisingly cool and refreshing, though rather warm & soothing. Contradictory, but like with Serge Lutens scents, never offensively so. Lovely in spring or autumn, I honestly prefer it in spring. Moderate sillage, lasts over 8 hrs in my experience with this scent.

What a tranquil scent! Not mentioned, but i smell liquorice above all. With anise, vanilla, cinnamon and sugar. Adorable! In the 35° this is a dream! I'm happy wearing it!

Someone elsewhere said that Douce Amere felt like the elegant, sophisticated, un-sleazy version of Casmir, which I think is about right. Casmir (which I also love) is a nasty lady until two hours in, at least; Douce Amere gets there within ten minutes. The openings are totally different--Douce Amère is an unusual blend of anise, cedar, peppery cinnamon (all together it is bitter green stems, the fresh-cut dahlia smell), that shifts (so smoothly you can barely tell) into powdery floral cedar smoke and incense-inflected vanilla. The combination of creamy gourmand and floral sweetness strongly resembles the later moments of Casmir--the later, the more alike. But Douce Amère remains more crystalline from start to finish. I'm convinced that's the bitterness, which you don't really smell after the opening but which makes itself known in the unusual lightness and clarity of a scent that would otherwise be oozingly scrumptious. It sits somwehre between clean white floral, oriental, and gourmand in a way I can't untangle. At times these two are so similar that I thought I'd made a redundancy mistake the first time I tried it on--but really it's like comparing a perfect raw almond to a honey-crusted, salted, sugared, roasted one. Both are good, but only one is the Platonic ideal of an almond. This is the only SL so far that doesn't turn on me, which I can wear and adore from start to finish. No matter how much put on it doesn't seem to project very far and I generally like that--though this is so good I almost wish it were louder. Longevity is okay--not as monstrous as most SL(why couldn't it have the lasting power of the ones that went putrid on me and gave me headaches?) or Casmir for that matter, but within the acceptable range for quality formulations. Unusually for me, and for Serge, I don't get any dirty notes on this at all. Whenever I finally finish my big Casmir, I'll splurge and get a bell jar of this one. I have the 5ml mini flacon, dabbing only, and while that's wonderful, I'm terribly disappointed you can't get this in spray form anymore, even in France. The thought of how that smoky-fresh, bittersweet anise opening would open up, billowing forth from a vaporiser, is too beautiful.

Douce Amere is quite unique, in the beginning as if it is not clear in which direction to develop, whether bitter or sweet (or vice versa) after a while you are lost in magic.I was amazed, I had to have it. I did not know even if I wore it, is not oriental, not spicy or citrus, and neither woody nor chypre. I have not felt so strange smell,tiare flower can be discerned, cinnamon is interesting, but I had the impression that there must be something more not mentioned, a closely guarded secret, endless and somewhat fragile. Attracting and repelling me, as I'm not sure do I like it or not. I love to wear it,though rarely,but then really enjoys. If there was a group of floral-spicy, it was a Douce Amere - totally different from anything I tried, so unusual...for ladies somewhere in Paris a hundred years ago, but the fragrance is just as inspiring today (only not dressed in jeans).Although the fragrance came out recently(2002.) it's intriguing as it has a long history. You can not say that it is sweet, because there is bitterness in it or some bitter sweetness. Perfume, which has an unusually beautiful scented trail close to the skin.And lasts for hours!