Relaxing Fragrance

I had a sample vial back in the day (circa 2000-2002) after one of my father's trips to Japan. Didn't care much about the name since I was only a kid, I just know it never failed to help bring me to a nice sleep. I only remember it was greenish with a grass/veggie/matcha top note and bamboo/agarwood middle/base note, not an easy find but here I am. Bought an unused bottle from an online reseller and it's not exactly how I remember. The cucumber was very fresh at the time and it was sublime, now I don't really smell it, but it's already more than 20 years what did I expect. It was squarely unisex when it was new, now it does lean more feminine. It's okay, it's still one of my fondest fragrances: my father's Shiseido Tactics (which is still produced these days, curiously, with the exact scent from the 1980s' version), Shiseido Relaxing Fragrance and the vintage Paco Rabanne Pour Homme, my mother's Sony Crystal Flower (yes it's a thing, Sony used to have a line of fragrances in Japan, like Crystal Flower and Sensitive Lady, I don't know how to add them to the database though), and my Dior Bois d'Argent, Dior Fève Délicieuse, and L'Occitane Eau de Vétyver. (Among those, Sony Crystal Flower is the best one, it's a cold and refreshing pink fruity floral fragrance that never fails to make me happy. I wish someone could make a clone of it, I think its dominant notes are peach, plum, citrus blossoms, musk and agarwood. What's interesting about it is that the peach and plum scents are both gathered from unripe and ripe fruits which gives it a perfect blend of sweet and sour and cool scents. It makes you feel like the winter cold and snow begin to subside and you can see dew drops on the grass as the spring sunshine has come, and you look forward to the end of spring and the start of summer, when the fruits ripen, when you'll reminisce about the winter snow crystals and the spring flowers.)

Fell head over heels with it when I was a student! The first department store perfume I bought on my first year at the University. As far as I remember, the scent was of great suavity, with delightful, silky fresh greenness and tranquility. Not too aromatic, not too flowery, just neat and feminine. While writing my review on Kenzo Amour, I commented how polite that frag was. Same applies to Shiseido Relaxing Fragrance. I didn't know anything about the perfume pyramid and am discovering it only now hahaha. Never would I suspect cucumber (stomach churning), bamboo (reminds me of Lao soup) or cardamome (tends to smell acrid on me) ever levitated me into exhilarating olfactory trips 😂 Especially cucumber, which I didn't recognize at that time, perhaps because 20 years ago, it didn't smell like today's abhorrent perfume interpretation. I would love to sniff that number again just for memories sake 🤭

I like this scent a lot for summer, but on me it doesn't smell anything like what the notes describe. It isn't flowery on me, and definitely no rose. It's very clean smelling and a little bit aquatic (but not in a bad way, like aquatic often is on my skin). It reminds me of Acqua di Gio, but without the sweetness. There is just a tiny "hint" of sweet. On me it is light, clean, and just slightly sharp. It seems almost like a citrus fragrance without the citrus.

such a shame,to me this was an Epiphany, a true zen moment when you spray it on.it didn't last for long so i used to carry it with me in my bag all day long.i was obsessed with the change it made on my mood after a spray or two. a unique gardenia bamboo haven that i wish i could smell again. one of those pick me up scents when you feel a little sickly, sunshine on a cold lake water.i tried so hard to find a similar one but no.allas i miss it so!

I still have a bottle that's so old but it smells amazing. One of my all time favorite scents- my mother wore it when I was younger and it reminds me of those days.So relaxing, with a soft hit of florals. So bummed they don't make it anymore- I'll probably hoard mine until the day I die, only using it on special occasions.

I love this scent! My mom and I both used it back in '98, but when I look to purchase it on eBay, it cost an arm and a leg! The nerve of those people trying to sell it that high! It is a beautiful scent, but it really doesn't have to cost $230!

Normally I am put off by such a strong floral - but something about this gets in amongst me. To me it smells of cool sophistication. I smell the cucumber quite strongly, but it never becomes bitter, as when it is used in some other fragrances.

This fragrance is very close to my heart. It feels like the movie Garden of Words by Makoto Shinkai. Green, fresh, herby, and bitter-sweet.

Best fragrance of all time, my first and favourite parfume.I am so sad that it's not available any more. such a shame.

I miss this fragrance. It's been years but I can still feel the bottle in my hand. Bring this back into production!

fresh, calming, relaxing. can smell all the greenery with the peony and gardenia peeking thru

I'm still in pain for the disappearance of my favourite fragrance ever. Why, oh why.

Overall, it is a very light, sheer & watery fragrance. Not too sweet, not too sharp, & not particularly fresh...this perfume draws a voile green veil over calm, clear water. The top notes start with an overly-green crushed vine-leaf effect, but this quickly fades & softens into a more refined affair. It begins to sweeten as the rose presents itself. The cucumber & bamboo lend the perfume a mouth-watering quality. I cannot detect a raspberry note, but I do find the perfume blossoms into a warmer, sweeter, slightly bitter-green floral after half an hour. The cardamom is restrained so the overall effect of the perfume is one that the title embodies: relaxing. I am not drawn to watery green florals, but this fragrance is very pleasant & wearable. Sillage is minimal & lasting power, on my skin, is average. It is worth noting that it can get a little 'heady' near the end. Aimed at those who prefer their scents to take the back seat whilst they chill out.

I agree with the previous reviewer - this perfume was not well named. It has a pulsing floral energy, at least initially. I love it (used SPARINGLY) but my friend describes it as "a floral revolt". The heavy gardenia, peony and rose certainly come through loud and clear, and at first it feels a bit unbalanced. However, once these top notes relax a bit, the softer, cleaner, more serene green notes peak through, and the composition changes to something much more zen-like. Worth the initial essence of a pissed-off garden.

I still have it (have maybe 10ml left) from 2004. I never truly liked it but surprisingly it is the first perfume that is almost finished by me. In my memory it was spicy and floral. But after u sprayed it tonight it was not. Maybe it changed over time but this time it turned to woody very fast. The top note of cucumber was strong but not natural. I like it better this time.

Big Thanks to SerenityCindy! I also ordered this at TheFragranceShop.com and am very pleased. Their version is in some sense even better. I also smell a strange note in the opening of the original but this one is missing in the perfume oil and body lotion. The scent is very long lasting and extremely relaxing. Adorable!

gardenia!!! must i say more. i love this scent, so floral and grassy yet so creamy. very relaxing.

My favorite meditative calming perfume ... just love !

It smells like wood bark, fresh bell peppers and cucumbers being cut. It’s not unpleasant, but also not really pleasant.

A light, pleasant, floral fragrance with some aquatic notes. I thought I smelled melon, but of a more natural sort than one would find in a typical 90s aquatic. It’s not among the listed notes, though. There is a delicate floral aspect too, alongside a sharp green undertone that I attribute to the Artemisia. Bamboo as a note tends to lend a woodiness to a composition, but not here. (I wonder how the bamboo accord is assembled: whether it is fictive, and whether we are encouraged to find it in this fragrance, relying on the powerful suggestion of the name Shisheido.) It’s a fragrance you wear for yourself, not to attract or impress others. I got my vintage bottle for just 2.5 USD at a flea market. I don’t know whether the age of the juice is a factor, but this is pretty low-key, linear and reliable. I don’t get the sharp floral assault described by other reviewers. It is undemanding, won’t offend, wears close to the skin, is feminine without being froufrou. Love the bottle’s unpretentious lines and muted green glass. Perfect for sunny, dry spring weather.