Peau d'Ailleurs

TL;DR: Probably smells like freshly washed laundry being hung out to dry after a light shower in a Greek mountain village on a cool, breezy day in summer or autumn, when the figs are ripe. *** Given the many unflattering descriptions of the experience of wearing it, I'm surprised how pleasant and unchallenging I find this fragrance. The earthy aspect is there, but to me it's only really prominent in the first moment or two, while the fragrance settles. After that, the earth is still there but only as a component in a balanced, restrained, gently ambient, skin-hugging mix that does not immediately remind me of mouldy potatoes or any of those other strange things that many a perplexed wearer has perceived and disliked in it. I'm not sure I perceive much ozone or freshly washed laundry in the rest of what I smell here, although I can see how others might read it that way. It does have a certain cool freshness and possibly even an airiness pointing in that direction. What I do smell, especially early on, is a kind of subtly fruity but also somehow thick, maybe creamy/fatty/oily scent. It reminds me of something that I've smelt in other fragrances but that doesn't seem to boil down to any note or accord that I often see listed. In the past it has reminded me of the rind of a melon or an indeterminate tropical fruit, but here it reminds me of a very gentle peach or nectarine scent (to the extent that, given the earthiness that also marks the opening, one mental image that I see is that of a juicy, perhaps overripe peach or nectarine lightly rolled in damp dirt). I'm no perfumer but I can only suppose that chemically something I'm smelling here is not a million miles away from so-called peach aldehyde (lactone C-14). The effect also reminds me of a couple of fig fragrances built around that same lactonic-fruit idea. There's a little powdery sparkle or brightness and, alongside the fruity, almost bubblegum sweetness, perhaps a little saltiness (perhaps from geosmin?), but I imagine that much of this is down to the interplay between my skin chemistry and the (white) musk. I can't say I really understand musk. Jovan Musk? Yeah, I can see that, although this of course goes in a different direction. Either way, this stuff obviously loves skin. It wants to get to know the wearer's skin and collaborate with it, if not actually to become it. This clearly would be an interesting choice for damp days in the spring and autumn, and because of the lactonic fruitiness that I smell in it, I imagine it would work nicely on cooler summer days too.

Why in EARTH this has a "Moderate longevity rating" from so many folks is beyond me! This stuff stays on my skin for 7 to 8 hours AT LEAST, and easily till the following day on clothes. It is an "Etherial" type.of dna, but it still has decent projection. What I really appreciate about Peau d'Ailleurs is that I dont go anosmic to it and can catch small whiffs of it throughout the day. This scent imo makes me think "Floral, Green/Chypre" although it wouldn't cñassify as a Chypre bc of the missing basenotes. This is a fresh, Watery, Petrichor/Rainy scent that truely does remind me of how it smells as its just about to begin raining with added green-florals. Its very unique and I enjoy it although some may find it "Challenging" because of its good longevity, its quite linear, and it smelling of Petrichor as im sure some folks aren't fond of that smell. Its a Unisex scent but imo does lean slightly feminine, but TOTALLY do-able.by us fellas. Also this scent is really great to layer with if ya wanna add an Earthy/Floral touch to a scent and this works REALLY WELL with men's classic-green scents like Polo or Jacques Bogart Signature. I think this scent is really beautiful and introspective and even comforting bc there's nothing like being inside your comfey home, in your comfey clothes while its raining outside and you have nothing else to do but maybe read a good book, watch a great movie and just enjoy your down (ME) time. A great, underrated, very unique scent indeed and a 9 outta 10 in my book! Thanks to.whomever took the time.. CHEERS!!

"Even if every reviewer is crazy and this stinks, you'll get a Philip Starck bottle!" I thought to myself and blind bought PdA based on the names signing it and because I found it heavily discounted. It does not stink! To me this smells like a minimalist rendition of Mitti Attar (sandalwood infused with the smell of wet earth). A woody laundry musk here plays the sandalwood part and I think carrot seed oil is the earthy note. For such a simple perfume It can play some funny tricks on the nose, so at times when I've forgotten I'm wearing PdA, I get random whiffs of something minty, musky and mineral that awakens my senses. Projects very subtle but persists very well. Wears like a second skin, so this is something you'd wear to please primarily yourself and perhaps someone very close to you -office but also bedroom appropriate ;-) In all, a very pleasant minimalist composition, feels like it contains three ingredients tops (I'm not saying it does but feels like it). The let down for me ended being the bottle, not that it's ugly but it looks different than shown in the campain pictures. Oh well🤷, I'm very satisfied with my purchase and happy to have found a flexible earthy-woody composition that manages to strike such a good ballance between ellegance, sensuality and comfort. My risk paid off!

Won't go on at length (brace yourselves... Almost certain to), but I have waited an age to review this, because... Well. It's very unusual. Putting it on is a real event - totally linear, just one 12-hour event. There's a highly durable, big-projecting metallic-organic-mineralic straight line through this scent that is difficult to characterise. Metallic-organic-mineralic sounds contradictory, right? BS over-written perfume speak? Those would be fair comments, except...this is simply a very strange, unnatural beast. And it's a real perfumista's perfume - as pretentious and artificial as the very worst fraghead prose (I'm looking at you, c******* and a*******). But it's authored by Menardo, FFS, and she was clearly given carte blanche. There's no way a 3 hour marketing meeting could come up with this. This has "Authorship" written all over it. Even a reviewer I admire as much as Womanmoomin below me struggles to say anything definitive about this perfume. I'll end by saying that if you're the sort of person who genuinely reads genuine perfume reviews, this perfume is created specifically with your sensibilities in mind. You might not like it, but you'll admire it - and it's dirt cheap. I love it, which makes me feel very superior and smug indeed... A real one-off.

Well yes, it is unlike other things out there, so don't expect it to be in any way like other perfumes. And if you are not into horticultural work, or otherwise involved in the hands-on appreciation of rich soils, it's quite possible that you will be puzzled or offended by it. But if you are mindfully looking for a "dirt" perfume and this stuff falls squarely in the center the category. Not quite as mulchy as I Hate Perfume's 'Black March' but certainly along the same lines. It would be nice if it projected more, and if the dirt phase lasted a bit longer, but the dry down is nice as well, and lower projection is often the thing with perfumes these days. Still widely available at reasonable prices - I purchased the smaller bottle as it was a blind buy for me, but given how much I enjoy it, and am tempted to over-spray, now I wish I'd purchased the larger one. Not something the conventional or non-curious are ever likely to beat the doors down for, but I can say with some assurance that horticulturally-minded folks in the perfume hobby are pretty much guaranteed to be happy with their purchase. Reasonably unisex too. And really, what's not to like about Annick Menardo.

Update: the thin, almost thunder-like (time wise, 1-2 seconds) citrus blast on the opening is a false impression of the lively earthy--so fresh soil (I believe it's beet root). This fragrance radiates comfort, trust, uniqueness like no other. I have never smelled something like this on any perfume. AND as a review below said that this is a scent of geology, I had to agree. There's no living thing here, just a peaceful wet soil (in the most comforting and good way, like one land that never been colonialized by any hands). Surely it's good for any occasion but lately it's gloomy and rainy most of the times, and this fragrance is such a comfort (phew, I mentioned the word more than I should be). This is strange in a good way, a lovely companion for books and turtleneck, or just a stroll with a lovely friend; just for anything intimate, this one definitely works. Please give this one a try and as I said earlier, you won't regret it.

I've only tried a tester of this one and I have to agree with @Marcjanssen: it is rather off-putting on paper. That is why it took me a while to give it a try on my skin and only then could I appreciate the full character of this scent. As a child I used to walk past farming areas when going to school and this fragrance brings back memories of the freshly turned earth on an early spring morning, when the sun is just coming out and a certain warm, comforting smell seems to evaporate from the earth. I personally love it but you have to try it on your own skin to see how it evolves and adapts to your chemistry. It is at least worth a try though.

Here is the smell of laundered linens air dried in a wooded yard, just as clouds form, pushing out the sun, and the first few pitter patters of rain hit the earth. Grab those clothespins and get those sheets in before in pours. Oddly addictive and mesmerizing to my nose, Peau d'Ailleurs is a brilliant composition from Annick Menardo where she effectively uses geosmin and perhaps some other humus and petrichor reminiscent materials juxtaposed with clean white musks. There are suggestions of damp woods, freshly tilled top soil, and that negative ion sensation that comes from waterfalls. Brilliant.

This perfume is strange, mysterious, damp, dusty yet sexy and gives the impression of a well-groomed person, leaning to masculine. It's a perfect scent to hang around my body (22, M, 5'11). The bottle is stunning with the wavy texture on the back and minimal decorations. I smell earthy, dusty kind of thing. The opening is a trip, I believe I smelt something citrusy, kind of zesty that later turned into something quiet and mellow. It's one of a kind and if you are debating whether to get this or not, just buy it right away... You won't regret it.

Does anyone know if there are differences between the EDP and the EDT of this range (other than the obvious concentration difference)? The EDP is drastically more expensive... is there any reason to buy it? I have the EDT, and it is beautiful. I'm not sure what exactly to do with it other than... continue to be curious about it and admire it. I'm not sure where to wear it, or how best I may layer it, but I'm very happy to have it. NOT A SAFE BLIND BUY, unless you are experienced and excited about these notes.

This is a truly weird one in the best way. The first sniffs are confusing. What is this...supposed to be? It’s some concept extraterrestrial freshness, a virtual meadow created by someone who’s never smelled one, or maybe just a deft combination of materials that no one else has tried because it wouldn’t make sense but it just happens to work. I find Annick Menardo’s name gets signed on a lot of perfumes I enjoy, and this one another singular piece of art with which to reckon.

It was my signature scent for about three years from 2018 to 2021 (about 4 to 5 bottles). I live in sub tropical country. This is unique and last since I sprayed after shower in the morning till 8 pm when I got home from work. Earthy, metallic and musky. Got many compliments from co-workers and of course, my lovely wife. Will buy it again in the future, now I'm exploring some new frag...

Latex condoms, petrichor and salty green... a sensational composition that dances in the ELSO Tom of Finland universe. A wonderfully textured scent that evokes an idea of a chance sexual encounter in a changing room during a deluge, by the sea. With above average persistence this is a star amongst S+arck's collection.

It is a clean musky perfume with the dry earthy undertones that make it interesting. Totally unisex, it is not going to offend anyone. Performance is ok, not beast mode but gets the job done. Nice job Annick Menardo

My partner said today that I smell like a terrarium. I'm wearing Peau d'Ailleurs. He's quite spot on.

It smells carrot seed and exotic musty woods. Interesting!

Deeply weird, completely fascinating synthetic enigma. Super-mineralic, damp sterilised earth which has nothing whatsoever organic or warm about it, but somehow grabs your nose and won't let go. Vermiculite? Sharp sand? rock wool? It's got geosmin in spades, it smells of geology, not biology, but it's not at all hostile or unpleasant ... just eons (light years) away from whatever you might be used to. I get nothing woody at all - there are no recognisable flora or fauna to my nose, it's all kind of sterile and space age- yet it keeps being oddly compelling. On my nose it even - really weirdly - cycles into some sort of space-suited citric fresh cologne on some wafts, before returning to the orbital's seed bed laboratory again. It's the sort of thing that might give me the fear I felt with many Oliver & Co or Clean scents - the sheer lab-brewed artificiality is startling and disorienting - but somehow in this one, the approach actually works. Robust, but not overwhelming on either projection or longevity. An absolute baffler - it leaves me endlessly intrigued but rather bewildered at the same time. Definitely not to be blind bought unless you really, really love the oddball.

Starck Peau d’Ailleurs (2016) - earthy musk - Clothes strewn on the forest floor. Earth meshes with human skin. A unique creation by #annickmenardo where she combines the smells of Cedar pencil shavings, freshly rained on earth geosmin, smoky Incense, resinous Pine and a myriad of white musks. Textured like linen, starch, on well worn clothes. A beautiful and artistic perfume

Dont smell it from the bottle, nor blotting paper!!! I thought the saleslady wanted to kill me with the smell of rotten potting soil.... NOT SO ON SKIN! So give ot a fair chance, A very likeable, ghost scent.....unindentifiable yet familiar Smell of thousend things ... Perfect synth- biosis.

The wonderful exciting smell of wet ground,just after the first drops...Has surprising long lasting,6 hours ago I have put it on me-after a bath and it is STILL there!!