Courrèges
Courrèges
84 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Aldehydes snap into focus with an almost vinous quality, immediately brightened by bergamot's bergapten warmth and mandarin's honeyed sweetness. There's an unexpected soapiness here—not off-putting, but definitely present—before the composition settles and begins revealing its deeper architecture.
The rose and jasmine emerge with graceful timing, but they're constrained, almost held back by that emerging leather and moss foundation. The patchouli introduces a subtle spiciness that prevents the florals from drifting into predictability; this is where Empreinte stops being a citrus fragrance and becomes genuinely woody-floral, the sandalwoods beginning their slow, creeping ascent.
A warm, slightly dusty base of oak moss and leather dominates, with the three sandalwoods creating a soft, almost grainy texture beneath. The patchouli has mellowed into something almost creamy, whilst the rose retreats to mere suggestion—what remains is essentially a refined, slightly green-tinged woody-chypre with whispers of florality rather than declarations.
Empreinte is a chypre that refuses to whisper—it arrives with the crackle of aldehydes meeting bright citrus, then settles into a deeply considered composition that feels more like olfactory architecture than fragrance. The Brazilian mandarin orange and Calabrian bergamot open with a crystalline, slightly soapy luminosity, but this isn't a fresh citrus fragrance pretending at sophistication. Instead, these aldehydes work as a structural device, creating air and distance before the rose and jasmine emerge with genuine complexity.
What's remarkable here is the restraint in the floral heart. Rather than tumbling into the cloying territory that rose-and-jasmine combinations can invite, these notes sit atop a remarkably dark and textured base that pulls everything earthward. The moss, leather, and three distinct sandalwoods (Virginia cedar and bourbon vetiver provide supporting structure) create an almost smoky undertone that prevents the florals from ever becoming saccharine. The Indonesian patchouli adds a slightly animalic grittiness, barely perceptible but crucial—it's the difference between a refined fragrance and a decorated one.
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4.0/5 (152)