Ex Nihilo
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The first spray releases a sharp, almost lemony-green attack—citrus rind brightness immediately tempered by savoury juniper and herbal leaf notes that feel slightly dusty, like bruised vegetation. Within seconds, the composition settles into something far greener than you'd initially expect, with the lemon retreating into a supporting role rather than leading the charge.
As the composition dries, the white floral heart emerges with surprising restraint—lily of the valley contributes a cool, slightly aldehydic quality that keeps the fragrance from turning soft, whilst orange blossom and rose weave in a subtle, slightly tart quality that feels more botanical than perfumed. The green accord remains prominent, threading through the florals like a persistent watermark.
By the fourth hour, the gaiac wood and white cedar establish themselves as the true backbone, creating a dry, faintly resinous base that amplifies the fragrance's inherent austerity. White musk settles as a barely-there second skin, and what remains is closer to aromatic wood than perfume—intimate, subtle, and entirely devoid of sweetness.
Cologne 352 arrives as a crystalline meditation on European botanicals—the kind of fragrance that feels less like a perfume and more like a liquid extraction of a Tuscan garden after rain. Jacques Huclier's composition opens with the sharp, almost astringent bite of Italian lemon cut through with green leaf matter that tastes herbaceous on the back of the nose, whilst juniper berry adds a subtle gin-like minerality that prevents the citrus from becoming cheerful or obvious.
What makes this genuinely interesting is how the heart refuses to sweeten the proposition. Rather than allowing orange blossom and lily of the valley to soften the composition into conventional floral territory, they instead amplify the green character already established. The orange blossom here reads almost waxy and green, whilst lily of the valley contributes a slightly metallic, aldehydic shimmer rather than powdery creaminess. Rose arrives late to the party, understated and slightly tart, lending structure rather than romance.
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3.9/5 (87)