Guerlain
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Pure, unadulterated grapefruit essence hits like citric acid on the tongue—bracingly tart, borderline aggressive, with bergamot adding a sophisticated aromatic lift. The petitgrain brings a green, slightly woody bitterness that intensifies rather than softens the citrus, like you've crushed the twigs along with the fruit.
The blackcurrant emerges as a tart, leafy presence rather than sweet fruit, whilst neroli adds a waxy, orange-blossom facet that hovers just above the skin. The grapefruit persists far longer than expected, still dominant but now rounder, less jagged, with that green vegetal quality becoming more pronounced and the faintest whisper of vanilla beginning to smooth the edges.
A pale shadow of citrus remains, transparent and clean, with the patchouli finally showing itself as an earthy murmur beneath gauzy vanilla. It's barely there—a skin scent of dried grapefruit peel, faintly sweet, faintly woody, like the ghost of summer clinging to cotton fabric.
Mathilde Laurent's Pamplelune is the fragrance equivalent of biting into a grapefruit so fresh the juice sprays everywhere—acidic, uncompromising, and brilliant. This isn't the sweetened ruby grapefruit of commercial juice boxes; it's the bitter-edged pith, the astringent oil from zest scraped under fingernails, the mouth-puckering tartness that makes your salivary glands contract. The bergamot amplifies this citrus assault whilst the petitgrain and neroli add a green, slightly bitter aromatic quality that keeps everything wonderfully astringent. What makes Pamplelune compelling is how the blackcurrant weaves through—not as sweet fruit, but as tart berry skin and leaf, contributing an almost metallic green sharpness.
The vanilla and patchouli are ghosts here, barely-there whispers that stop this from being a complete solar flare of citrus volatility. They don't soften or sweeten so much as provide a subtle, earthy anchor that allows the grapefruit to last beyond its natural lifespan. This is for those who find most citrus fragrances too timid, too polite, too quick to apologise with amber or musk. Pamplelune makes no such concessions. It's worn by people who appreciate the unadorned beauty of a single, perfect ingredient pushed to its absolute limits—the fragrance equivalent of a white shirt and jeans, worn with complete confidence. Summer mornings, linen shirts, bare feet on terracotta tiles. It's uncomplicated in the best possible way.
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3.4/5 (90)