Issey Miyake
Issey Miyake
562 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Freesia and melon burst forth with an almost citrine brightness, immediately tempered by lotus and rose water that pull the composition into cooler, more aquatic territory. Within moments, you're not smelling sweetness but rather the green, slightly soapy clarity of fresh florals—it's like the scent equivalent of stepping into a cool room on a warm day.
The lily of the valley and peony settle into a restrained, almost homeopathic floral arrangement where each note occupies its own space without crowding the others. A subtle carnation spice begins surfacing, adding a slight herbal dryness that prevents any drift toward conventional florality, whilst the aquatic accord keeps everything feeling weightless and present on the skin rather than projecting outward.
Sandalwood and cedar gradually emerge as woody ghosts, providing structure to what would otherwise dissolve entirely, whilst tuberose adds a creamy, slightly indolic warmth that contradicts everything that came before. By the fourth or fifth hour, you're left with barely-there woody whispers and a trace of musk—more of a memory than an actual scent, clinging to skin like powder from a ghost's fingerprints.
L'Eau d'Issey occupies that rare territory where botanical freshness never quite solidifies into sweetness—it remains perpetually caught between green and luminous, between skin and air. Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud has crafted something deceptively simple: freesia and melon establish an almost sparkling clarity in the opening, but the lotus and rose water immediately soften this into something floral without being perfumy. There's a curious transparency here, as though you're smelling flowers refracted through water rather than experiencing them directly.
The heart is where this fragrance reveals its actual sophistication. Rather than allowing the florals to intensify into a traditional bouquet, the lily of the valley, peony, and rose interact with restraint—almost whispered. The carnation adds a slightly spiced, slightly bitter green edge that prevents the composition from drifting into romance; this feels more intellectual than emotional. There's an aquatic quality threaded throughout that keeps the florals buoyant, never allowing them to droop or become cloying.
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3.6/5 (135)