Jean-Louis Scherrer
Jean-Louis Scherrer
295 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The mandarin's citric snap immediately catches you—bright, slightly bitter—before tuberose erupts with intoxicating sweetness. Rose and jasmine weave together densely, but that violet leaf refuses to be background, offering a tart, almost herbaceous counterpoint that keeps the florals from drowning in their own hedonism.
The spice emerges with genuine warmth—cinnamon and myrrh create a resinous, slightly incense-tinged sweetness that's unexpectedly sophisticated. The civet blooms here, lending an animalic, almost leather-like undertone that feels distinctly grown-up, whilst the sandalwood begins its creamy introduction without diluting the fragrance's intensity.
The oakmoss, patchouli, and benzoin create a dusty, amber-inflected base that settles into skin like expensive leather furniture. The animalic notes persist—castoreum and residual civet provide a subtle funk—whilst the fragrance becomes increasingly powdery and intimate, a skin scent that rewards proximity rather than projection.
Scherrer 2 arrives as a defiantly maximalist composition—a fragrance that refuses the whispered restraint of modern perfumery. This is floral excess tempered by spice and earth, a 1986 snapshot of unapologetic opulence. The Portuguese mandarin pierces through a lush tuberose-jasmine foundation with citric brightness, whilst violet leaf adds a peppery green spine that prevents the florals from becoming merely pretty. What's remarkable is how the heart immediately complicates matters: myrrh and cinnamon create a resinous, almost incense-like warmth that transforms the opening from a spring garden into something far more sensual and aged. There's an animalic undercurrent—the civet and castoreum add a slightly funky, skin-like quality that feels almost indecent against the spiced florals.
This is a fragrance for someone with genuine perfume confidence. It's the scent of a woman or man who wears their tastes loudly, who doesn't apologise for preferring amber woods and animal musks to clean musks and transparent florals. The chypre structure (64% accord) provides architectural bones—oakmoss and vetiver create a slightly dusty, autumnal foundation—whilst the patchouli adds earthy depth. The Mysore sandalwood doesn't soften so much as dignify; it's creamy but woody, warm but not cuddly.
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3.9/5 (111)