Paris*L.A.

What We Do Is Secret arrives as a peculiar collision between retro American diner aesthetics and Parisian minimalism—a fragrance that feels genuinely conflicted about its own identity, which is precisely its charm. The opening volleys cola and key lime with an almost aggressive brightness, but Laurent Le Guernec immediately complicates matters by threading ginger through the citrus, creating a peppery snap that prevents this from becoming another saccharine gourmand. The heart is where things become genuinely interesting: coriander seed and thyme introduce a herbal, almost savoury counterpoint to bitter orange blossom, which carries that distinctive metallic-green quality rather than the creamy indolic warmth most might expect. This is a fragrance in conversation with itself, constantly negotiating between sweetness and restraint.

The macaron accord in the base is the real reveal—not the gourmand sledgehammer one might dread, but rather a delicate almond-sugar whisper that never overwhelms the amber and musk beneath it. There's a powdery, slightly chalky quality to how these elements interact, preventing the composition from ever feeling heavy or cloying despite its 88% gourmand accord rating. This is fundamentally a fragrance for the fragrance-curious rather than the fragrance-devoted; someone unafraid of complexity but unwilling to surrender to pure sweetness. It suits late afternoon gallery visits more than dinner dates, autumn's crispness more than summer's abundance. Wear this when you want people to wonder what you're wearing, not when you want them to know immediately.