Eau de Guerlain (1974)
by Guerlain

A polite, inoffensive fragrance that was really created for tasteful, late 19th century dandies. (Don't expect sillage or longevity -- this is an EDC deluxe.) Wonderful construction here, but about as useful as teats on a boar hog unless you just really want to splash on some EDC in the summertime.

A beautiful yet semi-generic EdC with huge citrus and an almost minty-herbal quality to it. Longevity isn't all that good on me. But like the other GUerlain scents that haven't lasted long on me, it's a beautiful scent.

Eau de Guerlain opens with a burst of photorealistic lemon (rind and juice), joined by a polite jasmine and a bright herbal bouquet. The three soon merge and then hover for nearly an hour over their crisp, woody base, after which time the dry, mossy drydown takes over.

The accords that anchor Eau de Guerlain are exquisitely balanced, and it's a testament to Guerlain's high quality ingredients that the simple citrus/floral/woody structure never evokes the furniture polish that haunts so many other Eau de Cologne formulae. Eau de Guerlain is far from exciting, but it is beautifully constructed in the classical manner.

A very nice lemon-herbal fragrance. Nothing too exciting in my book, as I prefer to go either creamier with Guerlain Jicky or sour-juicier with Annick Goutal Eau d'Hadrien.

Guerlain is by most people known for its rich perfumes, but the house also has a line of 'eaux' - lighter and fresher fragrances made in cologne strength from citrus and herbs. Each of the perfumers from within the Guerlain family has composed an eau: Eau de Cologne Impériale (Pierre François Pascal Guerlain in 1853), Eau de Cologne du Coq (Aimé Guerlain in 1894), Eau de Fleurs de Cédrat (Jacques Guerlain in 1920) - and finally Jean-Paul Guerlain's simply named Eau de Guerlain from 1974. Actually, Eau de Guerlain is - rightfully - labelled as an Eau de Toilette: It's definitely the most complex and long-lasting of the four, and is has a remarkably long list of notes for a cologne. The balance of lemon and bergamot on one side and an aromatic bunch of herbs like basil, petitgrain and the anise-like caraway on the other is held in perfect check all the way through the scent in the most convincing and nostalgic way. It plays on the aromatic accord of dark Vol de Nuit, breezy Sous le Vent and dandified Mouchoir de Monsieur, but with basil to make it cool-uplifting, 'masculine' flowers like carnation and rose to make it tender, and stripped of any 'dirtiness'. Eau de Guerlain puts most of the Aqua Allegoria line's aromatic-fresh scents, like Herba Fresca, Lemon Fresca and Mandarine-Basilic, to shame.

Eau de Guerlain is a textbook, citrusy eau de cologne which is pleasant enough but is not terribly exciting. Eau de colognes are not known for their lasting power but this has even less than most. Price-wise, 4711 is a much cheaper than Eau de Guerlain and smells very similar. However, if you want an original and stylish eau de cologne, I would recommend Chanel Eau de Cologne (tea scented) or Dior Cologne Blanche (orange flower and almond).