Reviews – Nicolaï Parfumeur- Créateur – Eau d’Été

Nicolaï Parfumeur Créateur – Eau d’Été – A fragrance that lives up to its name – 8/10.

Happy New Year! I hope everyone is having a brilliant start to 2023. My first post for the year reviews one of my favourite summer scents. Indeed, one I’ve been wearing a good few times this summer. I decided to review it now that the mid-summer point is upon us in Australia.

As a brand, the French outfit Nicolaï Parfumeur Créateur, founded in 1989, often slips under the radar. However, if you’re a traditional/classical French perfumery lover, you must check out their range. It’s no surprise the brand produces high-quality scents, given the owner/perfumer’s roots. Patricia de Nicolaï was born into the Guerlain family. Her great-grandfather was Pierre Guerlain, and her uncle was Jean-Paul Guerlain.

The brand has an extensive portfolio of scents that is split up into various categories, namely “Intense,” “Eau de Parfum,” “Eau de Toilette,” “Oud,” “Exclusive,” and “Eau Fraiche.” The brand’s chosen name for its scent often differs from what it delivers. For instance, Amber Oud smells of lavender and contains barely a trace of oud. Cuir Cuba Intense has tobacco but no leather. Patchouli Intense could be called lavender or geranium intense. However, the same cannot be said for the subject of today’s review, Eau d’Été.

Eau d’Été means summer water or water of summer, and this juice very much captures the essence of summer. On the face of it, Eau d’Été would seem to be a simple cologne. Spray and forget. However, this simple composition delivers a few surprises along the way. In simplest terms, if I were to describe how Eau d’Été smells, I’d say it was like sipping on a fizzy glass of cola in a garden of jasmine flowers. The cola game is strong with this one. When scouring the internet on fragrance forums, I often see folks asking for recommendations/lists of fragrances that smell like Coca-Cola. Undoutedbly Eau d’Été belongs on that list.

The opening citrus accord of lime, lemon, orange, and grapefruit is life-affirming. Fizzy and invigorating, the burst of freshness avoids any of the harshness that often comes from perfumes made with cheaper citrus notes. Lime is the most discernable of the citrus notes to my nose. Because of its dominant effect, it results in a slightly sweeter rendition of the usual garden variety cologne.

Once the mid notes appear, and they appear rather quickly after about 10 minutes, floral and spicy accents begin to give Eau d’Été some shape and character. Jasmine, green, non-indolic, and easy to wear, brings a sense of springtime freshness. Cinnamon injects warmth and adds a spicy dimension. Undoubtedly the cinnamon is pivotal in augmenting the “cola’ effect” generated from the lime and citruses in the top notes.

In keeping with the summer appropriateness, the base of Eau d’Été is largely comprised of clean musk notes. They’re weightless and airy but not soapy. However, more interesting is the clever use of benzoin and labdanum, which lends a light resinous sweetness to the finishing stages of the fragrance. Eau d’Été is the first fragrance from the “Eau Fraiche” cologne category created by the brand. And to that end, don’t expect it to hang around for the entire day. But it will stick with you for the better part of a warm balmy summer afternoon. That, coupled with Patricia de Nicolaï’s expert blending, makes this eau fraiche a no-brainer choice for the hot time of the year.

Do you have a favourite from the house? All photos are my own.

Quick Notes:

Launch Year: 1997.

Perfumer: Patricia de Nicolaï.

Top Notes: Lime, grapefruit, orange.

Mid Notes: Cinnamon, jasmine.

Base Notes: Musk, benzoin, labdanum absolute.

Longevity: 4 hours.

Projection: 1 hour, low.

Season: Summer.

Price: 30ml, 49 Euros. 100ml, 147 Euros, 250ml, 257 Euros.

Alternatives: Try a couple of the other fresh scents from the brand, L’eau Mixte and Eau de Yuzu.