First Impressions – Marie Jeanne

Marie Jeanne is a small fragrance house from Grasse, the centre of the perfume universe. The brand, founded in 2014 by Georges Maubert (fifth generation of the fragrance manufacturer Robertet family), is named in tribute to Maubert’s grandmother. Georges Maubert has an interesting history that includes working as a Chanel intern under the tutelage of Jacques Polge and François Demachy. Maubert’s lineage, impressive past, the brand’s unfussy minimalist aesthetic, and commitment to using and sourcing the best ingredients for their perfumes influenced me to purchase a discovery set. Certainly, I was mostly impressed by the seven perfumes I sampled.

You can read more about the brand here: https://www.mariejeanne.fr/

I’ll start my impressions with the four EDP concentrations.

Iris Pallida (28% concentration), Sidonie Lancesseur, 2022.

Iris Pallida impressed me the least from the collection. In Iris Pallida, the iris presents itself as a chalky, grey iris with ashy tendencies. The whole feels rather sullen and gloomy. Furthermore, there’s no suggestion of cosmetics or any sign of sweetness from the iris. A distinct hazelnut note immediately cuts through the iris’s ashy facets. I don’t enjoy it. To make matters worse, the base comes loaded with musky notes like cashmeran and ambroxan. Even though I generally like iris as a note, I’m not the biggest fan of this one. All in all, I find the musk too invasive and the hazelnut too scratchy. Nutty fragrances aren’t my thing; I never find them authentic. I was hoping for something smooth. Instead, the harsher synthetics dominated. 

Notes:

1. Top – iris absolute, hazelnut, cashmeran.
2. Mid – iris butter, Turkish rose.
3. Base – patchouli, ambroxan, Spanish labdanum, New Caledonian sandalwood.

Tonka Lavande (22% concentration), Sidonie Lancesseur, 2021.

Tonka Lavande lives up to its moniker. The caramelised lavender and nutty tonka union resembles a modernised version of the Caron classic Pour un Homme. It’s woodier, though, less sweet, with vetiver and dusty cedar in the background. The woody notes give it an aromatic dimension, thus helping to keep that vanillic sweetness under wraps. Very nice, indeed. 

Notes:

1. Top – bergamot, rosemary.
2. Mid – lavender, sage, cedar.
3. Base – tonka bean, vetiver.

Vétiver Santal (24% concentration), Sidonie Lancesseur, 2020.

I’m difficult to impress when it comes to vetiver scents. The profile is among my favourites in perfumery, but I’m impressed by the smoothness of Vétiver Santal. Notably, the sandalwood note remains creamy without being screechingly loud; suffice to say, I don’t pick up any harsh synthetics at play. The vetiver is soapy and clean and doesn’t particularly remind me of any vetiver I own. In addition to the main accords, patchouli and cypress inject their dry, earthy nuances before the warming, sweet tones of benzoin balance out the base. Another thumbs up. 

Notes:

1. Top – bergamot, petitgrain, lemon.
2. Mid – Haitian vetiver, New Caledonian sandalwood, cypress.
3. Base- patchouli, Siam benzoin  

 Jasmin Patchouli (22% concentration), Sidonie Lancesseur, 2021.

Jasmin Patchouli surprised me. I went in—I’m not sure why—expecting a light angelic jasmine. It’s not, especially what I experienced on the skin. Instead, the jasmine was quite animalic. Being from Grasse, they use the Grandiflorum variety, which is less indolic (not as mothball-like) than Sambac. So, I didn’t get the smothering effect of indoles, but this perfume’s fecal/animalic sweaty elements certainly caught me unaware. I’ve sampled more animalic perfumes, to be sure, but in synergy with the earthy patchouli and a green-themed fruity fig note running through its heart, I think this one could be a divisive oddball perfume. I like it, though. Still, I’m not sure I’d wear it.

Notes:

1. Top – green notes, fig.
2. Mid – Egyptian jasmine, Grandiflorum jasmine.
3. Base – patchouli, ambrette.

And now to the three colognes. The brand has four colognes, but the discovery set only had three. Marcelle, marketed as a feminine counterpart to Marcel, was omitted.

Léon Parfum Enfant (10% concentration), Mylène Alran, 2020.

The name and odd marketing guff suggest and encourage those aged six and up to wear the perfume. Okay, fair enough. The brand then trumpets that the fragrance evokes the smell of newborn babies and clean clothes. Though, I don’t see it this way. It’s rather too metallic and contrived. The central note of neroli veers away from soapy realms and instead turns silvery and sharp. Even the honeysuckle accord comes across as a candied counterfeit. Unfortunately, the white musks that prop up the base with the sandalwood accord do little to salvage Léon from the depths of mediocrity. 

Notes:

1. Top – bergamot, cedrat.
2. Mid – honeysuckle accord, neroli.
3. Base – white musk, sandalwood.  

Adèle, (10% concentration), Alexis Dadier, 2023.

Adèle opens on a crisp, zesty accord of bright, sunny verbena, mandarin, and bergamot. Before long, the crunchy green of galbanum and tomato leaves surface. Often, these two notes can become bitter, ashy and overwhelming. However, perhaps softened under the pillowy, powdery compress of orris, Adèle hums along at a pleasant register through the dry down. The scent closes out on a crunchy leafy bed of oakmoss and vetiver. Lovely stuff.

Notes:

1. Top – bergamot, verbena, mandarin.
2. Mid – tomato leaf, iris, galbanum.
3. Base – vetiver, oakmoss.

Marcel (8% concentration), Karine Vinchon Spehner, 2020.

I’ve saved the best for last. Marcel might be the least concentrated, but it packs the biggest punch and offers the most surprises. First and foremost, it’s an herbaceous cologne, complete with many of the usual elements that make up the classic cologne scent profile. Petitgrain mixes with blood orange, bergamot, and rosemary somewhat in the style of one of those soapy, stylish Acqua di Parma colognes. 

However, once the citrus notes evaporate, the first twist comes via a ylang-ylang note, which imparts a creamy effect over the middle stages of Marcel. Into the dry down, Marcel takes on a more aromatic character as lavender and tonka take hold. Indeed, the old-school theme becomes even more apparent as something akin to the retro spice of carnation and earthy patchouli calls to mind some powerhouse scents of the past. I thought of a more modern rendering of Obsession and Aramis mixed with the suaveness of Eau Sauvage. Vinchon Spehner rams home the point with an ever-so-debonair leather accord capping off proceedings. Fantastic.

Notes:

1. Top – blood orange, bergamot, lemon, rosemary.
2. Mid – lavender, leather, ylang-ylang, sage, petitgrain.
3. Base – patchouli, tonka, cedar, vetiver, labdanum.

Summary

For the most part, this collection of perfumes is built on simple ideas that are well thought out and executed. There were only two I didn’t get along with, but the other five were excellent. In particular, I enjoyed Tonka Lavande and Marcel. To be fair, they’re the type of scent profiles I usually gravitate towards, but I even enjoyed the jasmine. As mentioned, Marcel took me on the most involving ride with the most twists and turns. It’s an excellent piece of work that, despite its apparent cologne concentration, punches far above its weight.

In addition to the eight perfumes, the brand offers candles and body mists. Prices range from $120AUD for the mists to $295AUD for the EDP concentrations. All scents are available in 100ml sizes. Interestingly, I found the brand to be somewhat cheaper overseas.  

What are your thoughts on this brand? Have you had the chance to experience their products? 

Note: All the pictures are my own. As noted, I purchased the discovery set used for this post. For those in Australia, I bought the set at Lusso Collective. Initially, the set came without the jasmine. However, after I alerted them, the store kindly sent me a couple of samples of the jasmine, apologising for not including it in the initial shipment.