Le Chevrefeuille by Goutal

Last winter, I noticed we had honeysuckle in the garden and what a delicious perfume blooming honeysuckle is! Fresh, luminous, slightly sweet, barely animalic, with a creamy touch… When I identified the plant, the flower, and the scent, I was eager to try this Annick Goutal composition. Having high hopes after experiencing other pieces by her. I studied the stages of the bloom to imagine what to expect. After Grand Amour, my expectations were sky-high. But Le Chevrefeuille left me somewhat thrown… The perfume is very fresh, with a sprinkling of citrus-floral accords and is pleasant overall, but with the honeysuckle… little connection. Actually, it’s not quite like that. Let’s say the perfume is based on that moment of full bloom, when they’ve just burst open and the scent is tender and slightly watery. How difficult to describe this… That moment is short-lived because the scent that settles and which I believe we can identify with honeysuckle is that of the more mature flowers, the scent that surrounds the blooming plant and is felt when walking past it. That scent is a one-way journey, totally addictive. Le Chevrefeuille seems constructed mainly around that more volatile and ephemeral moment. Sometimes, pressing my nose to my skin and breathing deeply, I could perceive a hint of that more mature, animalic plant scent, but it doesn’t smell like that at first glance. It’s a lovely perfume, yes, but to me at least, it doesn’t seem quite special. It feels lacking in complexity. On my skin, I find no base notes and the longevity tends to be short, reaching five hours at best. I’ll continue testing it (I have a 50ml bottle already started) to see if it’s the clash between expectation and reality that caused my poor impression.

Opening it reveals a scent of bubblegum – super clean and bright – before adding honeysuckle and a green note. It’s very sparkling at first, then becomes creamy. The notes are well-defined and it provides a lovely sense of relaxation. I see this as unisex, leaning towards feminine. It reminds me of Puig’s Estivalia, with a similar jasmine, but this one is cleaner; the other is drier and earthier due to the vetiver, though both feature honeysuckle in different intensities and qualities. I’m not a fan of these aromas, but they convey cleanliness, relaxation, and a touch of melancholy. Ideal for hot weather. Rating: 7/10. Tested on an official sample.