Eau de Fleurs de Cédrat (1920)
by Guerlain

This Guerlain offering starts out as a bracing herbal/floral Eau de Cologne variant with a suave and suggestive animalic undertone. The zoological note soon resolves into the indolic facet of a very full orange blossom accord that dominates the heart of the fragrance. I believe that it’s the roundness and potency of this white flower accord that distinguishes Eau de Fleurs de Cedrat from so many other Eau de Cologne formulae. Longevity, as you might imagine, is limited, though the indolic florals do extend this scent's life beyond the 45 minute mark. If you're in the market for a floral take on Eau de Cologne, you could do a lot worse than Eau de Fleurs de Cedrat.

A very bright young genius drawn from the finest old family. He dies achingly young but still brings a smile as he fulfils his narrative imperative of a brief sparkling life.

If it didn't disappear so quickly, it couldn't smell this good.

An acidic blast of citrus freshness - some quite vibrant and sharp lemons. The acid fizzes across my arm, I can feel it is right on the edge of being irritating to the skin without crossing that line for me. The closest smells which this brings to mind are the top (without the wood) of creed bois de cedrat, and Trumpers Limes (without the musk).

The top and heart of this last longer than those of the other guerlain eaux. However, it has NO base at all. Once the cedrat has gone, it has gone utterly. From start to finish there is a diminishing scent of lemons, cedrat and verbena on my skin. This is its development.

This is a little different to the more classic eau de cologne formula followed by Imperiale and du Coq but I love it. It is beautifully fresh, crisp and enlivening. It comes and goes quickly, but lasts better if sprayed on clothes.

This was my man's favorite scent for awhile after he picked up a bottle in France. It didn't last him long, because I kept spraying it on myself. (Yet another addicting scent) If you like Guerlain's Imperiale and Vetiver, you will like Cedrat, as it is in between these two in a way, not as sweet as Imperiale, and not as tart as Vetiver, but still a sexy melange. It has been awhile, but I have only pleasant memories of Eau de Fleurs de Cedrat.