Eau d'Hadrien (1981)
by Annick Goutal

Annick Goutal Eau D'Hadrien

I love to go out and eat at a nice restaurant, order the chef's tasting menu, be presented with multiple courses of amazing culinary concoctions and roll home sated and satisfied. The next day I am usually up for something much less complex. A nice piece of fish simply spiced on the grill and some fresh summer vegetables always seems right. As I eat the simpler meal I am always reminded that there are joys in simpicity. As it is with food so it is with perfume. I will wax poetically about a scent with overlapping accords that combine to create new artistic leaps of scent. Then there is the 1981 creation, by Annick Goutal and Francis Camail, Eau D'Hadrien. This is the olfactory version of simple, well-blended perfection. Eau D'Hadrien has six listed notes but there are only four that I smell when I wear it; lemon, grapefruit, citron, and cypress. The development is as straight-forward as can be. The top is tart lemon and grapefruit but the lemon is dominant. As the scent progresses the citron takes the lead toning down the tarter aspects of the beginning notes. The base is a clean, light cypress note. That's it, there is nothing else to report but that doesn't mean this isn't one of the best citrus scents out there. Eau D'Hadrien has above average longevity especially for this class of cologne. It also just feels comfortable. Like most colognoisseurs I am looking for the next great thing but along the way I'm going to stop and sniff the simple well-constructed things and remember there is pleasure to be found there.

I stand with the minority of reviewers that dislike this Eau d’Hadrien. It is dominated by a rather harsh and unpleasant lemon note that I do not like at all (and I do enjoy quite a few lemon scents, ranging from Acqua di Parma Colonia to Eau Sauvage). I have tried it several times now and can’t get any enjoyment out of it; a definite thumbs down.

Eau d'Hadrien has risen straight to my number one and I think I could throw away all my other perfume. At first scent I was not able to recognize any ingredient, not lemon, not cypress. I could only feel a shock wave of nostalgia for something euphoric that I couldn't put my finger on, and at the same time felt the energy portrayed by the spooked horse on the Ferrari logo blaze through my body. I heard in my mind "Venus De Milo" from the A Zed and Two Noughts soundtrack by Michael Nyman. If I concentrate, I can at least place a cold gin and tonic with a side of Italian Lemon cookies in the atmosphere, but it doesn't explain the thrill by a long shot. My husband, also a Bombay Sapphire fan, loves this fragrance on me. I bought all three bottles on the shelf that day, and will hoard this as long as I can after it is discontinued, which I hope is a long way away from now.

ALL THIS PRAISE HAS GOT TO STOP NOW!!!

Look, I've tried both versions of this and here is my summary:

Beechams Hot Lemon and Honey!

Now, do you really want to smell like that during spring and summer? I thought not…

[Original submission date: 25 May 2008]

Eau d'Hadrien can be worn anytime, anywhere. It is a complex, citrus fragrance and is completely delightful. I wear the EDP and it's lasting power is marvelous. I wear it to work and to occassions where I don't want to offend anyone with some of the more difficult to wear fragrances that I'm also attracted to. I also just wear it because I love it.

This has been my favorite for 15 years. It works in any season, and its ability to fade fairly quickly, which I think is related to the purity of ingredients used, is only a reason to carry a spritzer and refresh it throughout the day. A joy.