Reviews of 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.

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.

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.

Some say this is the perfect summer scent - I say it works year round. In the Winter it will remind you of warmer carefree and sunny days. In the Summer it will never overwhelm you - it is sweet without being candy and lemon without making you feel like you are wearing a cleaning solvent. As refreshing as lemonade and it melts into your skin creating a personal fragrance that I really cannot find the words to describe. My husband told me this scent smelled like me - in that he could not give me a specific reason or note that struck him as suiting my personality. It just turned into something that made him think of me. My daughter on a separate occasion said the very same thing (and she did not hear him say it....she lives out of state). This is said to be a unisex scent however, my husband said he thought it was too feminine for that. Chemistry being chemistry though, I am sure it would work on a man by taking on the personality of the wearer as most scents do.

I have to say this is one of the most pleasant scents I have came across. I like it, but would never use it to impress. There are other more bolder scents for that. No, this soft, fresh scent is as warm as a sunny day in a lemon orchard. Lemon is one of my favorite top notes. Here it last to middle. Quiet a surprise. It is unisex, which in my book renders it a solitairy scent. This is a day off treat, to use when indulging in your favorite hobbies like painting or reading. Uplifting? Yes. Universal? maybe not...

Annick Goutal’s Eau d’Hadrien is a superb masterpiece. Many thanks to scentimental for the diligent and erudite review below. This has a dry citrus opening, followed by herbal tones. So far, it reminds me of Borsari’s Aqua Classico in a more powerful version. Jasmine-like florals (the ylang ylang) are a subtle compliment to the emerging wood. And that wood is excellent! Here we have cypress in all its glory: slightly resinous, almost grassy, green, a bit smoky and hauntingly evocative. Those looking to know and understand cypress, look no farther! I like EdH very much. It is simple and yet has such satisfying depth. It is classy and elegant, restrained yet very substantial. The highest praise goes to this one! It is so different from the innocuous, fruity/fresh pap flooding today’s market. "Unisex" perhaps, but I think it is mature and masculine.

I just realized that on me this scent smells like Fruit Loops. But I love it. It's like Fruit Loops with spice. Unfortunately it doesn't last very long. I agree that it is great for summer.

The first time I applied I thought--Oh,no "Lemon Pledge." Don't let that dissuade you. Let it cook for 1 hour before deciding. If you do like lemon this will hit the spot. The cypress was a new experience for me and a gorgeous combination it is. With the other mediterranean spices and green herbal blast, a fresh warm sunny lemon that cheers me every time I wear it.

Sharp, bracing, full of panache, would generally rather f_ck than make love. Eau d'Hadrien is pure class, and my substantial 15 oz splash bottles make it all the better.

See Scentemental's review for an accurate description of this sublime fragrance.

Ooh. Hesperides. Ohh. Lemon. My friend, who gave me a sample, said this smells like sitting in a lemon grove. She was right. The best thing is, there is no sweetness in the base--no amber, no vanilla, nor any sweet spices--only cypress. As with any natural citrus, the lemon top note doesn't last as long as I want. The intelligent pairing with cypress, however, stretches that lemon aroma out as long as possible. It finally faded two hours later, which is pretty good for a true, sour lemon scent. This is lemon juice, not lemonade. It made me thirsty. I actually had to squeeze some lemons into ice water after this.

Wonderful, as a citrus fan, it is one of my favorites along with Jean-Claude Ellena's Eau Bigarade. Fresh citrus top with a gentle, rounder base. Perfect for summer.

This begins like Lemon Pledge or some kind of floor cleaner, but give it time. The dry down is beautiful. This is a very neutral citrus. If I were to buy a bottle, it would probably replace my current "office" fragrance-- Bvlgari Extreme. I actually prefer Les Nuits d'Hadrien, however. It is stronger and sexier, as the name would indicate.

after a few years owning this fragrance and really mulling it over I have decided to give it a thumbs up. It is a bit like a lemon detergent at first spray, but the lemon smell is very natural, comparable to crown's "imperial" and the natural earthy tones on the drydown definatley save it, in fact more than save it, they make it a great fragrance.

Thank you, Scentemental, for the great review and clarifications! I certainly can't add much to that except to say that I wore Eau d'Hadrien edt (in the "women's" bottle) last summer when it was the only fragrance I owned that I could bear in extreme heat and humidity. I would sleep in it, too. But I also wore it over the winter when I wanted a simple clean fragrance. I wouldn't have tried it except that Nordstrom didn't have Diorella and the SA steered me toward Eau d'Hadrien. Its simplicity is deceptive, as scentemenal noted, the whole is greater than its few parts. The woodsiness is lovely with the lemon.

What follows is an attempt to sort out some of the confusion that seems to exist over the various incarnations of Annick Goutal’s *Eau d’Hadrien* along with a review of *Eau d’Hadrien* and *Hadrien Absolu*:

The men's EDT version is named *Eau d’Hadrien*
The men's EDP version is named *Hadrien Absolu*
The women's EDT version is named *Eau d’Hadrien*
The women's EDP version is named *Eau d’Hadrien EDP*

Both men’s versions come in square bottles, the women’s in somewhat oval shaped, fluted bottles.

The men’s EDT juice is identical to the women’s EDT juice, and the men’s EDP juice (*Hadrien Absolu*) is identical to the women’s EDP, except that it is colored a little more yellowish than its female counterpart, *Eau d'Hadrien EDP*, but as far as the scent goes, the men’s and women’s EDT and EDP versions are identical. *Eau d’Hadrien* in it’s EDT and EDP formulations, despite it’s demarcation into different shaped bottles for men and women and different names, has always been considered a unisex fragrance. The fragrance takes it name after the Roman Emperor Hadrian, Hadrien in French, who reigned from 117 to 138.

*Eau d’Hadrien* certainly is a fleeting fragrance, as attested to by many of the reviewers below. *Hadrien Absolu*, on the contrary, lasts a very long time for a citrus based scent; although, it should be noted, it always stays close to the skin. *Hadrien Absolu* can still be detected up to six to eight hours after the initial few sprays, as opposed to the EDT, which lasts (on this reviewer, at least) an hour and a half to two hours, maximum, but, even then, what an hour and a half to two hours. A word of warning, though: *Hadrien Absolu* is not merely a stronger version of *Eau d’Hadrien*; rather, it’s a reformulation of *Eau d’Hadrien* as I explain below.

The first thing one notices about *Eau d’Hadrien* is its pared down structure when compared to most other fragrances: citrus (lemon, grapefruit, and citron), ylang ylang, and cypress, but what an amazing and amazingly simple combination. It’s such a sparsely constructed fragrance with a truly Mediterranean elegance to it. It’s the same kind of elegance in simplicity you find for instance in a meal of fresh, pan-fried fish seasoned with salt, cracked pepper, and lemon juice in the myriad little sea-side taverns one finds spotted all over the Mediterranean world. Anyone who’s had the good fortune to have such a meal, can’t help but be impressed with the minimalist approach to flavoring, which paradoxically produces such intense and clearly demarcated flavors that still manage to work, magically, as a whole. It’s the Mediterranean ethos––doing much with little. I tend to think of *Eau d’Hadrien* in this way and of all of Annick Goutal’s creations in this way for that matter. They are truly Mediterranean in their uncompromising use of essential, top quality ingredients and in their simplicity of construction. They do much with very little.

Now to the differences between the EDT and EDP versions: The cypress in the EDT formulation is more pronounced than it is in the EDP/Absolu version and this is what gives the EDT its characteristic woodsy spiciness. It’s a fresh, slightly herbaceous woodsy spiciness that works beautifully with the minimalist pairing of citrus and ylang ylang.

In the Absolu/EDP version, the ylang ylang is more prominent, and the pure citrus oils are a lot more concentrated, and while the ylang ylang is intensified, the cypress is muted (substantially, actually, if one thinks about it). In the *Hadrien Absolu* formulation, the more prominent ylang ylang note works harmoniously with the citrus and the cypress to produce a very beguiling bitterness. I am always amazed how the clean, sour edges of the citrus and the bitter, heady rotundity of the ylang ylang compliment each and keep the acerbic elements of the overall accord in check in the *Absolu* formulation. Like the EDT version, it’s a masterpiece of the careful, assured blending of elemental ingredients. In this saccharin world of mass-produced, ubiquitous, and artificial fruit flavors, it’s a truly refreshing scent as is the EDT. Unlike many other recent so-called citrus scents, both *Eau d’Hadrien* and *Hadrien Absolu* manage to remain unmuddled by any sweet notes. Sometimes, I turn to them when my palette has become cluttered and jaded with too many scents. There is a bracing, clarifying astringency to them that also adds to their appeal.

On reflection, I would classify *Eau d’Hadrien* as a citrus woodsy fragrance with a slight floral edge and *Hadrien Absolu* as a citrus floral with a slight woodsy edge.

A few words of warning though: overspraying *Hadrien Absolu* will bring out the oxygen-consuming headiness of the ylang ylang, which will then overwhelm you. I have found that wearing both the EDT and EDP versions together, with a minimum of two good decent sprays of the *Hadrien Absolu* and about 8 to 10 sprays of the *Eau d'Hadrien* works really well and allows one to enjoy the best of both worlds. If you decide to wear *Hadrien Absolu* alone, go lightly on the number of sprays, two to three at the most.

Finally, with the exception of the opening notes of *Signoricci 2*, there is probably no more ethereal and divine citrus experience than *Eau d’Hadrien*, but as with all things ethereal and divine, we should not expect to be able to hold on to them too firmly. Enjoy the moment of *Eau d’Hadrien* even if it is brief. In it’s beauty, it is, after all, like all beautiful transient things of this world, an intimation of mortality, perhaps even of immortality.

Light, lilting, lemony and lovely. This is one of the very rare fragrances that has been a repeat buy for me. Once in a while I get tired of it, but I know this is one that I will come back to again and again. To me it's refreshing and relaxing, even though that sounds like a contradiction. The body creme is just amazing, but so expensive. I had received a nice sized sample of it and of course now I want to buy a tube. I also want to try the EDP at some point. Maybe in the future, but at the moment I have plenty of the EDT on hand and too many other fragrances to justify such extravagant purchases. I guess it's a pretty simple fragrance, but that's one of the reasons I like it. The citrus notes stay after the drydown, but is joined by light woods that give it a refined quality. I feel comfortable wearing this anywhere. It's great for the office, for a leisurely stroll outdoors, for meeting friends for dinner, and for countless other occasions.

Thumbs WAY UP for Annick Goutal's Eau D'Hadrien! In the extreme heat of summer, this is true refreshment. I spend alot of time at the beach, and there is no better feeling than wearing this bright, lively fragrance while out in the mid-day sun - OR - after being out in a scorcher; coming home to shower and spritz on this re-energizing tonic!!! The citrus lemon is pure, light, and not sweet. Just clean summer freshness. Ahhhhhhhhh, I can hear the waves crashing already.

I am a scent fanatic and own many great/expensive fragrances. If i could only have one.... this is it. I mainly use the Absolu (the more concentrated parfum). Classic.

Buy the perfume not EDT as the perfume lasts much longer. This is a wonderful scent. Contains citrus (Sicilian lemons and grapefruit). Also has cypress which is green and earthy and is the base note. One of my all time favorites.

Within minutes of spritizing this fragrance, a rather bubbly friend commented that my fragrance reminded her of 'Disprin', an effervescent aspirin tablet with a lemony-metallic zing. At first, I was taken aback by such a blunt comparison, but I had found myself in agreement. The topnotes, like my friend, are a bubbly citrus zest. However the drydown is the most pleasant, soft, smooth woody and floral base with a surprisingly long duration.

If a long wearing grapefruit scent is something you might like, here is your new scent. Enjoy!

Very nice citrus fragrance - refreshing - a true green lemon like no other. Unfortunately very short lasting.

This is a really light, smooth, high quality scent. It starts off with crisp citrus notes, then dries down to something resembling a more refined version of YSL's Live Jazz. Eau d'Hadrien does not project itself at all, so this may be a good choice for the office.

For me the perfect summer scent, you can't go wrong with it..

This is delightful--like the other Annick Goutal scents I have recently tried, this is far, far away from a "department store" men's scent. It's subtle, and dries down quickly, but seems to have OK staying power. This and LV Dilmun have been two great recent purchases for me in the Citrus category.

I use this one just for me. It's a lazy Sunday. I spray it on the sheets before I go to bed and usually use it those time I want to take a shower in the evening after a long day. It smells like a citrus grove near the ocean, but from afar. A very gentle and personal fragrance. It doesn't have much staying power, but that's probably why it has such intimate qualities. Like a whisper, a dream.

Eau d'Hadrien is a staple in my summer fragrance wardrobe. Its light citrus notes are a perfect compliment to bright sunny days in the Bay Area.
In other times of the year, I often use it to "brighten" up heavier/headier scents more appropriate for fall or winter. Truly versatile, Eau d'Hadrien is well worth its asking price.

A classic! This can be worn by both men and women and has remarkable staying power for a citrussy lemony scent. Extremely classy and elegant. I do not regret this purchase.