Eau de Cologne Impériale (1853)
by Guerlain

Guerlain Eau de Imperiale is probably my favorite of the classic Guerlain eaus not including Eau de Guerlain of course and its prodigious caraway note. The opening is fresh citrus, lime to be precise, and then lime blossoms backed up by the lightest of cedars and the mere essence of tonka and verbena to create an aristocratic ambiance. Imperiale is well, imperial. It is short lived and has poor sillage, but that's what it was meant to be. Having worn this for a couple of days I can certainly say that I smell indolic flowers and an animalic musky tonka in the base albeit extremely light and close to the skin. This is what aristocratic Napoleonic dreams are made of (Napoleon III mind you as Napoleon I was dead before Imperiale debuted in 1853)! It's affordable, so spritz some on with reckless abandon of course!

A beautiful, realistic citrus opening, but quite short-lived. A touch of lavender, cedar and tonka underneath. A must try classic Eau de Cologne. I personally prefer Guerlain’s Eau de Cologne du Coq, as providing a little more complexity and longevity. But there is nothing wrong with this 1853 classic!

A lovely citrus/green smell. Very fresh! Unfortunately, this only lasted 20 minutes on me. It is an eau de cologne, so you can't expect it to last long. As such, it still gets high marks from me. Great for scent-free work places...hehe

Fairly straightforward and good for Guerlain collectors of those that like a bit of green in their cologne style fragrances. Doesn't last at all on me.

The opening is immediately a bit sour, but the sourness disappears in seconds and the opening settles down to a very refreshing and clean citrus accord that is a little less interesting than before… I liked that that sour note. The remainder of the top notes is a delicate citrus with a light verbena and bergamot accompaniment. The middle accord is supposed to be lavender, but it is quite light, and I miss it unless I directly sniff my skin. The middle accord is gone very quickly, to move into the very light cedar drydown, which also lasts for a very short period of time. This could very well be paradigm for the classic citrus cologne. Its lasting power is minimal, but it is lovely and sensitive and its historical story is as attractive as the fragrance itself. Refined, transparent, unbelievably refreshing… it is certainly a thumbs up fragrance, but, personally I slightly prefer Roger and Gallet’s Extra-Vieille for a citrus cologne… E-V retains the sour note longer and lasts a little longer on my skin.

Eau de Cologne Impériale is one of the oldest EDC's on the market, and in my opinion one of the finest. Like many EDC's, Impériale is a "top note" fragrance. It's basic character is based primarily on an extremely fine bergamot, neroli and lemon accord. There are slight undertones as well, but you have to really smell carefully to find them. The undertones include petitgrain, lemon verbena, a mild lavender and some slight tonka and wood in the base. People who complain about this having no longevity are not familiar with this genre of fragrance. A classical eau de cologne is based on the idea of a refreshing splash. This is the oldest fragrance type with the characteristic of being fresh and natural. Natural fresh notes are made from fine essential oils with extremely high volatility. This means that the fragrance develops very quickly and is finished. If you want the experience to continue, frequent reapplication is necessary.