L'Eau de Jatamansi (2007)
by L'Artisan Parfumeur

The opening grapefruit is invigoratingly fresh and natural, a bracing introduction to what is essentially a spicy floral with notes of rose and other less identifable flowers lurking behind smoky cloves. I can also appreciate the earlier reviewer's reference to clove cigarettes for I too found a pseudo tobacco note clinging to my skin. Shortlived as it is, L'EAU DE JATAMANSI is an excellent naturalistic composition which leans towards the masculine and favors cooler weather. So guys, do enjoy it while it lasts.

This starts out as a bright lemon-lime bergamot Earl Grey tea. Its sunny top notes end quickly and, on me, evolve into a slightly skanky "l'eau". I love lime in fragrances (see Sensi), but that note does not last long enough in this perfume to make it worthwhile. And the drydown is quite unpleasant. I find myself buying L'Artisan fragrances even though I know that I will not wear them, but they are so compelling and so interesting that I must occasionally take a whiff (see Dzing). This is not one of those fragrances...

Unique, clean, lemony, peppery, minty, herbal aroma with some warmer, woody nuances. This 100% natural fragrance is short-lived on the skin but very bracing while it lasts. It is base on spikenard, which is an herb. It is woody-herbaceous in character. Although these are not its actual notes, it's aroma resembles a combination of the sweet, clean smell of grass, plus the uplifting effect of aromatic lavendar and woods, and the sweet-and-sour aroma of refreshing lime juice. If that sounds intriguing to you, it is worth trying, just to experience what L'Artisan Parfumeur can do with naturals.

This is a cup or Earl Grey Tea during a summer morning.

It is a watered down spicy citrus floral mix.

Catchy citrus / floral opening – the grapefruit is especially notable for its excellent sharp and sour citrus clarity – as simple as it is, it’s a natural, refreshing, and enjoyable note , but it certainly doesn’t last longer than a few minutes. The middle accords show up with a spicy / herbal / floral feel: most clearly presented is a light cloves leading into a dusty rose accord. The rose doesn’t strike me as very floral and I don’t smell the ylang-ylang at all: This level, too, is done with delicacy and refinement, but, like the opening, the middle doesn’t last for very long. The base announces itself with the aromatics of the gaiiac note which is immediately joined by the sandalwood. There’s an incense that joins the base accord and I find the accords quite compelling, but, alas, the base also has limited longevity.

I like this fragrance and I like the idea of a natural organic fragrance. It’s well made, discreet, refined, and spectacularly nonsynthetic. I think it does provide aromatherapeutic benefits because it feels good in a way that I’m not used to with fragrances. Its longevity is exactly what one would expect of a natural fragrance – minimal; but I don’t think is it that much shorter in duration as a few other L’Artisans that I have tried. L'Eau de Jatamansi has given me enough pleasure and satisfaction that I intend to continue seeking out natural fragrances. The cost is not out of line for a fragrance of this quality: It is a very good fragrance and a needed idea and it deserves a thumbs up.

Starts with a delicious, juicy squirt of grapefruit citrus, but once this fades, it turns into a spice rack. Just yesterday I bought a pack of Djarum Black clove cigarettes, and I literally thought that I had left the package sitting open on my desk before I realized that the smell was coming from my wrist. I'm very surprised that something marketed as a summer fragrance would turn so spicy.