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

Notes: grapefruit, cardamom, bergamot, sage, jatamansi (spikenard), Turkish rose, ylang-ylang, incense, gaiac wood, Indian papyrus, Australian sandalwood.

L’Eau de Jatamansi’s luscious bergamot and cardamom top notes alone are nearly worth the price of admission, and well demonstrate the potential of naturally-sourced ingredients for creating pleasing olfactory experiences. The development, if I may call it that, amounts to ten minutes of these lovely top notes, followed by a faint, subtle skin scent of warm woods sweet floral and herbaceous notes. This drydown is perfectly pleasant, but others will perceive it only if they happen to be snuggling with you. Indeed, you may not notice it yourself unless you jam your nose into the sprayed portion of your anatomy.

I’m in something of a quandary as to how to rate this scent. On the one hand, it is pleasant and distinctive. On the other, it’s extraordinarily shy, even by the standards of a traditional “eau” composition. Moreover, the drydown persists for at most two hours, even after a generous dousing. There’s a reason they sell this stuff in what look like two liter jugs. In the end, I think true goodness narrowly eludes L’Eau de Jatamansi. A bit more power in the drydown or more persistence in the top notes, and I’d recommend it without reservation, but as it is, I find myself mildly disappointed after every wearing.

5th September, 2010.

Notes: Jatamansi (spikenard), grapefruit, cardamom, clary sage, rose, ylang-ylang, Indian papyrus, incense, guaiacum (champaca wood oil).
This starts with an aromatic note which features good grapefruit scents. It is spicy and soapy, and the spices are smoothly blended together. The florals are also very pleasant: first to appear is the ylang-ylang, followed by the rose. There are some light woody-incense notes, and the scent becomes a tiny bit sweet. The spikenard gives a tangy, aromatic note which comes off a bit like cold tea. The rose and champaca notes develop, yet the fresh-woody aspect also hangs in there. This is an exotic, floral, lightly-incensed scent: quite interesting and distinctive. The dry-down gets a bit more sweet but not problematically so. I find this to be a unisex scent: not too woody for a women’s market and not too floral for a men’s market.

11th February, 2010.

Diamondflame nails this perfectly in his review, so I won't bother describing the scent. I will however detail my thoughts and experience with L'Eau de Jatamansi, among other all-natural fragrances.

Over the past year, I've spent a lot of time and money trying out different brands of "all-natural" and/or organic fragrances. After sampling from houses like Ayala Moriel, Profumo.it, Honore des Pres and Strange Invisible Perfumes, L'Eau de Jatamansi is hands down my favorite all-natural (let alone organic) fragrance. The ingredients are top notch, the blending is great and the longevity is impressively long for an all natural fragrance. It might be slightly bordering on the feminine side of things, but it's not difficult at all for a man to pull this off.

While I'm truly impressed with L'Eau de Jatamansi, it's not my favorite fragrance of all time, and so I only wear it every once in a while. On the other hand, it's hard to complain or find any faults in a fragrance like this, considering that the possibilities are somewhat limited when you're working with all natural ingredients. All in all, L'Eau de Jatamansi is an natural and organic masterpiece that stands up to rest of the bunch out there using ingredients made of who-knows-what from who-knows-where.

9/10

P.S. Equally impressive is L'Artisan Parfumeur's other all-natural and organic fragrance "Cote d'Amour," which smells like a seaside bouquet of florals.

23rd November, 2009.

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.

6th November, 2009.

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...

25th October, 2009.

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.

12nd February, 2009.