Charogne (2007)
by Etat Libre d'Orange

As the name implies, this one exploits indole's common territory in both white flowers and decomposing flesh -- that "sweet" smell that makes you involuntarily take a second sniff of rotting roadkill before you gag. It's subtle...as if they put just a tad too much in, so you think you are inhaling a beautiful jasmine and end up with a snootful of something a little more unsettling. The ginger gives it much-needed fizz and lift, and the lilies fit in like a missing puzzle piece. A gourmand that's a little too gross to eat. Interesting olfactory trip, but I can't imagine when I'd want to wear it.

It is difficult to cut to the chase, because each Etat Libre d'Orange fragrance comprises a name, a concept, a drawing, a narrative, a scent, and a cultural reference. If the word "Charogne" [carrion] does not inspire trepidation, then the association with Baudelaire's poem "Une Charogne" will give most scent samplers pause. In Baudelaire's 12-stanza memento mori, the poet recalls a warm summer day when he and his lover came upon a creature rotting in the afternoon sun. The poet points out that one day his lover will be just like that carcass, devoured and decomposed by the kisses of vermin; yet her divine essence will live on in the poet's immortal compositions.

The sample package of "Charogne" features a rose sketched in black and white with a drop of red blood at the center: perhaps a nod to Baudelaire's Flowers of Evil, or to the theme of death, beauty and the printed page.

But on to the fragrance.

Does ELO's "Charogne" smell like the putrid carcass described in the poem? Not at all. It is, like Baudelaire's verse, beautiful. Bergamot and ylang ylang provide an almost too sweet initial impression, soon tamed by the softest leather. Vanilla and incense emerge over ambrette and undefined "animalc notes". These are not the heavy doses civet or castoreum I would have expected. There is an undeniable warmth to the base, but it has the strange yet familiar indolic freshness of jasmine. The overall effect is that of layered fragility and earth. Like all of the ELO fragrances I've sampled, Charogne lasts a long time, without loud sillage.

I leave it to you to enjoy the little narrative in the sample package and on the web site. To me it reads as a metaphor of the scent's development over time on the wearer. I am nearly convinced by the last line: "How could one do without it?" But the scent in itself, without all of the words and images it evokes, would be pretty. Not striking. That's right, the "divine essence" that makes this fragrance transcendent depends upon the art of language.

Despite the beauty of the scent, I shudder when I think of the name, and in this way , too, "Charogne" echos "Une Charogne."

For a truly delicious and decadent experience, read the poem as you inhale the scent from your skin, or from the skin of another. You will be transported.

What I smell first is a smooth and powdery spicy oriental fragrance. I could have sworn there is some cinnamon in this scent, but then I presume it’s the pepper playing with ginger which creates that cinnamon-y accord.
Pretty complex and developing stuff. The flowers and animalic notes kick in on a surprising style. It has a very strong indolic undertone to it, but it never goes off-putting or too hard to handle although its damn close at times. Puts out very creamy and powdery sillage with traces of spice. Definitely something a bit bubblegummy in this.

*Bubblegum that was chewed by some girl with fairly bad breath.*


If I had to point out some resemblance, I would say Jaipur Homme with additional, very strong white flowery indolic undertone. I think it makes some sense, but the one will definitely need to test this beforehand because its very much of an skin type perfume due the strong animalic vibe.

To my mind Charogne is much more appropriate for women. And then easy on the trigger so it will make a hell of a sexy scent.

As I read through all the ELO reviews it's become apparent to me that you either like ELO's 'thing' or you hate it. As these reviews show, there is rarely any middle ground. I'm in the camp of those who appreciate the ELO thing - from the goofy names to the cartoon logos to the avante-garde fragrances. I think some people are a little too sucked into the marketing and expect too much, judging the actual fragrance against the quirkiness of the marketing. In reality most ELO fragrances are well made, modern compositions using high-quality materials. They are not super-sexualized, raunchy, or wild over-the-top fragrances.

Charogne is my favorite of the line (having sampled all but three right now). I find it difficult to describe only because I'm not always good at distinguishing florals. Too my nose bergamot plays a bigger role then others have mentioned. The combination of bergamot and the florals come off as being a rich, leathery, candied orange scent to me.... sort of like leather tainted with orange, ginger, and vanilla. The fragrance sweetens and becomes a little more musky at it progresses, but I find it to be fairly linear. I don't get any of the foetid note others describe - perhaps I just can't detect it, perhaps I'm interpreting it differently, or perhaps it's different when worn as opposed to sampled on the wrist or paper. Either way, I find Charogne to be a fun, lightly sweetened leathery/floral that is neither offensive or boring.

Yes, a dirty floral Charogne most certainly is (in the rotting sense) but the drydown of vanilla, amber and ginger leaves me cold. A half-hearted tribute to Guerlain, perhaps? If so, this smells more like a third-rate Parfums de Nicolaï than a Guerlain.

A rather odd and nondescript gunpowder note and a slight whiff of muted florals is all I get here. It feels like an avant garde fragrance idea gone horridly wrong. Confusing.