Cedar (2007)
by L'Occitane

If you rate a scent by how others respond....this one always gets very positive comments! The cedar sings true, but soft spoken. It LASTS and lasts, but not in a over powering way.

1st July, 2011.

Some people might get confused by this scent. This is about the cedar leaf, which is also very fragrant, not the wood (though that's in the mix too). I remember as a child being told that people used to press fresh little fans of cedar leaf in books to imbue it with the scent. When I first spray this on, it doesn't have a strong smell, but I definitely feel, for lack of a better word, a presence of some kind - a transparent, high-toned freshness that pervades the room.

This is similar to the reaction I get from Beyond Paradise for Men. I must be anosmic to whatever's in there that Luca Turin loves so much, but I feel its presence. In BP for Men, it's an eerie, ghostly, synthetic presence. In the L'Occitane, it's a much more natural, healthy one. Indeed, L'Occitane seems to have actually delivered on its marketing schpiel about capturing a breeze blowing over a cedar forest and out to sea.

This lasts surprisingly long on me, and like with other L'Occitane products, it seems to get stronger after the first hour or so. The dry-down contains more wood and darker complexities.

I guess there's another way to describe this fragrance. One day, while walking around with its "presence," I thought - Christmas tree.

14th August, 2010.

Soft, sweet, simple. A bit boring if you ask me. Cedar is not in the forefront here in reality. Though designated as unisex, this is more appropriate for women in my opinion. Cedre needs a bit more of an edge to appeal more to men. My overall reaction is "blah".

10th January, 2010.

This is a much richer composition than I had expected. No fusty and dry woodsy opening, but a sharp grapefruit and resin imbued accord. It's a very invigorating start, and the perfect way to introduce the earthy and warmer phases to come. The heart is initially cumin dominant, but it is ably supported by the dry indulgence of tobacco. The cedar is restrained for prominence in the latter stages, and it ensures that the dry bittersweet base completes a very fine experience indeed. Despite its EDP formulation, L'Occitane Cedar is no arboreal powerhouse; it’s simply a very well balanced blend of natural components.

17th December, 2009.

This is just plain boring next to the likes of L'Occitane's Eau des Baux. They got it right the first time. That said, it's not a bad scent, so I'll go neutral.

31st May, 2009.

Come summer I may give it a thumbs up, but at present I feel this is a bit too unisex garden party frivolous, as if Provence had been conquered by children wearing Clinique Happy.
This one is about Grapefruit and Cedar. The other notes are minor and and flat. Still, it's an upbeat scent you might enjoy.
No, you do not have to have a collection of Teddy Bears or miniature porcelain tea sets, but I think it would help.

2nd November, 2008.