Le Petit Prince
by Le Petit Prince

Who could resist such a cute line, including scent, bubble bath, soap… all at really inexpensive prices when it appeared at a local remaindered shop? Not me! It is true that it would take a genius designer to capture the whimsical, poignant, innocent, sadly wise qualities of the novella Le Petit Prince. And it is true that this scent does not fully do that story justice. However, it is an acceptable scent and it you can find it at a low, low price then you might give it a try. It has a very good lemon-verbena opening. In my opinion the verbena is really quite good, lots of citrusy-green leaf notes. These last a satisfying amount of time for volatile citrus top notes. Later there are very light touches of moss and tiny bits of translucent wood which – if you use your imagination, as the little Prince suggests we all should – give a somewhat thoughtful air to this light-hearted lemony splash. Apply liberally and repeatedly. The joys of life are beautiful but transitory. We can’t hold on to them, we just enjoy the moments.

Le Petit Prince was never really a children’s book. Just because it is about a child does not make it for children. Regardless if the book is accompanied by colourful illustrations. I am sure my parents were not the only ones puzzled by the peculiar gap between their astonishment from the book and the complete non-comprehensive gazing they received from me and the too many questions for a bed time story as a response to this book.

And so, when a disnified collection of perfumes for children inspired by Le Petit Prince came out, accompanied by stuffed animals (sheep, of course), action books colouring books and other cutesy paraphernalia (this is clearly TOO MUCH!) appeared on the olfactory horizon, I was equally eager and terrified to try the line.

Eager? Well, one must admit, the packaging for Le Petit Prince Eau de Toilette is stunning. It is simple and true to the original illustrations in the book. One would expect a magical, yet somewhat cerebral concoction of baobab trees, star dust and desert winds and perhaps also a bit of motor oil. However, the perfumer for Le Petit Prince decided to go for the safest unisex cliché of a citrus perfume that gives no particular statement except for being an agreeable, pleasant smell. The chosen notes are mainly lemony, and for the most part this alcohol-free concoction smells like sugar-free lemonade. Very pleasant, but it gives nothing new to the imagination and being associated with a book of such importance, this is sacrilege. Let’s just be reminded that another book by the same author served as the inspiration to one of the greatest perfumes of all times, Vol de Nuit. This thought alone makes me shudder.

Le Petit Prince Eau de Toilette is alcohol free. It is also free of any imaginative thought or creativity (except for that which went into the exquisite packaging). The official notes include citrus, tarragon, lemon verbena, cedarwood and oak. I smell mostly lemon and lemon verbena, which I love. But I can also find these without getting my plane grounded in the desert and insulting the olfactory intelligence of children (who, I am most certain, will be quite open to try some new notes that they are less familiar with).