Verveine / Verbena (2003)
by L'Occitane

Verveine by L'Occitane (2003) is a pretty straightforward and sweet interpretation of verbena for the most part, so there won't be much to this review. Verbena can be processed a number of ways, but L'Occitane chose to present it with a sweet lemony top with a heavy geraniol and musk base, making it feel on par with many of the sweet 90's and early 2000's designers making the rounds at the time. I'm guessing this accounts for the stuff's enduring mainstream popularity in the shops, but it just doesn't do the job of being a refreshing scent as most verbena perfumes tend to be, at least in my humble opinion. Many limited edition flankers have also spawned off of this one, with several of them being better than this original take, but Verveine is certainly not the worst verbena scent in the world either.

Lemon oil and a slight mandarin orange open Verveine with a very dominant "lemon drops" accord which is in line with the gourmand craze of the period. Anyone who's had sugar-coated lemon drops as a kid already knows where I am with this assessment, but for those who don't, imagine a candied lemon furniture polish and you're getting close. The green verbena is paired to sharp petitgrain but the leafy feeling isn't enough to counteract the corner drugstore candy feeling, and the claimed rose/gernium (just straight geraniol to my nose) base amplifies the sweetness of the top, with the white musk holding it to skin. Wear time is a modest 6 hours but the scent can be a bit cloying in that time, so be careful. Usage by L'Occitane is in summer, but honestly I'd recommend the aptly-named Verveine Agrumes (2015) as a far superior option for a summer lemony verbena fragrance.

I'd normally say L'Occitane is good at communicating quality at their price point, especially in light of creations like Eau des Baux (2006) and Terre de Lumiere (2017), but some of their simpler compositions like Verveine feel rushed with cut corners or dialed in to capitalize on marketing an array of cosmetic products rather than be fragrances on their own that have accessories accompanying them. When they do this, L'Occitane remind us that despite their penchant for really tasteful perfumes, they're still ultimately a mall store on par with Aveda or The Body Shop. Of course, if you love lemon drops, you may love this as a daily showering companion or just as a cheap thrill, so test before taking my word for it. I wouldn't find Verveine offensive, but this is also an accord I'd never intentionally seek out, since I prefer my lemon verbena zesty. Solid neutral.

It starts off slightly Lemon Pledge-y, but that quickly fades, and it is a lovely lemon scent thereafter. It's wonderful in the heat of summer, and I associate it so strongly with summer that it's hard to imagine wearing it any other time. I have just finished my 10mL mini bottle, and would consider replacing once I go through some more of my summer scent stash.

It smells exactly like Jif Lemon Cleaner, so if you like the smell of that, then you will enjoy this. The longevity is fairly weak, perhaps due to the natural ingredients. Very zesty in its nature, but not for me.

I absolutely love this fragrance...at least the smell is incredible. BUT, as others have already pointed out, the longevity and sillage are nonexistent. It's sad, as this is so fresh and clean. It's very refreshing...for about 30 minutes on me. There's no way that's worth a thumbs up, but the smell is too nice for a thumbs down, so I've gotta go with a neutral rating.

Probably my favorite L'Occitane scent! It's so versatile and my go-to scent for when I want to feel "clean and fresh". I don't really like "shower fresh" types of fragrances that are popular during the summer months. L'Occtaine's Verbena is more of a botanical "garden fresh" smell that's perfect for layering with other citrus scents. Reminds me of relaxing in the garden during summer vacation. Doesn't have great staying power, but works well when reinforced with other Verbena products.