A Scent (2009)
by Issey Miyake

What a beautiful thing this is!
Hyacinth and Jasmine softly breeze through this. A fine sliver of Galbanum. Citrus, just enough to counter the sweetness of the Florals. Maybe a very light White Musk, however no blinding wall of Sorbitol.
An easy wear Laundry soapiness, Ammoniac rather than Bleach.

At 1st spray, I didn't think this was going to go well....

But an hour in, I really like it! It's different from most of the scents I have. Probably will use it in fall and winter, but it's working well on this chilly Spring day....

Genre: Green

Issey Miyake’s A Scent is a knife-edge sharp green fragrance that smells as if compounded of equal parts tomato leaf, galbanum, laundry detergent, and household glass cleaner. It is no doubt meant to be clean, fresh, and modern. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if the brief to the perfumers was to “make an updated White Linen.”

In the event, what has emerged is a crude, chemical gloss on the Lauder classic – what White Linen might smell like were it made on a quarter of its budget for ingredients. I’m no great fan of White Linen to begin with, and this mildly caustic brew is no improvement.

For a green scent that’s paradoxically acerbic and appealing, I’d recommend Jean-Claude Elléna’s obscure but fascinating Eau de Campagne, which was done for Sisley way back in the 1970s, but smells like something Comme des Garçons might have released last week. It’s challenging and refreshing, yet consummately wearable, with a surprising vetiver drydown that completely trounces the white musk and screechy florals on offer from Miyake.

Fresh, greengrass, somehow ozonic pungent opening (they say verbena, I'd say citral and calone), some white floral notes with light and slightly milky musks, a hint of sparkling ginger, some bittersweet fruity accents – almost pimiento-like. Light vetiver base. After a while it pops out a weird camphor-rubbery feel. Overall a cold, static, metallic, linear, artificial scent – sadly, not in an "avant-garde" meaning (forget CdG, Escentric or nu_be or other brands like these), rather a scent which wants to look pleasantly green and safe with just a hint of a – safe, again - "minimal look". Where "minimal" then turns into "anonym". Trendy and uninspired.

5/10

the first time i tried on a magazine sample i thought it was great scent but i decided to buy it first spray in my wrist ohhhh i felt like going to throw up and afterwards gave me headache so disappointed i still could feel some notes of jasmine after while reminds a little bit of light blue docce gabbana i thought it was waste money by this particular perfume