Mitsouko Eau De Parfum by Guerlain

Finally, spring is near! I'm already getting into gear, tired of the snow and the slush and the dull grey days. And, helping me to emerge from my winter hibernation, I will be talking about Mitsouko today! (Hey, I did mention in the beginning that there might be a great many perfume reviews... I did not lie, lol!)

Mitsouko, a fragrance from the house of Guerlain, is a Chypre/fougère perfume. A Chypre is a fragrance family that focusses not on flowers, vanilla or fruits, but on oakmoss. Chypre perfumes lean toward an earthy tone - if you've done any amount of gardening in your life, you can easily imagine this by remembering the smell of fresh, damp soil. This earthiness - in Mitsouko - is accompanied by green leafy notes, spicy cinnamon, a hint of peach, and just the smallest breath of lilac.

Like some of Guerlain's other creations, there is a beautiful love story behind Mitsouko. Inspired by the French novel La Bataille (The Battle) by Claude Farrère (1909), Mitsouko owes its name to the character Mitsouko, a married Japanese woman who falls in love with an English officer during the war. She is said to be a remarkable woman, full of strength, mystery and quiet grace. The perfume itself evokes these qualities as well, enchanting the wearer with the zen aromas of a damp forest. Dried fruit and spices add a certain mystique to the composition, and there is an underlying smooth greenness, something akin to green tea. Mitsouko is very charismatic, very easy-going, but one of the least typical and most renowned classics you will ever experience.

Mitsouko was created by Jacques Guerlain in 1919. Because of changes in the availability of ingredients between 1919 and now, as well as bans on the harvest of certain natural materials, Mitsouko has undergone several reformulations, like any perfume that's more than five to ten years old. These reformulations are conducted with the utmost desire to preserve the general character of the scent, an impressive feat, really.

Overall, Mitsouko is a surprising perfume that is green but oriental (not the oriental perfume family, but the oriental character), which always makes me think of Japanese gardens and graceful women with long dark hair. Beautiful stuff.

Have a great day, and thanks for reading!

A.