Apogée

The house puts lily of the valley in the spotlight: a radiant lily-of-the-valley accord, which it surrounds with petals of Grasse jasmine, Chinese magnolia and rose. It declares no top notes; these four flowers form the heart of the fragrance.

A base of delicately smoky guaiac wood and sandalwood essence supports the bouquet, the house writes, like slender stems reaching skyward. The 2016 launch announced May rose from Grasse extracted with CO2, in an unprecedented quantity.

What the critic perceives

Patty, of Perfume Posse, smells a crystalline lily of the valley in it; she expected the jasmine and guaiac to warm it and instead finds a rather cold one. That impression is hers; the house speaks of a radiant lily of the valley, rising to the heights.

What stays out

Commercial lists add orange and mandarin in the top and a white musk in the base; the house declares none of these notes, which are left out of the composition. Its launch text spoke only of a musky lily-of-the-valley accord.