Déclaration Eau de Toilette

Sophistication, the pursuit of unique expertise and historical references go hand in hand with modernity and originality, whether in watch models or in perfume compositions. By turning to Jean-Claude Ellena to create a masculine fragrance, Cartier already knew it would write its finest… Déclaration!

The perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena and his magnificent Déclaration for Cartier

As a young perfumer, Jean-Claude Ellena had not yet managed to free himself from the dictates and olfactory trends of classical perfumery. It was precisely L'Eau Parfumée au Thé Vert by Bulgari, and then Déclaration, that led him to embrace this trend toward clear waters and timeless impressionistic compositions, quite far removed from the standards of the time. The perfumer does not hesitate to admit the direct kinship between these two fragrances: one, as its name indicates, is a green tea, and the other, Déclaration, is what he calls a smoked tea.

This smoked tea, which would later be named Déclaration, had nothing about it that promised a bright future in perfumery. Jean-Claude Ellena presented his composition without much conviction to Véronique Gautier, the creative director of Cartier perfumes. He begged the director not to run marketing tests, so doubtful was he that this very spicy, woody fragrance could appeal. And indeed, it did not appeal, but no matter, Véronique Gautier fell in love with it and decided to release it under the name Déclaration.

Véronique nonetheless ran the test and told me: We tested it and you lost. I was very disappointed. And she added: But it is still your fragrance that we have chosen. I was overjoyed, I leaned over her desk to kiss her. That was in 1998. Jean-Claude Ellena on the history of Déclaration by Cartier, Ma Récréation.com.

A fresh and spicy Déclaration with floral sophistication by Cartier

The story of Déclaration is therefore one of liberation, that of Jean-Claude Ellena and his first steps toward what would become his signature style, but also one of love at first sight and a remarkable intuition on the part of the house of Cartier.

It should be noted that the fragrances of the time were far more built around fresh and aquatic waves than around woody or spicy notes. Déclaration is therefore highly innovative on this point, offering novelty and discovery in each of its accords.

The citrus and aromatic top notes thus become freshness bathed in a delicate and sweet neroli flower, yet also rather unexpected. As for the heart of Déclaration, it beats both under the fiery effects of pepper and spices and under the powdery, delicate impulse of iris and jasmine. From this powerful and highly contrasted blend emerges an extraordinary woody depth born of vetiver, cedar, amber and leather notes, marking a very virile yet delicate sillage thanks to its floral heart.