Eau de Cartier, a fragrance like a second skin Founded in 1847 by Louis-François Cartier, the house Cartier is known worldwide for its luxury and refined products. Jewelry, watchmaking and perfumes are the house's flagship domains.
Released in 2001, Eau de Cartier is a masculine fragrance as natural as a second skin. Perfectly clear, Eau de Cartier resembles spring water and appears just as transparent. At once classic and modern, Eau de Cartier returns to the fundamentals of perfumery. Regarded as a precious water, Eau de Cartier is a hymn to light. Timeless and universal, Eau de Cartier leaves behind one of the purest sillages. A creation signed Christine Nagel.
Eau de Cartier, perfumer Christine Nagel reinvents water
The house Cartier chose Christine Nagel as its perfumer. Born in 1959 in Geneva, Christine Nagel joined the Firmenich laboratory in 1980. Her work at the time consisted of discovering raw materials in nature and synthesizing them. She took her first steps as a perfumer at Créations Aromatiques and was named perfumer in 1997 at Quest International. From then on she achieved one success after another and joined Givaudan in 2000. In 2014, Christine Nagel was hired within Hermès's olfactory creations department, succeeding the highly talented Jean-Claude Ellena, who had retired. Her first creation for Hermès was Eau de Rhubarbe. On this subject, Christine Nagel states that with this water, she shouted out her joy at joining the house. She needed to bring something new to freshness. She was looking for an ingredient powerful enough to substitute for classic citrus notes, so she chose this herbaceous plant and added musks to give it volume, a certain fullness, somewhat like a petticoat under a dress… Some already say that it is pure Hermès, distinctive, classic in the noble sense… Christine Nagel is also responsible for such notable successes as The One by Dolce & Gabbana, Si by Armani, and Elle l'aime by Lolita Lempicka.
As clear as the fragrance itself: Eau de Cartier
Eau de Cartier opens with one of the most sparkling pairings, namely that of bergamot and yuzu. Native to Asia, yuzu is the fruit of the tree of the same name. Green to yellow in color, it is characterized by a bumpy skin. Yuzu is considered the Japanese lemon. Today, yuzu is indeed grown in Japan, in the Tokushima region, and it holds a prized place in Asian cuisine. In perfumery, yuzu essential oil is obtained by cold expression of the fruit's zest. Yuzu releases tart, zesty, lemony and highly sparkling tones. Then, the heart of Eau de Cartier develops toward the powdery notes of violet leaves paired with lavender. France, mainly the Haute-Provence region, is the leading producer of lavender. Lavender has been used in perfumery since the 19th century. Initially present in Eaux de Cologne, lavender quickly found its way into major compositions, often masculine ones. There it releases tones that are both floral and herbaceous. Finally, the base of Eau de Cartier is delicately sensual, combining patchouli, white musks and ambergris, leaving behind a truly unforgettable sillage.