Imagination was released on June 3, 2021, as Louis Vuitton’s seventh men’s fragrance, composed by Jacques Cavallier Belletrud. The eau de parfum pairs a heavy dose of Ambrox with a Chinese black tea extracted with CO2, brightened by Calabrian bergamot, orange and Sicilian citron, lifted with Tunisian neroli, ginger and cinnamon, over a base of guaiac and olibanum.
Writing in Harper’s Bazaar Malaysia in 2021, Sarah Hani Jamil senses the dawn of a Mediterranean landscape and a daytime scent that leans unisex; Phabu finds it perfectly balanced, KlasenJul very pleasant but too expensive for a clean tea, and fragranceflo calls it the benchmark of its genre.
What critics say
Sarah Hani Jamil, Harper’s Bazaar Malaysia, June 2021
On June 2, 2021, Sarah Hani Jamil saw Imagination as an invitation to dream, its notes evoking a Mediterranean landscape in the light of dawn. Designed for men, the fragrance leans unisex in her view: a daytime scent that women can wear too.
Phabu, Parfumo, December 2024
On December 13, 2024, Phabu prefers Imagination to L’Immensité and Le Jour se lève. He smells citrusy aldehydes, tea, ginger and an ambroxan that, for once, does not put him off: a very balanced fragrance, without being groundbreaking, with a slightly soapy base.
KlasenJul, Parfumo, July 2026
On July 4, 2026, KlasenJul praises a very well-made fragrance: a fresh opening of Calabrian bergamot, a bright black tea next to Ambrox, a very clean whole for hot days. What it lacks, in his eyes, is the element of surprise that would justify the hype and the price.
fragranceflo, Parfumo, July 2026
On July 29, 2026, fragranceflo recognizes Cavallier Belletrud’s signature in the citrus opening. The tea, dry and almost bitter, strips the ambroxan of its sweetness in his view and gives the fragrance a noble, almost aristocratic air; the many imitations do not change his mind: Imagination remains the benchmark.
More perfumes from Louis Vuitton
Also composed by Jacques Cavallier
- Bvlgari pour Homme Eau de ParfumBulgari
- Opium pour HommeYves Saint Laurent
- Midnight PoisonChristian Dior
- Classique Boule à Neige 2019Jean Paul Gaultier
Similar perfumes
Similar notes and family, from other houses.
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- AlthaïrParfums de Marly
- Aqua TobaccoRasasi
- Mon Précieux NectarGuerlain
- Ombre NoireLalique
- Ambre NuitChristian Dior
- Noir Extrême ParfumTom Ford