La Dompteuse Encagée, the latest release from Serge Lutens Serge Lutens is a prolific and highly inventive creator, who designs several new perfumes per year. Yet he is far from taking the easy path and constantly imagines fragrances that are always highly innovative and atypical. Far from following trends, he lets himself be guided by his instinct, even if it means unsettling more than one person.
In 2021, the creator Serge Lutens presents a new fragrance, enriching his emblematic Collection Noire. His original juice is named La Dompteuse Encagée and draws inspiration from the reflection of our society, in which communication is often curtailed and men are muzzled. Yet a glimmer of hope seems to appear on the horizon, like a sense of freedom glimpsed in the distance. Presented in the usual clean-lined rectangular bottle of the Collection Noire, La Dompteuse Encagée delivers a remarkable play of light and shadow, resting above all on two main ingredients: frangipani flower and almond.
Almond, the gourmand ingredient of La Dompteuse Encagée
Serge Lutens's La Dompteuse Encagée contains almond, a gourmand and smooth ingredient much appreciated by perfumers. The fruit of the almond tree, it is an oval raw material, covered with a small green, velvety skin. Beneath its bark and shell, it holds a seed highly valued for its sweet and appetizing flavor. While almond is used to make oil, it is also employed in cosmetics and perfumery. Yet it naturally gives off no scent that can be distilled. Here, it is therefore entirely recreated by the perfumer. Almond amplifies the depth of La Dompteuse Encagée and gives it a balsamic and gourmand breath, subtle and floral. It should be noted, however, that in this fragrance, Serge Lutens chose to place it in the background, giving more presence to the frangipani flower.
Frangipani flower, a floral and exotic breath
As you will have understood, the sun-kissed side of this fragrance is undeniable. It is notably linked to the presence of frangipani flower, a plant that brings to mind exotic vacations in Bali, Mauritius or the Antilles. With a simple breath, the frangipani flower plunges us into a distant, paradisiacal elsewhere. Here, it glides over the body like a ray of sunshine. This raw material gives La Dompteuse Encagée a very optimistic radiance.
The divine dimension of frangipani flower
Finally, it should be noted that frangipani flower also carries a very universal significance. Regardless of culture, it is adored and always highly appreciated. Thanks to this ingredient, La Dompteuse Encagée has an aura that is more easily accessible than most of Serge Lutens's other fragrances. In Asia, the frangipani tree is considered the tree of eternal life. In Polynesia, it is said to maintain a special bond with spirits. In India, the frangipani flower is also called the temple flower. Indeed, it is present in very large numbers alongside temples and serves as an offering to deities. Sacred in India, it only amplifies the almost divine side of this fragrance. With frangipani flower, La Dompteuse Encagée trades its dark message for a brighter future. The result is a generous floral bouquet, deliciously sweet and intoxicating.