Libre, the feminine fragrance by YSL. Yves Saint-Laurent is one of the greatest French couturiers, who shone throughout his career for his audacity and avant-garde spirit. A free man above all, he became famous while leaving behind a good number of scandals.
Yves Saint Laurent currently presents its brand new perfume: Libre. Possessing a masculine structure in essence, and an ultra feminine heart, this fragrance plays on the blending of genders, stopping just short of crossing the line into a unisex perfume. Presented in a very couture bottle, Libre resounds like a cry of freedom. A freedom to live everything terribly intensely, for a strong and daring woman. A burning freedom. Without compromise. Without limits. So, how did Yves Saint-Laurent orchestrate this choice on an olfactory level? Through which ingredients does the traditionally masculine lavender take on more floral and sensual appearances here? Focus on the composition of this perfume…
Lavender, the main ingredient of the Libre perfume by Yves Saint-Laurent
Lavender is a typically Mediterranean ingredient, cultivated in the Provençal garrigue since the 19th century. As a result, it is also one of the most widely used raw materials in perfumery, since it is a plant that surrounds the region of Grasse, the world capital of perfumery. Its first major appearance in a perfume dates back to 1892, with the release of Fougère Royale by Houbigant. It is, in fact, this essence that gave its name to the fougère olfactory family, to which the new Libre perfume belongs. However, what makes this choice quite surprising is simply that lavender is usually intended for men. Its aromatic freshness is somewhat reminiscent of the Eau de Cologne of the past, while adding extra tenacity. Here, this raw material gives Libre by Yves Saint-Laurent all its originality.
The fruity and floral breath of Libre reinforcing its femininity
To counterbalance the very masculine spirit of lavender, Libre needed other, brighter and resolutely feminine ingredients. Thanks to a highly concentrated infusion of Moroccan orange blossom, Yves Saint-Laurent met the bold challenge of shaking up the traditional genders of perfumery. Petitgrain, for its part, also greatly contributes to illuminating this perfume. To reinforce the femininity of its heart, Libre also contains jasmine, one of the most used flowers in feminine perfumery, alongside rose. Fruity flavors also make an appearance, refreshing this fragrance and giving it all its energy. Mandarin and blackcurrant make the mouth water from the top notes onward.
The sensual and woody base of Libre by Yves Saint-Laurent
Gradually, this fresh and floral brightness becomes more enveloping and tender. Madagascar vanilla warms this composition while making it more suave. Ambergris and musk give it all its sensuality, drawing on a more animalic and seductive contribution. Cedar, for its part, brings the whole a more woody structure and deep tenacity.
Libre by Yves Saint-Laurent owes its existence to perfumers Anne Flipo and Carlos Benaïm. For Anne Flipo, it symbolizes the tension between the burning sensuality of Moroccan orange blossom and the audacity of a French lavender revisited for women.