Ô de Lancôme

The house first describes a cascade of fresh, luminous notes: bursts of bergamot, lemon, and mandarin, wrapped in jasmine and honeysuckle. These notes, as if propelled by thousands of drops of water, give way to the aromatic accords of basil, rosemary, and coriander.

The base pairs oakmoss with noble woods, sandalwood and vetiver, for a finish the house wants to be sensual and deep. It classifies Ô de Lancôme among floral citrus fragrances, while critics see a chypre in it.

A green chypre, according to critics

In 2005, Robin found a very sharp citrus opening, so diffusive that she suspected a touch of aldehydes. It settles into a green, leafy citrus, aromatic and laden with oakmoss, which grows darker and woodier as it dries down.

Nicoleta Tomsa, on ÇaFleureBon, described in 2020 a bright citrus trio, a grove of jasmine and honeysuckle, soapy and minty aromatic herbs, and, at the bottom, a dark forest of oakmoss and vetiver.

What stays out

Hedione, carnation, patchouli, or petitgrain, sometimes associated with the perfume, appear in no description from the house. They remain outside the composition, which sticks to the eleven materials Lancôme declares.

What the label declares

The label declares linalool, geraniol, eugenol, isoeugenol, alpha-isomethyl ionone, coumarin, cinnamyl alcohol, farnesol, limonene, hydroxycitronellal, citral, citronellol, hexyl cinnamal, benzyl alcohol, benzyl benzoate, and benzyl salicylate.

Two filters protect the formula from light, and three colorants, one red, one yellow, and one green, create the water-green tint of the liquid.