Clair de Musc Eau de Parfum

Clair de Musc, Serge Lutens’s subtle olfactory revisit

When Clair de Musc becomes purity

Originally, musk is a raw material of animal origin. It comes from the secretion of a gland of the musk deer, an animal living in Asia, Siberia or the Himalayas. However, its hunting is now strictly forbidden, and musk is therefore a reconstituted raw material in perfumery. Its odor is rather strong, animalic, woody and very sensual. It is a particularly warm ingredient that often signs the base notes of fragrances. For centuries, it has been considered one of the most aphrodisiac and erotic ingredients in the entire world of perfumery. Yet here it is worked very differently. After all, this is a Serge Lutens fragrance, and he does nothing like everyone else! This is precisely where his signature lies. Musk here displays an uncommon luminosity and purity. It appears particularly soft and becomes almost crystal-like. Serge Lutens then says of it that it is more than ever light. It promises a caress, he says. Advancing with moonlit steps, musk here forgets the beast to keep only its allure.

The unique scent of Serge Lutens’s musk

Once again, the least one can say of this fragrance is that it resembles no other. Clair de Musc opens with an aldehydic, soapy start. It appears rather vintage. Yet its slightly retro touch suits it perfectly! Its heart, for its part, displays a more carnal sensuality built on white flowers. One can almost recognize the presence of rose and iris accompanied by a creamy sandalwood. Yet, as always, Serge Lutens has taken care to keep his recipe secret. Its base, meanwhile, appears more powdery and cottony. Clair de Musc is a chaste and innocent composition. Serge Lutens enthusiasts will even recognize in it a form of antithesis to the famous Musc Koublaï Khän, which is, by contrast, far more sulfurous and animalic. Clair de Musc is therefore a fragrance “on a thread,” as if perfectly balanced at the edge of sensuality without ever fully tipping into it. Clair de Musc is like a gentle caress that nonetheless suggests no debauchery or lust on the horizon.

Serge Lutens’s Clair de Musc Eau de Parfum

Clair de Musc by Serge Lutens. For centuries, musk has been considered one of the most sensual components of perfumery. Serge Lutens wanted a luminous scent that would keep only the purity and softness of musk.

Clear as crystal, this musk draws its transparency from orange blossom and powders itself with white Tuscan iris. It is a subtle alchemy, inspired by Debussy's Afternoon of a Faun, the expression of a style combining abstraction and lightness.

A musk born of a rock crystal towering over peaks of eternal snow. A purified, filtered extract, secreted by this luminous astral glow. A clear, soft reflection of moonlight, a fragrance in clarity. Serge Lutens

Notes: Musk, Powdery Musk, Bergamot, Neroli Petals, Powdery Tuscan Iris.