FRAGRANCE | Écrin de Fumée EDP by Serge Lutens: A disadvantaged beauty

halfwhiteboy - Serge Lutens Ecrin de Fumee EDP 01

Brought this out since we’ve been experiencing intermittent rains. Because of the word “fumée,” I was expecting something really smoky from Serge Lutens Écrin de Fumée. Well, simply put, I don’t get much smoke. It’s far from the deep and delicious smokiness of Clive Christian E Gourmande Oriental, let alone the photorealistic campfire vibe of Atelier des Ors Bois Sikar. But what is the scent then?

Écrin de Fumée is characterized by a sweet, boozy tobacco, with a hint of bitter cocoa underneath. The sweetness is not fruity, nor is it vanillic, caramel-like, or resinous but rather, it’s syrupy. It carries some thickness to it but thankfully not too much. The sweetness provides an overarching layer to the scent that tempers any untoward sharpness. Compared to Maison Margiela Replica Jazz Club—which can be too loud and sharp—Écrin appears more balanced and rounded. However, it borders on being a little too sweet, especially when it’s hot and humid.

halfwhiteboy - Serge Lutens Ecrin de Fumee EDP 02

Rum is also prevalent but in a cocktail-like manner, where it’s mixed with syrup and chocolate. The cocoa retains its inherent bitter character despite the sweetness, perhaps also due to the tobacco’s influence. The tobacco’s essence is of dried tobacco leaves in nature, which lends the scent a bit of smokiness. As mentioned, however, there isn’t much smoke to begin with and its strength (or lack thereof) is akin to that in Tom Ford Cherry Smoke, way subtler than the name would have you believe.

The scent is practically linear, except that the booze mellows, then evaporates, over time. The fragrance then graduates to a sweetened tobacco—not exactly the same but in a similar vein as Slumberhouse Mond or Penhaligon’s Roaring Radcliff—only with a more pronounced chocolate. Projection is moderate for an hour or two but weakens considerably thereafter, so resprays are more than necessary. Its scent profile appears more suited to colder temperatures but the irony is that it often needs a little push from heat.

All said, Serge Lutens Écrin de Fumée is a beautiful fragrance on its own; not the most complex but beautiful nonetheless. However, with how vast the ocean of fragrances in the market is, it has little to offer in terms of uniqueness, a disadvantage compounded only by its dismal performance. Still, it’s worth a sniff.

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