If you love jasmine but find that fragrances like Serge Lutens A La Nuit or yesterday’s Jasmin by Bruno Acampora are a bit more jasmine than you bargained for (especially in the full heat of summer), there are plenty of lighter options. My own perfect summer jasmine is L’Artisan’s lovely if ephemeral Thé Pour Un Été, and then there is Annick Goutal’s fizzy Le Jasmin, or the sparkling and green Jasmin Vert by Miller Harris. For just a whisper of scent, there is the very soft Jasmin by Les Bains du Marais.
Another summery option is Le Jasmin by Chantecaille, developed by perfumer Frank Voelkl and launched in 2003. The notes include mimosa, magnolia, jasmine, tuberose, ylang ylang, amber and oakmoss.
Le Jasmin’s opening is watery-fresh and I’ll admit that I do not like it nearly so well as what follows. It is also green, and while much of the watery part fades as the fragrance develops on skin, the green remains. The early stages are otherwise floral notes, rather indistinct although I do catch a bit of mimosa, and the jasmine itself is slow to take prominence. Once it does, it is for the most part light and airy, and the woody base is likewise summery and mild, with just enough warmth to ground the sweetness of the florals.
Chantecaille prides itself on using real floral essences (reportedly, 36,000 jasmine flowers go into each ounce of Le Jasmin), and Le Jasmin, while not wildly innovative, is an appealingly pretty rendition of jasmine, with a graceful, rather feminine air. It is clean enough to please those who find heavy concentrations of jasmine hard to wear, but not so clean as to disappoint jasmine fans.
Chantecaille Le Jasmin is $85 for 50 ml, $135 for 100 ml Eau de Parfum. I find the lasting power to be somewhat closer to what you’d expect from an Eau de Toilette. For buying information, see the listing for Chantecaille under Perfume Houses.
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Sounds lovely, but am afraid of the watery part. At the danger of sounding extremely jaded, does $135 for 100ml not seem too little for a perfume using real floral essences?
This what I came too. I see $135 for 100ml and I think, oh, a bargain!
Oops, there is also a 50 ml, just added that. $85, which I like much better than $135, and yes, we are all becoming too jaded about prices! It is more expensive than the Annick Goutal.
The Chantecailles are just ridiculously expensive here in the UK – about twice what you pay in the US. It's a nice jasmine, this one, but not at that price.
Oh my — I would say they are already on the upper edge of what they're worth. Double the US price would be out of the question, esp. when they are not so terribly unusual.
These guys from Chantecaille are unbelievable. On thier own website they have all fragrances “out of stock”. So why having a business then?
I’ve been wondering for a couple years if they’re having financial trouble or something? It took them forever just to get a working website.
I’m thinking of buying the newer one inspired by Borneo. I want a Neimans here in Tucson but nooooo. I have to blind buy and from what you’ve said in other reviews if you like it I know I will. So far I Profumi, Diptyque, and Serge Luten’s. Which I wish I didn’t like so much (Serge) because it lasts 5 minutes. On my skin that is, not telling anyone not to buy it but the Citronaire is one of my all time favorites. I’ve just discovered that the creeds I was getting are fakes. I’ve called my bank and filed disputes on every one of the charges and sent them back in a big pile of glass, disgusted. I knew something wasn’t right with them. I wanted Acqua Fiorentino so badly. Even the fake smells good, it’s got that last or bottom note of something different. I know they were fakes. I know it. So as you were. Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving to you too!