Changes are afoot at French niche house Serge Lutens, in case you didn't get the memo. What was once the "export line", that is, the scents you could buy in the rectangular 50 ml bottles, is soon to be "Collection Noire", in 100 ml for €180.1 Some of the fragrances from the export line have been shuffled into what was once the "exclusive line", that is, the bell jars. The Vapo series, in which "exclusive" fragrances were made widely available in 30 ml travel sizes, is possibly gone. Maybe some scents have been discontinued altogether, maybe they haven't, I've heard both cases stated with authority.2 Reports of the brand's fragrances being significantly reformulated have been around for years now, and that is true of so many brands that perhaps the time has come when you should never replace a bottle of anything without smelling a new tester first.
None of this really matters much to me. I haven't adored a new Serge Lutens scent in years,3 and I have so much perfume that I'll possibly never need to replace any of my old Lutens favorites, plus, many of my favorites are already reportedly not as good as they used to be. So, whatever. I'm not even sure why I went out of my way to get a sample of the new Dent de Lait — I guess wanting to try the latest Serge is just a conditioned reflex by now, although my even stronger anti-luxury reflex has successfully kept me from losing even a second of sleep over the Section d'Or series. I have not tried a single one.
I am not going to do a blow-by-blow review of Dent de Lait, either, and I'll give you the verdict in advance: I hated it. What we know from the brand is that it was inspired by childhood, and reportedly the notes include milk, metallic notes, incense, heliotrope and almond. What it smells like to me is an aldehydic floral, very clean, with nuances of almond, dried milk, and baby powder or baby lotion. There is a touch of plastic baby doll head early on, and a dash of laundry detergent mingling with sweet milk in the later stages. Some reviewers have found it disturbing:
A metallic note, aldehydes, lends a sharpness that seems sudden and violent, like the local anesthesia’s worn off and the dentist’s sharp sickle probe is poking right through. Figuratively, it’s like breathing in the comforting scent of childhood, with a hint of foreboding and unease in the background. — Refinery29
With a scent like blood, teeth, and candy, it’s unlikely that Dent de Lait will become many people’s signature scent, not even for the Tooth Fairy. Unlike other baby-related perfumes, you probably won’t want to spray it everywhere. It’s too bittersweet a fragrance, and too uncomfortable, as it makes you to recall one of the first times you tasted blood. — The Cut
I guess I found it disturbing too, but I found it disturbing in the same sort of way I find most very clean scents disturbing (and baby scents, like Love's Baby Soft, are a subset of the clean category). In fact, the first thing I thought of was that Dent de Lait would fit neatly into the Clean line: Clean Toddler, perhaps? It smells an awful lot like a functional product — I get that same "dentist’s sharp sickle probe" sometimes just walking down the laundry aisle in the supermarket. Still, I found Dent de Lait considerably less disturbing and easier to wear than (shudder) Laine de Verre, and I would guess that if you've enjoyed the Serge Lutens Eau series, or if you like clean fragrances in general, you might like Dent de Lait much better than I did. You might even find it worth the hefty price — to me, the most foreboding element of all is that they're charging €180 for what is essentially a sweet milky musk.
Serge Lutens Dent de Lait is €180 for 100 ml. I think the official launch is in September, but you can buy it now on the Serge Lutens website.
1. The new Collection Noire actually incorporates two series in the export line: old Collection Noire and old Collection Beige. You can see the new 100 ml bottle design if you go to the French Serge Lutens website and look at Dent de Lait. If you want to see the other new Collection Noire bottles, go to Essenza Nobile in Germany, where the new bottles are shown for pre-order with delivery in September — here is a link to Un Bois Vanille.
2. For more information, the long post Major Changes at Serge Lutens at Kafkaesque is the most comprehensive I've seen on the subject.
3. I should note that I have liked a few (La Fille de Berlin comes to mind right away). But unless I'm forgetting something, the last one I really wanted to own was 2008's El Attarine.
Milk plus “metallic notes” conjures an image of Sécrétions Magnifiques, which is horrifying territory to retread. While baby powder actually sounds like an improvement (I’m always a sucker for powdery scents, anyway), I don’t think I’m heartened enough to want to try this anymore. Oh well!
Yes, except here the metallic notes are just some sharp aldehydes in the opening, after that, this seriously could be in the Clean line. Sécrétions Magnifiques could not 😉
The last Serge I bought (for less than $10USD) was L’Eau Froide, which I really like on my DH. The last I bought at full price that I love and wear is Bas de Soie, which I think is now discontinued. I was too scaredy-cat to even try Laine de Verre! Chergui (original version) and Gris Clair will be treasured always, and I am using them only one spray at a time. When I had to evacuate for Hurricane Matthew, my Chergui was in my suitcase! I don’t know anyone who’s really loving the new Serge, but then, I’m not an oligarch, and with these new prices, I’d have to be one to buy them! So I guess all’s well that ends well?
One of the oligarchs is apparently getting a divorce, just saying 😉
Chergui is a fantastic scent. It is not my favorite SL by a long shot, but I totally understand why it could be yours, or someone else’s.
Someone who adores Dent de Lait to the point they’d rescue it in a hurricane evacuation will be harder for me to understand.
It was one of the first niche houses that I explored but it never quite became my favourite house, although I own a few Serges, Sarrasins being the most recent. I do keep on trying them, but more for old time’s sake I suppose, besides they are quite accessible these days in Europe. Mind you, I did love De Profundis and enjoyed Fille de Berlin.
There was certainly a time when I would have considered it to be among my favorite houses, but it’s been a long time now since that’s been true.
All of these newer scents are easier to wear than the old, though, so that part makes sense.
“so, whatever”….Robin I loved that! thanks for the good laugh 🙂
I have never owned a Serge Lutens (they are incredibly inaccessible in my neck of the woods and I just don’t want to blind buy) and from the few I have managed to sample I didn’t feel the need to rush out and buy a bottle..now with all the changes just as well.
I guess I am a little surprised at how sad some people seem to be about all of this. From my perspective, the damage (if it is damage) happened a long time ago.
The turn Serge has taken is a bit disappointing. I haven’t tried a lot of the new stuff, but what I have I haven’t been overly impressed with. I think I’ll be giving Dent de Lait a pass because nothing about it sounds like anything I’d enjoy.
I need to look at the discounters and see about getting the ones I do still want before they’re gone or only available in 100ml.
Yes — it would be nice if there were decent sales on the old packaging!
This is so disappointing. Lutens was one of the brands I read about a lot when I was starting to get into perfume, but it was beyond my means at the time. Now that I’m to the point where I’d be interested in buying a Lutens, everything I read is telling me not to bother. I definitely missed the boat on this line, it seems.
(Also it took me forever to figure out “laine de verre” I was like “glass wool? What is glass wool???” Oh, fiberglass. Makes sense, but it took me AGES to make the connection.)
But ignore everyone (including me) who says don’t bother and at least try a few of them! Then you’ll know.
That quote from the Cut is just such an eye roll. Teeth don’t have a smell!
Without the name, I don’t think anyone will associate it with teeth or with blood, although sharp aldehydes are now rare enough in perfume that some people may find the opening “uncomfortable” or “disturbing”. But that part does not last long anyway.
Goodness, the idea of teeth having a smell is literally one of the worst things I can possibly imagine!
Great review, Robin. I have to say, this perfume sounds plain nasty, and besides, who wants to wear something called “milk teeth”? Ack! Seems to me that Uncle Serge is being seriously self-indulgent with these latest offerings. Nice for his ego to make these perfumes that seem to be reflections of his inner Serge, but too bad for his sales, I should think. Oh well.
I would think good for his sales — these are all much easier to wear than his early scents, I think. Clean things sell, right? If I were an SA in a mall department store, I’d think I’d have an easier time selling Dent de Lait than Tubereuse Criminelle or Muscs Koublai Khan, etc.
Thank you for the review.
I did not like this one at all–it smelled like the postnatal ward at the cyborg hospital. Except a lot less interesting than that sounds.
It is always sad to see something you loved in decline no matter how early the decline started. The current ISM breaks my heart a little.
De Profundis as the last one that I really liked, but I haven’t smelled all of the exclusive ones.
Thank you for “the postnatal ward at the cyborg hospital” — that cracked me up.
I getting much more philosophical / less emotional about seeing old loves reformulated — because really, what choice do I have? It helps that I am avoiding smelling things that I’ve heard have changed for the worst. (Ha, and when was the last time you heard a fragrance had changed for the better?)
I’ll give you 1: Chanel Beige. Vastly improved in EdP (IMHO.)
Well, there you go! But I think 90% of the time it goes the other way.
Kind of a “me, too” reply — sorry. I, too, went through a big SL phase about eight years ago, around the time I discovered NST and LuckyScent and the perfume counter at Barney’s (when traveling). I have purchased FBs of four different (non-exclusive) scents, decants and samples of some others, and…I haven’t been compelled to try anything new from the line in years. With the new packaging and prices, fugeddaboudit. I will continue to enjoy what I have now.
Continuing to enjoy what you have now is a good philosophy for life anyway, right?
It sound horrifying. I hate cold, metallic scents, the note translates to blood and fear to my nose.
I also hated Laine de verre – AND Eau froide. My favorite Serge is still Rahat loukhum and the last one I bought was De profundis.
I found the cold metallic part pretty tame after about 3-4 minutes, but maybe you wouldn’t!
I did not love Froide but I didn’t mind it. Laine de Verre turned my stomach.
I suppose if you wanna be avant garde, then yes, go spend your €180 on this puppy. Some of us are that bougie, God Bless Them! ™
But seriously, I would think that Fresh Cream would satisfy that milky/sweet/clean itch that anyone would have- and for much much less.
A little layer of some sort of almond lotion, plus Fresh Cream + Demeter Baby Head, and a little dab of Fresh Laundry — that would get most of it.
I haven’t smelled it, but I’m going to acknowledge that the concept is…creative. Personally, I never even considered that I might want a fragrance named for baby teeth. And now that we have the option…pretty sure it’s not a category I need to fill. Thanks, though, Uncle Serge!
I’m glad you found the positive way to look at it 🙂
Thank you for the review Robin. Money saved! Not in my plans to even get a sample of DdL when it becomes available. It is not my intention either to look at the discounters for the 50 ml bottles that might be still available. I have full bottles of Feminite du Bois, A la Nuit, Ambre Sultan, Chergui and a large decant of Iris Silver Mist that I have enjoyed for long time. SL is a line that has been dissapointing me over the years. Sad, but there are so many other lines to explore that will give me for sure more satisfaction.
Yes, there sure are — we will not go without good smells!
I guess I’m gonna have to stock up on FdB and A La Muir if they become
exclusive. Haven’t had much interest in SL beyond starting out.
FdB is definitely in the Collection Noire. I am not sure what is happening to A La Nuit.
Yep, I just stocked up on a discounted bottle of FdB after reading all this.
I admit to stocking up on a few favourites in the 50ml bottles when I heard the news, but I do believe I am now done with this line. Dent de Lait is a terrible name and the scent sounds unappealing. I might sniff it on a blotter if I happen to stumble across it, just out of morbid curiosity.
Might as well try it! You never know.
First off, I need to get this off my chest. If a Section d’Or L’Incendiaire came up for sale at at least a 66 2/3 discount, I will hand over the $s without batting an eyelash.
Perversely, I am part of the minority who wants to try this, but only because the metallic note is aldehydes and not blood.
I am not sure you can so easily separate the smell of “metal” and “blood” in perfumery (or in life) — they really overlap, because the smell of blood is metallic.
But what you think of when you smell the top notes, I think, is conditioned by the backstory. I don’t think most people would smell this blind and think it was about the taste of blood when you lost your first tooth. And even knowing the back story, I did not think of blood — I thought of smelling bad, overly clean, detergent-y perfumes in Ulta. Your mileage may vary 🙂
I guess the last one I really loved was 2004 Daim Blond. I did like Vitriol d’œillet enough to buy an inexpensive partial bottle.
I tried one or two of the Section d`Or because I thought they sounded more like the old Uncle Serge, but I didn’t find them interesting.
I totally agree, one really must resample before replacing anything, and especially SL. Coincidentally, I was rereading LT’s review of Miss Dior today:
“Miss Dior has been through more reformulations than I’ve had bad sushi, and by now I’ll wager some people out there are nostalgic for a version that only existed between March and November 1992.” 😉
Dior actually announces in the press that they’re reformulating things, as though it’s a bonus for the consumer. I find it very odd.
A heads-up like that seems like good info for buyers. Not only a warning for those who want to stock up before it’s gone, but to serve as a benchmark for people buying vintage, as LT refers to above ;). (I’m a big fan of repackaging for this reason.)
And it beats pretending perfumes are never reformulated, as some houses do.
Sort of, except if you don’t read beauty magazines, you probably miss the news, and don’t understand why your new bottle doesn’t smell like the old bottle.
The house of serge lutens has always been a real headscratcher for me. Very unavailable, in both price and distribution, and all the ‘classics’ seem to be shadows of their past now. Oh well.
The only one I own is a 50ml bottle of arabie, and I wear it mostly around christmas time, it fits that time nicely. Great read Robin!
You own a classic, so yes, be happy with that!
You are right. Serge Lutens isn’t worth all this money…not anymore.
They used to be such a bargain! I remember the days when I would evaluate new niche lines by whether they cost more or less than an $80 export bottle, and frequently decided not to bother with them because they cost more and weren’t as good.
Wow, that name is really not appealing – baby teeth? I have been so disappointed in SL of late, starting with the Eaus and going rapidly downhill from there. I couldn’t scrub off Laine de verre fast enough. This makes me a bit sad, SL was one of the first houses that got me hooked on fragrance. I still cherish my bottle of Daim blonde – one of my very first niche purchases.
Laine de Verre upsets me just to think about it, it was so horrific.
Daim Blond is lovely.
That metallic note ruined Jeaux de Peau for me, too sharp a knife in all that butter. It showed up in Bas de Soie, too. I didn’t mind it so much in La Fille de Berlin, but the combination of metal and milk in Dent de Lait does not sound like something I’d enjoy.
Well, I sure didn’t 😉
Thanks for the review Robin!
If I bump into it somewhere I might try it, just so I know what this is all about and how SL started this new era.
But chances are I’d rather sniff something else (because almond and baby powder are on my list of least favourite notes/smells). 🙂
Might as well give it a shot, but sounds like it will not be your favorite either.
Thanks for taking one for the team! I’m curious to try it when I come across it just for science and to compare it to other scents, and then to talk about how underwhelmed or horrified I am, lol. It sounds somewhat like the L’Artisan Amour Nocturne which is metal and milky caramel but it sounds like the L’AP is more interesting, maybe. The only SLs I’ve owned I ended up swapping, and the ones I’d love to own and keep are bell jars and I’m contenting myself with decants for now (Sarrasins and ISM).
I liked Amour Nocturne. Didn’t love it, and sure didn’t think it was worth the money, but yes, more interesting than this to me.
What a shame. Don’t they want to sell and see success with their scents? Bizarre leadership.
Oh, I have a feeling they really do want to sell and see success with their scents…hence the reconfiguration of the line, probably for markets outside Europe and North America. My guess for this one, as described, is that it’s meant to be just oddball enough to appeal to someone who wants to be offbeat but isn’t very sophisticated about perfume. I’m guessing there’s probably a decent-sized market for that.
Absolutely. Said this to Waterdragon above too.
Yeah, guess I’ll pile on the bandwagon. I too sampled a fair number of SL scents in the late 2000s, when I was starting out. I own FBs of Iris Silver Mist (which I talked friends visiting Paris into buying and carrying home for me) and Bois de Violette (which is one of my go-tos when I need a comfortable scent that won’t bother anyone…which sounds like fainter praise than it is). I thought Fille de Berlin was decent, but didn’t go out of my way to buy it. Otherwise, I’ve stopped sampling or even keeping track of their releases anymore…too many, none that sound appealing. Good to have reinforced that there’s another expensive perfume house I don’t have to bother with. Not sure I’m their target market with this reconfiguration, anyway.
I don’t know who their target market is now, but yeah, not me either.
All signs were pointing to more houses recognizing the market for smaller bottles and rollerballs. Moving from 50 ml to 100 ml as the smallest bottle is going in the wrong direction (although there’s the obvious link between gigantabottles and luxury pricing.)
I find myself otherwise unmoved by the news regarding the line and the new fragrance, not being an SL fangirl. Maybe because I dropped into the rabbit hole too late – after too many reformulations – none of the SLs I have tried have inspired passion or purchases.
Yes — not sure exactly what the calculus is on the larger sizes, but it might be to preserve the brand’s luxury status.