Serge Lutens is a Paris-based niche perfume line with an extraordinarily devoted cult following.
The man behind the brand, Serge Lutens, was born in Lille in 1942. In the early 1960s, he went to Paris and started working as a makeup artist and creative stylist; in the late 1960s he was responsible for establishing the cosmetics line for Christian Dior. He became the creative director at Shiseido in 1980, and released his first perfume for Shiseido in 1981: the now legendary Nombre Noir.
The Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido, described by Lutens as “more of a refined salon for perfumes than a boutique”, opened in Paris in 1992, shortly after the release of Shiseido Féminité du Bois.1 Subsequent releases appear under the name Serge Lutens instead of Shiseido. In the late 1990s, Lutens stopped working on makeup entirely in order to devote his time to perfumery, although in 2005 he launched a color cosmetics line under his own name.
In 2007, Serge Lutens was named Commandeur dans l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture.
Reviews for older Serge Lutens fragrances include Iris Silver Mist (1994), Un Lys (1997), Rahat Loukoum (1998), Muscs Koublai Khan (1998), Tubereuse Criminelle (1999), Douce Amere (2000), Sa Majeste la Rose (2000), A La Nuit (2000), Datura Noir (2001), Santal de Mysore (2001), Santal Blanc (2001), Chêne (2004), Fleurs de Citronnier (2004), Daim Blond (2004).
The Export vs Exclusive lines
There are two ranges: the export line and the exclusive line. Some fragrances are available in both lines.
Fragrances in the export line come in 50 ml rectangular bottles with optional spray pump. They can be purchased all over the world (see Where to Buy, below).
Fragrances in the exclusive line come in a 75 ml bell jar bottle, which you can only buy in the Paris boutique OR which the Paris boutique will ship to you if you live in Europe. If you live in the United States and you want an exclusive scent, your choices are pretty much eBay, or find a nice friend in Europe to order it for you. The website Serge Lutens ~ Nearly All The Facts explains the intricacies of getting your hands on the fragrance you want, and also lists notes for all the scents.
Also note that fragrances from the exclusive collection are sometimes added to the export line for a limited time. For some years, there was one such release a year; recent limited releases were Un Lys (2004), Chergui (2005), Fumerie Turque (2006), Chene (2007), Borneo 1834 (2008), Muscs Koublai Khan (2009). By 2008/2009, however, it was possible to find a number of limited edition fragrances in export bottles.
The quickest way to see what is in both lines is to go to the Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido. All of the fragrances listed under “Spray bottles” are available in the export line; all of the fragrances listed under “Exclusive bottles” are in the exclusive line.
Recent fragrance releases from Serge Lutens
Recent releases include Borneo 1834 (2005), Cedre (2005), Miel de Bois (2005), Gris Clair (2006), Chypre Rouge (2006), Mandarine Mandarin (2006), Rousse (2007), Louve (2007), Sarrasins (2007), Five O’Clock Au Gingembre (2008), El Attarine (2008), Serge Noire (2008), Nuit de Cellophane (2009) Fourreau Noir (2009), Fille en Aiguilles (2009), L’Eau Serge Lutens (2010), Bas de Soie & Boxeuses (2010).
Where to buy
The export line can be purchased in the United States at Aedes, Apothia, Beautyhabit, Luckyscent or at Barneys, Bergdorf Goodman, selected Neiman Marcus stores.
In Canada, try The Perfume Shoppe. In the UK, try Les Senteurs.
Website
Serge Lutens or Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido
Further reading
See all articles on Now Smell This tagged Serge Lutens.
See the interior of the Salons du Palais Royal in this video.
1. In 2009, Shiseido Féminité du Bois was relaunched as Serge Lutens Féminité du Bois.
