Eaux, Why Not: Clarins and Chanel

Portia’s post last week on Aromatics Elixir got me thinking about the Clarins eaux (because … Clinique and Clarins are two-syllable words beginning with c?) and I had a vague recollection there was a newish one that came out during the Plague and which I hadn’t tried.

I had a purchase to make at our dying mall with the sad Dillards, an old, cluttered space that always smells faintly of mildew, with few SAs and even fewer customers, but hey it’s got air conditioning and it represents a tenuous link to civilization, so off I went for a browse.

Back in the day I had a couple of friends who wore Clarins Eau Dynamisante as their signature scent.  I loved it on them, but it never seemed right on me. Clarins has released several eaux at this point, including the newest one from 2022, Eau Extraordinaire, that I’d missed. That’s the one I wanted to try – patchouli and ginger? Sign me up – but they didn’t have it (oh, sad Dillards, how you disappoint) so I spritzed the original and then tried Eau des Jardins.

Here’s their general blurbage about the eaux: “Mood-boosting treatment fragrance that hydrates, invigorates, and perfumes skin with aromatic essential oils … combines the aroma and skincare benefits of concentrated plant extracts to hydrate, invigorate, and perfume skin … revives inner strength and vitality … gentle, non-photosensitizing formula is suitable for all skin types…”  So, marketing-wise they fall between fragrance and skincare. Strength-wise, they fall between, say, cologne and a “regular” fragrance.

Eau Dynamisante was launched in 1987 (lemon, coriander, caraway, orange, petitgrain, rosemary, carnation, cardamom, thyme, patchouli.) It is sharp and herbaceous, and I can’t really think of anything similar. I was surprised by how much I liked it after all these years; maybe, like capers and arugula, I’ve acquired a taste for it. In its time it felt (to me, anyway) like a fragrance for people who “didn’t wear perfume,” but it’s got that 1980s heft to it, and yet it’s absolutely delightful in the heat. I may need a bottle.

Eau Ensoleillante was launched in 2007 and is apparently discontinued, which is too bad, because I remember it as a sunny citrus floral and I liked it very much. Notes are Sicilian mandarin, bergamot, grapefruit, chamomile, ylang-ylang, mimosa, carnation, linden blossom, tonka bean, patchouli, osmanthus.

Eau des Jardins was launched in 2010 (orange, grapefruit, cassis, bergamot, lemon, mint, rose, bay leaf, Virginia Cedar, musk, vetiver, patchouli.)  I tried it at Dillards and I … did not love it, despite the fact that the esteemed Sophie Labbe was the nose. It goes wrong on me in that ripe, watery way of some of the Hermes Jardins, so if you like those… it wasn’t a scrubber, though, and its lasting power was quite good.

I think they’re $65 retail for 100ml ($87 for a whopping 6.7oz!) and even less if you poke around online; in addition to the new Extraordinaire, there’s another one I haven’t tried. They have shower gels and other products as well.

Then, briefly: off to the Chanel counter to sniff the new No. 5  L’Eau in that little pebble bottle that’s been all over your Instagram feed. It is cute, although decidedly less enthralling in real life. I had a heck of a time getting the cap off, not sure why, maybe a design choice because it rests on its side? The nose behind this fragrance is Olivier Polge (notes are lime, aldehydes, orange, mandarin, bergamot, neroli, lemon, rose, ylang-ylang, jasmine, cedar, musk, orris, vanilla). To me, it smells (from memory) like their 2016 version in the regular bottle (also by Polge) and the notes listed are veeery similar, although it’s allegedly different. Anyhow, like the 2016, the aldehydes are dialed way down for “modern” sensibilities, and it has whatever that Chanel voodoo is that tends to make even their lightest flankers smell like quality.  It’s a citrus floral woods cologne, but one that manages to hang around on your arm all day vs. a couple of hours.

I think this would be a great gift for someone (friend? Teenager?) who wanted to dip their toe into fragrance and wanted something “fancy” yet unobtrusive. But I’d get the classic Chanel bottle which is absolutely stunning, not this gimmicky thing – it’s not like it’s some cheaper travel/purse size, either, which might make sense.

Did/do you wear any of the Clarins eaux? Have you tried the Chanel?

images from the brands’ websites