Honour to the elders…

It was Jean-Claude Ellena who created the first Eau Parfumée au Thé Vert for Bulgari in 1992 (Eau de Cologne 40 ml, 53.50 € or 75 ml, 77.95 €). Vegetal and citrusy (with bergamot reminiscent of Earl Grey), enhanced with spices (cardamom, green pepper) and tonka bean, it will meet the success we know. Then, still at Bulgari, a whole series of white, red, blue, black (the most intense) tea scented waters will follow… which will launch the fashion for tea scents. Discreet, delicate and highly"portable", by men as by women, the absolute green tea (obtained by distillation) or the green tea accord (recreated by synthesis) give a touch of class with colognes, a chic and subtle aura, very British . Wise and distinguished, not headstrong for a penny, they embody the very expression of"good taste", even if one could reproach them for their lack of personality. Since then, many other perfumers have followed in the footsteps of Jean-Claude Ellena (Roger & Gallet, L'Artisan Parfumeur, Caudalie, L'Occitane, Esteban, Fragonard, The Body Shop…). Often associated with citrus fruits (in addition to the essence of bergamot, orange, lemon, mandarin, grapefruit, yuzu…), mint or jasmine (in the wake of the"divine beverage"), the tea note, this spring, becomes more singular and deep. The turn began last year with L'Ile au Thé by Annick Goutal (eau de toilette 100 ml, 106 €), which combined absolute tea and absolute osmanthus with leather and apricot inflections. The first perfume with carnal tea.

Regional, oriental and opulent teas

If green tea was until now the most used by perfumery for its fresh, green and aromatic facets, it is giving way, this spring, to black, smoky and woody tea, which offers a much more tenacious trail. More creative and personal, the new fragrances celebrate the terroir and the great teas, as in Philtre Ceylan by L'Atelier Cologne in the Oriental Collection (Cologne Absolue 20% concentrated, new white bottle with gold cap, 30 ml, 95 €; 100 ml, 165 €; 200 ml, 240 €), or the Cologne Grand Cru Assam of India by Berdoues (100 ml, 75 €). Two flavors favorites with real hold (extended maceration time) that release all the elegant and enigmatic power of tea.

Another black tea as opulent as it is original: Midnight Black Tea by Jo Malone (Cologne 175 ml, 300 €), a precious Pu-erh tea matured to the most sensual intensity. Oriented by vanilla absolute. Richly amber with labdanum. Smoked with gaiac wood. A frank success to the tenacity of tattoo olfactory! Very logically, the great"priestess" of British perfumery pays tribute to the five o'clock by launching the Rare Teas Collection, six fragrances developed by Serge Majoullier (Mane) to serve Her Majesty tea: Jade Leaf Tea, Darjeeling Tea, Golden Needle Tea, Oolong Tea and Silver Needle Tea.

Each perfume is made with tea leaves picked by hand, which come from different terroirs (Japan, China, India…). They are brewed in a method similar to tea, more or less long depending on the origin: ten hours for the lightest teas, such as white teas, up to 100 hours for smoked black teas.

Floral inflections

Even if they are more classic, green tea fragrances are surrounded by new floral facets, such as Imperial Tea by Kilian (30 ml resourable travel spray, 105 €; 50 ml resourable bottle, 185 €; 50 ml resource, 80 €), an authentic jasmine tea.

"Polite" and delicate, the Cha Ling eau de thé (eau de toilette 100 ml, 65 €), presented in a charming ceramic bottle with a"sanded" touch that evokes the"biscuit", will undoubtedly constitute a very appreciated gift for Mother's Day. Indeed, it is hard not to love this subtly green and floral water (freesia, peony, jasmine, osmanthus), where white and maté tea leaves join the crunchy pear and white cottony musks.

But the prize for freshness goes to Thé Glacé Aqua Parfum by Terry de Gunzburg (100 ml, 132 €, limited edition), which is located between eau de Cologne and eau de parfum. A black tea from Mauritius blended with white flowers, lavender, Provençal verbena and fresh almond.

Ariane Le Febvre