Note Pyramid
Hyacinth
Tulip
Daffodil
Carat
There are floral fragrances, and then there is Cartier Carat Eau de Parfum 50ml, which puts seven flowers in the middle and treats the effect of light through a cut stone as the brief.
Pear and bergamot open it briefly, the pear juicy and slightly green rather than sugared, the bergamot bitter and clean, and the two of them are over quickly because the heart is where everything happens.
That heart is genuinely crowded. Hyacinth brings a cold, green, waxy sharpness, tulip a strange watery blandness that acts as space between the others, daffodil something hay like and faintly rubbery, and lily a powdery pepperiness. Honeysuckle adds nectar and a hint of plastic sweetness, violet contributes its cool, sweet, slightly dusty powder, and ylang ylang thickens everything with cream. No single flower wins, which is the intention: the result is a shifting bouquet rather than a portrait. Mimosa and white musk finish it. Mimosa is honeyed and powdery with a green edge, white musk is clean and soft, and together they let the whole thing fade out rather than resolve into anything heavy. Mathilde Laurent, the house perfumer, composed it and it launched in 2018. It is moderate in projection and medium in length, and it is best in spring and summer and in daylight. It is aimed at women and it is unusually easy to wear for something with this much going on.
Cartier is a French jeweller and watchmaker that opened in Paris in 1847 and its first sales salon in 1853, and it is today part of Richemont in Switzerland. Fragrance arrived relatively late, in 1981, with Must de Cartier, and the house makes its own rather than licensing the work out. Laurent was appointed its first dedicated in house perfumer in 2005 and her compositions include Les Heures de Parfum and La Panthère of 2014, named for the panther motif.
Please note: images are a guide only. Packaging and bottle design may occasionally differ from those shown due to manufacturer updates or promotions.
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