L'Interdit Rouge Ultime Eau de Parfum

The sourcing is spelled out on Givenchy L'Interdit Rouge Ultime Eau de Parfum, and that is unusual enough at designer level to be worth paying attention to.

Tunisian orange blossom and Tunisian neroli open it, two materials from the same tree doing different jobs, the blossom rich and honeyed, the neroli greener and sharper and far more bitter. Sambac jasmine joins them, the heavier of the jasmines, thick and almost fruity. Indian tuberose then takes the middle and gives the scent its body, creamy and fleshy and a little waxy, while cocoa bean sits behind it, dry and bitter rather than chocolatey, which is a clever trick on a white floral. The base is the serious part. Indonesian patchouli brings damp earth, tobacco a sweet cured leaf, Haitian vetiver a cool rooty bitterness, and ambroxan that smooth mineral hum that makes modern perfumery feel polished.

Nine materials, properly built, and it develops over several hours rather than announcing everything at once. Expect nine or ten hours of wear with a first hour that carries across a room and a long close finish afterwards.

Against the rest of the family this is the richest and most grown up reading of L'Interdit. The original is lighter, Rouge is hotter and spicier, and Ultime is deeper and darker than either, with the cocoa and tobacco pulling it towards evening.

Cold months, dinners, and anyone who thinks most designer florals are too thin. It is sold to women. Dominique Ropion, Anne Flipo and Fanny Bal composed it, released in 2023. The Paris house behind it dates from 1952 and the couturier whose name it carries, and it has belonged to LVMH for some time, with the perfumery kept separate from the couture.