Exclusive Fragrances from Guerlain: Guerlain L’Art et la Matiere

Guerlain’s L’Art et la Matiere introduced a trio of fragrances in 2005 featuring three perfumers who were invited to design their own fragrances for Guerlain. These perfumes were created to coincide with the grand opening of the Guerlain house in Champs Elysees. According to the fragrance house, “This act of true creation is a hymn to precious and rare raw materials, and differs by its originality.”

Angelique Noire was created by Daniela Andrier. The notes are angelica seeds, pink berries, pear, jasmine, sambac, caraway, vanilla, angelica roots and cedar. This starts off as slightly bittersweet accompanied by faint green undertones, perhaps arising from the angelica accords. The scent develops into something sweet; trails of fruits and vanilla linger while the green notes are vaguely present. Angelique Noire has a subtle presence in the base notes. This fragrance is expertly blended.

Rose Barbare, as the name implies, centers on one of Guerlain’s favorite ingredients, the rose. The nose behind this fragrance is Francis Kurkdjian. This perfume is described as “an opposition to stereotypes, in a way that would be unexpected, untamable and contemporary… vibrant, floral heady”; hence, the name Rose Barbare which literally translates to Bar barian Rose. This fragrance is composed of aldehydes, rose essence, rose absolu, fenygreek, peach honey, patchouli and notes of undergrowth. The fragrance description doesn’t really sit well with the impressive olfactory statement at first whiff. The rose component is airy and smoky; it is pronounced but not heady or obtrusive. This fragrance has no excesses. You’ll be surprised how Guerlain creatively blended roses with other notes to come up with a versatile fragrance.

Cuir Beluga was designed by Olivier Polge and the main accord of this fragrance centers on leather, another Guerlain favorite raw material. With this fragrance, Guerlain wants to evoke luxury and femininity without the animalistic notes of leather. Cuir Beluga has a unique vintage character; amber, vanilla and aldehydes are the most pronounced notes. The leather factor is quite soft and the base is somehow reminiscent of Shalimar’s.

Guerlain also launched new fragrances in the L’art et la Matiere collection. The more recent additions to the series are: Cruel Gardenia, Iris Ganache, Bois d’Armenie.

Learn more about Guerlain’s exclusive fragrances at discount perfume online store, scentiments.com.