Mr. Lutens, you are bringing out L’Eau froide, your second Eau. How does its differ from your first L'Eau.
The name is shockingly simple. No doubt, that was your intention.
SL: I’d say it’s crystal clear.
You prefer not to talk about the raw materials that go into your fragrances. But the inclusion of frakincense struck me as being at once self-evident and astonishing… even extraordinary, in the primary sense of the word. Would you mind talking about it?
SL: Of all the raw materials available, only the frankincense from Somalia – and no other provenance – yields this impression of cold. Harvested from the Boswellia sacra, a tree that grows mainly in pre-desert areas, frankincense comes from that, when it dries, looks like small pebbles of sanded glass. These “tears of glass” exude naturally from an incision in the tree trunk. This resin is necessary to the survival of the species, considering that rain falls locally only once or twice a year. It keeps the Boswellia sacra tree – a plant that seems almost mineral – alive, in spite of the relentless rays of the sun. It is singular yet logical that this sap is used to make a fragrance determined to keep its icy cool.
So is this fragrance going to give an evil twist to the concept – or erroneous preconception – of frankincense?
SL: After the initial shock of cold, which awakens the skin, L’Eau froide proceeds to combine with the air and wrap around the wearer, like a flowing robe that protects the body from impurity, this is a little known fact. People remember the pyrogenic aspect of censers giving off swirls of smoke.
But the only sensation of cold associated with frankincense is the coolness of the inner recesses of an old church.
The box has new graphics…
SL: It’s about verticality. A single line, like a spine, holds up the name. The design uses blue, the perfect colour for cold.
Will the public go along with it? How about your loyal following? Aren’t you rocking the boat … again?
SL: I can let anyone and everyone down – including myself, perhaps most of all – but I have to go where my creative spirit takes me.
For most people, purity is an ideal characteristic of water. What do you think?
When a drop of rain leaves the clouds and falls from the heavens, it encounters nothing but a linear fall.
Only by making its way through soil and rock to the water table does it earn its purity. In other words, water only deserves to be called «pure» if it has experienced impurity. This takes lucidity. Have I made myself clear?
For your Eaux, are you planning a “collection” or “family” like for your perfumes? If so, how will you differentiate them from the current market offering?
SL: My orphans are not looking for a family and even less interested in being part of a collection. The idea of alignment goes counter to their quest for new creative possibilities. They are in no way companion or parallel products, but take their own oblique path… and blaze a new trail.
Disclaimer: Questions and Answers provided by Serge Lutens
Launch planned on February 1st at the Palais Royal – Serge Lutens and also on the online shop www.sergelutens.com, and on March 1st for the official & international launch (50 ml – 69€ / 100ml – 100€). The 50-ml. eau de parfum bottle will retail for $105, and the 100-ml. edp version is to be $150.
–Michelyn Camen, Editor in Chief