Etienne de Swadt (l.) and Antoine Lie (r.)

When I first moved to the New York City area one of my first stops on my first visit into the city was a tiny Greenwich Village bar called The Peculier Pub. Back in 1984 the access to imported beer was minimal and The Peculier Pub had a menu which boasted hundreds of choices. Right in the middle of the menu surrounded by a box was this: “EKU 28, the world’s strongest beer”. There it was, a challenge laid bare; if you loved beer didn’t you have to try EKU 28? Of course I ordered one and the waitress told me it tastes awful. Of course I didn’t listen. Of course she was right. When I took a gulp it was hard to get this thick heavily alcoholic beer down my throat I wanted to spit it back into my glass but my ego wouldn’t let me. Over many subsequent visits to The Peculier Pub I would watch this scenario play out many times over and over as each new patron had to try “the world’s strongest beer” even if it tasted like crap. Then a funny thing happened I started drinking heavier beers and learned that there was a savory side to beer. A few years ago I had the chance to try EKU 28 again and was less interested in the potency and more interested in the other flavors on my tongue, it was much more enjoyable. The perfume world has the same story for almost every perfumista who gets into niche perfumery with Etat Libre D’Orange Secretions Magnifiques.

Etienne de Swardt the creative director of Etat Libre D’Orange along with perfumer Antoine Lie wanted to make their first release something only few would like. They endeavored to make a perfume that was a challenge for the wearer. The idea was to make the experience cause the wearer to dig down deep and really understand what their idea of perfume was, nice smelling frippery or art that is unafraid to unsettle the wearer. Secretions Magnifiques would be an ode to bodily fluids not the least of which would be the fluid spraying from the fleshy atomizer on the label. Along with sperm, M. Lie wanted to include blood, adrenaline, mother’s milk, sweat; even vomit. The ability to capture all of this in fragrant form was realized when Secretions Magnifiques was released in 2006. Since that day it has regularly been named as “the worst smelling perfume ever” and if the quality of a perfume is for it to smell good then Secretions Magnifiques fails at that level. If, like me, you believe such a thing as olfactory art exists then Secretions Magnifiques is a masterpiece of confrontational modern art that does exactly what it set out to do.

Feeding by Vincent Castiglia (2006)

[Painted with the artist’s blood]

M. Lie carries you through all of the fluids of life. From the beginning you are challenged with a mix of iodine and aldehydes which are made even more intense by a dollop of seaweed which has been beached at low tide. This focuses on the salty nature at the base of many bodily fluids and it allows each of them to come to life from this opening. The aldehydes combine with the ozonic accords to add an edgy chill down your spine which represents adrenaline. The metallic accord which conjures blood smells of fresh copper, The milk accord smells as if it is just on the verge of turning. The smell of stale sperm is almost a relief. As this evolves these accords combine to smell like you have regurgitated them whole along with the sour bile in your stomach. Finally in the end M. Lie allows the wearer to relax as powdery iris and sandalwood bring you back to more familiar fragrant footing and allow for reflection of what you believe you just experienced.

Secretions Magnifiques has all-day longevity and above average sillage.

Piss Christ by Andres Serrano (1987)

This is not something to wear to the office. In the same way you wouldn’t hang a photo of Andres Serrano’s Piss Christ on your cubicle. Secretions Magnifiques is something to wear to allow yourself to come to conclusions upon what you think perfumery and/or olfactory art should be to you. For myself, just like EKU 28, the first time I tried Secretions Magnifiques on a patch of skin, when being introduced to the Etat Libre D’Orange line, I was revolted and couldn’t wait to get it off my skin with a cosmetic wipe. As I have worn Secretions Magnifiques more and more over the years I realize how absolutely perfect it is as a composition. Its influence has unleashed many fragrances which have been unafraid to try and re-create unpleasant smells at the core of their architecture. There are very few perfumes which have ever achieved the purity of vision that Secretions Magnifiques has. I have come to love this purity and no longer think of it as “the worst smelling perfume ever” instead it stands as one of the most singular artistic statements in all of olfactory art.

Disclosure: This review was based on a bottle which I purchased.

–Mark Behnke, Managing Editor

Editor's Note: It was not my intention to offend wiith the inclusion of the Andres Serrano photograph in the review. It was my intention to show how over time something deemed incredibly offensive loses that initial passioned response and allows for less emotional discourse to take place on whether it is art, or not. My apologies to anyone of faith offended by its inclusion. No apologies if you think it's just bad art and are offended. MB