Marilyn Monroe as Theda Bara in Cleopatra by Richard Avedon and Sege Lutens La Myrrhe collage by Ermano

Since the days of Julius Caesar and Antony who broke every law of the Roman Empire for Cleopatra, her myth as the quintessential femme fatale of the Nile has endured (check out Lauryn’s fragrant take on this). Wrapped in finely pleated gowns and adorned in jaw dropping jewels, perfumistas can’t help but fantasize that the Egyptian Queen  was  also embalmed in exquisite ointments to preserve her everlasting beauty.

Myrrh tree covered in resin drops via wiki            

It is no wonder so many fragrance lovers from  all over the world went nuts a few weeks ago reading about two University of Hawaii at Mānoa professors recreating a fragrance from a Roman jar found near  Cairo still bearing traces of its precious content. In-depth analysis revealed the main ingredients of what could have been similar to the love potion worn by the sexiest Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt were cardamom, cinnamon, olive oil and above all, myrrh.

Cleopatra Testing Poisons on Condemned Prisoners by Alexandre Cabanel (1887)

Myrrh is one of my favorite resins in all of perfumery for it unfolds with a rich range of sensations from aldehydic coldness to spicy warmth, passing along root beer fruitiness with a pinch of mushroom decay. It rarely takes the stage in perfumery, where its more straightforward relative incense is favored. In 1995, visionary Serge Lutens and Christopher Sheldrake gave us a Modern Masterpiece spotlighting Myrrh with a capital M as the crown jewel of a revived art-deco Cleopatra:  Serge Lutens La Myrrhe.

Serge Lutens in his studio in Marrakesh – photo credits Shiseido

Describing Serge Lutens La Myrrhe with Serge Lutens own words:

“Forgive this fragrance, because it knows not what it does!
You know about myrrh and the Three Kings.
What you don’t know is that, here, myrrh takes on the fragrance of the night.
I make it sparkle and fizz like champagne, sustained by a base note of mandarin orange”

Cleopatra by Joseph Christian Leyendecker (1920s

Serge Lutens La Myrrhe starts off with nose-tickling aldehydes, fizzy and fatty as they used to be in the 1920s to blur the aloof metallic topnote of natural myrrh resinoid. This dry champagne radiance halfway between white wax and hairspray is brilliantly paired to the minty greenness of cardamom giving a balsamic illusion of lilac and soapy rose. That’s a familiar Belphegor floating through the hierarchic Egyptian Antiquities in musky sandalwood velvet ropes who instantly bears in my mind the mineral iridescence of vintage Chanel No. 5 eau de cologne, less floral and muskier than the pure perfume. Of course the unmistakable early Serge Lutens signature is there, taming the exuberance of the resin and making it easier to wear thanks to the delightful middle-eastern confectionery that marks other creations like Douce Amère: honey-dipped bitter almonds, ouzo, dried fruits and candied mandarin peel boosting here the edible mellowness of myrrh, dusted  in medicinal cinnamon.

Nevertheless,  Serge Lutens La Myrrhe with its somber smoked swirls feels like the ultimate embodiment of that Tutmania craze the of the 1920s, a mix of art deco modernism and Egyptian archaeology that influenced the arts, perfumery included right after Carter discovered Tutankhamun’s Tomb. Could you imagine a more mysterious balm coming in obscure bell canopies from the indigo temple of the Pharaoh of Perfumery?

Serge Lutens Limited Edition bell bottles via Serge Lutens

As Serge Lutens La Myrrhe unfolds its breathtaking evolution from French bubbling refinement into plush resinous sweetness, its polished chiaroscuro worth of Caballé unfolding Aida’s drama and divine pianissimos elevates the renowned Lutens poignancy to timeless beauty.

Chanel Métiers d’Art Paris-New York 2018-19 via Chanel©

This modern masterpiece is definitely love or hate, but exemplifies at best what reinventing classics means and you could have smelled Chez Maxim on a flapper dressed in Poiret back in time or yesterday by the great pyramid at the Louvre on a woman wearing the latest Chanel outfit. Or again by the Palais Royal walking after an elegant gentleman in a black suit.

La Myrrhe features notes of myrrh, lotus, mandarin, jasmine, spices, pimento berries, honey, bitter almond, sandalwood and musk. The scent has been reformulated since its first release, yet its glorious beauty is still worth a bottle. La Myrrhe is part of the Serge Lutens exclusive line and has never been released in the “export format” since its launch.

This review is based on a personal sample of Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido La Myrrhe. My opinions are my own.

Ermano Picco, Editor and Fragrance Expert

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