Cognoscenti No. 44 Fire and Rain Review (Dannielle Sergent) 2022 + 10th Anniversary giveaway

Cognoscenti no. 44 Fire and Rain

Cognoscenti No. 44 Fire and Rain courtesy of Dannielle

 O flames that glowed! O hearts that yearned!

They were indeed too much akin,

The drift-wood fire without that burned,

The thoughts that burned and glowed within. –The Fire of Driftwood, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby – April Rain Song, Langston Hughes

Flames lick at the corners of burnt love letters and send a sudden smokey flare into the air that signals loss. But fire is the same force that warms memories of summer campfires, of winter marshmallow toasts, holiday bonfires, and the smell of fireworks. Rain, whose torrents can level cities, is, in its gentler visitations, the sugar-sweet smell of damp grass, of wet cement city streets, the heartbreakingly lovely scent of bedewed spring flowers. California-based artist and  artisan perfumer Dannielle Sergent, (whose Cognoscenti brand was first introduced on Çafleurebon by the late Tama Blough), launches Cognoscenti No. 44 Fire and Rain as “a study in contrasts” that explores the evocative aspects of each element, both regenerative and destructive, ultimately focusing on its essential beauty.

Dannielle Sergent of Cognoscenti

Dannielle Sergent photo by Annabelle Breakey

Sergent explains that the “fragrance looks at both sides of each element through the filter of the California landscape. Memories of smoke-filled skies and mud slides at fire scarred hillsides are tempered by sunny skies, soft breezes filled with flowers and warm woods, and a proximity to a salty coast … In the 3 years since I started No. 44 the fragrance changed a lot. And so had the world around me. We’ve had raging fires and apocalyptic skies in California, mud slides and the isolation of the pandemic. With all of the drama unfolding, flowers, soft warm breezes and coastal walks were the things that restored me. All of these blended with the memories of the smoke-filled skies and the promise of rain formed the structure of the fragrance. A love letter to California.

Cognoscenti No. 44 Fire and Rain is the brand’s 10th anniversary fragrance. It was originally conceived as a scent sketch for the 2018 Los Angeles Experimental Scent Fair. The resulting fragrance, Mud + Fire/Flame, became an unexpected favorite, which inspired Sergent to “really look at the ingredients and create a fully formed perfume with a similar concept.” Fire and Rain grew out of this exploration and became, in Sergent’s words, “a love letter to California. A milestone.”

Cognoscenti no 44 fire and rain by Dannielle Sergent

First Image by Danielle and 2nd stock photo

Cognoscenti No. 44 Fire and Rain is a fascinating journey marked by distinct stages that introduces perceptible aspects of each element with tremendous precision. Rain manifests first, the individual notes that form its familiar smell in soft focus, bringing impression rather than recognition initially. Within a few minutes, it delivers an uncanny recreation of an early spring day, when drizzle patters in calm persistence on flowers just coming into bloom. Geosmin, the chemical compound responsible for the discernable odor of damp ground, dominates those early moments, carrying the remembrance of a thousand April rains. But, as the smell of condensation combines with flowery and fruity scents – I get a faraway gardenia and some droplets orange and grapefruit – smoke rises coldly, like a fire hurriedly extinguished.

top left: JMW Turner Falls of the Clyde, bottom left: Helen Frankenthaler Lighthouse Series XI and right National Geographic 1978 digitalized by Dannielle (mood board) 

But then No. 44 Fire and Rain shifts again, and the entire fragrance begins to warm the way sun breaking through rain clouds feels when you turn your face to it. Saffron is a clever choice to elicit heat, while the distinctly woody, rooty smell of cypriol moves forward, parching the more watery odors of the fragrance. I usually think of cypriol as reminiscent of dry wood – the arid smell of our old attic. Its contrast with the showery near sweetness of the opening is the olfactory parallel to coming in after a downpour to a gentle fire in the grate. There a handful of salt in there now, saffron is becoming more noticeable as itself, and the perfume transports itself from vernal garden to the beach at Carmel.

An hour after applying it to my wrists, No. 44 Fire and Rain plays on my skin like concerto where key aspects of each element come out in distinctive movements. It takes a while for the floral section to blossom, but gradually the spicy buxomness of gardenia becomes more pronounced, accompanied by a soapy hint of neroli. Hedione, with its hairspray freshness, adds breeziness, and woody notes tumble in like driftwood. The base is resinous – slightly ambery – and earthy, with vetiver making a late debut, smelling of damp root and wet smoke.

Cognoscenti No. 44 Fire and Rain

Later in the day, walking through my neighbourhood, the streets and plants still wistful with rainfall, I am caught by a juxtaposition of far-off smoke, damp leaves that cling to my sandals, and wafts of watercolour flowers. It’s lovely, in the way a happy conclusion to a sad tale is. The sun smiles wanly at my confusion, then, as if noticing the fragrance, comes out and smiles.

Notes: Smoke (cypriol, hydro carbo resin, vetiver) rain (geosmin) California Coast (salt, grisalva) sunshine (pink grapefruit, blood orange and saffron) florals (neroli, gardenia, hedione, geraniol) and warm breezes (light woods, musks, resins).

Disclaimer: Samples of Cognoscenti No. 44 Fire and Rain kindly provided by the brand. My opinions, as always are my own.

Lauryn Beer, Senior Editor

Dannielle was Michelyn’s CaFleureBon Rising Star of 2012.

 Cognoscenti Wild Child, reviewed by Ida Meister was a 2020 Art and Olfaction Finalist

Cognoscenti no. 44 Fire and Rain edp

Cognoscenti No. 44 Fire and Rain 

Thanks to the generosity of Cognoscenti, we have a 50 ml bottle of Cognoscenti No. 44 Fire and Rain for one registered reader in the U.S.  and a sample for a reader in the EU . You must register or your comment will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what strikes you about Fire and Rain and where you live. Draw closes 7/15/2022.

all photos via Cognoscenti unless otherwise noted

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34 comments

  • The rich notes of this fragrances and how unique and fascinating it is strikes me. I live in Poland, EU.

  • Disgusted says:

    Having grown up in California and seeing what fire can do, having felt the fear of fire coming my way, the last thing I want to smell is smoke. Why not add in a note of burning flesh, while you’re at it? Would you commemorate Auschwitz with perfume? Grotesque. No thanks on the entry.

  • MaryEllen says:

    Artists can take a catastrophic situation and find beauty
    I loved this review. I live in California as well and I think to create something that is honest and inventive is amazing

  • Congratulations Dannielle on 10 fabulous years! I love so many of the Cognoscenti perfumes and can’t wait to smell this one. It has so many of my favorite notes, geosmin, hydro carbo resin, salt, grisalva. I’m in the USA, thank you!

  • What a lovely review and fragrance. I liked that Fire and Rain represents all aspects of our earth. “A love letter to California” indeed. Thanks for another awesome review and draw. Mich USA

  • patrick_348 says:

    This sounds incredible, and very much like a perfume that tells a story. If it is as structured, mysterious and complex as Lauryn’s description, it will definitely be something to experience. (The note list sounds like it could be a big mess if it were not properly handled, but I will trust Lauryn’s judgement.) I live in the US, in North Carolina.

  • Lauryn!!! ❤️❤️❤️ Love this!!! So, there is an experimental scent fair! That’s Amazing! I love anything that is experimental, thinking more structurally, etc. ❤️ Thank you for your brilliant description! A perfume of contrasts. Fantastic. Would love to experience this! ❤️ Thank you for the opportunity! USA

  • It is so nice reading that this fragrance is a love letter to California. Fire and Rain are two elements that represent precisely California and this fragrance just hit the point with the notes. Saffron, cypriol, neroli and geosmin make this fragrance something really unique.
    Would love to try it.
    USA here

  • What a wonderful combination of notes. It sounds very evocative of its namesake. I live in Seattle, where we see lots of rain, so the addition of fire is an intriguing element

  • I left CA 20 years ago and I’ll never live there again, but it did have some great smells, so this sounds interesting. NV, USA.

  • This sounds like an art piece, a little apocalyptic but still potentially wearable. The sun / smoke combination is especially enticing, and sounds almost like some sort of mezcal cocktail.
    – From USA

  • What an interesting concept behind Cognoscenti No. 44 Fire and Rain – it could certainly evoke feelings of dread and trauma (raging wildfires, escapes) but also of nostalgia and sweet (or bitter-sweet) memories (people coming together to help each other, things lost and gained). Didn’t know about the chemical Geosmin behind the odor of damp earth. A unique scent – I’d like to try it out. Thanks for the draw. From USA.

  • redwheelbarrow says:

    Wow this sounds absolutely amazing! I love the dichotomous inspiration for this fragrance and I adore any scent even coming close to petrichor. Thank you for the draw. In the US.

  • Trinity33 says:

    I’m drawn to fragrances that emulate elemental scents of nature. Cognoscenti No. 44 Fire and Rain seems to be am interesting study in contrasts looking at the beauty in destructive and regenerative forces. The list of notes reads California terroir; from the citruses and florals to the smoke, warm breezes and salt. Just lovely. MD, USA.

  • Southirina says:

    Love letter to California ❤️ Love letter to planet Earth ❤️ a warm and explicit kudos to Nature and two of her facets. Thanks for this review.
    Hugs from Romania

  • What fragrance for this time! My childhood home (western Canada) has also been hit by alternating fires and floods, so I felt very drawn to this fragrance. Also, I don’t think I’ve read or smelled a perfume that combines fire and water before, and I’d love to try this one. Thank you for the review, writing from the EU.

  • Immediately the name made me think of the James Taylor song. I am from the east coast and have never traveled to California, but I’ve actually been thinking a lot about it for the past week. I’m fascinated by what seems to be a mixture of elements, and this perfume also seems to have captured that effect. USA

  • What a fantastic concept for a fragrance. Sounds like the original was good but this one is great. And it still adds my favorite white flower into the mix. Bravo for that. In maryland.

  • I love fragrances that play on opposing ends. Re-creating California with fire-smoke and sea breeze is a novel concept. I enjoyed reading how different notes were used to elicit different feelings from muddy/rain/damp to cypriol as dry wood and saffron as heat. Beautiful stuff. I live in USA

  • megabass99 says:

    Fire and Rain sounds like a unique combination of scents that don’t come together in perfumerie .. so excited for this brand ! From Chandler , Arizona

  • roxhas1cat says:

    I loved the love letter to California. As a former CA resident, I would love to try this. I think I can relate to this, my grandmother had gardenia’s, of course there was the infrequent rain and that odor I didn’t smell too often, I think back to my orange tree in my backyard, the variety of flowers, the beach, etc. It truly was a great time in my life which I didn’t fully appreciate at my age, but would love to relive through this fragrance. Thanks for taking me back in my memories. USA.

  • wallygator88 says:

    Thank you for the great review Lauryn.

    I’m absolutely taken by the description of this scent. It really reminds me of the destruction wrought by the wildfires in California, people losing their homes and having to move else. It also speaks to me about the cycle of rebirth, of the ashes nourishing new growth and the resilience of all living things.

    Fire and Rain are the elements that scare us, but we also need them for growth.

    Cheers from WI, USA

  • foreverscents says:

    As I read Lauryn’s review of Fire and Rain, I thought about the beauty of California, juxtaposed with the sad reality of the climate crisis and its direct effect on California. I am impressed that Dannielle Sergent is bold enough to explore this.
    I live in the USA.

  • Regis Monkton says:

    I’m very interested in trying this fragrance for multiple reasons, e.g. I don’t have any fragrances which include geosmin, I’d like to try something from this company, I like its list of notes. Lauryn’s review made this fragrance seem very interesting and appealing to me. I live in the U.S.A.

  • I was lucky to sample this petrichor fragrance a bit before it released—I’m wearing my sample today, and No. 44 just finally reached the end of it’s extensive progression and longevity. It’s a lot of things at once: a spray of citrus rind; pouring rain on sweet flowers; occasionally thick with acrid smoke; wet and smoldering; herbal, with a medicinal edge; wide open, salty, fresh air and receding stormfront. Lauryn’s experience hews close to mine—I find No. 44 moves starkly between its thematic stages. This is an impressive release from one of my favorite perfumers (Hay Incense is a must-try).

    I’m in the midwest, USA.

  • Michael Prince says:

    What interests me about Cognoscenti No. 44 Fire and Rain based on Lauryn’s review is learning how this fragrance was inspired by the different climates in California from the forest fires, to the ocean front, the forests, deserts, and even the mountains. This sounds like something I would really enjoy. I am from the USA.

  • Dannielle is pretty local to me! It’s funny, with the name I also started thinking of California, and it was kismet to see that was also her inspiration as well. The wildfire season has definitely moved into the forefront of people’s consciousness here and it was so surreal with the smoky summer days stuck inside due to poor air quality. I’d love to give this a try as it would be a window into her interpretation of what it’s like to live here.
    I live in the USA. Thanks for the giveaway!

  • Dannielle Sergent says:

    Thanks to Cafleurebon for the opportunity to share the scent with you all, to all of you for the great comments and to Lauryn for her lovely words. It’s a very personal fragrance that I’m looking forward to sharing. Can’t wait to send to the winners!

  • Lauryn, I enjoyed reading your review!
    I’m so in love with this fragrance and the landscapes it traverses. To me, No. 44 is vibrant and passionately optimistic. My family lost a beloved home in a California firestorm. Danielle has created a scent experience that embodies the idea of transformation. Lucky us!