J’s image of Etat Libre d’Orange Let’s Pretend.

Etat Libre D’Orange celebrates their 20^th anniversary with the new release of Let’s Pretend. According to Etienne de Swardt, creative director and founder, the name Let’s Pretend was inspired by a quote from Alec Guinness who said: “I don’t know what else I could do but pretend to be an actor”, Guinness likened his profession to pretending because he saw acting as performance, a chosen disguise rather than an expression of identity. Etat Libre d’Orange Let’s Pretend works in a similar way: it doesn’t reveal the wearer, it lets them step into a role. Perfumer Nisrine Bouazzaoui-Grillié’s gives us space to transform ourselves into whoever want to be.

Perfumer Nisrine Bouazzaoui-Grillié of Givaudan and Etat Libre d’Orange Founder and Creative director Etienne de Swardt.

Saffron and spices envelop you as Let’s Pretend pops with vibrant tones and colours. Mandarin’s sweetness carries a hint of green invoking juicy fruits on the verge of ripening. The saffron lends an abstract elegance to the opening, as if its petals are made of steam unfurling around the fruity heart.

Etat Libre d’Orange Let’s Pretend  via the brand

Plump and juicy peach enters the stage and it’s the kind you want to sink your teeth into, feeling its soft velvety skin break, letting sweet nectar run over your skin. Pink pepper adds a touch of tanginess to what’s next. The sensual and delectable peach heart is enveloped in a bouquet of florals, a clever counterpoint that is fresh and weightless. Osmanthus, one of my favorite notes, really shines here showcasing its apricot and suede facets that lingers on the peach’s surface, accentuating its rounded contours with a breath of jasmine. Let’s Pretend’s ripeness is deeper and seeps into the leather that’s still warm and supple from body heat. 

Etat Libre d’Orange Let’s Pretend bottles via the brand

Hints of a minty greenery enhance the perfume’s fruity floralcy as the warmth of the woods and benzoin add balsamic whispers as the saffron mist has dissipated. Its here that the wood accord forms the structure which surprisingly doesn’t smother the other notes.  Let’s Pretend stops pretending and feels more dramatic; it’s more playful side has had its time.

peach and wood via the brand

While wearing the fragrance, I kept thinking about Guerlain Mitsouko, especially its peach and leather combination. Let’s Pretend feels like a cool Gen Z cousin. That clean fresh opening and genderless floral mid captures the zeitgeist of the kids in the cropped jackets and borrowed nostalgia for the 2000s. While Mitsouko’s classic chypre structure isn’t there, there’s something of the same spirit, Let’s Pretend brings it into the now. It’s easy to wear yet has Etat Libre d’Orange’s signature edge. Let the show begin!

Notes: Saffron, Pink Pepper, Mandarin Essence, Peach, Osmanthus Flower Absolute, Jasmine Sambac Absolute, Woody Accord (Cedar, Akigalawood & Georgywood), Styrax, Benzoin.

J Wearescentient, Senior Editor, artist and olfactive writer.

Discloser: A bottle of Etat Libre d’Orange Let’s Pretend was sent to J for review, his nose and thoughts are his own.

 

Thanks to the generosity of Etat Libre d’Orange we have a 100 ml bottle of Let’s Pretend for one registered reader in the USA or EU. You must register or your entry will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what sparks your interest based on J’s review and where you live There is only one winner. Draw closes 7/7/2026

all photos via the brand unless otherwise noted

Please read Etienne de Swardt’s Creative Director in Perfumery (his own words). Secretions Magnifique was inducted into our ÇaFleureBon Modern Masterpieces Hall of Fame. Read J’s review of Above the Waves here Nostos here, Olya’s review of The Story of Your Life, Nicoleta’s reviews of Frustration, Ghost in the Shell, and Rien. Frustration was in Olya’s Top 10 Best Scents of 2023. For Nicoleta, Ghost in The Shell was a 2022 Top 10 Best of Scent.

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