De Profundis Serge Lutens for women and men

Received a small decant today. I do get the chrysanthemum and soil notes, also incense, maybe a little violet. This is a very contemplative perfume. I can't imagine wearing this in the morning, afternoon, on a date, to a concert. I can see wearing it while on a walk through Highgate Cemetery in London in November maybe. With a church bell ringing the hour in the distance. We have no Victorian cemeteries here, but there is a lovely overgrown one from the early 1900s in a mining town in the mountains an hour from here. I will save this for a walk there, and imagine the church bell. :)

This really appeals to the hidden Goth in me, and if my middle daughter ever got her hands on this I'd never see it again.

This perfume is very, very lovely.

I'm just a begginer in the perfume´s world. I'm all about the impression, the sensations or the olfactive memories, more than the accurate and objective analysis of a scent notes. I've tried some niche houses, but my favourite, till now, remains Serge Lutens for his vision, artistry and because he's a storyteller. In that context, i find De Profundis the perfect olfactive soundtrack, for such a disturbing and beautifull story as «Le Miracle de la Rose» by Jean Genet. Be silent and breathe...

A really nature scent! Smells like springs come, and after raining you just sniff the soil fantastic fragrance with violet beside you. In Hungary I smelled this fragrance almost every spring!

A potpourri of dried flower petals.

the quality...
the longevity...
the polite sillage...
words fail me
la petite mort

Ring the bell, I am done.

The bell bottle of De Profundis looks fantastic, but the smell is not what I've expected. The fragrance is of great quality and it's interesting, but it's not mine. I wished it would be cold fresh aromatic fragrance of chrysanthemum. I don't associate it with funerals, and I absolutely agree with cryptic, it has something from Anais Anais. It's too sweet, with a great portion of white lilies, which make it heavier. Lily is what this fragrance about, I smell a herbal hint of mums only in its top ;o))

For me, chrysanthemum is a flower of hope, a beauty when everything is already dead and gone. I absolutely love the smell of chrysanthemum and its merry colors and shapes. Flowers look sometimes very funny.

My review will stick out like a sore thumb from the rest, because my strange nose had a totally different impression of De Profundis. After spraying, the first thing that hit me was hyacinth and green notes. For a moment it was like smelling Anais Anais, but only for a moment. Then came the chrysanthemum, which I don't associate with funerals at all, so no depressing vibe for me. I also picked up violets, wet soil and incense as DP developed.

I guess if you put incense, mums and wet soil together it might add up to a funeral service for some, and that seems to be what Lutens and Sheldrake were aiming for, but not what I got at all. To me, De Profundis is mysterious and secretive like a little walled courtyard garden in the autumn, but at the same time, the hyacinth and green notes add something uplifting and hopeful. I love the duality of it, and I could sit sniffing my wrist for hours.

One word of caution: this gorgeous purple stuff is a dry cleaning nightmare. I spritzed it on my neck and put on my coat, only to discover later that the lining had gotten stained, so spray carefully.

The problem with de Profundis is that it has absolutely NO sillage or staying power. After about 5 minutes the gorgeous scent has COMPLETELY DISAPPEARED. Absolutely nothing remains. Like death itself perhaps, but a bad joke considering the price of the product ! I also have Chergui which is still detectable after a couple of hours.

To my regret, I don't share the excitement regarding De Profundis... Its slightly sweet opening reminds me of the Vitriol d’œillet (diluted 1:2) with some greenery added... then comes the coldish "soil note" of the Bas de Soie and rapidly it settles down, turning into an unimpressive floral with some musk-iness of L’Eau Serge Lutens' base.

If this is a "perfumes corona", I would rather prefer a sonnet redoublé from Monsieur Lutens.

This is wonderful, truly original, profound but with no sourness.

Wonderful. I can't stop breathing it in. No sourness in it. True originality. An absolute favourite.

Now here is the problem with introducing your new launch with a poem about death: all of the reviews will ultimately reference (wait for it...) death.

But let's say you didn't read all that before trying your sample, what would come to mind?

This is a dark purple fragrance if ever I came across one. It's a confident, earthy floral that is meant for the evening, wearing moist and heavy with just enough sillage that it isn't a skin scent. I have another candied violet fragrance on my counter, Caron's n'aimez que moi, and I find this combination to be very classy and memorable.

I see the word 'introverted' used here, and I agree. This is a thinking person's scent. I don't believe it is cold so much as dewy, and the basenotes are soft and harmonious. FB worthy, indeed.

I just got a sample and I am smelling it on my wrists after spraying it 3 hours ago... it is so wonderful! So different, so terse, dark, elegant, dry, evocative... I can see why some people don't like it, there is no jasmine or rose in it. You can smell the flowers, but it is that beautiful smell of dry, fresh flowers you smell in flower shops, not the sickening sweetness you might get in some fragrances. The incense in De Profundis really adds up some charming, enticing notes. I feel mesmerised. It makes me think that whatever happens we'll never part from the ones we really love or from what we really are like... I love it, I want to get a bottle of it. It is not overpowering and I'd use it on any serious occasion when the desire to be different from the others pops up. Mesmerizing.

I received my bell jar today! Wow!!! A different kind of perfume. This is a kick up the olfactory senses - not a jasmine or rose bloom in sight - fantastic!

The very first thing I got was a smattering of the Chrysanth's - my memory waking up from the smell of these in my mum's garden when I was small...!!

Let's not beat about the bush here - Chrysanth's do not smell of anything pretty or even remotely floral .... I think they smell akin to a dandelion to be honest and to me they smell of gardening of getting your nails caked in earth! Now, she has been tempered with the use of the violet and not a sweet, sweet parma violet but the ones you grow in a pot indoors or in a shallow bed outside. But for me this works brilliantly as I am a fan of violets in all their incarnations - from sweetie to pot plant!

I get the plum wood and the earth as well - the plum wood especially in the mid-stage along with the now deeper smelling violet.

I have to be honest and say this perfume captivates me! It is so grounding, so down to earth, I've never smelt a perfume that has such an honesty! I don't get associations with tombs, or melancholy or depression or introvertedness!!! I did like Serge's tongue-in-cheek pop at the funeral officialdom in his description.

Maybe the reason that I do not associate this perfume with misery is because here in England we are rather more used to the Lilly as a funeral flower rather than the Chrysanth.....! The smell of the lilly being rather more pungent than the aforementioned! However, I could take lillies to someone's house when visiting in England but it appears that this is not so with the Chrysanth in Europe! “If invited to a French home for dinner, don¹t show up with a big chrysanthemum even though it is objectively a thoroughly attractive plant, it is too associated with cemeteries to be offered as a house gift!” (Monet clearly thought otherwise!)

When I worked in the church most of the Pompon Chrysanths were reserved for wedding displays or high mass displays and that goes for normal Chrysanths!

Now the interesting thing is (as sfonativeboy mentioned) the perfume 'ascends' into the basenotes - it brings a strength of character, it becomes stronger and wiser - maybe this is the crescendo of the funeral in Sheldrakes mind? Or maybe it is the prelude of the altar boys, priest, undertaker, beadle and gravediggers indulging gleefully in vice? Who knows - but strengthen it does! I don't know if it is my nose but I feel that I can also smell some powdery Iris (orris) notes in the background now - I wonder if anyone else gets that?

I think this may bring memories to people living in certain places - for me it merely reminds me of my mother's garden when I was a young girl.....! No morbid associations for me.

In conclusion, I would say this is definitely a 'cold' scent although it does suit a cold, melodramatic, drizzly day - I'm looking forward to trying this out in the summer!! It suits a black velvet hooded cape! It's unusual and off the beaten track which suits me! The violets, in my opinion, are very true to themselves! Silage is very good - my son smelt it and liked it very much - and thus far has lasted very, very well on my wrist!

A winner for me - but I'm not sure this is for everyone!

Smells like cool, white marble tombs adorned with flowers

@ sfonativeboy

The similar last perfume question was posted on sl's facebook page! The response is below!!

Serge Lutens Dear Aldo, Thank you for your comment. We assure you that De profundis is not Serge Lutens' last fragrance. There is more to come... Best regards.

I just got a sample in the mail today....
well.... this is definitively an unusual
fragrance....

I find this scent oddly familiar...
I smell.....

a..Funeral... quiet on a cold foggy day.
Abundant Tears, Grief and Despair.
SADNESS!!!! all be it persistent Sadness, like Rain.

I also smell.......

a Cemetery...wet green earthy accords
The pale lily-dahlia-chrysanthemum flowers
and
funeral wreaths left on the graves...

There is the opening of the pale chrysanthemums followed by the rest of the bouquet,
flowers that have a bit of spiciness that lingers on your skin
The fragrance rings hollow, like an echo or
a watermark.

There is something perceptible like incense
but I find it only detectable as a feeling of
calm and quiet,
it isn’t a dominant note at all...and yet it almost feels like it is a main player of the fragrance because of the serenity it emits.

Perhaps some unmentioned chamomile petals which reinforces that sensation of.. rest,calm and peacefulness as the perfume slowly...
"Ascends" or "Descends"
into the base notes....
Like last words before its gone...
you are drawn even closer...to catch
it whispers its last breaths silently of spices and woody warmth.


I'm brought to tears .........for it brings to mind
the cementery I visit with my mother every now and then .....
to leave flowers for my departed sister ...
she died 4 years ago...

I read in some fragrance Blogs ...

"De Profundis" is NOT a perfume to be worn
and was never meant to be a "dark fragrance"
(smelling the perfume you"ll understand why it lacks all the qualities of a real perfume).

De Profundis is the last creation of Serge Lutens.

It is a symbolic urn meant to be collected and preserved or a bouquet of chrysanthemums offered every 1st November when someone dear has recently passed away.

With De Profundis, Serge Lutens, now 70,
says "ADIEU"...to the world of perfumes
and unofficially signs his retirement.

There will not be any new creation!!

I'm sure the world mourns...along with me
if this is true.

ADIEU and Merci... Serge Lutens
for opening the gates of "Fragrance Paradise" to us all

This has to be the most melancholic perfume I've ever tried. It smells like... a funeral. It smells like churches and tears and grief and endings, like cold stone buildings and distant, too-fussy flowers. It smells like depression. And yet, I LOOOOOVE IT! It's the beautiful, indulgent side of melancholy - a walking-alone-in-the-rain, douleur-exquise feeling.

It's not a perfume to share. It's not a perfume that others may appreciate on you (though it is quite beautiful). Wear it at your most introspective. Possibly avoid if you are, you know, _actually_ depressed - it won't help matters any. But if you just want to retreat into yourself for a little while, De Profundis will be your best companion.

I think that De prfundis is so special...I've just smelled It in the Palais Royal Boutique and It's so unusual, sure I would not wear It everyday but I think that sometimes is the perfect smell to wear, light but persistent, surely is a noticeable perfume!In fact, I wanted to buy It but they had finished It!

De Profundis was launched in 1992 ? I don´t think so...

Gorgeous, cold and introverted smell.