L'Eau Froide Serge Lutens for women and men

Perfume "fresco" que no merece la pena teniendo en cuenta el precio, poca duración y penosa proyección.

It's a perfect fresh scent. Why did Serge Lutens call it "a L'Eau"? I would call it "Eclipse".

I purely love L'Eau Froide. It's one of very first incense fragrances that I've ever smelled and first niche fragrance that I've smelled.

On me L'Eau Froide is almost a pure incense. I do feel some fresh elements, but it's kinda hard for me to recognize them all. I get more than 10 hours longevity with it, however it stays rather close to skin. But it's detectable and I get compliments while wearing it.

It's a must have for me.

I am a little bit surprised that the ginger have only 16 points intensity in fragrantica.
In my opinion this note is dominant in L'eau Froide and I love it!
Definetly I will buy tomorrow the fragrance and this will be my signature this summer.
This is a fresh, beautiful and lovely smell from Serge Lutens who deserves attention from every men and woman :)

Exquisite and smooth perfum! In love with Serge Lutens, as usual.

Is it a sin? Is it a crime? Loving you dear like I do... if it's a crime then I'm guilty... guilty of loving you...

I declare my love for L'eau froide. It is very far from the Lutens style we are used to, true, but it follows the path of the previous L'Eau which was to me a nice little change meant for those moments we can't handle a powerhouse or killorientals à la Serge. I don't think, however, that these are bad fragrances or mainstreamish. Yes, they are easier and not so complex but at the same time they offer a unique vibe that I find very worth experiencing at least! In the case of L'Eau it was leaning towards the feminine whereas here it's the opposite.

Now, let me go on with some thoughts I've had regarding 3 scents that share many many things according to my untrained nose. Whenever I think of one of them, the 2 other appear in my mind: L'Eau Froide, Geranium pour monsieur and Zagorsk. They are all unique and I'm not saying they smell exactly the same... but the three of them provoke similar things on me (a chilling craze!) and I'd dare to say they are three perfumes of a same group. Three different takes on the same vibe... as if you asked three totally different painters to re-paint the Mona Lisa with their own twist.

I love them all actually. Geranium shares the mint mist with L'eau but it is definitely stronger, much more assertive and thus less wearable, much more difficult to choose when to use it unless you die for being looked at. It is a work or art for me but that previous statement prevents me from buying a full bottle (yet). In the case of Zagorsk, the olibanum is a link with l'Eau Froide and they are both so incency and cooling! A certain green ingredient makes Zagorsk also a bit medicinal, as in those Vic Vaporub creams, just like Geranium, which highlights this aspect the most. The three of them share that vibe that I'd describe as a mix of eucaliptus, mint and some resins.
In the case of Zagorsk the thing is it is the strange one out of the three... amazing as well but more for intimate moments in your house by the fire... introspection and deep thoughts. A bit too ceremonial. It is not very wearable for me outside that scene...
And then, there is L'eau Froide. The simple one of the bunch... the less "interesting", the one with less "development" and still... the easiest to wear. A total winner guys!! It smells delicious, calm and very compelling... sexy sexy! I can see myself wearing it on a daily base, unlike the other two brothers. I would have those other bottles for years and would possibly get bored after a while because of their being too "special".

Again, not saying it is better, I'm saying they are closely linked and should appeal to different kinds of guys:
The more introverted (and weird lol)- Zagorsk.
The dandy - chic - extroverted and showing off guy - Geranium pour monsieur
and the ones who love that same experience in a milder, easier... yet still gorgeous summer eau format - L'eau Froide.

PS: It lasts for ages and projects perfectly!

L'Eau Froide opens with peppery lemon notes (the lemon comes via olibanum) over light, refreshing spearmint. The result is a kind of cold, breezy fragrance with a prickly, resinous edge. I believe this is the "sea water" accord that everyone is recognizing. As it dries down, vetiver emerges along with a light-to-medium-bodied incense which brings with it some smokiness and a bit of a change in the overall scent-impression. This occurs around the 4 hour mark and remains for the rest of its life, which all but fades completely after about 6 hours.

L'eau Froide seems well suited for the summer as it is very cooling and not the least bit heavy. However, that does not mean it is weak. It projects well and has a sturdy, solid construction. In other words, the notes aren't thin, fleeting, or flat despite their levity.

I commend Serge Lutens for taking a risk and creating something atypical of the house. This time it was done well and ultimately adds some variety to the Lutens lineup.

This is a comfortable and easy wear.

Consider L'eau Froide if you are looking for a cool, refreshing summer fragrance built around mint, resins, and incense.

I bought this scent at Barneys this late Summer and I really love it. It is a a wonderful water fragrance mixed with musk. For me, I am a seasonal person and I wear this in the Summer and when it is raining.

I have worn it to the movies and my Male friends all tell me that they love what I am wearing, so for a Man to say that to a Woman is pretty darn good.

I do not think it smells masculine at all. When I take off my sweater, I notice the scent and it is really inviting. It is actually warm because of the musk note drydown, but yet when you apply it, it is refreshing.

A very nice blend.

Love love love it!!!!!! It smells clean, bright white, sensuous this wintertime. Wearing it I feel like a snow creature, full of magic and grace! Wow!!!

I love the initial blast of seawater and mint. It is completely refreshing and cools my skin on this warm summer evening. Eventually I detect a pineapple scent in there, too, and in the dry-down a gingery musk. If there is incense in here, I'm not getting it which is fine with me. I would definitely buy this for my husband and sneak a spray or two here and there. I really like it for hot summer months for sure!

According to notes list I supposed that's a fresh, summer fragrance. Unfortunely I smell salt and forest trees suitable only for men. There is no feminity! How somebody could suppose that may be a femine scent!?

Fascinating scent. Bracing mint and resin mingle into a cool metallic cloud. The ginger and vetiver combine to give it a sexy masculine edge on drydown. Highly reminiscent of ADP Cipresso di Toscana. A very enjoyable fragrance with good silage. Recommended for men.

I'm a fan of L'Eau Froide. Generally speaking I do NOT go for light scents, but I do keep a few in my stable for the hottest of days - and for the dead of winter when I need to smell something a bit more summery! The list is VERY short because I find most lighter scents all smell the same and bore me to tears - so I jump when I come across something I think is distinctive.

It is not an ultra-complex SL creation. It does not last long enough IME. Sillage is nothing to write home about, but it's there. I'm going through it very quickly - I apply a lot of it :-) .

I was expecting something really misguided after reading SL's explanation and then reading reviews but it's fantastic. There are only so many great, sweet super-exotic smelling woods around and the novelty of a new (to me at least) strange wood from Somalia is enough to make it exciting. Not radically different from other sweet wood smells but strange enough to get the imagination going and picturing the beauty of someplace remote and foreign. The "cold" part and pretentious concept should just be ignored, and I am (doing that). Not sure if I will buy but am seriously considering it.

Disappointing. Cold water in the sense of "throwing on". I'm hoping someone with a better memory than mine can identify which extremely old fashioned after shave this smells like. When I was a kid (I'm 50+ now) my grandfather's barber shop smelled precisely like this. Comforting and clean but guys-talking-politics-with-the-Phillies-on-the-radio more than Uncle Serge.

Sillage: 4-5 feet
Longevity: 2 hours and counting
Fabulosity: Aqua Velva
Value to price ratio: Very poor
2/10

To my nose L'Eau Froide is more on the masculine side but I can picture outdoorsy, sporty women wearing the fragrance, too.

L'Eau Froide opens with herbal notes and has a cool, minty and maybe even a little sharp feel to it.
The fragrance quickly transforms into a cool, marine fragrance which is indeed reminiscent of shaving foam (but not in a bad way).

L'Eau Froide stays cool and marine until the very drydown where musky notes seem to dominate.
Definitely a refreshing, transparent fragrance with cool (but not cooling) aromas.
The sillage is rather intimate and I doubt it would offend anyone.
The scent lingered on my skin for around 5 hours.

I expected something completely different - a mysterious fragrance that would make me want to figure out its secret.
Instead L'Eau Froide is rather tame and I consider it safe for blind-buying.

I tested this today along with Serge Lutens' de Profundis (q.v.) and was quite surprised by this one. To me it is a fairly simplistic fragrance, and there is much less to analyze than in most of Lutens' creations. Yes! Cold sea water! It also seems to have had a bunch of herbs immersed in it for a very short while; I get a hint of basil and maybe thyme, certainly no mint. BUT, in spite of smelling simplistic, as in all Lutens' works, he always throws in an odd little note to confuse your nose. This time, for me, it is over-ripe pineapple. It is there, then it's not there, then it is again. I don't dislike it, but I can't quite believe I am smelling it. This would be wonderful in hot weather. It is so unusual. I wouldn't mind having a decent decant, but would never get through a whole bottle.

Very green, crisp opening; green aldehyde, not green citrus, reminiscent of Chanel No 19 on me. It developed into a very cold-feeling fragrance, living up to it's name. From that perspective, it is a success. However, there is nothing in this fragrance that appeals to me, nor does it have any outstanding, interesting characteristics.

Hey, Fragrantica,

Why don't you have Serge Lutens L'Eau in your portfolio, only Serge Lutens L'Eau Froide?
I would appreciate if you included it... Thanks.

awful, awful stuff!! smells cheap, like a minty, slightly salty water (sea water anyone??), in which case i'd advise you to take some sea water, mix it with a bit of toothpaste and voila! you have l'eau froide. usually i am a big fan of serge's creations which are too numerous to mention here but this (and i totally understand that he wanted to create something completely anti-lutens) is an absolute failure to my nose. no, no, a thousand times no. i will stick to the gourmand orientals, thank you very much.

Un parfum unique.
A la fois chaud et froid comme son nom l'indique, il sera parfait par temps chaud pour tous ceux qui recherche un parfum rafraichissant mais qui a quand même du caractère.
Comme tous les Serge Lutens il ne plaira pas à tout le monde et tant mieux.

Hmm... this is a metropolitan, white with grey accent kind of scent. I don't appreciate it as much as others from this line; there is too much marble and not enough rug. There is also some weird booze vibe going on, a gin or vodka martini?

I've tried sea water/salt before and this is not a note that works well on me. I find it off putting and again, it might do better with a man's chemistry.

hmm...

Bathroom freshener + laundry detergent. How it sounds? Boring throughout. Want a chilling incense? Get Zagorsk.

A sad joke from Lutens.

Rating: 4/10

I found this very refreshing and as described to be honest .. ! But I have to agree with Tusnelda - for me it is too masculine ... regrettably handing over to my son!

For me it is very 'fresh' watery and I certainly don't get any incense at all - I smell a trace of vanilla in the background on my skin but this isn't listed! After 24 hours there is a trace of mint on my skin and I must say compared to most of the SL fragrances this has lasted quite a long time - I got over 9 hours on this one!

I am very ambiguous about this one. I expected a somber, austere scent in the manner of Iris Silver Mist. Lutens had other things in mind (cliche, I know). He set out to create the scent of cold water but he did more than that I am afraid. This is the typical scent I am experiencing after having washed myself with a marine scented showergel (and sorry to say a cheap one)in a hot summer day. Perhaps the people who developed this fragrance have never used run of the mill products so they missed that association that will be blatantly obvious to the average person. The "cold water in hot weather" accord in itself is very convincing and penetrating like ozon. I would like it paired with some bitter elements and something smooth and musky to remind me freshly washed skin. Instead I get a typically chemical aromatic cologne with hints of bubble-gum (I am afraid the dreaded calone is included in this one too children). The accompanying elements are not balanced and as a result they rival the central theme leading the whole thing off-track. If the cologne theme was replaced with galbanum, orris, musk and perhaps lavender this would be my dream of hot weather cologne come true.
The technical aspects of this eau are very good. It is very refreshing and lasts forever on skin. It is light and transparent, with moderate non-offensive sillage. I will have to try it again in hot weather and see how it behaves.

This too much to the masculine side for me. Smells a bit like shaving foam. Not bad, but will suit a man better, so I'll pass my sample on to my husband.
Btw. it is much less outrageous than some of Lutens' other creations. It is quiet and stays close to the skin. Very soft.

Nice! I'm not sure about the smokiness? Ok maybe a little, but a hint of spice and a lot of green. Definitely something fresh and perfect for spring time.

Yesss!!! it Frankinscense through and through, Comforting yet refreshing thus clearing the mind and body - Love it and want, need it now.

I love the frshness of this fragrance. It awakes me and energize in the morning. I am very grateful that I had a chance to test it before it was released. I think it will be more popular among men then women but who knows.

To people who know it : could this one be a good candidate for a summer "blast of fresh air-refreshing" scent ?

Thanks.