Serge Noire Serge Lutens for women and men

So far, it's the only nauseating fragrance that I've ever experienced. I couldn't get past the top notes, because it made me sick. It smelled like a rotten body in a pool full of chemicals.

I'm no expert and I come always with great respect to perfumes. I esteem and admire Lutens's creations but when he did I think that this scent have fallen by mistake too many cloves in its creation!

Serge Lutens SERGE NOIRE has a fascinating development trajectory. It starts out smelling very deep and woody and almost leathery. From there, the spices start revealing themselves and the composition becomes rather sharp as it continues to crescendo. Just when it starts to seem a bit hard to take, the whole thing dwindles to a light, near skin scent with very low levels of spice.

During the midstages of this perfume, I was actually thinking that it might be an excellent choice to don while pulling an all-nighter for a year-end exam. The sharp intensity would surely prevent anyone from drifting off!

All in all, I'd say that SERGE NOIRE offers yet another wild ride through the land of Serge. It's not just a perfume: it's an adventure!

Ashy. Well, probably more resinous-balmy too. From bottle it smelled so similar to FdB that I couldn't resist it. [cedar] At start it smelled very resinous and then sweetened up. Now it kind of reminds me of balm with a slight, unbothering hint of eucalyptus and honey. It's very friendly and not medicinal on me, rather soft and close to you. Very nice, but a bit shy. I expected more mean character. I wonder what the notes are.

Opening reminds me of NU YSL, after that the sandlewood is very very prominent. To me it smells mostly like sandlewood mixed with some other woody/spicy things. I dont like it. I think the ratio;s should have been improved. Strong parfume very deep and dark. Scary too. lol ;)

Being an incense freak, I approached Serge Noir expecting a mysterious and gothic concotion of resinous notes and dry woods but all I got was a strong camphoraceous vibe and cloves laying on harsh cedarwood. Incense is detectable in the heart but it's overwhelmed by an overpowering medicinal vibe. Cloves are definitely too prominent and while I'm usually addicted to cedarwood I find it somehow disturbing in this composition (I guess it's because of the cloves that enhances its harshness). And yes, it's like going to the dentist.

Rating: 4/10

Sometime I love it! Sometime I hate it! No doubt it's one of the most difficult scents to wear... You'll have to tame it, and it takes time! The opening is very strong with camphre, and smells in a very medicinal way, almost repulsive! After a few minutes, it becomes more confortable and still enigmatic, whith an amber and woody touch in the end. Gothic like cathedrals and mystic...like someone attracted by shadow and light.

No, no no. Far too much cloves. This is like going to the dentist. Sorry, but I find this deeply unsexy and medicinal.

"Inspired by the legend of a phoenix that reborn from ashes of flame"

Warm spicy.Sweet and sensual.The Ashy scent that has depth and quality.Dark perfume- the Noir name of it ,yes, suitable.

Serge Noire is a wow to me, it is not that edgy personality-wise, but certainly it is one of a kind.
It starts really spicy, sweet and woody. It’s a really smooth well-blend oriental opening, and the feel from Serge Noire somewhat makes me think of many men’s perfumes made by Amourage, plus a bit essence from Tom Ford’s Tobacco Vanilla without the significant tobacco or vanilla plus Costes’ milky spiciness.

About one hour later, Serge Noire goes warmer, less spicy, tarter, sweet woodier (something smells like cedar) and easier on my skin.

Wonderful as it is, unfortunately I find Serge Noire might suit a man (and ideally no younger than 25) much better and easier than to a woman, especially if you are under 25, in an environment in which girls use mostly celebrity floral fruity or floral gourmand nearly all the time, and by using Serge Noire, you might make yourself smell like an 100+ year old sophiscated professor, emotionally, to your friends.

Spice and… sweat. This is not a timid perfume, and the initial whiff had me bit concerned that this was going to bowl over into “unwearable” territory. Thirty seconds later and I had cinnamon. Not the sweet, gooey, sugar-laden confection that is a popular treat at the mall, but a deep, exotic spice for a more sophisticated palate. Is it cumin that smells of sweat? No shower-fresh scent, this. Ten minutes later and the clove settles in. I like the smell of clove, but on my skin it sometimes reminds me of a muscle rub. There is enough spice in this to keep it out of medicinal range, however. I’m enjoying the drydown and thinking that I would really love to smell this on a man.

The opening is a little alarming, and I can understand how people think this is unpleasant and sweaty, but it reminds me of cumin. But really that only lasts a short time. What takes over is somewhat gritty, grey, husky, and yes smokey. I can sort of pick out cinnamon but this is not a scent to pick apart, it just makes itself known as a whole. Kind of too powerful for me personally....not that it's incredibly strong in throw or sillage, just the mood or feel of it is very strong for me and I couldn't wear this all the time. But there's a time and a place for everything, as they say. I consider this sultry and rich but also gritty and dry at the same time.

Wow! As soon as I started to crack the vial, the sandalwood was out and about and the scent was swirling all around me even before I had the stopper all the way removed. Am I the only one who smells sandalwood in this? To me it’s the most prominent note, and it’s an excellent sandalwood, the kind that seems alive with an almost sweaty feeling, and it’s accompanied by lots of cinnamon and cloves. The amount of clove is unusual, since it’s not often used heavily in perfumes, probably because it seems to be a love-it-or-hate it note. There’s also a little bit of a musty dry note in SN, and maybe a tiny tendril of incense here and there. To me, it’s a luxurious mix of wood and spices. As it dries down the incense becomes more prominent, but the sandalwood is always there.

To me this is not in any way sinister, gothic, or mysterious. I think the fact that the notes are not listed allows people to project whatever they want onto the fragrance, and the word “noire” together with Serge’s purple prose doesn’t help. I see it as a perfume that evokes the image of warm spice caravans rather than cold vampire crypts. In the middle of the drydown there is an interesting “ashy” note that I think could be associated with SL’s original phoenix imagery in which the bird burns itself in a spicy fire, to reappear again in the form of incense. I’ll go with that. The bottom line is that I love this perfume, and will use up my sample as I contemplate the need for a decant.

Umm, can smell the cinnamon and cloves right off the bat. I loved it. Then came the amber and a muskiness that reminded me of a dirty man. But not too disgusting, just rank enough in a good way like your lover had just spent the day working hard outside. I got a sample in a swap so unknown if my sample has aged and lost it's oomph, but I don't get anything disturbing as it reacts with my skin. I think it's totally wearable and enjoyable.

This is a rare perfume. I knew I could not leave the store without it. Totally wearable, excentric, requires a dramatic amount of confidence, it definitely is a different statement. I can't say it's seductive, it's more...intriguing, very intriguing. At one point it made me think of those smoky scotch single malts, aged and expensive...thinking of Laphroaig...old wet wood and smoke in a deep forgotten basement...wind outside...and all the promises of the World ahead of me. Love it!

Enchantingly dangerous, untamed-sexy, hypnotic and darkly disorienting---ahh, so this is what it feels like to be wooed by Heathcliff on the windy moor or a beautiful vampire in the shadows--maybe "Dorian Gray" in a steamy boudoir! Upon opening, "Serge Noir" bursts into something like an old-school camphor rub--think "Tiger Balm" or some other herbal skin rub, but not something particularily medicinal in the way newer anaglesiac rubs are--it smells like a very elegant camphor; this is a young gentleman's herb-steeped oil-rub, something to invigorate the body before a romping exercise of some kind (we'll say "fencing" or "boxing" or "wrestling", for all intents and purposes, here). The camphor deepens into an ebony-woody sweetness, touched with a hint of rosemary, smoky clove, dried sage and darkly velvety-sweet, scraped cinnamon stick. The ebony becomes very polished, contrasted against untreated wood, evoking a grand piano inside and out. Then, any moisture dries into something salty and sweetly windswept, evoking frayed, dandied frock coats of the 1800's; beautiful men standing on the decks of ships in their weather-worn overcoats and leather boots. I'm a young woman and if a man ever approached me wearing this, I'd struggle against myself not to conume the air in his personal space, making every effort to trace my nose along his neck and infuse his scent into my fantasies. Women can pull this off, just for the experience of evoking the late days of autumn; however, "Serge Noir"--like some magical potion made to transform when touched to male skin--develops differently on guys; it's leathery-sweet, smoky and intense, with charming masculinity at its core, reminding ladies of why some men will always be romantically successful, despite our best intentions. A very foxy, spellbinding scent by SL.

Serge Lutens deliver a unique fragrance.( love the name which is a double entendre; serge noire is also the translation for a black cloth used in uniforms in France).

At first, Serge Noire seems slightly familiar, as if it was a cross between Bvlgari Black and Gris Clair. On me, the smell of rubber opens the scent, before anise and cinnamon take over. I detect patchouli and camphor. But there is an odd sweetness that counters the more earthy and astringent notes, an unusual blend of vanillin and spice notes, benzoin and styrax on my skin.

The company lists the top notes as “Ethereal Notes”, (I have no idea what they are) and the heart notes are Patchouli, Camphor, Cinnamon and Spices, with base notes of Woody Notes and Amber.

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts; Serge Noire distinguishes itself with an unusual drydown. There is this Chet Baker quality…

Not too oriental, nor too spicy-dark (this is a bit of a relief). It fades in and out, this melancholy---alternating with something hopeful and promising. It’s enigmatic. I believe you will debate back and forth, “Do I NEED Serge Noire? “and I bet that you will find it too tempting to resist.

been wearing for a week and love it!

Help I fell into my tagine, I'll eat it but I don't want to wear it. In fact it's giving me nausea.

Oh. My. God.

Can someone tell me, what happens at night at Castle Lutens in Gothylvania? When the moon shines bright over the mountains, and a far off she-wolf howls in the snow, the Master rises from his crypt, feeds the vampires, translates his oldest copy of the Necronomicon into latin...then goes and settles in his favourite leather (I hope it's leather; some kind of hide at any rate) armchair, waiting for me to arrive while he drinks the darkest claret. When I get there, his favourite niece asking her wicked uncle a favour, he'll give me excellent advice, especially if it's about corrupting cardinals or sewing cadavers together to create life. And all the time, he's wearing Serge Noire!

Lutens as always challenges me, makes me think and dream. I love this incredible incense-laden camphor/clove combo, thick and dark and (to my mind) incredibly masculine. I have not dared it on my skin yet, because I am a little woman and this perfume is in danger of entering a room streets before I do! I tested it on a piece of paper which I then put in my jacket pocket. The smell permeated pocket, jacket, and me for hours like old school medicine. It's lovely. Now all I have to do is convince the men in my life to try it. Someone somewhere must be able to wear this gloriously gothic creation!

it smelled to me of the contryside's damp ground and soil, some campfire near and strange grass mixed with herbs. Warm-ish softness with dampness and something spicy/herbal trying to sneak out from the underneath.
Can't say if I'm getting it wrong, but it reminds me of some L'Occitane en Provence's gents' perfume, eau de Vetiver, perhaps.
I don't know where I would wear it,actually I do prefer not to wear this anywhere, but those who like it shouldn't be getting short of ideas, because this is an unobtrusive fragrance and if you like it near your skin, why not

Just thought of the word that it triggered and it was 'lurking'

wearing this scent is a religious feeling. I expected SO much and I kinda doubted it was gonna be able to rise to the occasion, but it did. dualistic: dark, yet sparkly. comforting and disturbing.
a dream/nightmare come true.