There are times that new perfume samples have the unfortunate timing of arriving at the wrong time for me to appreciate them. This was what happened when I received the Clean Eau Fraiche collection at the beginning of March. They were meant to be easy-to-wear fragrances meant for warmer weather. Except when they got to me it was thirty degrees out. The other thing was five of the six were overused tropes; just the names give you that idea: Rain & Pear, Skin & Vanilla along with an entire linen cabinet of Fresh Laundry & Lavender, Warm Cotton & Mandarin, and Cool Cotton & Grapefruit. These were all comprised of the usual suspects of the laundry musks matched with fruit. There was one which stood out for being different than these. I told myself I would give it a try once the weather got warmer. This time events allowed for me to be reminded of it while the mercury soared above ninety degrees. Wearing Air & Coconut Water in the past couple of weeks turned out to be just what I needed to enjoy it.
Claude Dir
What I found interesting about this fragrance composed by perfumer Claude Dir was the press release mentioned they wanted the air to be “mountain air” while the coconut water is evocative of the beach. What M. Dir manages to do is to marry a top accord of sparkly citrus to a beachy floral heart before heading up into the mountains for a deep breath of fresh air. It all surprisingly comes together nicely.
Air & Coconut Water opens on a sunbeam of bergamot and lemon it is typically bright and lively. There is a thready green pulse courtesy of blackcurrant buds but it is flooded by the citrus. The coconut water appears and it is that very beachy note of coconut made more transparent while retaining some weight due to a humidity that comes along with it. A light freesia freshens up the coconut water. Then we head up into the mountains for a deep breath of fresh musks. These are not the laundry musks as M. Dir combines a few of the different synthetic musks into a very fresh accord. What is very nice is tonka bean is also present to add in the hay-like effect of the dried grass. Instead of just being air instead it is a breath of the grass as well.
Air & Coconut Water has 6-8 hour longevity and moderate sillage.
They say timing is everything. For Air & Coconut Water returning to it at the end of June turned out to be the right time and the right season to appreciate it.
Disclosure: This review is based on a sample provided by Clean.
–Mark Behnke
