One of the great unicorns in perfume is 1998’s Le Feu D’Issey. A perfume which was too far ahead of its time it was a huge commercial failure. It was also seen as an artistic success. A fragrance which seemingly wanted to push at multiple boundaries simultaneously. If there is one piece of that experience which has been most divisive it is the raw coconut milk accord. Even I have days when I’m not in the mood for it. It is part of the dichotomy of Le Feu D’Issey is it can be polarizing and transcendent. Imagine my surprise when I see the brand try again with that coconut water ingredient in Fusion d’Issey.
Nathalie Lorson
Modern perfumery ingredients have come a long way in twenty years. There have been many successful coconut milk accords because of new ingredient options for perfumers to use. I was curious to see what perfumer Nathalie Lorson might try for here. It is a mixed bag of some imaginative choices early on before coalescing around a bland finish.
Mme Lorson opens with a modern version of that coconut milk accord. It is a much more accessible version that the one presented twenty years ago. This carries a suntan lotion vibe. To keep it from going too far in that direction lemon provides a citrusy contrast. A bit of fig leaf makes the coconut trend towards its creamier side. A fantastic heart accord of cardamom, geranium, nutmeg, and eucalyptus give a spicy energy around the floral core. It picks up on that same energy from the lemon in the top accord. At this point Fusion d’Issey is a well-done different summer refresher of a scent. Then the synthetic woods arrive. The press release has a lot of talk about mineralic effects. In this instance they come through that hard-packed dusty earth the synthetic woods bring. Ambrox is the named ingredient but I think there are at least a couple more to refine that mineral quality. The problem is it throws the balance off as these powerful ingredients overwhelm everything else.
Fusion d’Issey has 14-16 hour longevity and average sillage.
I know they wanted the mineral effect based on the brief, but it is all you smell after a few short hours. I wish there were a way the nicely done earlier accords could have found some space to linger. If you also look at an Issey Miyake perfume with coconut milk in it and think to yourself, “Le Feu?” it isn’t that. It is a Fusion all its own.
Disclosure: This review is based on a sample supplied by Issey Miyake.
–Mark Behnke
