There are many fragrance styles which have taken hits due to the ingredient restrictions handed down by the European oversight agencies. The one ingredient which has caused the biggest change is that of oakmoss. Full oakmoss has been proscribed from being used in perfumes. When something like this happens in perfumery it initiates a two-pronged approach; one scientific and one creative. The scientific part is to find ways of making synthetic alternatives. The creative way is to create accords which give the same effect as oakmoss. Le Labo Mousse de Chene 30 is an example of both coming together.
Fabrice Penot and Edouard Roschi
Mousse de Chene 30 is the city exclusive for Amsterdam. Like all the other city exclusives don’t strain yourself looking for a connection; it might require an advanced yoga pose to find the right perspective for that. Despite that many of the city exclusives are among the best perfumes with Le Labo on the label. For Mousse de Chene 30 perfumer Daphne Bugey with creative directors Edouard Roschi and Fabrice Penot want to make a “neo-chypre”.
Daphne Bugey
The loss of oakmoss was a blow to the chypre style of perfume; being one of the main ingredients. Over the last ten years I have seen many good versions without oakmoss in them. Mousse de Chene 30 is another of them. In this case two prominent synthetics from Firmenich, Clearwood and Crystal Moss, are used with low-Atranol oakmoss and patchouli to form an evolutionary chypre.
Before we get to the meeting of synthetic and natural we start with a spicy flare of cinnamon, baie rose, and bay leaf. This is a curtain raiser to the main event. Low-Atranol oakmoss caries the green but the loss of the Atranol takes some of the “bite” out; to get that back Crystal Moss is used. I find it is like the effect Ambrox brings to woods. Crystal Moss is a spiky green synthetic which has to be used in moderation or that sharpness can overwhelm. Mme Bugey uses it well in Mousse de Chene 30 it returns the bite to the oakmoss accord. The patchouli when paired with Clearwood, itself a patchouli derivative, enhances the woody nature of the patchouli while attenuating the deeper aspects. Together they create a fresher patchouli accord for the oakmoss accord to interact with. As they come together at first it creates a more expansive type of chypre which over time contracts to a denser version as the synthetics begin to outlast the naturals.
Mousse de Chene 30 has 14-16 hour longevity and average sillage.
Mousse de Chene 30 shows science employed by a top-notch creative team can build a 2017 chypre which is compelling as any other modern version of that style.
Disclosure: This review was based on a sample I purchased.
–Mark Behnke
