If there is a red-headed stepchild of perfume ingredients, geranium would be in the running. Used for the most part as a supporting element to rose it rarely gets a spotlight all its own. Which is a shame because some of my favorite perfumes are the ones which do feature it. Which was why I was excited to receive my sample of Molton Brown Geranium Nefertum.
One of the reasons I have been enjoying the recent releases from Molton Brown has been perfumer Carla Chabert. She has been consistently producing interesting perfumes based on the bath products the brand is most known for. Mme Chabert was the perfumer for Geranium Nefertum.
Carla Chabert
When I saw the name, I thought it was a variety of geranium. There are hundreds. Turns out Nefertum is the Egyptian god of perfume. The myth goes he was born from the blue lotus to rise with a wreath of those flowers upon his head. Mme Chabert modernizes that by thinking of a contemporary version who would be wreathed in geranium.
Geranium Nefertum opens on a fig accord comprised of leaf and fruit. The leaf adds a creamy green to the depth of the sweet fruit. As this is an eau de toilete it is an opaquer style. The geranium comes next with its minty rose-like scent which gives it the nickname “green rose”. When it is used in the perfume I like best the perfumer uses that green to create a different type of floral. Mme Chabert does just that as labdanum and oakmoss tease out the green and deepen it. This coalesces around a creamy sandalwood, recapitulating the fig accord from the beginning. It also creates a beautifully transparent chypre accord that was amazing in the hot weather.
Geranium Nefertum has 8-10 hour longevity and average sillage.
Mme Chabert has continued to impress me as she makes each new release a reason worth seeking out the fragrance section in Molton Brown. If you’re looking for a summer chypre search out Geranium Nefertum.
Disclosure: this review is based on a sample provided by Molton Brown.
–Mark Behnke
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