Note Pyramid
En Passant
Lilac is one of the hardest smells in the world to put in a bottle, and Frédéric Malle En Passant Eau de Parfum is the composition that persuaded everyone it was possible.
Olivia Giacobetti built it in 2000 and the method is unusual. Instead of making the flower large, she made the air around it convincing. Cucumber gives a cold watery greenness, galbanum a sharp sappy bite, basil a herbal edge, and there is a banana note in the opening which sounds strange and does something clever, adding a soft, slightly milky weight so the top is not merely cold. Orange brightens the whole arrangement without turning it into citrus.
Then the flowers. Lilac is the centre and it is extraordinarily true, powdery, faintly dusty and a little melancholy, with that watery sweetness real lilac has when it is fully open. Lily of the valley and jasmine stand behind it, one dewy and green, the other creamy, and carnation adds a dry, spicy bite while rose softens the edges. Honey is used in tiny measure, just enough to give the bouquet some flesh, and petitgrain keeps a bitter green thread running through it.
The base is barely there by design. Musk, amber, sandalwood, cedarwood and vanilla are all present but kept to a whisper, so the fragrance fades the way a smell in the street fades rather than settling into a drydown. It is quiet and it is meant to be. Four or five hours is the honest expectation, closer in warm weather, and it rewards generous application. Unisex, best in spring and early summer, and perfect for daytime and for anyone who finds most perfume too insistent.
Frédéric Malle set up his Paris house in 2000, coming from a family already deep in perfumery, and made a point of naming the perfumer on every bottle and treating each one as an authored work. Dominique Ropion, Maurice Roucel, Carlos Benaim and Annick Menardo have all composed for it, and Estee Lauder bought the business in 2015.
Please note: images are a guide only. Packaging and bottle design may occasionally differ from those shown due to manufacturer updates or promotions.
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