Note Pyramid
Eau Fraîche
Olivier Cresp composed Versace Eau Fraîche Eau de Toilette, and the name is accurate: this is a cool, dry, deliberately unsweetened fragrance.
Star fruit is the unusual choice at the top of it. It is a thin, tart, faintly green fruit smell rather than a rich one, and set beside lemon it makes the opening sharp without making it sour. Rosewood sits underneath both, dry and clean with a faintly spiced edge, and it gives the first minutes a structure that citrus on its own would lack.
The heart is herbal and that is where the character lies. Tarragon is anise edged and slightly bitter, cedar leaf is green and resinous, closer to a living branch than to cut timber, and clary sage adds a sharp, salty, hay dry bitterness. Three herbs together could easily turn medicinal; here they are kept bright by the citrus above them and the softness below.
Musk, amber and sycamore make the base. Sycamore is the interesting one, a pale dry material with a faintly papery quality, and with amber supplying a low warmth and musk a clean skin softness, the ending is subtle rather than substantial. Nine materials. As an eau de toilette it is light on the skin and moderate in reach, which is the correct treatment for a fragrance of this type: it is meant to smell like a well groomed man rather than like an announcement. Hot weather suits it particularly well, it is easy to wear at work, and it is one of the few men's fragrances that does not become oppressive in a crowded room.
Gianni Versace founded this Italian house in Milan in 1978. After his death his sister Donatella took charge and has led it since. Perfume is one of several things the company does, alongside clothing, interiors and hotels.
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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