Note Pyramid
Zadig
Sesame in a perfume is rare enough to be the whole argument, and Zadig Eau de Parfum, the 2025 scent from Zadig and Voltaire, puts two kinds of it at the top.
Black sesame and white sesame are not the same material. White sesame is lighter, milkier and faintly sweet, while black sesame is darker, deeper and more obviously toasted, with a savoury, almost roasted edge to it. Using both gives the opening a nutty density that no citrus could provide, and ginger alongside them adds a dry, fizzing brightness that stops the whole thing from sitting too heavily from the first minute.
Neroli and orange blossom make the heart, and they are a sensible answer to the sesame. Neroli is green, sharp and a little bitter, orange blossom is rounder, honeyed and faintly soapy, and between them they lift the middle into something clean and white.
The base is short and deliberate. Vanilla is smooth rather than sugary and sandalwood is creamy and mild, and the two together give the sesame somewhere soft to settle. Amandine Clerc-Marie and Florian Gallo wrote it that way, with a small base and a loud top, which is why the scent reads as modern rather than classical.
At eau de parfum strength two sprays will see out a working day and sit fairly close after the first hour. It reads unisex, it works year round, and it is at its best on people who are tired of sweet florals and bright citrus.
The house has designed ready to wear in Paris since 1997 and licenses its perfume rather than producing it. Since 2014 the licence has belonged to Beaute Prestige International, a Shiseido company that took it on from Clarins.
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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