What to know | Guerlain reinterprets L’Heure Bleue with iris tincture, ozonic notes and vanilla
The key details: Delphine Jelk revisits the mood of the 1912 fragrance through an iris tincture paired with iris butter. Fragrance notes provide clues for comparison with an actual skin test.
Guerlain responds to the blue hour at the junction of day and night with a new version of L’Heure Bleue, developed under the leadership of fragrance creative director Delphine Jelk.
Officially, it is positioned as a floral amber tone, which is fresh and soft with a sense of ozone, iris and vanilla, and uses a specially developed iris tincture to give the familiar name a new material expression.
Cover image: COURTESY OF GUERLAIN
Guerlain's public display of Blue Hour vision. Image: COURTESY OF GUERLAINImage reference for the creation of Guerlain fragrances. Image: COURTESY OF GUERLAIN
What continues is emotion, every recipe does not have to stop in 1912
L’Heure Bleue was first created by Jacques Guerlain in 1912. The new version continues the feeling of the Blue Hour, but uses the fragrances that can be obtained and developed today.
When historical fragrances are reinterpreted, memories and differences can be preserved at the same time, and it is not necessarily measured by whether they resemble the original.
L’Heure Bleue fragrance planning display. Image: COURTESY OF GUERLAIN
For those who are familiar with the old product, you can first remember whether you like the powdery quality, floral fragrance or overall mood before trying the new version; for those who are acquainted with it for the first time, you can start directly from the current product and your own feelings, without having to memorize the entire brand history first.
Iris tincture and iris butter give the same material different expressions
Official information points out that the new version pairs specially made iris tincture with iris butter. The former brings out a fresher, plant and woody aspect, while the latter retains a softer, powdery layer.
Also written as iris, there may be differences due to material processing and matching methods.
Tinctures involve extracting materials with alcohol, not just putting the scent of flowers directly into a bottle.
Understanding the material can help to read the official description, but the actual smell still needs to be tested through fragrance testing, and words cannot completely replace the changes that everyone smells.
Ozone, pear and orange blossom, leading to iris and vanilla
The new version of the official fragrance opens with lighter ozone notes, pear and orange blossom, iris and jasmine form the middle, and then continues in the direction of vanilla, ambroxan and musk.
These are fragrance structure and odor associations, which do not mean that users will be able to clearly distinguish all names at every point in time.
When reading a fragrance note, think of it as a clue to the smell: pay attention to the fresher parts first, then compare what's left after a while.
Rather than immediately judging whether a certain component is the most obvious, observing how the whole changes over time is often closer to actual use.
Gradient blue bottle allows vision to participate in the story
The new version revisits the brand’s inverted heart-shaped bottle outline in gradient blue, with gold lettering and a darker appearance making it look like a small object.
The bottle provides a viewing entrance, but the smell needs to be confirmed separately. Just because the packaging appears blue, it cannot be inferred that it must be ocean or soap scent.
When choosing fragrance, you can also separate these two preferences: whether you like the items on display and whether you like the smell when you actually wear it.
When both are true, it is easier for the product to become a part of daily use, rather than just being attracted by a photo once.
When testing fragrance, first compare the time and usage situation
You can read it firstGuerlain official new fragrance introduction, and then compare it with the actual skin use through the fragrance test paper.
The work space, weather and personal preferences are different, and the amount and usage occasions that are suitable for you will also be different.
Public descriptions provide directions and cannot replace personal feelings.
Guerlain opens new fragrance display space. Image: COURTESY OF GUERLAINDelphine Jelk reveals the fragrance interview scene. Image: COURTESY OF GUERLAIN
The focus of L’Heure Bleue this time is to re-express familiar emotions with new materials.
From the two treatments of iris, the fresher opening to the subsequent warm levels, you can see how the classic continues to move forward while retaining memories.
