Reminiscence: patchouli as the founding idea
In 1970, a perfume built around patchouli was a countercurrent choice, tied to the hippie spirit of the time, and the house itself calls it a revolutionary idea for a market that was not used to fragrances of this kind. Zoé Coste and Nino Amaddeo made it the center of their house. Patchouli, launched that year together with Ambre and Musc, pairs the essence with a base of woods, labdanum, vanilla and white musks, and it became the brand's signature. Later creations brought ambers, musks, marine florals and gourmands, but the common thread is still the work on raw materials. For mimosa, for example, the house turns to Robertet, which it describes as its longtime partner.
The fragrances in the collection
The Patchouli family
Le Patchouli Eau de Toilette Intense is the tribute to patchouli where the brand's story begins, with the woody, almost syrupy facets of the essence amplified by cedar and sandalwood. The house presents Le Patchouli Elixir, an eau de parfum, as the even more intense version, with more vanilla, balsams, more enveloping musks and deeper woods. Rose Tentation - Patchouli N'Roses opens on fruity lychee notes and pairs centifolia and damask rose with a heart of patchouli and vanilla. Finally, Dolce Riviera - Patchouli Blanc shows patchouli "in a new light," inspired by Mediterranean living, with star anise, hawthorn and a crystalline patchouli accompanied by sandalwood and musks.
Le Rem and the sea
Le Rem, an eau de toilette intense, is inspired by the island of Saint-Barthélemy, in the Lesser Antilles, with its turquoise waters and white sand. It combines the iodized freshness of sea spray with a bouquet of tropical flowers and recalls skin covered in suntan oil. The house presents it as a first in perfumery precisely because of this pairing of a marine note and a sunny bouquet.
Amber, woods and musks
Among the ambers is Souffle Ambre, an eau de toilette intense inspired by the imagery of the Arabian Nights, with cloves in the opening, an amber accord and a base of patchouli, cedar and sandalwood. Bois Étoile - Oud is spicy, woody and leathery, with centifolia rose and saffron over the house's emblematic amber base. With Musc Charnel, the house revisits one of its first fragrances from 1970 in a new formula, which it describes as more modern and intense, with ylang-ylang, coriander, tonka bean, labdanum and white musk.
Gourmand compositions and florals
Macaron d'Amour - Dragée brings together almond blossom and orange blossom, with a cardamom opening and the house's musky, vanilla base. Then there is Fleur de Délice - Guimauve, with bergamot and mint, orange blossom, jasmine and vanilla, and powdery, ambery accents. Histoire d'Orgeat - Héliotrope is devoted to almond, with fig leaves, heliotrope, tonka bean and benzoin. Among the florals, finally, is Sous un Mimosa de Provence, an eau de toilette intense with which the house returns to its origins, a tribute to mimosa pays absolute and to the late-winter bloom on the Côte d'Azur.
How to choose a Reminiscence perfume
A good starting point is the families the house itself uses to present its fragrances in its sets. Le Patchouli, which Reminiscence calls its iconic woody amber, and the Elixir are woody ambers; Rose Tentation is a floral amber and Dolce Riviera a woody musk. Le Rem is a marine floral and Bois Étoile - Oud is spicy, woody and leathery. Macaron d'Amour, Fleur de Délice and Histoire d'Orgeat feature almond, orange blossom and vanilla, and Sous un Mimosa de Provence centers on a single flower.
As for concentration, Le Patchouli, Le Rem, Souffle Ambre and Sous un Mimosa de Provence are eaux de toilette intenses, while Le Patchouli Elixir, Rose Tentation, Dolce Riviera, Musc Charnel, Bois Étoile and the gourmand compositions are eaux de parfum.
Gift sets and travel sets
The Coffret Le Patchouli pairs the 50 ml eau de toilette intense with a scented body milk in the same fragrance, and the Coffret Le Rem does the same with the 50 ml Le Rem eau de toilette and its body milk. If you haven't decided yet, the Travel Kit Patchouli and the Travel Kit Le Rem bring together five of the house's creations, including Rose Tentation and Dolce Riviera.
Frequently asked questions
What is the signature Reminiscence perfume?
The signature Reminiscence perfume is Patchouli, launched in 1970 when the house opened. Today it comes as Le Patchouli Eau de Toilette Intense, in which the patchouli is amplified by cedar and sandalwood, and this fragrance is also the origin of the Elixir, Rose Tentation and Dolce Riviera.
What is the difference between Le Patchouli and Le Patchouli Elixir?
Le Patchouli is the woody, ambery eau de toilette intense, with the patchouli amplified by cedar and sandalwood. Le Patchouli Elixir, on the other hand, is an eau de parfum that the house describes as the more intense version, with more vanilla, balsams, more enveloping musks and deeper woods.
What does Reminiscence Le Rem smell like?
Le Rem is an eau de toilette intense dedicated to Saint-Barthélemy, in the Lesser Antilles. It is a marine floral, with an iodized side and tropical flowers that recall sun-warmed skin, and it also comes in the Coffret Le Rem together with a scented body milk in the same fragrance.
Is there a lighter, brighter Reminiscence patchouli?
Yes, Dolce Riviera - Patchouli Blanc presents the house's patchouli "in a new light," inspired by the Mediterranean way of life. It has star anise in the opening, a powdery heart of hawthorn and a base of crystalline patchouli with sandalwood and musks.
Which Reminiscence perfume should I choose if I love rose?
If you love rose, the one to try is Rose Tentation - Patchouli N'Roses, an eau de parfum that pairs centifolia and damask rose with the house's patchouli, with fruity lychee notes and a heart of patchouli and vanilla. Bois Étoile also contains centifolia rose, but in a woody, spicy composition.
What are the gourmand Reminiscence perfumes?
There are three gourmand compositions from Reminiscence. Macaron d'Amour - Dragée combines almond blossom and orange blossom, Fleur de Délice - Guimauve has orange blossom, jasmine and vanilla with powdery accents, and Histoire d'Orgeat - Héliotrope has almond, heliotrope, tonka bean and benzoin.
What is Reminiscence Musc Charnel?
Musc Charnel is the musky eau de parfum from Reminiscence, a new formula, more modern and intense, of one of the house's historic musks. It opens with ylang-ylang and coriander, then moves to tonka bean, labdanum and a base of white musk.
What is in the Reminiscence Travel Kits?
The Reminiscence Travel Kits contain a selection of five of the house's creations, built around either Le Patchouli or Le Rem, and both also include Rose Tentation and Dolce Riviera. The house offers them as a way to find the scent signature that suits you best.
