Cartier aren’t known for ‘flankerising’ their creations to death. So when they do decide to create a new addition to an existing range, it’s worth sitting up and taking note. This time, they’ve turned to their deservedly bestselling Declaration from 1998 (Jean-Claude Ellena) to give us Declaration Haute Fraicheur, put together by current in-house, Mathilde Laurent. I reviewed the scent in a recent video over on YouTube, which you can watch at this link: Cartier Declaration Haute Fraicheur review.
Those looking for a more bracing take on Ellena’s already quite effervescent cardamom masterpiece will be disappointed, because Laurent has clearly – and commendably – decided to take proceedings in a different direction. Plaiting together various grasses, twigs and herbs, and placing them on a generous base of musks, she creates a curiously ‘organic’ scent: green, sappy and vegetal, like the atmosphere in some futuristic garden centre.
She’s always known how to handle her greens: Guerlain Herba Fresca and Cartier L’Heure Vertueuse are two especially memorable examples of her skills in this area. But this is perhaps the fleshiest green she’s ever given us: as thick and steam-sodden as it is naturalistic. I’m not sure Haute Fraicheur is the most apt name for it – if anything, this is a scent that feels as though it’s operating at the lowest of altitudes – but nonetheless, it’s well worth seeking out, and easily takes its place as one of the more interesting Declaration flankers.
Persolaise
[Cartier Declaration Haute Fraicheur review based on a sample provided by the brand in 2022.]
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