One of the joys of summer is a welcome return to the glorious eau de cologne style of scent. The effervescent and bright explosion of citrus and aromatics is wonderfully cooling and incredibly uplifting. This category of fragrance has seen a remarkable resurgence in recent years, accompanied by some ridiculous price tags, but there are still some classic companies that have never stopped producing their celebration of sunshine. One such brand is Presitge de Menton and, after two years of sympathetic updating, their new Eau de Menton collection retains the original Provençal charm but adds a touch of Parisian chic.
Prestige de Menton launched in 1947 after perfumer Louis Berneux decided to move from Paris to Roquebrune Cap Martin in the south of France. He became entranced by the area, and also the famous tradition of Menton’s lemon festival, so set out to create a fragrance that epitomised its character. He could never have imagined that, seventy-two years later, his Eau de Menton would still be “the scent of the south” for so many. The company was acquired by the Leroux family in the 1970s and, under the control of Philippe Leroux, would go on to launch a staggering array of over thirty fragrances.
When Julien Foucher bought Prestige de Menton in May 2017 it had a very loyal following and, because of that, the bottles and packaging hadn’t been updated for many years. So, he set about condensing the existing range but also plucked out four scents which, alongside Eau de Menton, would create a new collection. The Eau de Menton series launched with l’Originale, Verveine Citron, Citron Verte, Néroli, and Méditerranée. In new bottles, with aluminium sprays rather than plastic, the series was soon joined by a brand new sixth fragrance, Absolue. All six are fantastic but two really made my mouth water.
L’Originale is, as the name suggests, the company’s 1947 fragrance. The original recipe is still held by Julien Foucher although he admits that it has had to be tweaked a little over the years. It opens with an arresting burst of lemon and the merest hint of lavender. The citrus combines the feel of lemon juice with the waxy, oil imbued skin of the fruit for an effect that is uplifting to say the least. It sweetens slightly on the skin, thanks to a touch of coumarin and orange, but never loses its sherbet lemon tanginess. You’re looking at around two hours lifespan, but those two hours are absolutely heavenly.
One of the original fragrances that Julien incorporated into the Eau de Menton collection is Verveine Citron. This scent takes verbena and combines it with the citrus to create an aromatic lemon that honestly feels as though you’ve crushed the verveine leaves in your hand. As the fragrance develops you get hints of an almost iris-touched woodiness in the background before softer notes of orange blossom seem to come into the mix. Citrus is always a fascinating ingredient, because it reveals so many hidden facets on the skin, and Verveine Citron has very quickly become my favourite verbena fragrance.
Eau de Menton l’Originale and Verveine Citron are available from the Prestige de Menton website at prestigedementon.com priced at €12.50 for 30ml, €14.50 for 50ml, and €21.90 for 100ml. [Samples provided by Julien Foucher]
Wow, thank you for posting about these Stephan. They sound amazing.
ReplyDeleteHello Barry, Julien is doing great things for this company and the whole Eau de Menton collection is beautiful (and they do 500ml refills). Best, Stephan
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