FREDERIC MALLE
CARNAL FLOWER (Synesthesia) 

2018

PERFUMER
Dominique Ropion

bergamot
melon
Tuberose
Eucalyptus
Jasmine
Coconut
Orange Blossom
Ylang-Ylang
White Musk

This is a special edition bottle containing CARNAL FLOWER (2005).

‘Blooming magnetism. An initial impression of innocence and flower-shop freshness disperses to reveal a more lustful tuberose: these dark and spicy notes surrender in turn to ones of milky comfort, enhanced by white musk, to draw out tuberose’s aura of lingering sensuality. Erotic flower.’ – Frederic Malle

As a green tuberose, it’s not a given that I’d wear this regularly, but Carnal Flowers pulls it off with style. One of the most sensual fresh scents out there.

Carnal Flower has the rare combination of being green, refreshing and sexy at the same time. Newer formulations like mine are supposedly safer and indeed, I get only a slight hint of indols in the opening; reminding me more of jasmine than of most tuberose scents, which tend to be more creamy and thick.

I definitely get a hint of coconut in Carnal Flower, but mostly it’s an almost sterile, pristine, green tuberose flower with an ever so slightly tropical twist. transparent and soapy come to mind, yet with great performance. It smells natural in a way; not as bubblegummy as for example Matiere Premiere’s French Flower.

The bit of skank that it contains seems to create the allure here and to my surprise I received compliments from strangers multiple times that I wore it to go out. Clean and sexy don’t often go hand in hand, but in Carnal Flower they seem to be inseparable. A fragrance that’s versatile, but not boring by any means. As it stands, a top 5, potentially top 3 Frederic Malle for me, which is arguably my favorite brand.