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      J’adore L’Or (2023) • DIOR🔺, ScentAdvice

      DIOR
      J’adore L’Or

      2023

      PERFUMER
      Francis Kurkdjian


      Jasminum grandiflorum absolute
      orange blossom absolute
      rose centifolia absolute

      J’adore L’Or (2023) • DIOR🔺, ScentAdvice


      ‘All the gold of J’adore in an essential, pure concentrate. For J’adore l’Or, Director of Dior Fragrance Creation Francis Kurkdjian showcases the beauty of the J’adore flowers by heightening their nuances and accentuating their colours. A full and voluptuous perfume essence that creates a dialogue between notes of orange blossom, jasmine grandiflorum and centifolia rose absolutes. Blossoming in their full glory in a floral quintessence that is both powerful and sensual, these flowers are the true gold of J’adore.’ – Dior
      ‘I have in a way, forced the outline of the flowers to define a new texture, like a fluid and enveloping gold, a new sensuality. Flowers are the true gold of J’adore.’ – Francis Kurkdjian

      J’adore L’Or (2023) • DIOR🔺, ScentAdvice

      J’Adore has never been a fragrance that I paid too much attention to if I’m being honest; I’ve only ever smelled them in stores. With 2023’s J’Adore L’Or being Francis Kurkdjian’s first main line release as Dior’s in-house perfumer, I was intrigued to see what he did with it.

      When I tried it in stores, I was a bit let down. It smelled pretty, but not exciting. On skin, I definitely get a lot more violet, which is a bit sweeter and fruitier; although Dior also described the jasminum grandiflorum used as having tones of ‘almond, mango and banana’.

      Either way, the jasmine is forward. Not as sharp and bright as the opening of Guerlain Jasmin Bonheur for example, which I can see some people experience as a ‘cleaning product’ jasmine (although I didn’t mind it). Here, there’s some more warmth and the violet breaks it up a little. That being said, overall, it does have a fresh and tangy side, maybe even green (lily-of-the-valley), which feels like it’s clashing a bit with the sweetness.

      Because this still has a strong tropical fruity and sweet tinge to my nose. Much more than I realized in stores. Maybe ylang-ylang, tiare or frangipani is in the composition unlisted, or maybe it’s just the sweetness of the other florals that comes across that way. At first more floral, but slowly becoming a bit more vanillic, sun-tan lotion-esque with subtle fruity touches throughout. With the lasting hint of green and acidity underneath.

      Surprisingly enough, the light, ozonic, skin-scent drydown that starts within 2, max. 3 hours into the wear on my skin, is my favorite part. The lighter and less dense wear make for a better mix of the fresh and sweet parts for me. At the end of the day, the fruitiness that sticks around is just not great in this mix for me.

      J’Adore L’Or (2023) feels like it’s stuck between two different styles. Kurkdjian tends to have a clean, musky, clinical style to his works. While musky, this is not the transparent, clean ‘molecular’ skin scent either; it’s too full-bodied, sweet, fruity and radiant for that in my opinion. It doesn’t feel like it belongs in the MFK Acqua lines for example. It seems to present itself as a more lush, well-rounded bouquet, but the supposedly high quality floral ingredients (like a different side of jasmine and the rose that I didn’t smell at all) are being downgraded to a familiar sun-tan lotion in the end.

      Or, probably in reverse for Dior J’Adore lovers; a sweet, vanillic, yellow-floral that’s been made ‘too clean and bright’ here by Kurkdjian’s touch. I have seen a pretty overwhelming negative reception to this 2023 version of J’Adore L’Or so far. I’m afraid I’m not going to change that; I don’t dislike it, but I think it’s underwhelming.


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