HELLENIST
LES BRAS DE MORPHEE
2024
PERFUMER
Suzy Le Helley
peach
violet
heliotrope
violet
orris
hazel wood
tonka bean
cashmeran
Vanilla
‘An ethereal veil, a suspended embrace between dream and reality… “les bras de Morphée” is an enchanting fragrance driven by the nobility of orris. Its hypnotic, cloud-like trail softens with ambered touches where vanilla, hazelnut, and tonka bean melt into a comforting and elegant caress.’ – Hellenist Parfums
Whereas the latest The Hellenist at the time of writing, Les Dieux Aux Bains, was not to my personal taste, the opposite is true for Les Bras de Morphee. Because, iris. This was my favorite upon smelling the Hellenist collection during Paris Perfume Week 2025 and will likely remain my favorite after another test of the orange blossom Le Chant D’Achille & the fig A L’Ombre D’Artemis, which I also really enjoyed.
Iris is my favorite note and rarely ends up being something I don’t strongly like when it’s prominently featured. In this case, a mix of very carrot-heavy iris and a lot of slightly nutty sweetness. And it came as no surprise to me that I loved this wear from start to finish.
The iris here reads like a mix of fresh and warm carrots to my nose, but not with a dark earthiness or super buttery texture. Slightly rooty; I find it mostly on the vegetal side initially, with a carrot seed oil sweetness and I was at times reminded of cinnamon. This opening is probably my favorite aspect, but to those that are less into the carrot-lore, the drydown will likely appeal more.
The real sweetness and ‘cloud-like’ trail as described by the brand follows after a while. Vanillic, smooth, turning almost into a fresher Dior Bois D’Argent. Admittedly, I fell asleep midway through testing Les Bras De Morphee, but after several hours later, the late drydown felt like slightly spicy sweet skin scent that was still pleasant. I’ve tried to pinpoint which other iris this reminds me of as an overall package; perhaps Teo Cabanel Encore would be the best comparison from my collection.
It’s a lovely combination that I think will appeal mostly to iris-appreciators at first, but the drydown should be a crowd-pleasing sweet pillow for many to enjoy.