MILLER HARRIS
Soufflot
2024
PERFUMER
Mathieu Nardin
mandarin
honey
hazelnut
tobacco
labdanum
peru balsam
benzoin
cinnamon
jasmine sambac
chestnut
cypriol
leather
orcanox
‘When Mathieu Nardin read Ernest Hemingway’s ‘The Sun Also Rises’, he immediately wanted to convey the aromatic memory he had that morning while walking through the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris. When the first rays of sunlight caressed the leaves of the chestnut trees that adorned the garden’s paths, their delicate white flowers sparkled like pearls in the soft morning light. The perfumer was enchanted by the magical aroma of these flowers, an exquisite blend of floral and nutty sweetness. Tobacco wafts from the café next door, together with the enchanting notes of the leather bags of elegant Parisians walking through the garden, provide the finishing touch to a colorful hustle and bustle.’ – Mysc (Translated)
I wore Soufflot alongside the other 2024 fragrance released alongside it, Celadon… and that was one of the least cohesive pairings I could’ve worn. Soufflot being the scent profile that I would usually gravitate towards a lot more, but the big caveat here is that I find it too sugary in a way that ruins it for me eventually.
As the notes suggest, this is a warmer, sweeter scent. Spicy, woody. It has strong nutty notes, cinnamon and labdanum. But it is, very, very sweet. And where this stops being a great fragrance as opposed to just a solid fragrance for me, is in the texture. Soufflot isn’t exactly a resinous, thick or cozy textured fragrance, but a dry and airy one. Similar, albeit slightly better, to the cheap sweet drydown of Amouage Love Delight. Nutty woods, completely coated in sugar and tonka bean-like sweetness that smells and feels less expensive than this fragrance deserves. Perfumer Matthieu Nardin made Kilian Smoking Hot not long before Soufflot and there are some (lightened) similarities to be found.
It’s a nice scent profile in the beginning, the sweet nuts, honeyed quality and woods remind me of fragrances as Versatile Croissant Cafe (which is much creamier) or Teo Cabanel Oh La La; definitely also Masque Milano Madeleine, which also has some of that airy sugar that kept me from keeping the bottle in the collection, after falling in love with it earlier. I think that Soufflot unfortunately doubles down on the ‘negatives’ for my taste.