The story of Jean Couturier
Jean Couturier came from the perfume industry, where he worked before launching his own brand with his wife Jacqueline. The house stayed small and family-run. Trained by her husband, Jacqueline Couturier composed Coriandre herself in 1973. It arrived at the end of the golden age of chypres, when oakmoss and patchouli ruled women's perfume. Coriandre was reformulated and relaunched in 1993. The brand never had another hit on that scale. Today it lives almost entirely off this classic, found mostly online and in a few local perfume shops.
An olfactory signature
Coriandre lives up to its name. Coriander and angelica open on a green, spicy, slightly peppery note with a flash of orange blossom. The heart is floral, with rose, jasmine and a minty touch from geranium. The base is a classic chypre of patchouli, vetiver and sandalwood with musk. The whole is dry, elegant and rather strict. Nothing sweet. It clearly belongs to the seventies, which is exactly its charm.
Which Jean Couturier perfume to choose?
Coriandre is for lovers of floral chypres who like Cabochard or Aromatics Elixir but not their price. Wear it in autumn or spring, at work in one or two sprays. It lasts and projects, so do not overdo it. On very dry skin it can feel austere, so apply it after moisturiser. The current version is reformulated and lighter on moss than the original. To place it, compare it with Clinique Aromatics Elixir, which is more herbal and more powerful.