Our take
What does Carat smell like?
In 2018 Mathilde Laurent, Cartier’s in-house perfumer, built Carat around a jeweller’s idea. A diamond splits light into seven colours, so she picked seven flowers to stand for them. The opening is brief. Juicy pear meets bergamot and green notes that smell like a freshly cut stem. The heart is where the light comes in. Hyacinth leads with its damp green feel. Narcissus, violet and honeysuckle take turns while ylang-ylang adds a creamy touch and lily stays in the back. No single flower wins, and that is the point. The base is light, just powdery mimosa and white musk. Compared with Marc Jacobs’ Daisy, another sheer and fresh floral, Carat is greener and drier with less fruit. It has a cool, clean quality that suits the gemstone theme well.
When to wear it
A spring floral that works well at the office and bothers no one at the next desk. It lasts longer on clothes than on dry skin.
It belongs to the Floral family. Carat is one of 15 creations by Cartier in our encyclopedia.
