Our take
What does La Panthère smell like?
Mathilde Laurent, Cartier's in-house perfumer, created La Panthère in 2014. The eau de parfum went on sale that March. The official pyramid is deliberately bare. A fresh note sits on top, gardenia holds the heart and a chypre accord of moss and musk forms the base. The opening is brief, a breath of green air before the flower takes over. This gardenia is fleshy and a little milky, with the faint mushroom note you get from a cut bloom. Laurent pulls it away from bridal-bouquet territory by setting it on dry moss and musks with a feline edge. The effect is warm fur rather than clean petals. It reads as a modern floral chypre, softer than the chypres of the 1970s. The faceted panther-head bottle says it all: a white flower with claws.
When to wear it
For autumn and winter, at the office or a dressy dinner. Two sprays is enough.
It belongs to the Floral, Chypre family. La Panthère is one of 18 creations by Cartier in our encyclopedia.