Our take
What does La Nuit Trésor smell like?
Launched by Lancôme in 2015, La Nuit Trésor extends the Trésor universe by tipping it towards night and gourmandise. The opening pairs pear, tangerine and bergamot for a short-lived, juicy fruity freshness. The heart holds its signature: a velvety black rose surrounded by strawberry and vanilla orchid, in a harmony that is floral and sweet, almost candied. The base of praline, vanilla, patchouli and coffee extends the gourmand theme with a dark, slightly bitter depth that keeps it from turning cloying. The result suggests an evening dessert, a rose dipped in caramel, warm and sensual, with good staying power on skin.
When to wear it
Evenings or dates in autumn and winter; it suits lovers of dark, sensual floral gourmands.
The story of La Nuit Trésor
Gourmand was everywhere in 2015. Lancôme's own La Vie est Belle had made praline a house signature three years earlier, and YSL's Black Opium had just added coffee to the mix in 2014. Lancôme decided to wake up Trésor, its big 1990 floral by Sophia Grojsman, a powdery rose-and-peach scent very much of its time. Rather than modernize it directly, the house invented a night version: the same rose at the center, darkened and surrounded by praline and coffee. It was a smart move. It tied a very current gourmand to a name the target customers' mothers already knew. Lupita Nyong'o, a Lancôme ambassador since 2014, became its face. The bottle carries over the faceted look of Trésor in darker tones, like a cut stone. Our data doesn't name a perfumer, so we don't either. La Nuit Trésor has since become a line in its own right, with spin-offs such as À la Folie and Musc Diamant.
Our detailed review
The opening is short and fairly fresh, with juicy pear and mandarin suggesting a light fruity scent. That doesn't last. After twenty minutes strawberry and black rose take over, and the perfume smells like strawberry jam warming in a pan with dark petals stirred in. The vanilla orchid rounds everything off. Praline and coffee arrive around hour two. The coffee stays in the background, more used grounds than espresso, but it is enough to cut the sugar. Patchouli adds an earthy note that keeps the structure standing. We like this gourmand rose, which is darker than most of what shares its shelf. The problem is repetition. After five hours all that remains is a fairly linear rosy praline, and the sugar can turn cloying in a heated room. It suits women who like warm, unapologetic evening scents and find La Vie est Belle too sweet-natured. Anyone who avoids sugar, or wants a fresh floral rose, should look elsewhere.
La Nuit Trésor vs its rivals
La Vie est Belle, its big sibling at Lancôme, shares the pear and a praline-vanilla base with patchouli. The difference sits in the heart. La Vie est Belle has iris, jasmine and orange blossom, while La Nuit Trésor goes for black rose and strawberry. The first is brighter and more powdery, the second darker and fruitier. YSL's Black Opium shares pear, coffee, vanilla and patchouli. Its orange blossom and almond make for a whiter, edgier gourmand where the coffee is front and center. Ariana Grande's Cloud keeps the praline and vanilla orchid over creamy musks. It is airier and younger, with no rose and no bitterness. For an evening gourmand rose, La Nuit Trésor. For straight coffee, Black Opium. La Vie est Belle is easier by day, and Cloud suits those who want sugar without depth.
Longevity, projection and use
Rated 4 out of 5 for intensity, La Nuit Trésor performs well for an eau de parfum: seven to nine hours on skin in normal conditions, longer on clothing. Projection is strong for the first two hours, then it draws in close. Two sprays are enough, one on the nape and one on the chest. Don't go further in a closed room, because the sugar saturates the air quickly. It is an autumn and winter scent for evenings, dates and dinners. In high summer it turns sticky on the skin.
It belongs to the Gourmand family. La Nuit Trésor is one of 5 creations by Lancôme in our encyclopedia.
