Our take
What does À la Nuit smell like?
Serge Lutens presented À la Nuit in 2000. Christopher Sheldrake built it as a soliflore, using jasmine from Egypt, India and Morocco. The opening is loud. Green notes of cut stems and a touch of clove grab the nose, and some people find those first minutes overwhelming. Then the jasmine settles. It is ripe and fleshy, with an indolic side that recalls skin and slightly wilted petals. White honey rounds it out. The clove never quite leaves and keeps the sweetness in check. The base is simple: benzoin and musk extend the flower without covering it. Sarrasins is the house's other jasmine. Next to it, À la Nuit is brighter and closer to the real flower, while Sarrasins drifts toward leather and shadow. Jasmine lovers treat it as a reference. Everyone else should sample first.
When to wear it
Save it for warm evenings and for skin that loves indoles. One spray fills a room.
It belongs to the Floral family. À la Nuit is one of 31 creations by Serge Lutens in our encyclopedia.