Our take
What does Chergui smell like?
Chergui came out in 2001 as an exclusive for the Palais Royal boutique. It only went beyond Paris in 2005. Christopher Sheldrake composed it with Serge Lutens and named it after the dry wind that blows across Morocco. The house names only three materials: immortelle, Russian leather and hay. The opening smells of cut hay and immortelle, with that maple syrup quality the flower has. A faint rose sits in the background. Honey and blond tobacco take over the heart. It feels like opening a wooden cigar box. Incense and musk add a powdery veil. The drydown lingers on amber, sandalwood and a fairly soft leather. Next to Tom Ford’s Tobacco Vanille, Chergui is less sweet and much drier. It smells more of a barn than a bakery. On warm skin the honey grows louder. In cold air the hay comes back to the front.
When to wear it
A winter scent for evenings and weekends. One or two sprays will do, since it projects hard for the first two hours.
It belongs to the Oriental / Amber family. Chergui is one of 31 creations by Serge Lutens in our encyclopedia.
