Our take
What does Le Participe Passé smell like?
Serge Lutens released Le Participe Passé in 2018. Christopher Sheldrake, the house's longtime collaborator, wrote the formula. The published pyramid lists artemisia and bergamot on top, with fruit and pepper in the heart. The base piles up balsam and resins, then caramel and cumin over leather and patchouli. On skin, though, immortelle dominates even though it is missing from the official list. It swings between licorice and wood smoke. Auparfum also picks up smoky birch, dried fruit and a roasted coffee effect. Critic Clément Paradis describes it as a darker, rawer descendant of Chêne and Fille en aiguilles. The drydown ends in melted brown sugar over leather. Compared with Ambre Sultan, the house's sunny amber, Le Participe Passé is harsher and far less welcoming. It is a dense scent that asks for your attention.
When to wear it
For autumn and winter, evenings or a rainy weekend. One spray is enough given how dense it is.
It belongs to the Oriental / Amber family. Le Participe Passé is one of 31 creations by Serge Lutens in our encyclopedia.
