Le Galion

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Eau Folle by Le Galion

Hi there Crew, Spring has spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Yes, I know some of you are still chilly but YAY it’s not long now. So let’s talk about some gorgeous springtime fragrances over the next few weeks. Please tell us what spring beauties you are wearing too. Have you rearranged the grab tray yet? I’m just thinking about what will be put forward on the Autumn one here is Sydney. You know that the Le Galion gents are my friends, they gave me this last time we were in Paris. They know how much I love a Travel Size and I’m thinking this is 15ml spritz, so .5oz. According to Google Translate Eau Folle means Crazy Water, does anyone know if that’s the meaning or does it mean like a Folly? Like something done for the joy of itself, disregarding truly rational thought? I’ll be glad to know.

Eau Folle by Le Galion 2025

Eau Folle by Le Galion

Le Galion gives these featured accords:
Top: Basil, wormwood, violet leaf
Heart: Ginger, rosemary, geranium, lavandin
Base: Vetiver, patchouli, cedarwood, olibanum

The blurb: “With an energy multiplied tenfold by the irrepressible desire for freedom, Eau Folle generously and vividly projects a bouquet of aromatic herbs with spicy, green and herbaceous facets. Tonic and stimulating…”. Created by Julien Rasquinet, you’ll know his name from Aether, Amouage, Naomi Goodsir and Jusbox. Eau Folle is his first for the Le Galion crew. Noted in Fragtrantica as an Aromatic Aquatic but I think that undersells what we get, and though it does have a salty tang, I’d really like to call it a modern chypre. That idea of an island’s greenery, yes with the scent of surrounding ocean but that’s not the main player.

The opening is greenery and the crisp, zingy, snap of fresh ginger while overlooking the sea from the kitchen window. There is also the taste of a cold metal spoon or scent of a freshly cleaned sink. That multilayered deep, inky, oily greenness of vetiver runs right through alongside the strange, sweetly bitterness of wormwood. if you want your fragrance to waken and add a zest to your morning then Eau Folle will snap you out of morning lethargy and ready you for a day of action. Opening seems to last a long while as the rest of the notes slowly move forward. This is no top heavy, collapsing perfume but a slowly opening flower. Here is my best analogy in a photograph. Very late spring night in Seoul City, South Korea. Everywhere there are trees bursting forth with blossom and greenery, the shops are closing up, people are few but it still smells like a bustling city.

Eau Folle by Le Galion Spring in Seoul City

Through the heart and on to dry down the greenery becomes more basil/rosemary oriented and you can seriously smell them both, especially the basil. This is up close, nose nearly to arm. From further Eau Folle smells like a herbal cologne with extra depth. Not overpowering but focused and refreshing.

Dry down is a green woodsiness, still bright and serenely steady. Its woodiness is fecund and signals abundance and energy. If you ever need to project the aura of effortless energetic ability and strength then Eau Folle is your fragrance. Unisex but leaning traditional modern masculine, I’m thinking a perfect scent for grounding and relaxed strength.

So, what are you hoping to wear for Spring 2026?
Portia xx

 

 

Aesthete by Le Galion
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Aesthete by Le Galion

Heya ULGers, You’ve probably read me banging on about Le Galion’s Aesthete before around the scentbloggosphere. From a brand that I love so many fragrances from it stands head and shoulders above the rest for most wears in my life. Whenever I seek it out it tends to stay on the desk or grab tray, getting regular spritzes for a few weeks. It’s a throwback beauty to a time when the gents fragrance were interesting and thoughtfully produced. The nose, Vanina Muracciole, has done some other work for Jovoy Paris and my favourite from Masque Milano: Kintsugi. Nicolas Chabot, the brands owner and creative director, has a perfect sense of balance when overseeing perfume creations. A knack for ensuring that even though the ingredients might be unusual or confrontational the end product is always a perfectly poised, wearable, piece of olfactory art. Sometimes that balance is construed by those seeking envelope pushing weirdo scents as boring but I think as those perfumistas hit a certain point they will understand the quiet beauty of Le Galion. It’s like the Le Galion oeuvre is made to make perfumers sigh in delight and resignation that they’ll probably never get to make something so exquisite.

Aesthete by Le Galion 2015

Aesthete by Le Galion

Top: Davana, mandarin, saffron, incense
Heart: Leather, oud, guaiac wood, castoreum, jasmine
Base: Sandalwood, vanilla, musk

This year Aesthete is celebrating 10 years! I’m celebrating 10 years of it being a staple in my collection and noticing that my bottle is down to about 1/3 have recently put a new bottle at the top of the To Buy List.

One of the excellent things about living in 2025 is that even though Aesthete is a traditional masculine, there is room for EVERYONE to wear this leather bound lovely.

Opening is a smoky incense-heavy woody saffron with a smooth, sandalwood creamy white floral. The oudh is dark and medicinal when it shows up as we head for the heart. Aesthete is rich and earthy but also refined and elevated. I can’t think of another oudh heavy fragrance that is so wearable and still holds such darkness and grit. The dry down sweetens just enough to be a noticeable warming and this earth/wood/oudh/vanilla base pumps out softly for hours and hours. A spritz on chest, nape and one wrist is enough to take me through a day and have whispered remnants next morning.

Aesthete by Le Galion

This is one of my true perfume loves that resurfaces a couple of times a year for many wears.

Does Aesthete sound like you might enjoy it too?
Portia xx

Le Galion Discovery Sets: Portia
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Le Galion Discovery Sets: Portia

Hey All. Firstly, I need to tell you that Jin and I are good mates with the guys from Le Galion. Nicolas and his partner Enno are always on our MUST SEE list while in Paris and we had a blast with them down here in Sydney for Mardi Gras a few years ago too. We know how hard they work to make Le Galion as good as it can possibly be and build upon the foundations set by……. WAIT! Why don’t we have a little look at their history?

In 1930, Prince Murat, a descendant of Joachim Murat, brother in law of Napoleon 1st, and King of Naples, founded Le Galion Perfume House.
In 1935, Prince Murat sold his company to perfumer Paul Vacher, who was already famous within the industry at that time. (Aged just 25, he worked with Marcel Guerlain and then joined Lanvin. In 1927, he created Arpège with Andre Fraysse. Following this success, he decided to launch his own perfume house.)
In 1946, when Serge Heftler-Louiche and Christian Dior wanted to develop a fragrance for their fashion house, Paul Vacher created Miss Dior and in 1963 Diorling.
In 1980 Le Galion was sold to a US company and it collapsed.
2014 and Nicolas Chabot buys the name and original formulas. He then gets a dream team of perfumers to recreate the original fragrances as nearly as possible with modern ingredients. He also starts creating new fragrances for the brand with the same perfectly curated, poised, thoughtful and beautifully blended feeling of Le Galion of old.
2020, Le Galion celebrates 90 years with the release of nine fragrances.

OK, you’re all caught up.

Le Galion Discovery Sets

This is really exciting news. The boys have created three Discovery Sets that you can now buy from the Le Galion site and have shipped to the world. The cost is €35 + P&H for a box of 8 individually packed 2ml samples.
You also get a €25 discount voucher for your next purchase of a full size 100 ml bottle. I KNOW! Right.
It looks really shmick too.

OK, so here’s a look at the three Discovery Sets. You could buy all three for around €100 + P&H and only have three doubles to share with friends.

Latest Releases

Lily of the Valley, Bourrasque, Brumes, Champs de Mai, Tilleul, Tulipe, Jasmin and Chypre

Masculines

Spécial for Gentleman, Esquive, Sang Bleu, Aesthete, Tilleul, Cologne Nocturne, Whip and Cuir

The Icons

Sortilège, Brumes, Bourrasque, La Rose, Tubéreuse, Iris, Cologne and 222

If you are after super weird assed fragrance that makes children run and adults question their existence. If you only love super beast mode bro juice or are into the deep artisan indie scene then Le Galion is probably not going to suit. These fragrances are made for people who love the best, who are wanting to smell luxuriously poised. You won’t get an “Oh My God what is that?” but you will get a raised, perfectly couture eyebrow and a knowing smile. I feel like Le Galion is for people who don’t need to showboat but want to smell wonderful to themselves and those who are close enough to notice. Niche for the truly discerning wearer of scent.

You all know how I love to have several fragrances from a brand I love. In the collection currently I have bottles of Aesthete, Cologne Nocturne, Cuir, Sang Bleu, Sovereign, Tilleul, and Whip. Most of them I bought but the guys gave me a couple too. I’m on my second, paid retail for bottle of Aesthete because I was so excited about it that I sent samples to everyone. I wanted them all to fall as madly in love with it as I have. Still on my list to purchase are 222, Brumes and Sortilege.

Have you had the pleasure of spending some sniff time with Le Galion perfumes?
Portia xx