Musc Monoï – sun and sea and skin

Photo: perfumeniche

Prompting memories is one of the things that fragrances do, so when my husband sniffed Musc Monoï on my skin, he was instantly taken back to his childhood of family seaside summers spent in the south of France. No surprise there since Musc Monoï, from Nicolaï, Parfumeur-Créateur, was inspired by Ambre Solaire, the 75-year-old French suntan oil produced by L’Oreal and worn by the French, in the 60’s and 70’s.

Patricia de Nicolaï grew up wearing Ambre Solaire and wanted to create a sensual fragrance that would smell of hot skin at the end of a long, sunny day at the beach.

I can’t honestly say what Ambre Solaire smelled like years ago, but I can tell you that Musc Monoï evokes memories of summer for everyone who smells it.

It opens bright and sunny with notes of citrusy, floral neroli, juicy lemon, and a green note from petitgrain. As these fade, the Monoï comes forward. Monoï is a fragrant Polynesian oil made from soaking Tiaré flowers (Tahitian gardenias) in coconut oil. Monoi oil is rich in methyl salicylate, a skin-soothing agent that penetrates the skin rehydrates it and protects it against sun and wind damage. It’s a key ingredient in suntan oils like Ambre Solaire.

Musc Monoï isn’t about replicating the scent of Ambre Solaire, it’s about being inspired by it, so instead of gardenia, de Nicolaï uses rich, creamy, ylang-ylang combined with indolic, animalic jasmine to create the impression of sun-kissed skin. Ylang-ylang and jasmine are sensuous and erotic, but they can also be sweet, so lush, lemony-faceted magnolia is there to balance the sweetness and bolster the sensuality. Ylang-ylang has a banana aspect that ushers a note of lush, tropical coconut oil, creating a gorgeous tribute to Monoï. Calone adds an aquatic, marine note to Musc Monoï that calls the mind the seaside. At the base, the sensuous mood is enhanced by creamy sandalwood and warm, animalic musk.

The drydown is refined, sensual and sophisticated. It smells like warm, sun-kissed shoulders, arms and legs - tanned and sea-sprayed after a lazy, languorous spent lying on warm sand.

I may not have childhood memories of days spent at the beach wearing Ambre Solaire, but I expect to create a few when I wear Musc Monoï.

Check out Musc Monoï in our Shop.