1804 – fruity and floral and uplifting

Photo: perfumeniche

It was Luca Turin’s description of 1804 by Histoires de Parfums in his book Perfumes (A-ZGuide), that made me want to try it: “Histoires de Parfums contrives to produce, time after time, the most beguiling top notes in contemporary perfumery, with good raw materials orchestrated to produce both a legible structure and a rich texture. Its 1804 applies this treatment to a warm floral oriental. If this fragrance fails to lift your spirits, you are in trouble.”

I found Turin’s comments about 1894 intriguing. But I’ve been down this road before – a fragrance intrigues me, I hunt it down, try it and end up with that old feeling of anticipointment. Sigh. Still, I put trying 1804 on my list of scents to try – well, at the bottom of the list.

Months later, when I came across it, I tried it and fell for George Sand right away. That’s right, George Sand, A/K/A Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin, the French cross-dressing baroness writer. You see, each of the ‘personages’ scents in the Histoires de Parfums line is named for a year, and a person of influence born in that year who inspired the fragrance. For example, 1804 was the year George Sand was born. Her life and sensuous, romantic, independent nature inspired the scent. So how did 1804 get from the bottom of my list to its new home in the niche? Through merit.

It opens with notes of lush Tahitian gardenia, fleshy Corsican peach, and bright, juicy Hawaiian pineapple – what a showstopper! Not the usual bergamot/citrus hit here. Beguiling indeed. It may sound sweet and fruity, but it’s not. Gardenia can be overpowering, but the peach contains it before it gets too big, while the citrus from the pineapple adds crispness.

At the heart, clove adds spicy warmth while floral, sweet, opulent jasmine links to jasmine-nuanced to give 1804 a white-floral vibe. Morrocan rose, sumptuous and rich, complements the white flowers perfectly. At the base, sandalwood adds a woody dimension, patchouli provides earthiness, and vanilla adds creaminess. White musk gives it an animalic facet - a slight ‘dirty’ note, almost like sweat, highlighting the soft pineapple that glows throughout the scent.

The drydown is creamy, rich and refined. 1804 will not only lift your spirits, it will never let you down.

Check out 1804 in our Shop.