Created by Patricia de Nicolaï in 2007 for her French indie line Nicolaï Parfumeur-Créateur, L'eau Chic is an uplifting, fresh summer scent inspired by the smell of the geranium soaps her parents used in their bedroom bathroom.

On me, it opens with a note of Bourbon geranium that’s fresh and rose-tinged. It has a mint aspect that’s boosted by the addition of spearmint and peppermint. Lavender, a cousin of mint, is aromatic, slightly floral and sweet. Together, these notes create an opening that’s cool, refreshing and invigorating without being sharp or loud. As it blooms, the mint’s tea facet links to the tea aspect of sweet, grassy chamomile so that the freshness stays present at the heart. A note of powdery, floral iris joins the mix, adding elegance to L’Eau Chic. Clove adds a gentle, spicy warmth. Pimento twins with the clove by adding its complex warm spiciness. When the spices combine with the freshness, they create an irresistible spicy/green accord. It all sits on a woody base of creamy sandalwood and fresh, soft white musk.

L'Eau Chic dries down to a fresh, carefree, easy-to-wear summer fragrance.

This is not the heavy, earthy, dirty smell of geranium leaf and root that I love – no, this is a new kind of geranium love. De Nicolaï’s treatment of geranium doesn’t diminish its unique character; it refines it, making it elegant, stylish, and, well, chic.

Notes: Bourbon geranium, peppermint, spearmint, lavender, sandalwood, Roman chamomile, iris, clove, pimiento and white musk.