Created by Olivia Giacobetti in 2013 for her niche line IUNX, L’Arbre, or ‘The tree’ in English, refers to the sandalwood tree. The story behind L’Arbre is that Giacobetti came upon a source of Indian sandalwood and was so moved by its many facets that she was moved to create a fragrance inspired by it.

So, what does it smell like? Full disclosure, while I have smelled thousands of perfumes, I’m no expert on sandalwood. What’s more, Giacobetti is very closed about the notes in the fragrances in her IUNX line. That’s fine with me, I’m happy with my experience of L’Arbre without having to break it down note by note.

On me, L’Arbre opens with a delicate note of rosewood that’s soft, floral and woody. It’s warm, peppery facets link to a note of spicy, smoked, green pepper leaves. Against this backdrop, a veil of sandalwood swirls up from my wrist. The sandalwood is true and authentic. Complex and creamy, it is the heart of the fragrance. As it evolves, it shifts more than it blooms; its facets play a shadow game. Sometimes salty, sometimes dry or creamy, and I get a soft, lovely, light nuance of fig – but it is always exotic, woody and rich. L’Arbre softly settles into a skin scent, with a quiet, magical sandalwood presence.

L’Arbre doesn’t shout, it is too sheer for that and too minimalist. It’s perfectly balanced so that each note and facet complements rather than dominates the other.

Notes: Rosewood, green pepper leaves and sandalwood.