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Serge Lutens

Tubéreuse Criminelle

1999FloralEDPFrance

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Editorial notes

  1. 01

    A mentholated narcotic tuberose Sheldrake built around the camphoraceous-medicinal facet of natural tuberose absolute that perfumers normally smooth out.

  2. 02

    The opening is famously divisive: ten minutes of raw camphor and eucalyptus before the composition resolves into a glorious indolic floral.

  3. 03

    Initially released as a Salons Shiseido Paris exclusive. Only widely available outside Paris from 2011, when Lutens went global.

  4. 04

    Composed by Christopher Sheldrake in 1999 around tuberose, mint and eucalyptus over a tuberose-orange blossom heart with a styrax-musk-vanilla base.

Dossier

Edition · 000

Status · Active. Niche cult.

A mentholated narcotic tuberose.

Composed by
Christopher Sheldrake
Founder
Serge Lutens
Country
France

The pyramid

Top
tuberoseminteucalyptuscamphorsalicylates
Heart
tuberoseorange blossomjasmine
Base
styraxmuskvanillaamber

The brief

Sheldrake built it around the camphoraceous-medicinal facet of natural tuberose absolute that perfumers normally smooth out — here it's foregrounded for the first ten minutes, then resolves into a glorious indolic floral.

Name'Criminelle' — Lutens framed the tuberose as a 'criminal' flower, dangerous and seductive.

Why it mattered

  • Arguably the most respected tuberose composition of the modern niche era, alongside Carnal Flower. The opening is famously divisive.

Footnotes

  • Initially released as a Salons Shiseido Paris exclusive; only widely available outside Paris from 2011.

The Curator's Note

Ten minutes of camphor and eucalyptus, then heaven. Lutens demanded patience.

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