‘A dampened, underground scent’
This is how Serge Lutens introduces Dent de Lait to us. A fragrance that was released last year, I had the chance to blind smell it at the Fine Fragrance evening held by the British Society of Perfumers last November and it immediately caught my attention. It translates as Milk Tooth and symbolises the loss of innocence through the journey of losing our baby teeth and it's accompanied by a very artistic video that you can find on youtube here .
The fragrance notes given are: Top Notes – Almond Milk
Heart Notes – Cashmeran
Base Notes – Frankincense
For me Dent de lait is much more than the given notes. It opens very light and floral on my skin, with a Heliotrope and violet mix while in the background I get an almond milk whiff infused by sweet jasmine. When the metallic notes appear the fragrance gets an edgier vibe that balances the sweetness and "innocence" of the previous notes; this metallic feel remains for the duration of the scent providing a bit of bitterness to the sweet musky frankincense base.
Although the scent isn't too edgy or innovative in perception it does provide a beautiful background story that you can choose to relate to or not and is very true to the Serge Lutens intriguing character. A pure and soft scent with an individual character.