A quick reading of the history of Le Jardin Retrouvé Perfumes reads a bit like a fairy tale. The original perfumer, Yuri Gutzatz, survived Nazis and war in Europe. He moved to Paris and was hired by a perfume company that eventually took him to India. He returned to Paris six years later and was not happy with how the perfume industry had evolved.

The perfume industry had evolved into a game ruled by marketing, where the perfumer was anonymous and ingredients were chosen according to price, rather than quality. Deeply bothered by this state of affairs, Yuri began to rebel against what he believed was leading the essence of perfumery astray. 

I fell in love with four Le Jardin perfumes. In particular, these two delightful and delicious florals, Rose Trocadero and Tubérose Trianon.

Le Jardins Retrouvé Tuberose Trianon is a sweet and gentle tuberose, with none of stringent notes I find in tuberose perfumes like Fracas. No, Tuberose Trianon is in the same family as Guerlain Jardins de Bagatelle and Creed Tuberose Indiana. Those are among my favourite tuberoses, and they always get compliments. Tuberose Trianon is freshly sweet, with a touch of jasmine and ylang ylang, and then a juicy raspberry note. Lovely! Would be gorgeous in hot weather.

I love roses in perfume, especially soliflores that have a touch of sweetness. Some roses go sour on me, and finding that balance between dewy fresh and sweet is tricky. I love jammy roses, and jammy roses with berries are the best. Le Jardin Retrouvé Rose Trocadéro has juicy blackberries surrounded by rose water and rose petals. There is a touch of lavender and musk in the dry down, which is gentle in every way. A pretty fresh rose that is cozy enough for cool weather, but fresh and sweet enough for warmer days. Perfect.

I also love the woody serene beauty of Sandalwood Sacré, and the magical leathery sweetness of Cuir de Russie.

Le Jardin Retrouvé Sandalwood Sacré is in already in My Favourite Sandalwood Perfumes category. This meditative woodsy beauty is soothing to wear and is never too strong. The sandalwood starts out softly sweet and powdery, but never too sweet. Hints of patchouli and oak moss over wisps of musk balance the powdery sandalwood with an earthy grounding vibe. Then, the coriander and orange blossom notes warm on the skin perfectly and that’s my favourite part of this lovely scent. I loved Coriandre by Jean Coutourier, and Sandalwood Sacré gave me a hint of that warmth.

Le Jardin Retrouvé Cuir de Russie is just fantastic! It really is a floral leather, and the leather is so soft it’s like a kid glove. Cuir de Russie is inspired by the soft leather boots of Nijinsky dancing to Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. Soft powdery violets make me think of facial cosmetic powder, and the sweet ylang ylang plays beautifully together with a pinch of cinnamon. Then the divine fine leathery stryax and just enough smokey cade wood to create a perfect and fine leather. If you love warm leathery scents you MUST try this one.

Le Jardin Retrouvé sells a different kind of bottle as well. In “Le Nécessaire”, the precious perfume is sealed and protected in an aluminum bottle. It comes with two empty, delicately printed glass bottles for you to fill and enjoy your perfume whenever you like. “La Re: Source” is the aluminium bottle used for filling your Le Jardin Retrouvé bottles with perfume, using the glass funnel. Place it in the refrigerator, and refill your glass bottles as needed. You can then re-order La Re:Source separately. The entire kit is 150 €, and the refill bottle alone is 125 €. Learn more about their shipping policies here, but they seem to ship pretty much everywhere!