Déclaration Haute Fraîcheur
Cartier (2022)

The people who are giving this good reviews aren't simply lying. They either a.) understand good composition and well constructed fragrances, or b.) know how not to complain about every little thing and enjoy a good fresh scent. It's a crisp, clean and minimalist fragrance. Quite adorable, fresh and light. It's not pretentious and sets out to do exactly what it claims to do. There really can't be any complaints. At least not from me.

It is citrusy but mellow, it's gently sweet but not too sweet, it's got a delightful clean musk underneath, and it has cardamom. I think this is a perfect scent when you deal with persons that are ill or troubled. Déclaration Haute Fraîcheur is green and fresh and friendly. It may not be the most exciting fragrance out there, but it fits situations where perfume should not play a big role. Don't expect much performance but I think spritzing yourself in the midst of a busy day could definitely give you a citrusy mood boost.

This is a refreshingly weird fragrance. The citrus notes blend with the green notes to create a scent that reminds me of celery. It balances well between citrusy and vegetal, and feels like a Jean-Claude Ellena creation, reminiscent of Hermes' garden collection. I'll definitely be returning to this one for another sniff.

I can definitely see why people are comparing it to Mugler Cologne / Come Together. It falls in the same "green/fresh" vibe as that and Guerlain Homme, somewhat PdM Greenley, and to a lesser degree Vintage Green. Declaration HF is more citrus and woody than the soapy Mugler Cologne. I'd also put it in the fresh green category as Givenchy Gentleman Cologne. Not that these listed fragrances are similar, but they share a that green and fresh vibe, at least to me.

Getting the Declaration DNA, but it's more green and subdued than Declaration L'eau which to me is a lot more grapefruit and cedar. It's also not as spicy as the original and Essence, so the cumin is very hard to detect. Haute Fraicheur is not a beast, but it's pleasant and will be great for the office come Spring and Summer.

I'd check this one out if you like "green" and "fresh" scents.

Déclaration Haute Fraîcheur by Cartier (2022) is yet another "fresh" take on the original Déclaration by Cartier (1998), a master work by perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena before his appointment as head perfumer or Hermès (and subsequent retirement), and an entry in what has proven to arguably be Cartier's most popular masculine fragrance line. This is especially true if you take into consideration how many flankers this line has had over the years, as Cartier has spawned ten different unique-smelling versions of Déclaration, plus many more if you count limited-edition repackagings of the original scent. Ellena only composed a few of those, including Déclaration Essence (2001), and the first attempt at a "fresh" take called Déclaration Bois Bleu (2001) in the same year. After that, he made Déclaration Eau Genereuse (2003) as the second take on a "fresh" Déclaration and his final flanker. It's been a hodge podge of perfume talent since until Mathilde Laurent was positioned by Cartier as house perfumer. Both Laurent and Ellena's replacement at Hermès Christine Nagel seem to be haunted by his transparent style in fits and starts, with this fragrance another example of that.

Déclaration Haute Fraîcheur follows in a long line of cologne-like takes on the Déclaration DNA first created by Ellena, following Déclaration Eau de Toilette Fraîche (2016) and Déclaration Cologne (2010) before it. With each new iteration of a "fresh" Déclaration, the previous one gets discontinued, making an army of scarce, overpriced unicorns for collectors of the line to hunt and bleed money for if they want to complete the set. Each fresh take also seems to scoot closer to capturing the "spirit" of Déclaration in a lighter form, as if Laurent is releasing mods for an ongoing brief every couple of years instead of finished product. Of all the freshened up takes on the original, I feel Déclaration Haute Fraîcheur smells most like the original, which is a plus. You get an opening of citruses buffeted by neroli, which then heads into the traditional "cold spice" middle of Déclaration. The notorious sweaty cumin note is present, but dialed low, and then the vetiver, leather, and cedar that forms the base is here too. If your main draw to Déclaration is that sweaty cumin, this flanker may be too skimpy a meal for you, but may be worth sniffing. Wear time is about eight hours, and projection is light but persistent. Best use for this scent is spring and summer.

Déclaration itself has been stated as perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena's ode to his perfume tutor Edmond Roudnitska, in particular for Roudnitska' Eau d'Hermès (1951). Almost as if fate conspired for a true sequel, the student was appointed as master perfumer by the teacher's old boss, and Ellena was picked up by Hermès, eventually making his men's magnum opus Terre d'Hermès (2006). Déclaration therefore has always lived in the shadow of Terre d'Hermès both as its precursor, and as a more direct nod to the Roudnitska style. Terre d'Hermès by contrast is pure Ellena. What Déclaration Haute Fraîcheur then seems to do, is be Cartier's latest answer to Terre d'Hermès Eau Très Fraîche (2014), inching ever closer to it in vibe in the same way Déclaration Eau de Toilette Fraîche was before it, after replacing Déclaration Cologne. Is this flanker a must buy? Absolutely not. Is it a good hot weather option for fans of the line? Definiely. Found at a discount like many of the other Déclaration flankers, this may be a worthy pickup. Should this get axed and replaced like the others before, don't bother, as a light application of the original Déclaration can be worn in summer anyway. Thumbs up