Tubéreuse Criminelle
Serge Lutens (1998)

The first 15-20 minutes are dominated by a vigorous camphor note which makes for a bold opening, but after that the tuberose takes the lead. It's not a basic tuberose soliflore as it has much going on besides it and it's what makes it stand from the crowd. The menthol note, which also balances the sweetness, runs right next to the tuberose the whole time as a supporter together with the spices, the jasmine and other stuff that I can't pinpoint but work so well together. I think it's quite complex for a tuberose scent and it's masterfully blended.

is a 2-stage perfume. The first stage almost burns the nostrils, in the foreground it feels like a burning incense , as if it were gasoline. a great smell because it is blended with flowers, cloves and styrax. a smell of flowered asphalt. fantastic. in my opinion, the camphor is also present in a massive way. all this makes it a masculine, dark, gothic perfume. amazing. vote 10/10 the ugly part comes after half an hour when the scent unfortunately turns into a very feminine tuberous strong.I would buy it equally, but I must first smell une voix noir and de profundis and then decide what to buy.vote 8/10.



will follow another 2 reviews !!!

As others have said, Tubereuse Criminelle opens with a surprising mentholated accord - but I find it hypnotic instead of off-putting, which is surprising because I don't generally like minty scents. I feel pulled by the opening, wanting to see where it leads.

As TR develops, the lovely tuberose and jasmine make their appearance (though the menthol or wintergreen undertone persists, in a muted but steady way). The floral notes are neither sweet nor overwhelming, surprisingly gentle for a fragrance with such a formidable reputation.

Alas, TR has minimal longevity and sillage for me - it's pretty much gone in four hours. But I love it while it lasts, and this has become one of my favorite tuberose fragrances.

A refreshing blast of wintergreen - those pink Canada mints we seniors used to eat as children. Slowly the tuberose emerges from the minty mist, but it is a subdued tuberose, a quiet tuberose, although up to now I hadn't thought that was possible. The jasmine seems to restrain the beast and rein it in.

It floats over musk and vanilla with a hint of nutmeg for the remainder of the dry down. Although Turin found this to be the Ethel Merman of scents, I do not. I love tuberose and find this to be refreshingly tame, one a guy could actually get away with wearing in public.

A surprise for me and a welcome one.

This little creation opens with a most lovely wintergreen atop the white floral bouquet. Alas, my favorite part of TC recedes to the backstage within ten minutes in order to clear the stage for the obvious starlet. While not being particularly fond of tuberose itself I will readily admit that this is a well-made fragrance which exemplifies the facets of the natural plant; it's just a little bit like showing your favorite band's B-sides to someone who has only ever heard their radio singles.

After trying just about every tuberose perfume out there searching for the one that most represents what the living flower smells like in the evening as the fragrance intensifies and this one truly does. I read over and over all the comments about the camphor and gasoline or wintergreen opening but I do not fully agree with the harsh criticism. I will say that for the first 10-15 minutes there are some intense opening notes that are intense but I love how they create a huge sensation and then as it dries down the tuberose emerges and soon you have a tuberose that is a warm, creamy, heavy tuberose that is very true to the living flower. Yes, there is a camphor-wintergreen salicylate note, but this is an important significant part of the scent profile of natural tuberose and is one of the things that makes it so distinctly different from the fragrance of gardenia, jasmine, and all the other heady white flowers. This perfume lasts a nice long time and the sillage is just right. Like all Serge Lutens perfumes it is a perfect fragrance for both women and men as it is simply a soliflore and not a sickly sweet white floral nightmare. Together with S.L. Fleurs de Cironnier, much of my summer fragrance needs are covered.