ClaireV's Review of Au Lait by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz

Au Lait is considered one of, if not the best ‘pure milk’ scents on the market, a reputation that’s wholly deserved. Opening with the same fruity, plasticky chili note as in Piment et Chocolat, Au Lait comes across as sharp and peppery at first. But a few seconds in, and it relaxes into a lush accord of steamed condensed milk, a hint of coconut lotion fleshing it all out.

This accord is almost alarmingly buttery, but thankfully, it never tips into butyric territory (you know, when milk scents begin to smell less like fresh milk and more like greasy, rancid butter). The butter quotient is dialed back very efficiently by a musky cocoa or almond note that’s discernible less as a flavoring in and of itself, and more as a buffering agent against the sub-tropical steaminess of the milk.

I would call Au Lait a ‘musky milk’ rather than a ‘milky musk’ if you know what I mean – it is far wetter and thicker (and more buttery) than the sheer, fluffy musks like Love’s True Bluish Light. If you’re interested in the full-on gourmand side of milk, with its full fat, sugar, and heavy dairy aspects, then Au Lait can’t be beat. Those looking for the sheer, angelic musks with a sideline in sweet, fluffy milk, best go for a true milky musk like the Ava Luxe or Milky Musk by Parle Moi de Parfum.