Serge Lutens Mandarine Mandarin

Mandarin opens bright and slightly bitter-pith sharp — more true citrus rind than candy sweetness — before the orange softens it into something rounder and almost pulpy. Cedar arrives in the heart to dry things out, keeping the mood clean rather than cozy. The dry-down is where it earns its keep: amber and musk settle into a warm, lightly resinous base that holds the citrus ghost without burying it. Projection is modest, sillage intimate and skin-close by the second hour — a polite fragrance that rewards proximity. — Best worn in spring or summer by anyone who wants citrus with actual backbone.