Sel Marin is a breezy, salty aquatic with no calone, some wet, green, mossy notes and an extended dry down. Contrary to others' views, I do not find Sel Marin to be a realistic representation of sea or beaches. It is more of an abstract interpretation. This abstraction is evident in the way the citrus notes (lemon and bergamot) are handled - they lose their atypical characteristics to become a part of the central accord of the composition. The most prominent actor is the salty effect, which is novel but can be sharp or synthetic to some. Many will revere or dislike Sel Marin largely because of it. In my mind Sel Marin is the mood of being on a desolate beach on a cool, cloudy day. As the hours pass by the fragrance quietens down, the salty shrillness makes way for soft notes of moss, wood and musk.
Sel Marin is stylistically very different from the other aquatics flooding the market - it has no sweetness, no calone, no fruity element, it's not stereotypical and it is more reflective and introspective. I find it to be similar to Sel de Vetiver, but Sel Marin is much more compelling and well crafted. I find Sel Marin to have low projection. I also thought it to be lacking in longevity, but that is not actually the case - the issue is that it quickly becomes a skin scent but persists for several hours. In summer it disappears from my skin in a quick three or four hours, but in slightly cooler weather it lingers on for at least seven or eight hours. I am not crazy about the salty aspect, I am okay with it. I wish it had a tad better projection in the dry down, but perhaps it was designed to be a skin scent. However, it does get noticed in close quarters, even after several hours.
Sel Marin also bears some structural similarities with Cuir Pleine Fleur, but is not as complex or innovative. I am torn between a neutral and a thumbs up, but will go with the latter on account of two considerations. Yes, it is expensive, but Sel Marin is one of the nice, interesting and innovative summer fragrances (even though personally it's too weak in very hot weather, but then most scents are ...), especially among aquatics. The second reason is a personal one, and it reflects my attitude towards beaches. I'm not crazy about them, but I do like to visit one that is deserted on a cool, cloudy, nondescript summer day.
3.5/5
Now that the dust has settled on the first decade of this century, I find it easier to think about Infusion d'Homme in relation to what it captures for me, and how much I've remembered it. Among mainstream releases marketed to men, it is one of the best of that decade. I recall trying it many times at stores together with other perfumes, and its smell was always lost on the test strip: I simply couldn't smell anything in the olfactory cacophony of other perfumes sprayed in the same environment.
A few years down the line I tried it from a small decant, received due to the courtesy of a Basenotes friend. I was struck by its soft-hazy yet clear form. It reminded me of Mugler Cologne because of the soap; however, while Mugler was fun and uplifting, Infusion d'Homme was sombre and introspective. I found it to bear some similarities with Bois d'Argent, in part because of the iris and the myrrh, and in part because of their personalities. Years later when I'd sampled Iris de Nuit, I found they sometimes speak in the same language, but always tell different stories. Infusion d'Homme was always compared to Prada Amber pour Homme, and they had many similarities, both being fresh, interesting and reminiscent of soap, but with one key difference: Amber pour Homme was warm and friendly, while Infusion d'Homme was cool and aloof.
If you like Christian Dior's aesthetic of pale greys and pastel pinks, Infusion d'Homme could be for you. I find it soft yet gently persistent, with notes of clean iris, a light and moody incense, and a touch of myrrh; they together manage to create something airy, and an accord that is a dead ringer for soap. A good quality bar of white soap; very simple but quintessentially chic and androgynously beautiful. Yet, the most unique feature of this scent is its subtlety, and that, it is inoffensive and always appropriate; and another very interesting aspect is that it is clean, soapy yet shyly sensuous and intimate, while completely shunning any conventional notes used for such effects. On my skin it sits quietly with soft occasional wafts, and duration is moderate at about six hours. It's been one of my most worn scents, and it's been uplifting in the heat and comforting when cold.
I once read a comment on a blog post about Infusion d'Homme: "young people, especially single, could use this". For some reason, those words have stayed with me; maybe because I did use it quite a bit in my twenties. These days I find it more calming than before; it reminds me of the cacophony that it got drowned in, and I connect it to the cacophony of a world that gets messier each day. It doesn't solve life's problems, but it is comforting. If I weren't nuts, I'd have worn it everyday.
4.5/5
P.S. Infusion d'Homme has been discontinued. I have tried Infusion d'Iris Cedre on paper and on skin, and it is at least 98% identical. I attribute the difference of 2% to my vivid imagination. The prices are not identical.
