Serge Lutens Jeux de Peau EDP

Jeux de Peau is an oriental woody fragrance by Serge Lutens is a seriously comforting gourmand, filled with bread, apricot, milk & spices over a deeply woody incense base. It never goes over the "sweet" line that most gourmands do,  It is luxuriously comforting, warming, and perfect curled up next to a fire. 

Inspired by Serge's childhood in Lille in Northern France and the bakery where he was sent to fetch the bread, Serge Lutens Jeux de Peau has notes of Milk, bread, coconut, spices, licorice, apricot, osmanthus, immortelle, frankincense, sandalwood, woody notes, cistus labdanum, toasted notes and amber. It is an Eau de Parfum, EdP.

REVIEWS

Basenotes - "Opening of licorice all sorts and freshly baked bread. Settles down almost buttered rum and golden syrup. Vanilla overtones and leans very patisserie in quality. It's an odd set of notes that all somehow manage to work out. The vanillin/amber base is very comforting and thankfully doesn't lean too sweet. Very nice winter weather scent."

Fragrantica - I absolutely adore this scent! It's very unique, comforting and warm. Since this fragrance, I have been more open to trying scents that are not usually in my "preference", because sometimes you might find something that will surprise yourself.

Fragrantica - I adore this perfume - it's like wearing a bakery without any sickly sweetness. You're getting the rising dough, the slightly caramelized edges, the high-quality base instead of a sugar coating. A grown-up gourmand!

Fragrantica - My new dream potion.

Opening: Almost overbaked pretzels with toffee toping. This doesn't sound delicious to me for eating, because I only know pretzels with salt, but it smells delicious! After some minutes the scent turns different - to a toffee/white milk scent with a juicy, not too ripe, sparkling apricot and the pretzel note partly disappears.

Heart: Fresh, cold apricot, peach/ball point ink note (similar to Lancome's Tresor, but even more realistic), toffee/white chocolate/pretzel. I can now also smell a pinch of licorice, giving the scent next to the fruity (peach) and sweet dry/smoky aroma (immortelle) also some cold notes. Turns from a true gourmand scent, to a more abstract smelling one. The apricot smell in Jeaux de Peau is one of the best that I smelled. Not synthetic or too sweet, a true masterpiece and such a delighting after all these sickly apricot/peach celebrity scents that I normally know.

Final drydown: Dry, dusty incense (similar to TF Sahara Noir)/immortelle with traces of licorice and some sweetness.

Overall: I love all three stages of this scent. It's like a walk in a pretzel shop where they also sell some toffee candy. Next to the bakery there's a stand shop with fresh apricots and jam. After the trip in the city you go for a walk near the beach where you get whiffs of the smoky immortelle.
Jeux de Peau is one of the few gourmand fragrances that smells like a true perfume, without loosing completely it's "gourmandish" vibe. Stunning.

Fragrantica - Jeux de peau is brilliantly pleasant, balanced and comforting. The sour lactonic and buttery wood meets deliciously toasty aromas, where you can easily smell roasted sesame seeds, popcorn and oven-warm bread, just for example.

Fragrantica - A masterpiece. Sampling Serge Lutens fragrances always is such an interesting experience. Jeux de Peau smells like breakfast - but not any breakfast. It's your grandmother's breakfast, in the winter, with milky coffee, cereal and brioche. The fragrance smells quite nutty thanks to the wheat, which is so so comforting. The spices are present but not sharp, and the sandalwood is the main note here but it stays rounded, never dry. Jeux de Peau is now #1 on my want list and I will certainly purchase it very soon. Falling temperatures make this fragrance an ideal choice!

Fragrantica - Wow..this perfume is cozy,sweet,and makes me feel protected.. Interesting as you meet the liquorice notes and spices. My first impression was strange, I've never heard anything like that. The opening is the part that remembers the baked bread, but after a while it evolves and feel less spicy and sweet and soft... this perfume gives me security,serenity and sweetness. Is a very special and fantastic parfum, magical harmony between the notes, Serge Lutens has created something truly extraordinary to me...... that's all I needed. Thanks Serge Lutens.

boisdejasmin - "Just as you are ready to consider Jeux de Peau in the same category as the sweet, balsamic Santal Blanc, it shows a surprising facet of apricots and cream. The brightness of osmanthus and sweet milky notes seem to dominate the dark woody-incense accord, but contrary to expectations, the fruity notes do not make it lighter. The fruits of Jeux de Peau are quite candied and in combination with the toasty, caramel notes, the illusion is that of an apricot tart or perhaps baked honey glazed figs. Given all of these gourmand effects, the polished elegance of the sandalwood and amber base comes as another surprising twist. The savory note of immortelle and the toasted notes are present throughout, albeit softer in the drydown."