Serge Lutens released Datura Noir in 2001. It was created by perfumer Chris Sheldrake, and the notes are mandarin peel, apricot, lemon flower, datura flower, tuberose, osmanthus, coconut, heliotrope, myrrh, bitter almond, vanilla, tonka bean, musk.

Datura Noir starts off rather heady, with all of its notes in evidence. They slowly rearrange themselves; in no particular order you might notice the mandarin peel or the almond or the tuberose. Eventually it resolves into a tropical floral with subdued hints of coconut and chocolate and a very slight dusting of powder. It is lush and creamy but not loud — the white florals hum rather than scream, as they are sometimes wont to do — and sweet without being cloying…

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Rahät Loukoum was launched by Serge Lutens in 1998. The fragrance was inspired by the thick jellied candy that is popular as lokum in the Middle East, and known in the Western world as Turkish Delight (for a brief history, see the Turkish Delight entry in Wikipedia). It was created by nose Christopher Sheldrake, and the notes include fresh white almond, crushed cherry pits, hawthorn, heliotrope, Turkish rose, balsam, tonka bean, aldehydes, white honey, musk and vanilla.

Rahät Loukoum opens with tart cherry and a big dose of alcohol. As has often been noted, it smells pretty much like cherry cough syrup. The almond notes intensify over the next few minutes; the notes indicate “fresh” almonds, but to my nose they have the almost smoky scent of just-toasted almond slivers…

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