As an antidote to hot weather, a chilled bottle of something refreshing to splash on is a must. Open my refrigerator, and among the salted anchovies, ancient miso, and quart of half and half you’ll find a plastic jug of Revlon Jean Naté. If I could swing it, you’d see a clutch of Pierre Cardin Choc de Cardin bottles instead.

Choc de Cardin, developed by perfumer Françoise Caron, launched in 1981.¹ It’s that rare fragrance that’s a mix of refreshingly clean and scintillatingly dirty. To get an idea of what I mean, imagine the scent of a hot sidewalk after a rain. No, Choc de Cardin doesn’t smell like wet cement, but it blends the sensation of dirt and crisp clean. Or think of what it’s like to emerge from the shower, all soapy fresh, then slip on your honey’s bathrobe — the robe that should have gone in last week’s wash but didn’t. That’s what I mean.

Choc de Cardin opens with sharp, soapy green. Initially it smells like many bergamot and herb-tinged colognes, cool and refreshing and not overly citrus. Before long, skank kicks in in the form of coriander and civet…

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