It's True! There is a “Vintage” Secretions Magnifiques

by: Miguel Matos

IIf there was something that managed to disrupt radically the perfume industry (besides the absurd IFRA restrictions) that thing was the launch of the fragranceSecretions Magnifiques by French niche brand État Libre d'Orange, setting the path of an iconoclastic line of surprising scents and concepts. My goal with this article is not to speak about how I had to throw up my lunch the first time I smelled it (ok I said it) or how it smells like blood and sperm and sweat and other stinky human fluids. The concept of the fragrance composed by perfumer Antoine Lie was to make an olfactory translation of the insides of the human body when it is under a state of extreme anxiety, panic or orgasm. “Eau de Adrenaline” could be the name for it, but no, the crazy people at État Libre d'Orange decided not to spare us with euphemisms. Even the communication shows a “penis fountain” in full activity.

Most of the perfume aficionados already heard enough about Secretions Magnifiques and the braver ones actually smelled it in agony (some in joy, go figure). There is even a viral video of perfume critic and blogger Katie Puckrik smelling it for the first time and getting a whole lot of disgusting fun. So this scent is not new and if you search the net there are millions of reviews. What not everyone knows is that there was a previous version to the one that is on the market nowadays. Yes, my dear readers, I shall confirm the rumour. It is absolutely true. When I interviewed Antoine Lie he told me that Etienne de Swardt, owner of the brand, first intended to do a perfume based on the smell of sperm.

“Basically this was the beginning of État Libre d'Orange, when I met the owner, Etienne de Swardt. He wanted to make a statement about this industry, he tried to be very provocative. It could be a dada piece from the 1920s. It's a reaction from the very conceptualized and safe universe of fragrances. For me it's not a fragrance per se. It's more an olfactive construction, trying to push the limits to the point where we say that it's not possible to go further than that. And the purpose was creating something that would trigger a lot of conversation about why did we make this. And even though for you it's horrible and you cannot wear it (it's ok, I understand), we've found some people that are completely addicted to it. (…)  I've made some modifications on this before, when you had not the milk and it was more sperm-like. It was horrible. And even the owner of Etat Libre d'Orange wanted to have it instead of the one that is on the market now, I really pushed and said I didn't want that. It's already very daring as it is. The other one would be too much for me.”—Antoine Lie's interview

I have been thinking about what Antoine told me since then. Some months ago my dear friend Barbara Herman, author of the Yesterday's Perfume blog, told me she remembered smelling a different version of SM. However, nobody believed her. Feeling more and more curious I asked Thomas Lindet, Etienne's assistant if this was true. He confirmed the information. Yes, there was an even nastier version of SM! Well, I had to go there again, even though I feared having to smell that bloody craziness one more time. And here it is, just arrived in the mail, cordially shipped by the friends at État Libre d'Orange, the 2006 version of the most terrible smell on Earth. It is now like a vintage, something for collectors and you can't find it for sale anywhere. This bottle came from Etienne's warehouse, actually.

Ok, you must be all thinking about the smell of it and that is the main reason for this article after all. I had the courage to smell it again and ... surprise! I liked it better! It is less bloody and maybe more fresh. It is less metallic and this metal bite was the worst thing for me in the commercial version of the fragrance. The “vintage” Secretions Magnifiques is obviously more focused on the sperm accord and it also lacks the milk touch. At first I thought I could even try to wear it. But not really. Minutes after spraying it I had to run to the bathroom to scrub it violently or just cut my arm off if necessary. So yes, there was a previous version. Yes, it was a tiny bit different but only in the first accords and then it gets revolting as we know it. I still would prefer the first formula over the current one, but all in all it is just a work of art not to be worn on the skin. I admire the concept and I will keep the bottle and file it for future reference. But, well, I had to try it, hadn't I?

Finally, I have some news regarding Secretions Magnifiques. The brand is thinking of launching a “wearable” version of it. So maybe in the future we'll see a flanker presented as a light secretion that we can smell without regrets