To categorically condemn any one perfumery material as being "unpleasant" is difficult to do, because inevitably someone finds a way to use it correctly. Such was the case in the mid nineties, when Jean-Claude Ellena managed to integrate Iso E Super into a formula without making its presence intrusive or harsh. Its usage contributes greatly to the elegance, the sheer beauty of Déclaration, a fresh chypre from 1998 by the moderately reputable house of Cartier. One could argue that Cartier should stick to jewelry and give up on trying to compete in the fragrance world, but for whatever reason they've entrenched themselves in it, so here we are. Thankfully they have a few good scents, and Déclaration qualifies as a magnificent fragrance, and also one of the best masculines of the nineties.
If ever there was a case for sticking with a fragrance into its far drydown, it is made with Déclaration. Its structure is so complex and multi-faceted that mere top and middle notes cannot illustrate the full extent of its abilities. It starts with a sparking, clean, fresh burst of orange citrus, full of juice and pith, before rapidly segueing into a dense accord of herbs and spices. Cumin swims out of the juice first and hits you across the nostrils for a good ten minutes, threatening to tip the whole balance into chaos with its sweaty aggression, but that part quickly subsides and makes way for more pleasant fare. Cardamom, coriander, black pepper, ginger, juniper, birch, and cinnamon unravel in unison, and what strikes me about this procession is how incredibly rich and natural it smells. I love formulas like this, because they boast good note integration and balance, but also enough note separation to discern exactly what its constituent parts are, and how well they function. The coriander is especially impressive (I think it's right up there with Jazz's), and the ginger doesn't get soggy and weird, but stays crisp and clean, thanks to the juniper, a lithe dose of artemisia, and pepper. For two hours this citric-spicy marvel hums along, unscathed by skin chemistry, air pollution, bad attitudes. It's excellent, a true treat to wear.
What stuns me about this is that it isn't even Déclaration's best phase. Three hours into wear, the spices dial themselves back, the Iso E Super becomes more noticeable, and suddenly there's a sweet jasmine/neroli bouquet, tinged with spices and mandarin. The Iso E Super lends the woody-floral accord some radiance and depth. It never asserts itself beyond a modest supporting role, unlike what it does in Bleu de Chanel, where it gets raspy and a bit unbalanced. I understand there's actually quite a bit of it in Déclaration, but Ellena's minimalist, pitch-perfect approach to using three or four complementary and durable aroma chemicals to maximal effect pays off. Déclaration winds up smelling luscious, airy, clean, earthy, and altogether beautiful. If you're a person who enjoys earthy fragrances with a clean-green edge, you'll appreciate this one. Unlike Terre d'Hermès and Chanel's Bleu, which smell nice but rather synthetic and "modern," Déclaration comes across as being textured, natural, and only as "modern" as the best of the late seventies/early eighties powerfrags smelled - which is to say, not much at all (although it's much more refined than your Polos and Quorums). Given the choice between the Hermès and the Bleu, I'm going with the third option: the Cartier, and throw in a diamond-encrusted watch to sweeten the deal even further.