L'Empreinte

L'Empreinte is a minimal woody amber from the French house Courrèges, released in 2021, composed by Nicolas Beaulieu and worn by anyone. Woody, ambery and citrusy are the three words everyone uses for it, in equal measure, which fits a formula of only three notes.

Bergamot opens it with a bright, slightly bitter citrus that is the only fresh element in the scent, and because there is nothing fruity or floral around it, the start feels clean and spare. Ambroxan quickly becomes the centre, a dry, mineral, slightly salty warmth that reads as amber without any sweetness, and it is the note that gives the scent its radiance and its long life on skin. Patchouli sits beneath it with a dark, earthy, slightly damp wood, grounding the ambroxan and giving the drydown more depth than two notes alone would manage.

It is a modern, understated scent for any season and most settings, worn by anyone who likes clean, dry, skin-like fragrances with no decoration.

L'Empreinte — unisex fragrance by Courrèges (released 2021). Notes: Ambroxan, Bergamot, Patchouli. — Parfica open fragrance database