Rayon Vert

Rayon Vert draws on the image of walking barefoot through fresh grass under the first rays of sunshine. The brand frames it as a kind of freedom found as nature comes back into bloom.

It opens on basil and anise seed: the sharp green of a torn leaf, cooled by anise's faint sweetness. Blackcurrant bud adds a slightly pointed greenness, and neroli brings in the brightness of white blossom. In the heart, angelica, caraway, fennel and chamomile push forward a dry, seedy herbal spice. As the brand puts it, the green, aniseed sides of basil and fennel play against the warm, radiant immortelle flower, and that contrast between cool herbs and a warm flower is the core of the scent.

In the base, immortelle is joined by sandalwood and cedar. The herbal edge softens, and the wood quietly holds up the dry warmth of the flower.

The perfumer, Caroline Dumur, sums it up as "joyful, aromatic and luminous". According to the brand, 95% of the formula is natural in origin, and the perfume is vegan and made in France. If you enjoy the sweet spice of anise and fennel, it suits a day of light clothing, worn close enough to catch the green of the herbs.