CLEAN Soft Laundry: fragrance review

 

Perhaps philosophically speaking, clean sheets and laundry scents bring on a sense of control, and maybe this is what lured me into CLEAN Soft Laundry. We yearn for control in so many areas of our lives that it seems tidying up the house and doing laundry is an occasion where that control can be exerted without much resistance. Visiting a spa is another association: fresh warm towels, fluffy and soft, and comforting. Elation. 

 The problem, however, with many of those fragrances in the "clean" genre is that they might project as sharp, piercing, too detergent-like. They are, after all, directly inspired by the scent of laundry detergents, and aim to replicate that moment of happiness—the moment one opens the washing machine and is overwhelmed by the sheer cleanliness of the freshly washed load. And the iconography of them all is associated with blue skies, starched white (that almost blinding white that never hints at cream), and poised ladies who enjoy their own existence rather too much. 

It might all get back to White Linen by perfumer Sophia Grojsman, though that aldehydic composition highlighted soapy notes in a somewhat different retro way. Aldehydic scents, those built on the sequence of so-called fatty aldehydes (C10, C11, and C12) as demonstrated in Chanel No. 5 Eau de Toilette and a group of other classics, from Chanel N°22 and White Linen (Estée Lauder) to Calèche by Hermès, are usually mentioned when the topic is "soapy." 

There is also something about the dryness and clarity of muguet notes (lily of the valley) that enhances the feeling of clean starchiness in a contemporary formula. Pure cuddly soapiness and freshly showered skin also lure in innocent by-standers into making one appearing more sympathetic. They project friendly vibes and bring tokens of peace. Perfect for when out on the prowl wanting to appear totally innocent like a baby, but also magnificently presentable. CLEAN Soft Laundry interestingly is not like the usual sharp detergent-like olfactory profile, though it's certainly a specimen of that genre. It is rather close to Pure Grace by Philosophy, the brand that made ripples in the pond (no pun intended) in the mid-2000s with their light, airy, soft, and unintrusive fragrances before the advent of the gourmands. Perfumer Steven Claise is officially mentioned as the nose behind CLEAN Soft Laundry, and his portfolio shows a penchant for making this sort of scent: Marc Jacobs Cotton Splash 2016 and Charlie White Musk (1997) are both credited to him. 

The composition benefits from aqueous notes, which had been long associated with marine fragrances from the 1990s, and yet there is a different ambience here. Urban and yet radiant, bright and yet soft, like an Eric Satie composition. The scent is lightly floral and airy, like that of the ingredients Numpheal and Florazone. It translates as dewdrops on a freshly washed line of linens in the wind and is ever so slightly sweetish and calm. It's the familiarity that beckons. The fruity note du jour of pear adds a juicy component but never veers into fruity territory. It almost feels like fruit from a terrestrial tree where sparkles of soap and light garland the produce, and where the scented air feels ripe with oncoming rain and electrical forces. And yet... softness. Calm. And zen-serenity. In many ways, CLEAN Soft Laundry is true to its name, and this is precious indeed, especially in the turmoil of international events we're witnessing right now.