Folavril
Goutal (1981)

Have you ever rubbed or crushed tomato leaves? If not, you really ought to. They give off a scent that announces "garden" to me, strong deep green, terpenic, verging on acrid, even acidic, but so addictive to my nose. In Annick Goutal's now legendary creation, Folavril, the tomato leaves are surely vivacious, combined with what seems like hedge privet flowers, especially as some of the violet and berry ionones begin to fade from its opening stage. It is the scent that best fits these hot late June days we are experiencing here in New England.

Its heart is full of the fresh, sour leafiness of the tomato plant with flowers in its periphery. Eventually, Folavril begins to ease its assertiveness to shape into a refined tomato leaf-and-privet scented soap, something I can picture in my head: its oval, embossed with "Savon de Provence" or something of the sort. Remnants of its sharp, sour freshness are still discernible, but the dry down mostly smells clean and almost laundry-fresh in a way I haven't experienced in another fragrance. I took a gamble with procuring an older bottle as this one seems to have a reputation of turning—I guess I got lucky!

If I was being cast away on a desert island, my luxury in a bottle would be this mango - banana split; with lily, ylang-ylang and tomato leaf. And I would be happily marooned there, the best-smelling Robinson Crusoe there ever was.

Apparently the well-named Folavril was Goutal's first in a strain of luminous, vernal, fruity green florals that the house has come to do very well. The more recent Eau du Ciel, Le Chèvrefeuille, Eau de Camille, and Eau de Charlotte are all of the same lineage. Folavril leans close to Le Chèvrefeuille, with its suggestion of honeysuckle, tomato leaf, and fresh herbs, but it's more assertively green and herbaceous, with fleeting hints of basil, tarragon, chervil, and thyme.

Folavril's floral elements evolve into a green jasmine and woody-fruity violet accord, while the herbaceous notes contribute a minty chill that smells to me almost like a subtler variant of the wintergreen effect that makes Serge Lutens's Tubéreuse Criminelle so compellingly weird. The effect is much less jarring and peculiar in this context than when set against lush, tropical florals, but there is a soapy aspect to Folavril's herbal bouquet which can smell distractingly chemical with that cold breeze blowing through it. The hint of household cleaner isn't conspicuous enough to derail the whole composition, but younger siblings Eau de Ciel and Le Chèvrefeuille do smell more natural and rounded than Folavril. The mentholated floral accord persists for a good three or four hours on my skin, before folding down into a soapy, clean, skin musk drydown.

Men looking for a crisp, bright alternative to the overworked aquatics and fruity fougères would do well to give Folavril a try. It smells very gender-neutral, casual, and youthful to me, and it'll get you that fresh out of the shower, squeaky-clean feeling you're after. You just have to get past Goutal's frilly bottle…

I bought Folavril blind, because it's hard to resist grabbing a bargain Goutal. My initial impression was that F isn't readily distinguishable from other Goutals featuring citrus, herbal, green and tomato stem notes.

However, I just sprayed some Folavril on my arm to smell it properly and - quelle horreur! - it's like I've rubbed a damp handful of laundry detergent powder into my skin. The sour-detergent smell is particularly obvious with my nose directly over the sprayed area. I'm sure it smells like an actual detergent I've encountered which has an intense fake-lemon note.

My eyes were starting to redden, so I tried washing Folaril off my arm, but even soap wouldn't budge the detergent note. Tenacious stuff!

Having said all the above, Folavril's general sillage is actually quite lovely (the offending detergent note must have limited projection), so I'm thinking that this *could* be OK if sprayed only on the lower half of my body.

Folavril - the tart yet plush green of tomato leaf , the hint of lush mango and an ethereal jasmine note . Soft, sweet ( like Eau de Charlotte but not so jammy ,dense and sticky ) Citrus comes out later . It is a melody . So , I found the Goutal I can wear every day . Passion has changed and it is very heavy . Eau de Charlotte is gorgeous but my first pick is this.
It IS a beauty . Yes there is soapiness and I love my soap . Quite tenacious for an eau de toilette and for a Goutal.

I have always loved Folavril. To me it smells of a wet rainy early-April day on the Champs in Paris. A grey, rainy day with the buds just starting to burst on the trees.Fol promises the blooming of the scents to come. It is the true arrival of spring.Wet with the promise of fragrance to come. A truly unique scent.