Reviews of L'Antimatière by LesNez

If it weren’t for the edge-of-halitosis salinity of the ambergris, one might not be able to pin anything about this fragrance down at all. That’s precisely what perfumer Isabelle Doyen was going for. The net result of l’Antimarière’s organic minerality is less perfume than skin enhancer, as if to make you smell more like you than you. I don’t know that I actually like it as a fragrance, but it’s still fascinating.

I'm drawn to minimalist skin scents for the same reasons I'm drawn to a shiny new piece of tech: the unspoken promise of augmented efficiency. When done well, such barely-there aesthetics can feel more like a slight customization of one's present state rather than a full transformation. But many of the scents in this style disappoint me, affirming that the balance between minimal and substantial is profoundly difficult to get right. L'Antimatiere doesn't quite cut it for me. It's basically a thin sheet of mineralic synthmoss, a furry cashmeran effect, and a bubble of laundry musk. Although I don't find it to be as contrived as the industrial-chic genre can be, there's not enough going on for it to establish itself as anything more than a smattering of chemicals. It's a shame as I thought I'd genuinely like this one given the descriptions I'd read. If you like the genre, I'd still recommend giving it a sniff, but CdG's Odeur 53 and Nu_Be's Oxygen get the job done better.

Well this is a peculiar scent indeed. Since the very opening it's all about an odd chemical “thing” I can't identify, a sort of glueish-waxy smell with grey musky hints blended with a sort of dark, dry, austere floral note, at the same time earthy and much abstract, “emptied” of any richness. I miss the amber note, while I get more some salty-dusty ambroxan (or other ambroxide-based components), with an overall sort of heaviness halfway concrete and mineral elements. On the base, something like Iso E or an equivalent dry pencil-sharpener feel. Words fail to describe this scent, as it's basically something halfway wet soil and a medical ointment. Plus, an added “weirdness” value is the actual behaviour on skin, as you smell it more clearly in the sillage than on skin. Honestly, as much intriguing it may look on an intellectual level, it is so “I-don't-get-it” that I can't come up with a conclusion about L'antimatière. It manages to smell super clean and super safe, yet also cloying and almost threatening, carrying a subtle yet gloomy sort of medical feel. Worthy a try, as it's a nice and creative job (the closest reference I can think of is Odeur 71), but I honestly can't imagine who, when and why should wear this.

6,5/10

Humanoid robot skin scent This is just really weird, yet not unlikeable. If CdG had a fragrance called "Baby Doll's Head," it would probably smell a lot like this. "Baby doll's head" is the only real-world scent I can relate to L'Antimatière, both the hair and the plastic of the doll's head. It is at once musty and clean; plastic yet somehow mineral-metallic; cool and warm. It is less the skin scent of a human, more the skin scent of a humanoid robot. And yes, once it gets going, it lasts and lasts, projecting moderately or better, seemingly in waves. There is something in this that reminds me a lot of an element in Miller Harris's L'Air de Rien. It is the same element that up close, smells overly sharp, but is much softer and more likeable from a distance. I cannot say I love or hate this, but am definitely intrigued.

Yes, no doubts about, this fragrance is genius although it doesn't project a so tenacious longevity on my skin. L'Antimatiere is one of the weirdest fragrances ever tested by me and (i absolutely agree with the Foetidus's definition) an abstract concoction tossing all at once out metallic/soapy, fresh/warm, modern/vintage, bright/mysterious nuances. It reminds me those weird clean (and nowhere to be discerned) aromas you can detect around inside some hotel rooms, a smell of toilette, detergents, soaps, powder, artisanal soap tablets, "fragrant towels and bedclothes" and woody fornitures. The beginning is soon compelling with its boozy/alcoholic blast a bit empty but immediately seasoned, spicy and ambery (i start by soon to catch the ambergris), evolving in a while (a really short while, as for a sleight of hand) towards a more complex, well rounded, soapy/musky and intimate aroma, something perfuming about, yes, cleaned skin, floral ambiental deodorants, laundry, wall paper, naphthalene, modern fornitures, soapy/neutral bath foams and room cleaner. The "intimate soapy effect" is produced by the interaction between musk and secret animalic elements, may be honey, may be wax, may be something just God knows about and the ambergris is finally present with its dry but "intimate" vibe so carnal and warm. This aroma is really unusual cause (this is absolutely true) it seems to odour but not to be properly perfumed as an ordinary fragrance, it reminds me more than vaguely the aroma produced, after the contact with the arm-pit skin, by the neutral odour-neutralising foams, this is more a skin aroma than a perfume. Fragrances a bit jumping to mind for some of their aspects? Well, a bit Iperborea Villoresi, a touch of Phul-Nana Grossmith, Cuir the Russie by Piver, Comme des Garcons 2Man, Equipage Hermes, Amouage Gold Man and (don get me wrong) also some Petroleum's nuances. An highly experimental but outstanding fragrance introducing in the universe of perfumery an almost unique "unmatereal" olfactory concept of unscented fragrance becoming a whole one with our chemistry.

The first 25 minutes I get a waxy and kind of unspecified sweet pleasant smell. This phase starts the minute I apply the perfume, and even though the sillage is minimal the scent is VERY detectable when I sniff my wrist.

Then the perfume turns on me. The sillage increases 'til it's like a lions roar, even when I've applied just a drop on one of my wrists it's so loud I feel sick. The waxy sweetness turns into a stale sweetness, like unwashed hair of an old man. It's a real scrubber, unfortunately the scent is impossible to wash off. It lasts and lasts and lasts, the only time I've managed to NOT scrub it off after two hours, I could easily smell it for two days, despite 2 showers and several handwashes.

This clearly develops differently on different people. I wanted to like this, and that's why I try it on from time to time, hoping that I might have been wrong the last time I wore it.

My thumbs down has nothing to do with whether this is a high quality perfume or not - I'm to unexperienced to determine that. The red thumb is because this smells absolutely, horrifyingly disgusting on me.

I really wanted to like this, and I agree you get nothing for the first half hou,r but after that, still all I smelled were faint florals and a plastic-like note. I guess it didn't come out on me, too bad because I loved the idea.

An absolute GENIUS of a fragrance ! ~ Luv it , luv it , LUV IT !!!
This has surely got to be THE master of "Skin-Scents" !? If I were able to chose how I'd want my own skin to smell naturally, this would be it !
It's therefore my immediate go-to fragrance whenever I'm not particularly in the mood to be too overtly scented (or just can't make up my mind ;o) and just want to have "naturally" good smelling skin. As it's not exactly a very "perfume" perfume type scent. And more bound to elicit a compliment such as : "you smell good" as apposed to : "the fragrance you wearing smells good".

I think it's one of the best "skin-musk" scent on the market ! And also one of the best pure plain unadorned representations of the scent of natural true authentic ambergris. (At least it certainly smells very closely redolent of my genuine whale "hair-ball" ambergris tincture.)
Though barely perceptible at times, it's nevertheless still incredibly tenacious, lasting easily a good 12hrs or more on my skin. Though very light at first, it does unusually increase in potency as it progresses, becoming much stronger towards the heart and drydown of the scent. It never however becomes loud or heavy, preferring to stay close to the skin throughout.
An accomplished minimalist fragrance, though certainly not for everyone.
It's unusual character and definitive musky "animalic" nature bound to make it one of those dividing "luv-it" or "hate-it" type scents. You'll either "get-it" and enjoy it's innovative concept, or just won't nor even understand those who might. It's lack of immediate scent is due mostly to the missing usual top-notes. The scent only beginning to "bloom" on the skin about 30 to 45 min after first being spray. ~ It's a brave perfumer who composes & releases a fragrance lacking in all top-notes. (Seeing as these are usually what most base their immediate impressions of a scent upon). ...
I especially suggest therefore that sampling first would be most wise. This is not a scent to risk a "blind buy" on, that's for sure ! ...

In the light of all these reasons, I think the quirky naming of L'Antimatière's (i.e. Antimatter) is particularly witty and actually most fitting. And also especially as it will serve too as an interesting particularity. As L'antimatière is composed of mostly a cocktail of just various musks and little else. It therefore will work perfectly as a sort of musk anosmia detector. ~ So if you happen to be one of those who thinks L'antimatière smells like just a quick burst of alcohol followed by no scent at all. Unable to smell pretty much anything throughout the entire life of the scent. (Although do remember to wait that "30/45min buffer" I mentioned earlier, before coming to an erroneous conclusion). Then it's quite probable that you're one of the approx' ±3% unfortunate musk anosmics.
~ How cool is that !?

Intriguing name + intriguing concept + experimental fragrance + talented perfumer...what you'd expect? I was ready for a big disappointment but I had (somehow) to change my mind.

L'Antimatiere opens with an almost disturbing blast of pure alcohol (maybe due to the lack of top notes) that quickly evolves in a bizarre mash-up between a sort of "unscented lipstick" note and slightly sweet sawdust. In this phase the fragrance is barely perceptible yet not very pleasant. After an hour or so, something starts to change and you realize that ambergis is clearly playing its main role giving the fragrance a sense. This is the best part where L'Antimatiere claims your attention with its subtle yet quite fascinating charme. This effect is going to last for many hours as this composition is barely perceptible but very tenacious.

Overall L'Antimatiere is more of a smell than a proper fragrance. It reminds me of the good smell of unscented skin that only some people have. Subtile, almost undetectable but unique and fascinating. Now, my point is this: who would spend money on a pricey fragrance just to smell pleasantly unscented?

I can't say I don't like this composition but this experiment, IMO, it's only partially successful but this is still something to experience.

Lasting Power: more than 8 hrs

Sillage: Well, while someone says this fragrance stays close to the skin I more believe L'Antimatiere to have a "bizarre" sillage. You think nobody will notice, instead everybody thinks "you-smell-good-even-when-you-don't-wear-a-perfume".

Overall: I Like it but I'm fine owning a copule of samples. No full bottle worth.

Isabelle Doyen's L'Antimatière has commendable volume and persistence – subliminal, yet (after a few musky peek-a-boos), incontrovertible. My dissatisfaction is with the odour itself, which is somewhere between powdered chalk and confectioner's sugar. While it could be of interest for those seeking an ambergris experience, L'Antimatière does, unfortunately, smell like being trapped in an item of Tupperware.

This really is a fascinating fragrance.
I ordered a sample set from Les Nez and tried this one first of all as I had read a lot about it. When I first sprayed I felt a little confused, I was not sure if I could smell it or my mind was playing emperor's new clothes kings of tricks on me.
And this effect seems to last the lifetime of the perfume, which is really long. It's over 24hrs later and its scent is still weaving in and out of my consciousness.
Several people have said this has a "clean" smell but I don't get that at all. I do detect something musky now and then which occasionally got really strong. After about 5-6 hours it seemed to rise to a loud crescendo of musk that would make me hesitate to wear it to work. But the overwhelming scent over time is of something warm and human. The scent of a lover who stayed in bed until late in the morning, not clean but with a real animalic smell. Right now I am getting some slightly marine smells, like the breeze off the warm sea; I suppose that must be the ambergris. And occasionally there is a slightly citrus kind of smell, not a sharp citrus but maybe more of a lemon verbena kind of undertone.
What is remarkable about this is its elusive nature, it's here, it's gone, and it's loud then soft. Sometimes so powerful it should be worn with caution and then I was not sure I was wearing it at all. It's very long lasting and 24 hours later I don't want to try another of the samples as I want to see how this progresses. It is certainly the most interesting perfume I have tried so far, and I think if you are fascinated by scent you should certainly try this one.
Les Nez have a really good sample service, you can buy a set of 4 for a very reasonable price from their website. Sadly although I asked if they would be so kind as to include a small sample of their newest creation the turtle, all I got was a paper strip which had been sprayed with it. It smells intriguing but now I have to figure out a way to get my hands on a real sample.

OK if someone gave me a bottle or it was going cheap, Id wear it and it has definitely got something. No top notes, and a very vague but pleasant drydown though reminiscent of Marc O Polo Midsummer which Im sure is a 10th of the price (and stronger). However on top of this scent I did get a vey pleasant laundry smell wafting around every now and again. It got me smelling my shirt, but no it must have been this scent. I get the Molecule 01 comparison which too is more interesting than buyable.

I can smell this, and the previous reviews describe it well enough. All I have to add is that it reminded me of another notorious fragrance, Sécrétions Magnifiques by Etat Libre d'Orange. SM contains this in its base, and while l'A smells like a freshly opened pack of that white adhesive tape they used to use in hospitals, SM (after several hours) is funkier, like bandage tape after it's been used for a few days, with a bit of dried blood. I prefer more full-bodied perfumes so I won't be buying a full bottle, but this would be good on days when you can't use a full fragrance, or as a gift for someone who doesn't like heavy perfumes.

it's so interesting that such a fleeting scent has inspired my first review on basenotes. i had such a strong visceral response to this scent that i just had to post. first off, to everyone who says it's barely there, i have to absolutely agree. my first reaction was this is water and alcohol. purplebird7, who said "The Emperor's New Clothes", is so right on the money! it's so non-existent that i could not and should not ever shell out the cash for a bottle. luckily i nabbed a large sample. now what i like about it: it's my husband! to me, it's not clean laundry, it's not air. to me, it's like light musk that smells like my husband after a long day. it's a clean, human, natural smell. after i sprayed this on me, i can hardly detect anything. and now i'm getting whiffs here and there, and i'm like "darling are you there?" it smells like my husband smells in bed. it's beautiful. it's amazing.and sadly, despite the fact that i'm in awe and wonder at the moment, i would never pay for this.

Wow, I really like this. Maybe it's down to individual skin chemistry or noses, but on me, the natural, seductive scent is quite robust - I don't have to work at all to smell it! It conjures up a familiar, delicious bed partner, in clean sheets but naked and right next to me. As it dries, I get the hit of vetiver adding a little complexity to the gentle musk. Gorgeous.

seems like an unusual white musk whom soapyness has been taken out to leave only with skin, hair and sebum, the whole thing without trace of any «dirtiness» or even warmth for instance. Like someone stepped out of the shower and did'nt use any soap or shampoo. Probably little more complicated than that actualy. A perfume designed not only to not smell of perfume but to smell of nothing at all but the person who is wearing it. So what's the point of doing something like this? Perhaps to see how far can you push the concept (or anti-concept ;) of abstraction or minimalism in contemporary perfume art? Perhaps to fool customers and perfume enthusiasts? Perhaps to make a big joke? I don't know but I had never smelled any thing like this before.Ps: Am I crazy or do I smell l'Antimatière in Encens Flamboyant by Goutal?

I can smell it only when I'm not wearing it. On paper it smells very clean and a little herbal. According to Silvio Levi, who imports Les Nez perfumesi in Italy, it has only three notes: oakmoss, musk and ambergris, all of them normally used as basenotes, because they are made of very heavy molecules, that can not be smelled immediatly, but only after a while. This, I think, explains why some people can't smell it: it has no headnote. In my opinion, with its strange way to fade and then reappear and be smelled again, l'Antimatiere is more the ghost of a scent, than a real fragrance. A weird experiment in fringe perfumery, that I appreciate but would'nt buy.

Interesting idea basically, but this is utterly useless fragrance in the end. Ridicilously weak ambergris-musk blend. Could be easily sprayed at least 25 times before it hits you too hard. I like skin scents, but this is just a joke, and an expensive one.My problem is not just the weakness : I don`t like the way this smells either. I can believe it`s made from natural ambergris, but it smells very cheap to my nose as it have this horrible "deodorant-alcohol-aerosol" like accord, that is actually quite common in animalic fragrances which are not done right.Going down.

Musky Ambergris, subtle but very present and excellent. Many people must be amnosic to these accords or more likely unable to adjust their expectations from usual headnote dominated perfumes. Wonderful, interesting stuff, it smells of beautiful warm skin, clean and sexy. Rene of Les Nez says it contains natural ambergris and my nose confirms this, having twice smelled the real thing.

I really like this scent, it does remind me of fabric softener sheet upon initial spray then settles into a very light musky smell that I love. I often layer this with other scents and it works very well when used this way, it's been very versatile for me. This is a wonderfully unique, subtle and complex fragrance that begs for experimentation. I recommend getting a sample or two and repeated wearings to different parts of the body and different types of weather as well as with other scents.

Here's a conundrum for you. How can one review a perfume that basically has no smell? Such was my dilemma with L'Antimatiere. I liberally applied it 2 separate times on my arm and underwrist area within the space of 20 mins. and the only thing I remotely sensed was a slight smell of musk/dryer sheet in the first 3 minutes. After that, I got the usual smell of my skin. I'd be pretty annoyed if I had paid money for this rather than receiving it as a sample in a swap. To sum it up, L'Antimatiere is trying way too hard to be gimmicky and cool with its "disappearing fragrance", and is taking its poor customers for ride. An expensive ride at that...Here are L'Antimatiere's alleged notes from what I've been able to glean on the Internet: white musk, amber, wood, mint.

It smells like air is the best thing I can come up with, which doesn't mean what it should. It's like going outside in winter and breathing in really hard. Or it's almost like accidentally getting water up your nose in the pool. That's the, nose-feel of it. It's not snow, it's not water, it's not leaves, it's not wood on fire... I'm not sure what it is, but it's none of those things. If someone has a word for what I'm describing, by all means, help me out. It should be noted that it smells exactly like band-aids in the first few minutes, which is sort of off-putting. That sweet adhesive smell disappears within 30 minutes to an hour, I think.I like it. It's interesting; I'm just not sure what it is.

Couldn't help it; my first impression of "L'Antimatiere" was that it reeked of "The Emperor's New Clothes". "Is this a modern art statement or creative joke?" I thought. I did, however, give it a fresh chance at a later time, leading to a few surprises. First impression "very fine vodka, perhaps even a hint of that french monastic liquor, 'Chartreuse', with it's subtle herbal-ness". As it dried down, I felt a serious sense of deja-vu; it reminded me much of "Egyptian Goddess" (a "Temple essence" brand oil) albeit, in hyper-diluted form. Although I've read about vetiver elements throughout it, I sensed more of the open, mineral-seeming warmth of spikenard or opponax. Perhaps even a dash of young sandlewood. Overall, "L'Antimatiere" is an ambitious experiment that might not be appreciated by most testers; however, it is charmingly subtle and pleasant, and radiates a weird kind of sunny warmth that reminds me of of high-noon sun beating on stone steps, or heated saltstone lamps. This is truly for those that want a total meld-with-skin, subliminally atmospheric scent. I personally prefer a louder scent "story".

I love this fragrance – it is weird, it is challenging, it is beautiful. It is metallic and abstract and minimal and a breath of semi-fresh air. It doesn't smell like fragrance, and it doesn't smell like “Hey! You're wearing fragrance.” It doesn't smell like anything alive until its very end when (as Ayala says) it reveals its vetiver, and yet it is a scent that is pleasant because of its abstractness and syntheticness is so enjoyable. It doesn't annoy me at all as many other synthetic smelling scents do. It is so wearable, it is unbelievably comfortable on me and to me. Its abstractness makes it mysterious and I love that about it. It is one of the most truly unisex fragrances I've sampled, and I love that about it. It's fun and satisfying.