II (Deux)

II, or Deux (French for two), is all about new beginnings: the second act, rebirth, regeneration. Essentially, Deux is an aromatic scent filled to brimming with the piercingly green smell of regrowth – fig saplings, plants, and young conifers pushing their way up through layers of humus and pine needles to meet the sun. With lots of aromatic juniper and bitter orange, it is brisk and unsentimental, an impression confirmed by its salty, woody musk in the drydown. Like all the perfumes in the Cire Trudon range, it is perfectly unisex.

Although not listed, we smell a lot of kitchen garden notes in here too, particularly the resinous snap of tomato leaf, mint, basil, and the milky juice of fresh fig leaf. The vibrant, stemmy smell of crushed leaves is intoxicating, bringing back memories of small, childish hands stained green with plant juice. This is a scent that crawls with life. Wearing it, you feel like you're sitting in a forest clearing, face turned to the sun, surrounded by the fertile smell of tender green shoots and leaves pushing up to the surface, like a fast motion sequence on a nature documentary. Deux is the perfect fragrance with which to welcome in the rites of spring and drive away the cold stoniness of winter. Bristling with verdant energy, think of Deux as a shot of antioxidant-rich green juice to stimulate the blood and re-start the engine.