E is for Etat Libre d'Orange "I Am Trash"

Getting back to this series. My flight is delayed, so I'm taking the opportunity to catch up on some posts and work on a few things. This has been sititng in my drafts for a few weeks, so finally got time to work on it a little more:

I picked up this sample on a visit earlier this year to Kuhl Linscomb in Houston. They carry a ton of indie and niche fragrances that I otherwise don’t get much opportunity to try out in Austin. I’ve been looking for some scents to wear for the summer that aren’t all grapefruit citrus freshie bombs, and the store clerk recommended ths and was nice enough to provide me with a free 2mL sample.

Just a side note - I don’t think the manager there likes me. A few visits prior to this, I noticed they had moved all of their fragrance testers and put them behind the counter. You have to ask the sales clerk before the will let you spray. I asked him about it and he told me that basically they had too many people (like me) coming in, trying everything, and not buying anything. So to save their clerks from being blasted every day with dozens and dozens of scents, they opted to make people ask for them. I have bought multiple items from them at full retail or on sale pricing for the holidays, but every time I come in, he follows me and scowls at me and rebutts any attempt I make to have a conversation. The other clerks like me and recognize me and have great conversations and seem to have fun trying things.

Anyway, Etat Libre d’Orange (ELDO) was created by Etienne de Swardt as a deliberately provocative and boundary-pushing fragrance line. Their motto is literally "Perfume is dead. Long live perfume." I Am Trash (or in French "Les Fleurs du Déchet", literally "Flowers of the Garbage”) was released in 2018 and created by Daniela Andrier. She's known being the nose behind many iconic Prada scents. The concept behind I Am Trash is eco-oriented sustainability: many of the raw materials are upcycled byproducts, including apple oil derived from apple juice production waste, rose absolute extracted from already-distilled rose petals, and cedarwood atlas recovered from sawdust before it gets turned into fuel. I think it’s a really cool idea.

Notes:

Top: Apple, Bitter Orange, Lemongrass, Green Mandarin

Middle: Rose, Iso E Super, Strawberry

Base: Atlas Cedarwood, Sandalore, Akigalawood

Scent: 7.0

The opening is bright and fruity with apple and citrus up front. It moves quickly into a warm, woody base that dominates the scent from that point forward. I didn't pick up much strawberry, which is listed as a heart note. I also have a blind spot for ISO E Super, so that whole dimension of the fragrance was largely lost on me. What I got was a polished, slightly sweet, woody fruity scent that was easy to wear and easy to enjoy. Not groundbreaking, but charming in it’s own way.

Longevity: 4.0

This is where it falls apart for me, personally. I got about two hours of real presence before it settled into a barely-there skin scent, and another hour or two after that before it was gone entirely. I wasn’t expecting beast mode for this type of scent, but, still, for an EDP, that's a tough sell. I want to be fair and note that some of this may be my skin chemistry, but I simply can't detect it at all after about 3 or 4 hours.

Package Design: 7.0

The bottle is clean and simple. ELDO’s packaging is iconic and instantly recognizable. I love the concept, too, and the story behind the fragrance’s creation. It makes you curious before you even smell it, and once you do, the name recontextualizes into something more like a wink than an insult. The upcycling concept is genuinely meaningful and not just marketing fluff, which adds real depth to the overall story.

Perceived Value: 6.5

At full retail the 50mL runs $125, which is a lot to ask for a fragrance with this kind of longevity. That said, you can regularly find it at discounters in the $75 to $85 range when it's in stock (as of this writing, it’s on FragranceNet for $80 and they have a 100mL Tester with cap for $90). If it performed better, that pricing is extremely reasonable for niche. I definitely would not pay full retail for it, though.

Overall: 6.6

I Am Trash is a genuinely well-crafted fragrance with a smart concept and a pleasant wear experience while it lasts. I don't regret trying it at all. But between the short longevity on my skin and the missing strawberry and ISO E Super notes that seem to be central to the experience, I don't think I'm the right audience for this one. I think if your skin chemistry plays well with it, you'll really like it. Mine just didn't cooperate. Happy to move on to the next sample.

Previous Reviews:

0-9 is for 19-69

A is for Akro Rise

B is for Buchart Colber Knife Thrower

C is for Calvin Klein Eternity Summer 2011

D is for Dior Ambre Nuit

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