Guerlain Eau Secrete/de Coton/de Bain

Mostly Photoshop this time, with a little help from Ideogram AI 

I am confused.

A couple years back, I was browsing at Saks (as one does) sniffing what appeared to be a new line of Guerlain fragrances, Les Matières Confidentielles, and fell in love with the white-musky Eau Secrete. It was damn expensive for what it was ~$175 or so (at the time--that line retails for $190 today). I could--and did--buy a big bottle of Body Shop White Musk for less than a quarter of that price. Still, I was a little obsessed with Eau Secrete until I was able to snag a full bottle from a Mercari seller for a considerable discount. I wore it twice before deciding there was something weird about it that I didn't like, put it away, and didn't think about it again. 

Recently, while rummaging through my ever-expanding fragrance collection, I happened upon my abandoned bottle of Eau Secrete and decided to give it another chance. I spritzed it on the back of my hand and gave a quick sniff. Yes, it was still primarily white musk, but I also noticed some citrus and almond notes that I hadn't noticed before. These were probably the "something weird" that turned me off my brief obsession. My brain was so focused on the musk that anything not-musk stood out as something that didn't belong. Au contraire, brain, they do belong in Eau Secrete. This is very much a Guerlain scent, like a much younger, and less-complex third or fourth cousin to both Shalimar and L'Instant Magic. 

Another reason Eau Secrete and I may have had our falling out is that I'm ordinarily not a fan of clean laundry scents. I grew up in my grandmother's house, and she did laundry several times a week. There was no drier, so everything went on the lines outside. Pretty much everything got ironed, including towels, socks, and underwear. (I think Grandma enjoyed ironing.) While I adore the ozonic scent of clothes fresh off the line, and the clean hot metal smell of a shirt still warm from the iron, I don't want my skin to smell like either of them. Yes, I realize some people adore those smells. Whole perfume lines have been created around the olfactory sensation of the various aldehydes and keytones produced by the action of garment cleansing, and there are numerous candles and air-and-fabric-scenting products on the market that mimic those smells. I just prefer to encounter the natural versions caused by washing and drying--actual clean--as opposed to filling my world with the scent of dryer sheets. Eau Secrete does has a whiff of clean, but it's subtle. As if the almond note is sugared, like Jordan almonds, and they are nestled in a freshly laundered white napkin.

So let's go back to the part where I'm confused. 

Apparently Eau Secrete, now discontinued, is very similar to Eau de Coton, another member of the Les Matières Confidentielles family. There are people who swear they are identical, that Eau de Coton replaced Eau Secrete. There's some confusion about their release dates. As best as I can tell, Eau de Coton was released in 2023, Eau Secrete in 2022, so it seems plausible. And then there's Eau de Bain, a release from 2019. Some folks think--you guessed it--that it was renamed Eau Secrete, and then became Eau de Coton.

Let's compare the notes, keeping in mind that most online sources for this sort of thing, like Fragrantica and Basenotes, are not reliable. Eau de Bain (2019) has Almond, Orange Blossom, and White Musk, with additional Bergamot, Lemon, Green Notes, Vanilla, and Precious Woods. Eau Secrete (2022) contains Almond, Orange Blossom, and White Musk. Finally, Eau de Coton (2023) is made with notes of Almond, Orange Blossom, and White Musk, plus Cotton Flower and Linen. All three scents include the same triumvirate of notes, but there are a few differences.

My main confusion is this: if the scents are so similar, why discontinue one and put out another on its heels? I realize that Guerlain is trying to appeal to many different tastes these days, what with the introduction of multiple oud fragrances, regular releases of the watery-fresh Aqua Allegoria EDTs, and updates to their classics. But I have to ask: as pleasant as they are, does Guerlain really need multiple white musk fragrances? 

I needed a definitive answer, so I asked a friend who had worked for Guerlain, and he said the three were definitely different fragrances. Then I sent an email to Guerlain customer service and received this response:

Eau Secrete and Eau Coton are indeed different fragrances. While both offer a fresh and clean scent, they have distinct compositions:

Eau Secrete: Known for its light, airy, and slightly citrusy notes, Eau Secrete is designed to evoke a sense of freshness and subtle elegance. 

Eau de Coton: This fragrance tends to have a softer, more powdery profile, reminiscent of clean linens and a comforting, cozy atmosphere. 

As for Eau de Bain, it is a third fragrance entirely and not the same as either Eau Secrete or Eau Coton. Eau de Bain typically features a blend of fresh and aquatic notes, designed to evoke the feeling of a luxurious bath experience.

Eau de Coton is the only scent still available, and I feel like I have to give this one a good sniff at some point. It's not really a shame I missed out on Eau de Bain if it has "fresh" and "aquatic" notes (not my faves). Still, I would really love to be able to compare them side by side by side.

Has anyone out there been able to do that? I'd love to hear from you.

-----------------------

Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.