En Passant Frederic Malle for women

I am finally sampling Frederic Malle En Passant and I'm a little ashamed to say that as long as I've been enthusing about fragrance, 20 years at least, this is the first time I have ever smelled this one. I believe it is meant to be some kind of contemporary classic, so better later than never.

With notes of lilac, cucumber, cedar, and white musk, I am still trying to put into words what a beautiful creation this is. All I can say is that it's like the gauzy childhood memory of a gentle, misty spring day, cool tendrils of fog lifting as the sun shifts through the clouds and warms the skin...but that's not quite right.

As a child, I wouldn't have had the language for the ghostly sense of nostalgic melancholia En Passant evokes. It's more like looking at the source of this memory through a hazy window pane as an adult, the present as it unfolds moment to moment, and becomes memory as fast as the moment unfurls. And knowing how fleeting it all is. And the sadness for the passage of time, and the joy for the child who doesn't feel that yet. It's that. It's all of that.

It’s not a soliflore. It is a well-balanced perfume with top notes of lilac. It opens up to a light cucumber scent and some cassis. It’s by no means as lilac-y as A Lilac a Day.

For a Frédéric Malle, it is a surprisingly mellow fragrance. It has limited projection, decent longevity, and it won’t offend your height is in a confined space like an airplane. A great starter Malle.

I didn't know what to expect from "watery notes," cucumber, etc., but here they seem to keep the lilac fresh and true. It's such a happy fragrance and uniquely...ladylike.

Beautiful work. Frederic Malle holds the best soliflores in my opinion - realistic almost "augmented" yet very wearable.

Among my earliest scent memories are those of lilacs blooming in my grandmother's yard in May, just as temperatures begin to warm up and fun times in her above ground pool were just around the corner. Even at a tender age I marveled at the intense aroma from the pale purple clusters, leaning in to get them close to my nose, almost studying them with my little active mind. I was destined to have a lifelong love affair with scent.

In En Passant ('by the way; in passing"), Olivia Giacobetti strikes a balance in composing this complex floral. She imparts the aqueous, cool green qualities and what is indeed a cucumber-aldehyde-like ambience of the lilac head space, pure and dewy. She also shades in among the airiness and moisture the textured, pollen-yeasty nature of what lies behind the scent of lilac. It elicits a near euphoric effect in me because this brings me back to the unbridled joy of my childhood, as it is such an accurate rendering.

green floral lovers rise up!! the only true lilac scent that i have smelled to rival this one is lilac path by aerin- but dare i say i like this one a bit better?? it's soooo photorealistic, reminds me of sunny spring walks around my neighborhood when the lilacs are blooming. fresh, airy, extremely pleasant, pretty fleeting too since it's mostly comprised of top notes unfortunately. very much a piece of art.

Loud realistic lilac, the resemblance is hilarious, close your eyes and you are staying in the evening garden after the rain. Absolutely gorgeous but also a little boring if I allowed to say that. I can feel lilac on all levels and nothing more. Long lasting

This is a glorious spring, lilac fragrance. I've been wearing it for 10+ years for 2-3 weeks (just about now) while lilacs are in bloom. It is perfect during that time. Just perfect... Other times not so much. For me it is a true lilac, but not too on the nose/soapy.

A minimal and undeniably elegant composition, mainly lilac, heliotrope, petitgrain and indole/phenols. Opening offers some watery green notes, almost cucumber aldehydic but quickly settles down to phenolic lilac x heliotrope with petitgrain adding somewhat unopened orange blossom buds, free from the sweet aspects of the bloomed but keeping that unsweet slightly dirty honey aspect. In a blind test I would classify this scent as more of an orange blossom/petitgrain perfume than lilac to be honest. Perfectly unisex, but arguable for its price point, as I often can't help not to do...

If basic, ephemeral, fresh florals are your thing, you’ve come to the right place. If you want something interesting with depth and strength, save your money.

I would love to wear this outdoors. Lilac usually smells really soapy to me, but this one is fine. The cucumber is subtle, but still detectable. It adds a nice, fresh, cool feeling. It reminds me of playing outside (we had a lilac tree) and swimming.

EDIT: After wearing this for the past week or so, i CANNOT SMELL IT!!!!! It sits so close. Almost undetectable. It is such a nice smell, so this is disappointing.

I loved this so much - lilac, fresh, green and beautiful. To my friends its sophisticated. I keep spraying it morning and afternoon because it doesnt last long. I wish it stayed longer. I would reach out for it to remind me of spring when wintry skies are dark and dreary and gray for months. I still love it but wish it stayed longer.

I had a lilac tree in my garden, right next to my bedroom window growing up. So lilacs are what evokes fond memories of my childhood and naturally I am quite critical when it comes to lilac perfumes.

This is a light, transparent lilac that opens aquatic and ends quite green. I smell more leaves than the flower petals in this one. If a light fresh green lilac is your thing, this is it.

I prefer this over the creamy, soapy iteration of Issey Miyake’s Drop D’Issey. I really do not care for Drop D’Issey at all. But En Passant has the worst projection and longevity.

My holy grail lilac perfume is still Vilhelm’s A Lilac A Day. En Passant ranks at a very far second place.

It smells like freshly picked lilacs just as their blossoms start blooming. Very authentic and natural scent. If lilacs are your thing, this is an ideal perfume for you!

Pretty, realistic lilacs - but only at first. Once I noticed the cucumber note, it's difficult for me to unsmell it. This has made me enjoy En Passant less - it makes it smell too much like a perfume and not like the realistic lilacs it fleetingly once was. I will continue testing this, though, to see if I can warm up to the cucumber.

Starts out very green, grassy, plus lilac. Fresh, unisex. Lilac doesn't last long-- florals start getting sharper and whiter-- more cool than warm, with a polleny honeysuckle coming in after that. And it's cool aquatic now and disappearing into my skin. And then curry

I may have previously reviewed this, but I now have a deluxe sample so it's easier to apply and enjoy. It without a doubt the most gorgeous lilac perfume I have ever tried and I plan on ordering a full bottle come this spring. Most of the time, lilac perfumes ends up smelling like bathroom air freshener to me. This smells the way I recall fresh lilac smelling while in bloom, with one difference - it's not as dense as the real thing. I like the light and quality En Passant possesses. I guess I should say watery given the watery notes and cucumber, but to me it translate to delicate airiness.
I'm happy to have the deluxe sample, because I know I'm going to need to reapply once I have my full bottle! It's a cliche, but this really is springtime in a bottle in my opinion!

Ahh.. this scent is heavenly! On my skin it last about 2 hours, I buy and adore it anyway. Instantly puts me in a romantic mood. For me this one is mood booster.

Not sure why I waited so long to buy this one. This is pure lilac on me. I don't really smell anything else, maybe some draft of cucumber here and there. Some wheat ? A little bit aquatic. Absolutely beautiful. A masterpiece of modern perfumery in my opinion. Olivia Giacobetti fragrances are usually quite weak and no so long lasting (I know, I own a couple). NOT this one. It is much stronger than I thought and that makes me so happy. I actually don't understand the reviews complaining on how weak this is. 2-3 spray of this in my hair/neck and I smell like lilac for at least 6 hours. Definitely worth the price tag since I'm gonna wear this one quite often. Office/romantic situations/going out for groceries/cleaning the apartment. Every occasions :) This might become my go-to fragrance.

It's a lilac bush in full bloom in the summer rain. At least that's how I remember it from my childhood. Years ago I had a bottle of Pur Desir de Lilas by Yves Rocher and was trying to find something similar for a while. It only lasts 3-4 hours on me but it's beautiful and instantly cheers me up.

Little jewel for those who love slightly retro perfumes, loving the cucumber as a note, as soon as I read that it is contained in a perfume I am preparing to buy it and even in this case I was not disappointed, obviously here the cucumber serves to give an airy and fresh connotation to the lilac flower which would otherwise be more austere, yes because the lilac is a particular flower, a little melancholy, a little from another era if you like. I like it above all because today it is no longer used much in perfumery and it's like looking for a survivor... so wearing a perfume that deviates from trends or from the many similarities I like it! Lilacs in the round in a fresh and cheerful version without falling into the heaviness that this flower could bring out, chapeau to Giacobetti which once again brings out all his skill and mastery, my beloved cucumber, especially in the opening, I feel it a lot, the notes aquatics strengthen the fresh aura by bringing out a delicate and ethereal lilac flower, I don't feel wheat or petit grain, a sweet slightly green and delicate lilac scent remains on my skin, it lasted more than 6 hours on my skin and for I would say this type of perfume is perfect as it is, its season is definitely spring but I will wear it every time I want to feel romantic...

don't blind buy unless you're the girl next door

I was forever a Parco Pallidiano Lilla fan… I recently sold my discontinued bottle so I could pick up En Passant. I absolutely loved the salt in that fragrance, but it gave me a mild headache suddenly after many years of loving it. The lilac is just so much more authentic in En Passant… it’s dewy, fresh, addictive, natural. Lilacs by very clear ocean water and white sands. White linen dress, no makeup, hair is sunkissed, skin is freckled from being in the sun all day… I can’t wait to create new spring and summer memories with this.

crazy fresh lilac, haven’t worn this in a while but has a special place in my heart

Lovely, delicate, and fast to fade - just like taking a lilac cutting from the bush. Very realistic and dewy.

This is pretty. It smells like the scent of lilacs in the breeze. But there is also a saltiness running underneath that I don't care for, and that dreaded cucumber/calone note I cannot stand in most perfumes. I pick it up strongly here.
Aquatic, ozonic, slightly earthy from the wheat note. If they were trying to capture the scent of lilac bushes blooming near the ocean, they've nailed it. If you like that type of profile, you've found it here. Personally, I prefer my lilacs to be heady and sweet. That is missing here. I'll put this sample away to try again next spring and summer. Maybe it will smell different to me then.

I didn't know how much I needed lilac centered perfume in my life until I tried En Passant! Wheat note is certainly an interesting base and grounds the perfume from becoming too airy. It flows like love with a handsome stranger: I don't really believe in love on first sight, but it's something (lilac) there and I intend to slowly savour it until I get the right name for it. First the images in my head while smiling from a distance. Airy notes. Maybe going intentionally around the places I met him before. Cucumber. Putting on my nice clothes in the morning, longer earrings, brighter lipstick. Watery notes. Slowly gravitating into it until I find myself by his side, as natural as breathing. Simple but wholesome. Wheat and petitgrain.This is this perfume, the whole journey. What a gem!

Beautiful gentle lilac fragrance, evokes feelings of peace and euphoria

It's okay. If you're into a more fresh, low-key, water/floral then chances are you'll love this. It's pretty and elegant, but I prefer something a bit more dramatic.

Soft, calming and very personal. Smells incredibly well crafted. Sits close to the body and perfect for foggy, rainy cool days and times where you’re feeling introspective. Not the greatest performer but very beautiful. Perfect for people who like non-intrusive, natural type scents that aren’t screamers.

Soap and powdery soft lilac blossoms. Sweet, humid and green. Reminds me of toiletries, a leave-in hair conditioner or post shower body lotion. Leans feminine. Short lived, undetectable after two hours on my skin.

If I loved lilac, this would be a must have. Aquatic, tender, true to the nature lilac. Very well done, brava Olivia Giacobetti. Unfortunately, I don't like lilac that much.

On my skin this is solidly unisex. It immediately makes me think of Zoologist Snowy Owl, Zoologist Beaver, and Tom Ford White Suede. I have genuinely no idea why, but all four of these fragrances end up smelling almost identical on my skin: kind of a slightly barnyard vibe + clean floral

White lilacs in a rainstorm. A study of tiny blossoms scattered on wet pavement. "En Passant" rises, floats, vanishes, and then reappears like a ghost throughout the day. Atmospheric. Poetic. Ethereal. There is a hint of melancholy buried in the flowers, a memory of walking through wet leaves on an overcast day. There is also something dark and shadowy going on in the background of this fragrance. Imagine a damsel dressed only in white lilacs being held captive behind a wall of Gothic stone.

"En Passant" is a perfect name for this fragrance. Like so much of Olivia Giacobetti's work, this fragrance is spectral and dreamlike with a mis-en-scene effect.

"En Passant" also happens to be the name of a chess move where one player makes a capture as they pass an enemy pawn on an opening move. This adds another layer of meaning, an apt metaphor for the effect of this perfume, how a person wearing it passes by and unexpectedly "captures" the other person/passerby/pawn/enemy with their evocative scent.

Freshly cut lilac stalks in cucumber water. Very photorealistic, clean and fresh in the most literal aspect.
Definitely for warm & hot weather, medium projection (a little under arms' length).
Will definitely need to be reapplied as the day goes on.

En Passant is simple yet evocative, as Olivia Giacobetti does best. On my skin it's a sheer aquatic lilac, with the cucumber note prominent. I was hesitant about the cucumber at first, a smell I associate with cheap bath products I used as a teen. But I've found that it blends nicely with the other notes, giving a freshness and naturalness to the lilac. It transports me to a spring walk through the lilac trees at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston. It's all I've been wanting to wear during these humid summer days.

Beautiful, but my goodness this is strong (I have 2015 batch), be careful with the sprays.

Used prudently it's a delicate chiffon of intruigue, one spray too many and it's a sweet honey gas bomb which will have people gasping for breath, and it lasts forever.

En Passant, to give my insights. In all the Frederic Malle Collections, this has to be one that kept me guessing. I barely sniff the lilac , but a faint pot of everything , then having all these react with your skin chemistry. Is it just me, or is there something metallic on first note? It’s my skin on En Passant and judging from the rest of the reviews, some may have a favorable outcome and some, not so. It’s a favorable , unfamiliar blend of just passing through scents. I approve.

En Passant reminds me of the lilac bush that grew in the front yard of my childhood home and it also reminds me of walking around the neighbourhood during spring, when everyone's lilac bushes are in full bloom. It smells like photorealistic lilacs that are dewy from the rain. I enjoyed this one even though it's not a scent profile I usually gravitate toward. Also, it was a little too realistic for me. If you want to smell like a literal lilac bush, then you will enjoy this. It doesn't smell mature but it doesn't smell youthful either because it smells like a literal lilac bush with a touch of greenness and dewiness.

There is a carnal note in there, possibly contributed by the wheat. Surprisingly dry and chalky for a floral. It isn't your typical designer-girly scent. The sillage is not that weak actually. Love it!

Super watery, realistic lilac. If you like lilac and also like aquatic notes you will definitely like this. In my opinion the drydown is kind of sweet, not cloying but in a delicate way - like in an almond-based dessert, a french macaron or an almond croissant for example. It reminds me of specifically the almond paste inside the croissants, sometimes used in pies too, called fragipane. Overall this is way more fluffy than fresh and airy, so I feel like it could come off as too much and possibly suffocating in the height of summer. Best suited for slightly colder spring months turning into summer.

It’s not a bad scent, but I do regret buying it at such a high price. It’s not fantastic performance-wise either. Lesson learned as a newbie perfume lover: Don’t buy something just because it’s super popular and well-known.

This smells disgusting to me, lmao. There's an intense sleazy and yucky vibe to it that I just can't get past. I was shocked to see that this is a floral green frag because I didn't get that at all upon first sniff. Fresh out of the bottle, yes, I get some quick green notes, but the minute this is spritzed onto a stick, it instantly devolves into something unpleasant. All I get are visions of sleazy dude wearing too much cologne harassing women outside of a nightclub.

Fragrance equivalent to taking a xanax

It’s just gorgeous. I’ve struggled with floral perfumes because I typically find them too heavy and honestly... boring. But when I try “green” florals... thinking they’ll be lighter and more interesting... the green notes turn sour on me easily. When I tried en passant I really liked it but it seemed too fleeting for the price. So I purchased Jacque Fath lilac Exquis instead thinking it was a good enough dupe. But once I identified the cigarette note in there I couldn’t tolerate it. Also tried drop d’iseey, lilac love and the parco paladiano lilac scent. Point is, a year after sampling en passant I had to cave and buy it. It’s particularly lovely on a warm spring day; there’s just nothing that comes closer to the smell of a dewy spring afternoon when the honeysuckle and jasmine and privet are all blooming and you’re cutting some daffodils for a bouquet and you smell the cut stems. I honestly don’t really know what lilac smells like... I just know that this perfume = spring. It’s also not actually as fleeting as I expected. There is something in there that is dense and it lingers. So if you love this, I recommend you just save up for it because there’s just nothing else like it!

May as well call this fragrance cucumber

That's all I can smell

A beautiful watery lilac.

Great lilac scent, but wish it lasted longer...

This is very pretty realistic green lilac like you broke the flowers and the stems in your fists. Wearing this would give the impression you tripped in your garden bushes on your way out

So beautiful, so so beautiful. I've been hearing about this one for ages and the descriptions usually sound like poetic hyperbole. But lo and behold, it really is all that.

On the blotter, it smells like a sepia-toned photograph of a lilac. But on my skin, it's like catching the scent of lilac in the air on a warm spring morning, just before the dew burns off. Somewhat like with Philosykos, Giacobetti created not just a scent here but an olfactory mise en scene. It's stunning.

I'm testing out a sample now but not sure I would invest in a full bottle. I'm noticing a pattern with Frederic Malle perfumes - they are scents that I feel like I need to keep samples of for reference, just to be able to smell now and again because they are incredible works of art and heartbreakingly beautiful, but for me they might not be so wearable.

With En Passant, although I appreciate it and even love it, would I actually reach for it? It's so translucent and ephemeral. I wonder if it would get exasperating to feel like my scent is always passing by on the breeze, just out of reach.

First impression: this really does have the Olivia Giacobetti touch to it. And this is what I wish Glossier You smelled like. Maybe she should’ve been the perfumer for that one, it would’ve made sense.

En Passant is a really nice fragrance for spring. First you smell the lilac, then it dries down to the aquatic cucumber notes. I don’t smell wheat though… it’s gentle, clean, comforting… reminds me of freshly washed laundry and great for easy and casual daytime wear. Timeless perfume suitable for all ages… I think this is a beautiful yet modest perfume that can easily pass as unisex TBH.

I can also see it being a signature fragrance to those that are sensitive to stronger ones. Not a huge fan of aquatic fragrances and I’d prefer something a little stronger as a signature though, personally.

such a beautiful gentle fragrance from this house. It has a classic feel to it - it smells like walking through a flower garden in spring time, with watery and green accords which gives the lilac more authenticity. The way it opens is similar to it's dry down - what you smell is what you get. For me I found this has an intimate silage and low longevity. It worked far better when I sprayed it on my clothing as well as my skin. This is very much a fragrance for a warm day spent outdoors.

A dreamy springtime flower, wheat-y baguette by the river sort of fragrance. Heartbreakingly beautiful yet with a hint of seduction. Lacy knickers hidden modestly beneath a flowy white summer sundress. It’s a gorgeous perfume.

I’ve been eyeing this for weeks, (along with Vilhelm A lilac a Day, which I haven’t smelled yet).
I smelled en Passant for the first time today and right away bought a 30ml.
It’s an amazing piece of work.
It gives me a very specific memory, I’m 6 years old wearing my Easter outfit in my front yard ,the morning is bright, and the grass is dewy, I’m waiting for my mom and dad to load us into the van for Easter service, my stomach is full of chocolate and candy, and I feel anxious about going to church.
I don’t have anything like this nor have I smelled anything ever like this. I have only smelled a few lilac fragrances , most recently Aerin Lilac path, but they are such different styles of perfume in my opinion. Lilac Path is more close to what I would expect from a lilac perfume, ( a bit powdery warm at the end) . En passant is a beautiful memory for me, maybe a bit less pleasant to wear than my top floral obsessions , but far more beautiful & artistic and far reaching to me. This is one of those bottles I absolutely knew I needed even if i only smell the bottle every day. What a creation. I love both En Passant & Lilac Path. But they are Not even close. I would put En Passant in the same taste/style as Diptyque Ofresia, and Eau Rose, Byredo La Tulipe. It’s not similar to them but they are of a similar style to my nose. En Passant is not an every day floral for me. It’s too specific for me. And brings up a weird feeling & memory. And The wheat note is quite different but goes so perfect with the lilac. I only pick it up if I think about trying to separate it from the lilac, otherwise it blends seemlessly. every thing Olivia Giacobetti creates is phenomenal. Her Ofresia fragrance is one of my top top faves. As well as of course Philosykos in every concentration. Honestly, Philosykos to me is more in the family of En Passant even though one is a fruit and one is a floral, they are together in my brain. Such a specific smell. Something freshly edible about them but NOT gourmand, I hate gourmand.

For reference my every day scents are , Gucci bloom (pink) & Philosykos EDT.

I've had a full bottle for a year now. Almost empty and if i can't repurchase on discount i won't. It's a very strong like and I Will miss her.
This is the most heavenly, Well rounded, fuzzy lilac on the planet. It is realistic yes, but also has the perfect sweetness and becomes a gorgeous creamy vanillic lilac in the drydown. First impressions Mean nothing to me. I've been so wrong about so many first impressions (for good and bad mind you).

It boarders on the edge of being a gourmand. It's not and that's why it is the perfect lilac. I can smell all notes but the cucumber. My bottle has matured after a year of use and became more sweet and creamy. So good! I only use it after shower or at night. Seems a bit of a waste but i got it very cheap.
Also, I like it, don't love it. I prefer tuberose. 😉
Performance is very good.

I hated a drop by issey miyake. Too nausiatingly powdery. Just for reference.

For when you want to smell like a sunny, bracing summer day.

I didn't realize lilac could be sort of heady/indolic, lol! Generally it's a very tame, well mannered floral but not in En Passant! The top for sure has a sort of slightly overripe or heady floral aspect that is really interesting and unusual and I expect more from white florals (it doesn't go poopy/barnyard indolic like jasmine sometimes does or instant headache like tuberose often does on my skin). I like this scent best in the dry down after the watery/wheaty notes start to balance out with the floral.

Got a sample of this through a discovery set.

I hate cucumbers, i hate the smell of cucumbers, but this is alright. Very watery, flowery and fresh. Honestly smells kinda familiar but not sure where I smelled it before.

This was one of the best Frederic Malle fragrances and THE lilac fragrance until I compared it to Aerin Lilac Path; this is just too aquatic for me.

like skin

Can't think of anything but the Johnson's Baby Floral Cologne I smelled more than a decade ago. Longevity is as weak.

A little bit feminine for me but I had to try it
This brand is incredible and I always praise them but even they have a couple of average creations
This floral scent is something you definitely smelled before and I’m sure you can find an alternative for a better price
What I figured out wearing and trying almost the full range of the brand and owning them as well that if they make a fragrance with florals and aldehydes it’s definitely not for me
Performance is good

Comforting, soft, slightly creamy, lilac driven perfume. It’s a very good impression of a lilac; feels like you are in a Parisian garden in the early morning. I don’t get much of the cucumber or watery notes, but I can see others do so it might just be a skin chemistry thing. Sillage is intimidate-moderate, which suits the soft nature of the scent, but I wish longevity was a bit better (I only get about 2 hours).

Wearing this makes you feel like you are stuck in an endless time loop where you find yourself at a flower shop pruning stuff while getting tight hugs from someone who put too much hairspray on. It's sweet, princessy and lacking depth.

Lilac is so real. i like to smell it but i dont like to wear it.

it smells like this potpourri my mom got from ikea and kept in a bowl when I was a kid .... Maybe lilac isn't for me?

On my skin it opens by transporting me to a realistic garden. Im less familiar with lilacs, but do enjoy this for what it is.

I get a touch of cucumber, but it's not too dominant. I was a bit perplexed at the start at how earthy-gardeny I was experiencing, so looking at the notes i'd say the wheat toned down the floral aspects of the scent. Do I like it? Yes, and I think it's unique. Without spending more time with it, I am not quite sure on what occasions i'd reach for it.

As a garden-realistic floral, I likee L'Eau d'Hiver better, but i've spent a lot more time with that frag as I get a sample. I'd say LDH is more floral, but both are really nice.

Not only does Malle put his name on the best lily, he also owns the best lilac. So, so beautiful.

Starts out as a beautiful photorealistic lilac, freshly plucked on a still-wet branch, absolutely stunning. However, within the hour it fades to a cucumber sandwich on toast. If not for this unfortunate drydown, I would definitely get a full size bottle as I love lilac. 5/10

I can only smelled cucumber. Where is the Lilac?

I love this. This is an absolutely work of art. The lilac is soft, lingering and realistic and the cucumber and aquatic notes make it smell like walking through a lilac orchard after it has rained. There is a wheat note in there that seems like it shouldn't go, but ultimately really does. It adds some interest and warmth to this.

I would say this is a floral for people who might not usually like them. It's light and ethereal and doesn't overwhelm. I find it lasts a moderate amount of time and I've gotten quite a few compliments on it, so people do pick it up.

It's beautiful. If you can afford it, it's well worth trying.

Beautiful scent one of my favorite from the house along with carnal flower, lipstick Rose…
Very floral and appropriate for spring summer

Some wonderful reviews on here for a wonderful perfume. On my skin, order of appearance is cucumber, lilac, musk. End result is lilac with a very subtle musk (is this the wheat note?). But why would there be wheat in a spring garden?
In any case, PM marketing should be taken with a pinch of salt.
Re longevity, I think this perfume was designed to be a post-shower pick me up on a very hot day (or something along those lines), very much in the same vein as Chanel's Les Exclusifs Eau de Cologne. I fully appreciate the quality, but they are overpriced.

I admire Olivia Giacobetti's approach to perfumery, and naturally, I enjoy this perfume a decent amount.

The opening to me smells like fresh and wet wheat sitting under the sun next to a river. After a little while, the floral side of it blooms and leaves a soothing green-orange scent.

It smells young but mature, tasteful, refined, and modest. I get no sweetness out of it, but it's still fresh and not so green that it could push the perfume to a more masculine side.

I don't find the scent sexy, but I believe this is not a perfume to wear if you want to be perceived as sexy but it can make YOU feel sexy. This is a gorgeous and elegant everyday scent that I would love to smell on anyone on a summery day, matched with a light-colored summer dress.

To my nose, it leans more to the feminine side, but I still wear it sometimes; great for daytime wear during the summer and spring.

scent: 8/10
masculinity: 4/10
mass appeal: 9/10

This was my wedding day scent, and I will always have a bottle in my collection.

Getting married in the high heat of an Australia summer automatically ruled out some of the fragrances I typically love, so I went looking for a softer floral fragrance that was unique, had personality and wasn't something I'd smelled on a hundred other people.

En Passant was it. I don't always love aquatic scents, because they can have the artificial freshness of a cleaning product. En Passant is watery and aquatic in the way cucumber is. It's fresh and quenching, but without any screechiness. Combined with realistic, sun-drenched lilac and a hint of dewy grass, this made the perfect scent for an outdoor garden/park wedding in summer.

Now, I reach for it in the middle of summer when I want to feel refreshed and uplifted. It's a calming scent, relaxed and happy, softly romantic like laying on a picnic blanket and closing your eyes while the sun beats down on your skin. This is a masterpiece and stands apart from other soft floral scents.

This is a beautiful fragrance. Like, stop what you're doing and truly appreciate how special this experience is, beautiful.
Unfortunately, it does not last more than 2 hours on the skin. Luckily I don't care about the performance and I will be buying a full sized bottle regardless.

I've recently tried this perfume and immediately said 'this is it'. It's incredibly beautiful and it somehow blends perfectly with me. I can't stand overpowering perfumes or leaving a trail behind me. This one is just perfect. It is very present, I smell it all day and it stays until I shower the following day. I spray it once on each side of my neck, more is too strong. I luckily don't get cucumber, which I wouldn't like. It seems simple but it goes straight to my heart, which is not common. I feel enveloped in an halo of poetry. Thank you Olivia Giacobetti, for creating beauty and sharing it with us! [Addition to this post several days later: I found the interview to Olivia Giacobetti in this webpage and it was super interesting. She says that simplicity goes together with the ability to be expressive. I wouldn't have thought that something simple can be moving precisely by being simple, but it make sense. No wonder my favorite music is by Franz Schubert which is both moving and simple. The complication comes later when you wonder: why am I so moved? Regarding En Passant, it's not nostalgia what moves me. I come from the southern hemisphere and there weren't lilacs there when I was growing up. Even now I don't know how a real lilac smell. It must just be that En Passant is a work of art]

On me the drydown is exactly like Shiro. I was expecting a lot more from Frederic Malle in terms of quality, longevity and projection. Unfortunately this one does not deliver.

The magic in this fragrance isn't just the lilac, but the wet, clean, dewy characteristic of post rain flowers. It's perfect in its simplicity. I don't think it lasts as long as it could, or should for this price, but it's right up my alley of open airy, freshness that I enjoy wearing.

Frederic Malle En Passant (2000) - dewy lilacs - Who said you can’t bottle happiness? After spraying #oliviagiacobetti ‘s creation, you are immediately transported to an ambient scenery she creates. A focus on a spring garden picnic. Honeyed, yet slightly powdery Lilacs - fresh from the morning dew. A lake - crystal clear with a crisp grassy air. I also get the cucumber sandwiches from it, notes of cereal, flour, nuts and cucumbers. Transparently painted with white musks to hold the perfume together - to capture a moment of happiness.

Sensual, luscious, and ethereally languid.… Mysterious, with whispers n wisps of strands leading deep…a fall… into a soft warmth, a fever dream, a biting morsel kiss…fresh, early morn… it’s still dark out, it’s a haze of dawning delicate deep blue, a gentle yet heady, intoxicating rainwashed lilac morning mist of pastel pale shades, and a vegetative verdancy of an amber like, golden water crush… a crunchy opiate somnolent dew...

This evolves like a linear cyclone. Whats first smelled is what cycles round becoming deeper and warmer,—snuggly and soft, 'skin-like' but also maintains a translucent aquaticness: cool, crisp, airy ambiance, a hazy meteorological type phenomenon. An absolute beauty. Longetivity on my skin is quite decent, at least 6+ and projects softly and aerially around me.

This smells A LOT like the discontinued "Dorothy" bubble bar (the blue one with a rainbow on it) from Lush. If you know, you know! So yes, there is definitely a "soapy" quality to this fragrance.

I've sampled this 3 times now and the scent memory of that bubble bar is the first thing that comes to me.
This is.. pretty. Aquatic. And not quite the lilac scent I was hoping it would be. Not full bottle worthy, in my opinion, but worth a wear!

I have huge lilac trees in my garden and they are in full bloom now - En Passant isn't really like it. En passant is a sharper, condensed and aquatic scent, and very much like a cosmetic/perfume scent than real plants. If you are looking for something that smells like real lilac trees this isn't it. En Passant is an interpretation of lilac flowers that is not necessarily trying to mimic the actual plant. It's not a bad scent but it's rather artificial and cosmetic alike, so not for me.

I am getting lilac and calone. It's a watery, dewy lilac and I haven't smelled many lilacs I would describe as soft or subtle, but this is that. It's a very gentle lilac. Still though, I have no personal desire to smell like calone and lilac thus not quite my personal taste or something I'd wear, but respect its artistry.

This is beautiful. Real lilac on the bush on a warm, balmy day. Maybe it just rained a couple hours before too as I detect delicate, realistic watery notes. There’s something sweet when it dries down that’s heavenly and kind of sexy. Reminds me of walking in my old neighborhood in Boston when spring really started to get warmer-I remember promising myself I would find a fragrance that smells like that. This is it. I also appreciate that this is one for every age, it’s not mature but it’s NOT immature. It just is who it is and it’s confident but graceful. My ONLY qualm with this is that it sits close on my skin. Its so beautiful I want it to project and leave a serious trail! If it was more affordable it would be an absolute love and an end to my search for the perfect lilac perfume.

Something that is both green and powdery at the same time. Interesting, and not done before. There is this interesting, plasticky note on top that stays, plasticky in a nice, sweet way. Almost heliotrope like quality more than lilac, which is a note I generally don’t enjoy. Something very sharp and green but in a minute proportion hiding underneath the wheat / heliotrope. I quite like this one. I wonder if Lyn Harris took some inspiration for La Pluie with its wheat / lavender combination from this one.

I grew up with a lilac bush in my backyard, and I had high hopes that I'd get a hint of childhood nostalgia from this fragrance. The lilac note is almost imperceptible–instead, the wheat and cucumber dominate. Though it might be my "favorite" in the Frederic Malle Discovery Kit, I don't think I particularly like it. There is something stale and old-fashioned about it that doesn't work for me.

Wow this surprised me with its fleeting beauty.
Fresh, bright, beautiful, realistic, quality floral.
I’d have never known it was lilac without looking, just that it’s stunningly beautiful.
It’s such a shame that it doesn’t project much or last long.

The sample I have from my Malle Discovery Set lasts about an hour, but it’s beautiful and realistic lilac.

Spray this at 9 am before going to work and smell like a fresh cut cucumber but after two hours, it went dry became a ovearheated smell. Smell like sweat in summer :|

I hate En Passant, and that is because I refuse to be in love with a vanishing act. It smells so pure, like lilac and a slice of cucumber is running down a clear mountain stream. It is absolutely beautiful... for about 60 minutes. I have the exactly same relationship with FMs L'Eau d'Hiver (longevity on this one is even worse). After my opinon these two are the most beautiful fragrances from Frederic Malle, but they are way to quiet and just don't last.

If the effect was to replicate a stroll through a spring garden on a damp morning, with lilacs in bloom, as someone nearby is slicing cucumbers and setting a freshly baked loaf of bread to cool, the effect was achieved. This isn’t perfume so much as a work of art.

The opening notes are almost undetectable to my nose, as it appears musky, aqueous, fresh, clean, light, & plain. A hint of lilac then develops, tho also almost imperceptible at the beginning. But on the dry down, it turns into a beautiful concoction of a soft lilac bouquet. The lilac softness blends very well with the wheat note. And on my skin, the lilac is kinda leaning powdery sweet / a bit "sugary". The softness & lightness surprisingly last long on my skin. It kinda reminds me of one of the Clean Reserve lines (i forget if it's sel santal or warm cotton), but FM-EP is simply less synthetic.

Not a bad scent, but very light and almost bridal. For me personally smells like powdery baby wipes. It’s very light and innocent.

Wow, this is a beautiful waxy lilac scent. I like the smell of lilacs but this made me realize I wouldn’t want to smell like lilac- it reminds me of my grandma and bubble baths. But I’m glad I smelled it. It’s the most innocent, familial scent

Lilacs are my favorite flower.

This scent transports me to my Nana’s old garden that was charming and full of lilac bushes. Purple is my Nana’s favorite color.

The scent reminds me of the springtime, from the beautiful scent of lilacs wafting in the air, to the freshly cut cucumbers in my salad.

This isn’t just a fragrance, it’s an emotion, it’s a memory of happier times, and I have to thank the perfumer for her treasures.

Philosykos reminds me of my father and his passion for his fig trees, and his mother, my nana and her beloved lilac bushes is bottled in En Passant.

Thank you Olivia Giacobetti.

Tried this at the local store. The first sniff of it and I don’t quite like it. Couldn’t recognize any of the notes there but just don’t like. Then the scent evolved into jasmine and it was okay enough. Only from looking at the pyramid did I see that there’s no jasmine listed. Maybe it was the lilac combined with cucumber to trick me into thinking it was jasmine. No idea why.

En Passant Frederic Malle Is one of my favourites. So suites the climate I live in, tropical. Very pretty floral, fresh and light. Very wearable. Remains constant when sprayed on clothes. I'm very happy I have this in my fragrance collection. Love ❤️

I have a miniature bottle of En Passant that I received as part of the Fleurs Blanches set. It is a barely-there, watery scent, nice yet certainly not full-bottle worthy. I love Olivia Giacobetti's other work, especially Philosykos, Premier Figuier and Dzing!, so I was excited to try her FM creation. However, I am underwhelmed.

EP opens with a burst of lilac - easily the best part of this fragrance. It smells realistic - floral in a waxy and pollen-y way, just like lilac bushes when they bloom in April/May. Watery cucumber notes in the background add freshness, and there is a hint of greenness thanks to the petitgrain. The lilac fades fairly quickly as it develops and the wheat note emerges. This is an unusual addition - breadlike and yeasty, and catches the attention. However, I'm not convinced that it works. EP remains watery and light, fading to a slightly musky skin scent after a few hours. Sillage is pretty intimate, and longevity is moderate.

While EP is a pleasant, clean floral scent that will appeal to people who favour minimal fresh scents, it is nothing special, and is overpriced for what it is. Buy Pleasures instead. 2/5.

I got this as part of a discovery kit. It's very fresh and cucumber-y plus doesn't really last long on me. I preferred magnolia and carnal flower so far.

Smells like the cucumber water you get at a day spa sitting next to a vase of lilacs

I will say this is a nice delicate, green freshie. It smells very innocent. It smells like spring. The lilac is lovely. But I’m too hung up on the wheat and cucumber to really enjoy this. The wheat is giving homemade play doh. And I think I have ptsd from B&BW Cucumber Melon being everywhere in high school, bc I can’t stand it in fragrances. So, this one’s really not for me personally, but it’s not offensive. I wouldn’t mind it on someone else.

CUCUMBER

I have been sampling daytime "office" scents to choose a fragrance to give to my niece for her upcoming BD.

If you enjoy the smell of cucumber, and a very present "green" - this may be in your wheelhouse.

ps. I'm leaning towards AQUA UNIVERSALIS by MFK for my niece. Not sure she's into "green".

I don't know if maybe my nose has hardened with leather and tobacco perfumes as of late, but I can't get past the bready wheat note. To me it's ultra strong and tramples all over the lilac. I do love the cucumber and watery notes—it's a fine, tender, soft floral. But it's also like someone dropped a rye loaf in a jacuzzi. Bizarrely, I'm still contemplating a bottle.

A moving, almost emotional scent evocative of purity and innocence. So clean, so watery, reminds me of bubble bath from when I was a child. Giacobetti does clean and natural so well. I'm somebody who's drawn to warm scents and this aquatic is actually incredibly comforting. If I smelled this on somebody, I'd want to hug them. The longevity is quite impressive at least on my skin.

Wow, what a beautiful watery floral! I would actually love a shower gel or shampoo in this scent. Wearing En Passant is a little like enjoying a mini cucumber sandwich while on a picnic next to a lilac bush.

There was a strong scent memory to this one that I could not quite put my finger on, but as it dried down I instantly recognized Estée Lauder's Pleasures in this. My mother wore that perfume when I was a child and I still think it's such a beautiful and soft bouquet scent.

Smells like flowery body wash. It’s nice and clean. But it does not last long at all (30mins to 2 hours)

Absolutely love this fragrance! I received a sample and bought it the next day. Fantastic for daily wear, including professional commitments and fine dining. The subtle combination of lilac and cucumber in the top notes is exquisite. It's an "inclusive" perfume, complementing the environment in amazing ways rather than overpowering it, which is truly appreciated when I am enjoying a fine cup of coffee or tasting/cooking delicate cuisine. Some perfumes are more egoist and clash with the environment, especially gastronomy, but En Passant does the opposite. Perhaps because a woman created it? I see that some commented it lacked sillage and longevity. Although En Passant isn't in your face like Carnal Flower, for me, it had plenty of longevity and sillage. I do give my nose at least a few days rest during the week by not wearing perfume everyday.

-The shier sister to Synthetic Jungle.
-Green in a subdued manner.
-En Passant is a fragrance that perfectly straddles the genres 'fresh', 'floral', and 'green'.
-An innocuous blend that wouldn't threaten to rake the noses of anyone who dislikes any/all of all three genres above.
-Definitely worth getting your nose on.
-Dries down smelling a tad perfumey. (-)

Good Gracious, what a knockout!! I am completely in love!! There are very few scents that give me this wide smile on my face but this one does!!!
There is such grace, classy elegance and pure happiness in this scent. I just love it so much!!
The lilac in there is one of the most realistic lilac I have ever smelled. Floral perfume all the way.
This is a repeat purchase for me, no questions asked!!
Olivia Giacobetti is a rockstar 🌟🌟🌟

I love love this perfume I think I just found my signature sent. I just wished it last longer on my skin. For some reason the performance is not that great .it sucks because I like the perfume so much.

I received this yesterday and while I really enjoy the lilac, I'm now feeling cheated, as I realize that this smells almost precisely like Estee Lauder Pleasures.There's a slightly different note in the base, but for the most part, I'm just smelling Pleasures. Is it just me?

Photorealistic lilacs and wheat. It’s a beautiful fragrance that is the epitome of spring. On me it is a tad simplistic, but it’s a lovely fragrance.

When I put this on I get this mental image of sitting outside in early spring when it's still a little cold and damp next to big lilac bush while enjoying a wheat beer.

The Olivia Giacobetti signature of too-clean-but-not-soapy green smells is always impressive and pretty. Something about scents like this one always reminds me of sunscreen and coconut, even when it isn't there (like in Philosykos EDP, another Giacobetti work). Something in them is so squeaky clean, avoiding the dirt and moss that pair so naturally with greens and also the soap that goes so easily with florals or fruits, that the scent ends up in a lotion uncanny valley. To be fair, clean lotion scents are not for me. I like moss and grime and animals and dirt. Nonetheless, this is cute and summery, and will please lovers of fresh aquatic florals.

Yes, this is a freshly-cut lilac standing in a blue glass vase of aquatic, perfumey water atop the piano. Rather than going towards soap as many clean florals do, En Passant leans into the aquatic notes, with the cool, spa-treatment-lotion nuances of cucumber. You've gotta like that calone-y melon-y aquatic perfume smell to like this one. It isn't really my thing, so I don't know that I'll break out this sample often, but it is pretty. I don't get any kind of "bread note" from the wheat, but perhaps it adds a bit of texture. The petitgrain provides the green of the stem, and the lilac gently wafts in and out of the scent. It cannot be forced; you cannot bury your nose in your wrist and expect to find lilac obediently waiting there. Rather, the lilac comes out in the moments when you least expect it, touching you with its beauty.

The trouble is that the performance, sillage, and longevity are all rather weak. This is more of an acquatic cucumber skin scent with a hint of lilac than a true floral scent. It's all but gone in two to three hours.

Unexpectedly, something in this felt really familiar. I realized that this smells quite a bit like Liz Claiborne's Lucky You, with its aquatic water hyacinth surrounded by water and greens. That one is much less expensive, lasts longer and projects better, though it admittedly leans on the typical department store aquatic soap smell to last longer, while En Passant gracefully bows its head at the end of its short clean-but-soapless life. If you like (or think you might like) En Passant and aren't bothered by a touch of designer soap, try Lucky You and see how it fares as a dupe.

Pretty, ephemeral, and clean.

Oh, beautiful thing.
This opens up in me with a blast of citrus that simply evaporates in seconds. Then it dries down to something that smells to me like cut grass, bamboo and lilac, I gather there's not bamboo in this though.Then I get something dry, it really feels close to the smell of driving through Castilla in the summer, but as with many of FM's perfumes, it's a wave that it's there when for you sometimes and then not. The dry down is a sweet floral lilac, perhaps also magnolia? Very elegant and still a bit green, with the sweetness of the lilac.

I think this is a very wearable scent, but a bit too nostalgic for me in terms of an "everyday" green floral, it's too special. I imagine wearing this for a beautiful holiday in the South of Europe. When we can travel again in peace I might buy a bottle in celebration and use it in my trip.

Smells very realistic lilac in early summer, with the summer morning mist. We had a huge lilac bush in my parents yard when i was a child. I had forgotten how much i loved the smell of it and all the memories of starting of summer holiday. Sad that this perfume is just too weak and doesn’t last long. I’m glad though that i got the tester, now I’m really keen to find that perfect lilac scent to my collection that will project and last on me.

Very naturally smelling light fresh lilac with a hint cucumber. Aquatic, airy, clean, light, quite pleasant. Sillage could be better, longevity is quite ok.

Light, clear, clean and soft purple, like a cool wind blowing on a summer night, make people feel comfortable. I haven't smelled the real lilac, but En Passant smells comfortable, and the only downside is that it's too short. After the spring rain, the natural mealy of the green flowers.
Such a moving aroma, has water feel, faint, like once came, but soon left. En Passant is a passer-by and won't stay with you forever.
Gentle and simple, I may not be able to guess the brand of perfume, but I can certainly guess is Olivia Giacobetti's work.
Because the style of personal logo is too distinct.It reminds me of the lovely and delicate purple in the corner……This situation can only be seen in Monet's paintings, on the small bridge on the lake. And you sat in the boat, crossed by a cluster of lilacs. Lilac is scented on the clothes.
Poetry.
Restore true floral memory, I admire this.

One of those love at first sniff scents. It's not exactly complex and to me just smells very natural (although I don't particularly care too much about how "natural" fragrances smell).

I love the idea of an aquatic floral because I'm so used to powdery florals. Nothing about this seems powdery to me. Smelling it always makes me picture a pale blue sky, and something about it feels a bit sad/melancholic, but I like that about it. It's a very pretty, realistic lilac with refreshing aquatic facets.

Lilac is laden with less-than-positive associations for me; it's too genteel, too old-fashioned, too femme - as a smell or as a colour. It makes me think of 1950s-60s suburban housewives and their frustrated lives and ambitions. I'm not a huge florals fan and often find watery, pastel, evanescent scents fey and frustrating. I am a conscientious objector to some of Malle's all-time flower big hits, POAL and Carnal Flower (BOTH of them! the heresy and horror!), whose world-famous cult charms just miss me.

En Passant, on the other hand? It's wonderful. Even for a sceptical outsider like me. Everything that has been written is true: this simply distils the life and essence of real, live, lilac plants, with such dewy beauty that even I can't curl my cynical lip at it. This does the same magic for lilac as Lutens Un Lys does for lily - and the same trick as Malle's Lys Mediterranee in making a femme-flower scent greener, damper and much more intelligent and interesting. That juicy, just-cut-stem effect of the cucumber making it just savory and mild enough to be a different beast altogether from lilac cliches of the past.

My scent-memories of lilac are more of the fusty, over-fussy, frilled-and-fake 'cottage garden' scents and toiletries (and, yes, cleaning products) which filled my grandma's home. (And yes she wore a lot of lilac garments in her time, and I just never saw the point - why not go full imperial and wear purple instead?). So I was primed to hate this ( and I still reject lavender in nearly all its forms, for the same reasons.) Yet despite being so intensely and purely lilac-y, En Passant swerves any reference to those times or those mundane images. Instead, this is a huge classy abstract watercolour by some very avant-garde artist, tinged with a greyer, sadder, and therefore much classier shade of lilac. So liquid and fresh, so melancholic, with an almost jungly leafiness under the dewy petals. Almost girlish in its purity - if this was a garment it would be a giant, airy, angular, non-sexy but super-elegant tent-like dress in almost see-through white linen.

Like that sort of a frock, this won't stay immaculate for long, and is not that practical for life outside a magazine shoot; and the crispness fades away fast (within 2-3h on me) although suprising wisps and wafts can emerge later on when you thought the reverie was well over. Wears close to the skin for the most part, but is still well worth it. It won't keep you gripped for a wild ride of evolution, either - this is very linear indeed - but why mess with perfection when you've achieved peak platonic lilac so well? What more could anyone reasonably demand? Really not much - despite the intimidating price.

Personally I am likely to stick with my more drama-queen-adjacent lily scents for the rare days where I really want to smell of flowers and nothing but. En Passant couldn't quite convince me to abandon a lifetime's wariness and run headlong into the arms (branches?) of the lilac lovers. But it gets incredibly close, which was truly unexpected. So if you already know you like lilac - or even if you're just open-minded about it, unlike me - this seems a sure bet to delight you. Really definitive stuff and more than deserves its high reputation. Classic status: VALIDATED (by me, a know-nothing, at least.)

My favourite floral and the most moving soliflore I've inhaled.
This is a softly radiant lilac caught in full bloom after a night of cool rain.
The brilliance of Olivia Giacobetti was to juxtapose the cool notes of lilac and cucumber with sun-warmed wheat, which creates a delicate, romantic floral accord.
This can't be improved upon, despite its lack of longevity.
Yes, it's faint after a couple of hours, but it's genius lies in the way it captures exquisite beauty in passing. I'm happy to spray this again as soon as it's faded and drink it all in over and over and over until I'm drunk on the stuff.

Distillation:
radiant lilac
delicate and romantic
work of a genius

Such a lovely scent. The lilac in the opening is to die for beautiful. Easy 9/10 on scent but it is a light scent, and thats my only criticism on En Passant, its strength and projection.

I had my Frederic Malle sample collection many years ago and after sampling them all, I immediately felt in love with Carnal Flower, wowed by Musc Ravageur and Portrait of A Lady. Among others, I love Le Parfum de Therese and Noir Epice.

But when I smell this, it brings back many happy memories of my childhood, and smelling this alone gives me the picture of being at a bakery (maybe because of the wheat note) waiting for the rain to stop.
The lilac is surreal, and I am truly amazed.

Even though I love En Passant so much, I really have to make my budget and be selective on which Malle perfume that I should buy full bottle. So I bought Carnal Flower, LPDT, Musc Ravageur and POAL, with 2 to 3 years interval between each purchase.

Fortunately this year, I manage to make my purchase and I am so happy for that. En Pasant is not loud, its projection is mild. But hey, I know that if I didn’t make a purchase I’ll forever think of this great smelling perfume even in my dreams,

Now my En Passant is sitting next to my other Malle perfumes. Looking forward to having a full bottle of Dans Tes Bras next.

I fell in love with this after getting an official sample, the photorealistic lilac is absolutely stunning and I found it to have really good lasting power for such a scent.
So when I saw the 10ml on sale at Harrods it was a no-brainer purchase.
BUT... the lilac is entirely absent! It smells of alcohol and Calone, and that is all.
I'm really disappointed, and if I'd bought it off eBay I would have shouted "fake" obviously.
Surprised Malle have bad batch issues, but it happens I suppose. Just hoping Harrods customer care is sympathetic.

Batch code is A40 20331. Just an FYI as if you blind buy this batch you may not get the full experience of this absolutely gorgeous perfume.

although carnal flower is not my idea of tuberose and portrait of a lady is not my idea of rose, I must admit that they are made with absolute art.
and so I must say en passant.
a lilac very similar to my beloved lily but fresher accompanied by a non-disturbing cucumber that goes well with this composition, excellent aquatic notes and a splendid background petitgrain. even the note of wheat is pleasantly present.
my vote for composition is 9/10 without a doubt.
unfortunately everything vanishes after just over an hour and for the price it is certainly not worth it.
in the drydown the lilac becomes slightly more feminine but always very pleasant.

Impressive lilac opening, nice fresh cucumber in dry down, but unfortunatelly, no longevity on my skin. After 1,5-2 h it was totaly gone... With better longevity would be full bottle worth, as lilac note in the opening was really amazing...

To my nose this opens with white florals, lilac, and I feel like I also get heliotrope--there's something powdery and slightly creamy about it. Petitgrain comes in giving it a slightly green and solar feel, and I also get ozonic/sea vibes making it slightly salty. I don't dislike this, but it's a bit too ozonic for my taste. Very interesting fragrance!

Opens very aquatic. Second by second the lilacs blossom. The lilacs are very clean and fresh, not heavy or headache-inducing. I guess the cucumber here made the lilacs soft. After a while I get a somewhat bitter scent with the wheat. I like this perfume. I can smell it after 4 to 6 hours but it sits very closely to my skin.

Olivia Giacobetti is a master of the spring floral. L'AP Drôle de Rose was my essential lady in a spring garden fragrance, until I found En Passant, another one of Giacobetti's creations. I didn't understand the appeal of lilacs until this spring when I encountered lilac bushes at a botanical garden and they were pure heaven. This is a very realistic lilac fragrance, ever so slightly sweet, just like the real blossom. Not cold, not soapy. If you are a blossom perfume lover, you need this!

For the record, I have no idea what actual lilacs smell like and therefore this fragrance does not register as floral to me. The first blast was fresh and watery, rapidly settling into a sun-lit wheat scent. 4-5 hours later it becomes somewhat soapy, but as someone who hates soapy scents, I don't find this cloying or cheap-smelling in any way. This is a skin scent on me, which is a bit of a shame.

This fragrance conjures an image of an elusive water sprite skipping swiftly across the surface of a clear lake in summer. The water is sparkling from the afternoon sun, and you think you must have hallucinated the sprite. It is linear and fleeting, however it is delicate and beautiful in its lightness. Aptly named.

I bought a sample of this to compare it between Fredric Malle's "En Passant" and Issey Miyake's "A Drop D'issey." Between the three of these Lilacs, this one was my favorite.

En Passant and A Drop D'Issey present the lilac in a much more naturalistic context. Both with light aquatic notes. Issey Miyake L'eau was THE aquatic of the 90s so I was expecting it to have more of a water impression, but I was surprised ro find out that En Passant focuses much more on the aquatic aspect of the naturalistic presentation. "En Passant" feels like the most complete presentation where you get a freshly watered lilac bush. It's a very light and delicate fragrance that is almost melancholic. It reminds me of the smell of watering the lilac bushes at the days end, just as the heat of the day begins to cool down into the evening. The water on the cool air lifts up the fragrant scent of the flowers, but it is also accompanied by a slight damp soil smell. It's really beautifuly composed.

I love the title, because the lilac's bloom is far too short, and every year that I enjoy them (they are local to my region), it's coupled by this understanding of how fleeting their bloom is (1-2 weeks). But that is what makes the experience much more meaningful and beautiful. It becomes something to be treasured in whatever brief moment you have. This perfume doesn't allow you to immortalize the lilac, and I appreciate it that much more for adding that sadness into the composition, because the fleeting bloom is very characteristic of and even integral the flower itself.

I think En Passant was what A Drop D'Issey wanted to be, because it is simillar to En Passant in many ways, and the marketing played up the subtlety aspects of the forumlation, but the Lilacs in ADDI are turned up to 11. They are immortalized. It is a moment in time where the lilac is perfectly captured at the height of its bloom. I appreciate ADDI for that reason. There is nothing sad about it. It is bold and joyous and I purchased it specifically to be able to enjoy this happy scent of one of my favorite flowers in the dead of winter.

Delicate, soft, watery, and beautiful.

It’s a true flower scent and simple. No other notes like powder or sweetness. It’s just like a real flower. It lacks character and uniqueness so I wouldn’t buy it for myself, but it’s nice to sniff on.

This is a very soft and lovely lilac. You don't really get any other notes separately, but I'm sure that they're part of what supports the lilac in smelling so true. It's pretty intimate to the skin, not a lot of projection, although it's a somewhat chilly late spring day right now so maybe with a little more heat it would waft more. A really pretty and true lilac.

Just to echo what @taylorrose said, yes, this is not a perfume. This quite literally smells like a wet flower. Someone would not realize this was a mixture of chemicals unless you told them so.

Someone recommended this perfume since I was looking for a true lilac scent.
I smelled it briefly from the sample, and it is beautiful! It doesn’t smell like a “perfume”, it is more like a real plant, a flower.
I will definitely smell it more in detail (when I have more time and be in a calm mood, to avoid any distraction).

Tried this out today, and wow it is soft and beautiful. So when I went to check the notes, now I understand why I like it - those lilacs :) This is beautiful, sophisticated and put together while also casual and practical: could be for special occasions or an everyday scent. I love it!

It is unbelievable how lifelike this is. It's honestly like smelling fresh-cut lilac. The quality is stunning. I'm not one to love florals and I don't think they really suit me but I would like to add this to my collection simply because I appreciate quality and the quality of this perfume amazes me so much so that I want to smell it again. I can imagine wearing this during the day on the weekend. It is much too floral for the office and wouldn't suit night either so weekend daytime it is.

Green lilac with stem on top of watery notes. Airy, fragile, like a sunrise in the summer morning. Clear blue sky, fresh air, the sun is rising, the birds are singing from the top of lilac trees. Stunningly, *stunningly* beautiful, I am in love. For its fragility I get a good performance, 5 to 7 hours of longevity, projection is on the lower side.
In my opinion En Passant is perfectly unisex, even though for many men it may lean on the feminine side.
En Passant is going to be my summer scent of 2021.

watery and floral. very realistic and pure; quiet and dewy. not sure if i'm into the bready drydown. i'll have to test it out more.

The lilac here is not overwhelming. A clean scent with a soft spice. Very soft subtle lilac in the background. Soft projection. I think this is great for men, also. Simply gorgeous.

I wore 2 spritzes of En Passant and went out for a dinner. Not long after I sat down, I was wondering who wore such an offensive perfume, given it was outdoor and all tables are in a Covid-appropriate distance. A few seconds later, I realized it was me...

For the whole night, my heart was full of depression for no specific reason. Before bed, I pondered over my emotions. Suddenly the reason for the bad mood flashed out. It was Bvlgari Omnia Amethyste. I used to own that fragrance years ago when I was stuck in an unhappy job. Memories flushed in. I was exhausted by the workload, the competition, and the oppressive working culture. On many off-duty evenings, I even thought of giving up everything and applying to a graduate school for art history or something, totally leaving the utility of learning behind. It was that desperation that led me to seek opportunities overseas. Nonetheless, my parents at that time were against the idea of quitting my job and leaving the country. Their pride in my occupation prolonged my decision even longer.

The Bvlgari Omnia Amethyste was a gift during the years of my struggle. As young and stupid as I was, my own purchases of fragrances were more focused on pretty packaging rather than the scents themselves. Not to mention the Bvlgari one was just a gift, I used it anyway, despite the purple packaging was even not my aesthetic. I never thought the scent subconsciously associates with the feeling of losing control.

With that being said, the scent of En Passant is almost identical to Bvlgari Omnia Amethyste. Giving the releasing date, the Bvlgari one was probably an affordable dupe for En Passant. I love Olivia Giacobetti and her Diptyque Philosykos perfume. But this one is not for me, all blame to my negative experience with that job.

If you read my story this far, thank you for the patience. Have I found the dream job? Not yet. But I am way happy than before. After the resignation, I received the best education in my life and embarked on a new life outside my country and outside my comfort zone.

My appreciation of fragrance shifts with the understanding of myself. Now I am a subtle perfume sprayer of those joyful, empowering, and distinct scents. Neither En Passant nor Bvlgari Omnia Amethyste checks the boxes. The inspiration of En Passant is beautiful though. It was inspired by a famous French street photographer and the impression of walking by a path full of blossoms.

Since there is already a widely popular dupe for En Passant, I assume this Giacobetti's creation is successful and crowd-pleasing. I just won't call it "timeless".

Like many of the reviewers here, I have fond memories of the scent of lilacs going back to my childhood: the lilac bushes in my former neighborhood’s park and in the neighbours’ lawns, during a couple blessed weeks they were everywhere and their smell permeated the air. I loved it as a kid and still do.

As a newbie early on her fragrance journey, I was looking at scents with notes I like in everyday life, and lilac was one of them. My research quickly steered me towards En Passant, and after smelling it at the counter, I had to have it. This is a super realistic lilac, but with an edge. I can smell it, close my eyes and be transported back to my parents’ neighborhood in the spring. But there is a filter over the memory, like the melancholy of time passing by, like the images being made bluer by the realization that those times aren’t coming back. That “blue” overtone I think comes from the aquatic notes which I can’t say I can separate from the composition, but I can sense them there, if that makes sense. Then later on the wheat note become more obvious and brings some warmth back, like coming home from playing in the park to a warm meal, or the fondness that overcomes the melancholy attached to the memories. A beautifully poetic spring scent.

I wanted lilac so ordered 10ml of En Passant. As soon as I sprayed, it reminded me of Dior Les Creations Forever and Ever. So...I did a direct side by side comparison today (one spray to each arm) EP smells like true lilac on me only for the first 10 minutes. Initially Forever & Ever is sweeter & slightly spicier (with the nutmeg) . As they dry down they really are very similar to my nose. After 7 hours, the watery note comes through more in EP & it’s slightly more cool & linear, whilst F&E remains slightly sweeter & deeper. During my experiment my friend popped by & I asked her opinion (without telling her what I was doing) She said “isn’t that the same perfume?” So really, I can’t get over the similarity...seeing as they don’t share any common notes.

I also own Pacifica Lilac, & (just imo) I think it’s actually a more realistic rendition of lilac - although more short lived. En Passant is quite pretty & inoffensive, but I feel it’s a bit redundant to me as I have a bottle of Forever & Ever. I’m a little bit disappointed, even though it is quite a nice scent. I probably need to give up on FM. I’ve tried several now, & for the price I’d like to be blown away - but I never am.

I love Lilac and I love this perfume! 🥰

My story with En Passant started quite boring actually, recently i bought Noir Epices (finally..) and they sent me En Passant samples. I always overlooked this fragrance just because i don't tend to wear a floral freshie perfume not even in summer. I quickly checked notes when i received and i didn't even bothered to try.. I should've known better, Frederic Malle never disappoints me. One of my perfume friends told me she loved it. And i was like ok.. let's give it a try.

Oh mon dieu! I loved this so much, opening was bright with lilac and petit grain.. Cucumber and wheat adds incredibly captivating aura and some aquatic touches highlights this perfume.. 10/10 spring fragrance.
I have just ordered my bottle today.

Spring is in the air, and this is the smell of spring! It's floral without being overpowering - no jasmine or tuberose, hallelujah. This is what I wanted from all the colognes and eau fraiches that turned out to be too masculine for me. Fresh, light, feminine, something you can wear every day without getting tired of, and uncommon - perfect for a signature scent.

you can call me crazy but in the opening I clearly smell here dandelion latex or milk you can get from its stem. I remember this smell when I was a kid making wreaths from dandelions in your yards...

There is something so beautiful, and in my opinion, a bit melancholic about this fragrance. I immediately think of the scene in Cinderella where she's scrubbing the floors and admiring her reflection inside of the bubbles, with all of the colors, just singing alone to herself.

The lilac & aquatic note is sort of reminiscent of a bubble bath. For that reason, I love to spray it on before bed. It really calms me down and makes me feel a bit dreamy as thoughts and memories I've never shared out loud float through my head. As someone else mentioned, it feels a bit private. Like crying in the rain, like falling in love, getting lost in reverie. Very gorgeous.

As a burly dude, I sure do like florals. En Passant came my way via a Redditor that mentioned lilacs. Lilac has a tight bond with the memories I cherish in my grandmothers back yard. I would camp back there in the spring and summer and wake up on so many mornings to the scent of dewy lilac bushes and fresh air.

This perfume is that scent. By no means is there anything that is traditionally considered masculine in this frag. This is all femme. But I am way into this and will gladly wear it. There is no childish bubble gummy candy bullshit in this. It's just wet and floral. I get wet/dewy hay, clean spring air, and lilacs. My chest hair is alive with the scent of spring.

This frag brought me closer to those sweet memories of my grandmother and her lovely yard. Looking forward to being on my front porch huddled up with a book and getting sniffs of this as the breeze is moving about.

Lilac, water and laundry soap with a bit of sharp green something. Helped me realise that I don’t like aquatic florals, they translate as soap or a cleaning product into my brain, and not in a good way.

Lilac bomb, with the tiniest bit of wheat or bread to round it out. Absolutely lovely, delicate, feminine. Reminds me of spring storms. For anyone who love lilac this would be a must. Extremely close to skin, lasts decently long. Definitely a day time, warm weather fragrance in my mind. But I could imagine wearing in the evening time for certain occasions, and in winter to remind you that spring is soon near.

En passant is absolutely pretty ! It’s really nice , calm and gentle .
I feel like it’s an intimate perfume , the projection is completely inexistant and the lasting power is really weak ..
it’s too bad , it is what pushed me to not buy it even if the smell is nice .

This is incredibly pleasant. En Passant is a very very soft fragrance and not one you'd wear to impress aside from a very intimate situation, and even then it is not a fragrance I would call sexy. It's comforting and wraps you in a fuzzy sweater of dew-soaked lilac: a perfect fragrance for those rainy days where you want to sit inside and read a good book. As a man, I liked it a lot and think it is unisex, although it definitely leans feminine. All and all it's a beautiful fragrance and you should definitely get your nose on this if you haven't tried it yet.

Final verdict: 8/10

I like this a lot, it's a flower fragrance that's aquatic without being weak or having to rely on being powdery/dusty to project a little. It's still not got much sillage, but it's not weak. It's delicately fresh and sweet, though not at all sugary. I sprayed it once on the back of my neck four hours ago and I can still smell it, though it is definitely fading. I really like how it smells when it mixes with my sweat, it makes me feel like some dainty fairy who just naturally sweats flowers and leaves.

Oh my God, this is what a beautiful water fairy would smell like. I fell in love with lilacs as a child in my grandmother’s yard where she had a lilac tree. Then I rediscovered lilac in Gucci Guilty which smells of lilacs and violets in a powdery, soft, purple cloud. But, this is a more true lilac note. It’s much more quality. This is what so many cheap “rain” or “aquatic” fragrances are trying so hard to smell like and failing. One review down below says it smells like “lilacs in the rain” which is spot on. So, so pretty.

The green opening is very slightly sour, more very dilute mint and lemon in a large decanter of water to quench summer thirsts, than cucumber to me. After about 15 minutes the florals step forward. They are super soft, inviting, much more beauty than carnality.

Conjures up thoughts of a 1970's childhood, of lying around in an open field in late Spring surrounded by flowers and grass with your first girlfriend - before infatuation turns to something more. Almost innocently beautiful. As with most Frederic Malle - very smooth construction and wearable anywhere/anytime. Only drawback is that it really doesn't last that long - just respray.

Olivia Giacobetti also made Navegar for L'Artisan and that also transports me back to being 14/15/16. Maybe teenage memories are one of her things.

I like the scent, once it gets warmed up and going. It's clear floral, lilac is what I get, with watery cucumber floating behind. A touch of lily joins the scene. I don't smell the wheat scent at all. Sadly, just as it gets warmed up and puts out the fragrances I enjoy, it begins to fade, and on my skin is gone by 2 hour mark.

The watery cucumber touch is interesting. For a while, it feels like you're smelling lilacs in the rain.

In the end though, I can't help but associate this with laundry detergent... perhaps because that's the only place I've smelled lilacs. Others seem to think this is a realistic lilac scent, though.

It's nice... but not necessarily expensive smelling.

Performance wasn't great on me.

Soapy laundry / fabric softener. Nice not ground breaking.

For some reason my nose finds this perfume similar to Carat by Cartier.

What a beauty!

I think the lilac is wonderful, followed by the crispy petitgrain.

This is unisex, of course. Every man should try it, don´t be afraid…
Easy to wear, versatile, non offensive, just great!

Another, really green/crispy/floral scent i might suggest is Le Galion, Cologne.

This could be the perfect perfume. It's certainly in my top 3, it's so pure. I'm not a huge fan of florals normally, I find it can be too much, but this is so realistic! And of all the flowers, lilac is such a passing beauty in the spring time that I can never get enough of, so this satisfies part of me that is always craving this smell.

It's too beautiful to be a signature scent - for me it's when I'm feeling a particular way then this is perfect. It's sublime, clean and natural.

I’m completely obsessed with En Passant. Lilac has always been one of my absolute favorite scents—I always get lyrical when the lilac starts to bloom! But I never looked for a lilac fragrance as I assumed that it would be impossible to create a lilac scent that would not smell synthetic and give me a headache. But I was wrong! The lilac in En Passant is magical, soft and complex. First, it smells a bit green—like a bunch of cut-off lilac branches. This disappears quite quickly and the wheat kicks in, giving it a rounder feel. I can’t pick up the cucumber specifically, which is a plus for me. But definitely some watery/rainy vibes that amplify the lilac magic. My only complaint would be that the sillage and longevity are quite poor. I’m alright with the weak sillage, as it makes it office-friendlier (although part of me wants to share this scent with everybody around me!). The longevity is trickier, especially considering the price. After two hours, it’s completely gone. I do agree with mintelope that it lasts longer on clothes.

I find this to be a slightly sad, modest, linear, uncomplicated lilac after the rain. It's pretty, to be sure, but for the price tag I'd like something more complex. I just get the one lilac note throughout, and not experiencing outstanding projection or longevity with this one. Wanted to love it, but just like it.

Sigh. My most beloved fragrance! Truly conjures the impressionistic essence of lilacs on a lazy, humid yet somewhat cool, spring day. The wheat accord is what gives it the lazy, hazy, humid feeling, I believe, while the lilac and cucumber play to the crisp, fresh, springiness. I find that this perfume does not last well when sprayed directly onto skin, but lasts forever on clothes and hair.

Sadly, I cannot afford a bottle of my own. If anyone is interested in splitting a bottle, or trading one for something in my wardrobe, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Reading these reviews, I have to either get A) new decant of this from a different source or B) get a new nose.

My En Passant purchased from scent split smelled awful. The only way I could describe it is Big Red gum and hot bad breathe. The smell was very strong and it lingered loudly on the skin even after washing.

Did anyone else get this hot cinnamon tone?????

Very beautiful but unfortunately headache-inducing for me.

Some watery cucumber note in it is too strong and produces a headache effect similar to what Issey Miyake L'Eau D'Issey did to me. I may blame the artificial green note usually presented in cucumber, melon, or watermelon scent.

Now I can only wear this perfume on my back or on the hem of my skirt. Silage and longevity are very good for such a green lilac note. Just a pity that I can't enjoy it on my pulse or neck...

En Passant is beautiful, elusive, and ineffably chilly.

It is precisely lilac, without the romance of a bouquet of blossoms. There is a rainy, green austerity in it. These are the neighbors’ lilacs, and you are not allowed to touch them. You can only stand by the fence and smell them through the raindrops.

The cucumber-water notes lend it a health-spa-zen character, and—reminiscent of DUMBO lemonade—it’s way too cool for sugar, and leaves me chasing the flavor.

This is a low-key power scent. It’s distractingly faint, but undeniably present. A go-to for hot days, and those occasions when you want to smell cool and imposing, and have everybody wonder, but nobody dare ask you what you’re wearing.

After spending the day wearing this, I rolled on some Pacifica French Lilac, just for the uncomplicated sweetness of it, and it felt like eating ice cream in bed after a day of elegantly composed salads.

Spring time in a bottle. Innocent femininity.

En Passant is a beautifully feminine and fragile fragrance, immediately conjuring photo-realistic images of freshly bloomed lilac flowers covered in dew during spring. May take you back to childhood.

Performance is soft. The fragrance is elusive on my skin, often retreating and reappearing with a pleasant whisper.

Scent: 9/10 (Excellent)
Performance: 5/10 (Satisfactory)

I have a lilac bush in my back yard and I look forward to the brief bloom every year. The scent that travels through the air is magical. This perfume perfectly captures the beautiful scent of lilacs and I feel cozy and comforted on a breezy day wearing this perfume.

It is a photorealistic depiction of the real petals that fall off the blossoming trees in the spring - the true smell, raw and softly botanical, not the idealized version that brings to mind pink hues. It is the smell of walking in a park with petals scattered all about your feet.

I bought En Passant in the 10ml travel spray. I’m planning on upgrading to a 50ml or 100ml bottle after finishing it.

As for my impression of wearing this for many years, this fragrance is so green! And the lilac note is done beautifully. I have always loved lilacs as they grow on the hills behind my house and in our front lawn. I love their elegant scent wafting through our windows in summer nights. And this reminds me exactly of summer nights.

As others have mentioned, this is perfect for spring, but I enjoy this in all seasons. It’s a great office scent, and the projection is not a pushover either. The lilac scent projects nicely; not too strong and not too weak. This is why I would not recommend going trigger friendly with this, especially in an office or indoor setting. It is also not overly flowery or sweet, meaning it’s more unisex leaning and will also satisfy those who don’t like floral based fragrances.

This and Bigarade Concentree were the first Frederic Malle fragrances I’ve ever bought, and I bought them when I was just starting my fragrance hobby. The SA pointed out how friendly for beginners this scent is. And I agree.

Some might find this scent linear or not too complex, and their concerns are also valid. I do find myself being bored with this after many uses during the weekdays, but no other fragrance is as clean as this from start to finish. And it smells expensive. I find myself keep reaching for this, even though I have much more complex fragrances in my cabinet. It’s an tried and true. Expensive, though.

freshly picked lilac. spring & summer. light-hearted

The name En Passant, I'd like to think, is in reference to the very brief time in which we get to experience the extraordinary burst of the lilac bloom. In North America, the mid-Atlantic states get to experience this as late spring turns to summer, usually late May.

Personally I grew up with lilacs all around me, rows of huge magnificent bushes lining my grandparent's driveway, and a few smaller bushes in my own backyard. I know what it is to wait and wait, to experience it for a week or two, then it becomes a lovely green bush the other 50 weeks of the year. We wouldn't plant it if those one to two weeks weren't worth it! The lilac is a plant with a short skirt and a long jacket.

In my college years, longing for home, I picked up the Yves Rocher. I also swear there used to be a Lilac body spray made by Bath and Body Works that smelled similar to the YR. Those were just, BOOM. Like, full on, peak bloom, stick your face in the blossoms on the brightest purple bush. Here I am, my name is lilac. And I enjoyed them for that. Unadulterated lilac smell greed with big sillage.

But anybody who knows the lilac knows there are many varieties of the bush that range in color and smell. And each bush itself smells different on different days. And only during peak bloom days does it have that incredible sillage.

That is why I appreciate En Passant. It is green -- much greener than the Yves Rocher or the Bath and Body Works. It's most definitely lilac, but it is not the bush on its peak day while you're being greedy about it. It is a subtle, beautiful, smell of the plant as it goes through this cycle of buds, blossoms, and the smell disappearing as the blooms get droopy.

It ends with a powdery whisper. The lilac note is still detectable 6 hours later, but barely. It's here, it's gone. It's sad when it is gone! But that's the lifecycle, right? The Japanese appreciate the brief sakura flowering, and the petals falling, with essentially a national festival of hanami, which is flower viewing. They celebrate the brief time that the flowers bloom then fall -- the change is what is celebrated.

You want a static olfactory photograph of a lilac in full bloom? Get the two aforementioned scents. You want to appreciate the lilac's changes during it's brief magnificent bloom, appreciating the lilac "en passant"? Get this.

I love the smell of lilacs, and have fond memories of Yes Rocher Fragrant Délices Lilas, so surely there's something out there for me? Well, this one ain't it. . .

At first I thought: Oh yes! How lovely, elegant and ladylike.
But then. After about five minutes, what was that??? Cucumber? Aquatic? NO! Mothballs! Mothballs everywhere! Now, about an hour and a half later, it has quieted down, turned into a slightly musty, dusty, very soft, ok-ish scent. Not a trace of spring, no freshness, no true lilacs either . . . not so much ladylike as old-lady-like. Vaguely reminiscent of the Yves Rocher, but certainly not worth this kind of price tag. Not on my skin, in any case.
BTW, I tried Vilhelm A Lilac a Day, and that doesn't do it for me either. It's nice, but way too expensive for what it is, IMO. I've been told by the SA at Liberty's that it is going to be reformulated soon. We'll see, who knows?

It's like the smell of first love. Its flashbacks to your mother's smile and lover's embrace. Pure, gentle, and happy. It's a warm yet crisp Spring morning. You step out of the shower with tousled hair and no make-up. You put on a light blue dress and Après un rêve by Gabriel Fauré. And you go stand by your window, morning tea in your hand and your heart racing with childlike curiosity for the day ahead. It's not safe, but it is a feeling of safety. Thats En Passant...for me.

This is very nice. I thought I liked only white flowers, but I recently discovered Tom Ford Champaca, a yellow magnolia.

I was smelling some lilac blossoms, now that we are in Spring time. So I thought I would try a 3.5 ml of this fragrance.
Yeah, it has a great lilac smell, along with the airy ozonic note. Those are your two main notes.
I think the wheat note gives it a soft earthiness. The cucumber and petitgrain, and to the airy freshness.

This will be great in May, with Spring in the air. I think it's gender neutral mostly.

PS: After trying it a few more times; I am turned off by the blending of a strong synthetic note with a beautiful lilac blossom note.
I sprayed it in my car interior, to freshen it up, then threw out the rest...

Rating: 6/10

God bless. John 3:16

This is good, this is pure spring/early summer

This reminds me of the shifting of may/june; the best time of the year
The lilac is deeply connected to the summer vacation in the nordic countries, which is the best time of the year according to me.

I hope that my girlfriend appreciates this as much as i do.

All three lilac-significant perfumes I tried——En Passant, After My Own Heart, Opardu —— has a distinctive medicinal-aldehydic note, a scent somewhere in between the aldehyde in Superstitious, and a chloroprene rubber glue.

The lilac in En Passant is present from beginning to end. At opening, it’s accompanied by a soft green stem hint (cucumber?), with subtle ozonic moisture, handled with extreme caution. After those notes dissipate, the “aldehydic” lilac took center stages and pretty much played solo in the entire show.

The aldehyde shows up early in After my own heart by Ineke, but actually softened in the dry-down, rounded off by other smoother notes.

Opardu is not a lilac soliflore, but holy f* the bitter blast of “chloroprene” lilac at beginning surely caught my attention, then it blends in with other flowers.

I’m really curious about what’s responsible for this particular note.

Breathtakingly transporting. I truly love this one. The lilac is realistic (stunning), but sheer. Olivia Giacobetti's light hand and diaphanous style make this such a beautiful, serene composition. I don't pick the cucumber note out individually, but there's a fresh dewiness to the lilac I think it's responsible for. The wheat note I definitely do smell and it's terrific--like freshly baked bread. I've heard people say this one smells wet, like spring rain, and I do smell the dew in the lilac accord, but to me the wheat note adds a dryness as well. Perfect for spring. A joy to wear.

(7ml mini splash)

The opening is a very powdery and fresh (definitely where the wheat note comes from), a realistic white lilac. After twenty minutes or so the powderiness that I usually associate with lilacs disappears, and I'm left with a pleasant and slightly soapy combination of cucumber and vague, hazy lilac which smells more pink than purple or white. Which isn't bad, though it becomes rather too much like expensive lotion.
Overall, a natural and beautiful lilac, and my go-to sleep scent. Very comforting.

From a 3.5 ml sample:

This is a nice scent and surely high quality and well made.
However, it is boring and monotonous. All I can smell from start to finish is a green and aquatic lilac.
Nothing wrong with it: it is a safe, easily likeable scent.
Honestly, for the price tag, I'd like to feel more emotions when smelling this.
I will enjoy my sample, but I don't feel the urge to purchase a full bottle.

I love the smell of lilac. Reminds me of young days at my grand aunt's garden and house. This fragrance is true to lilac and although there are other notes I don't seem to be able to pass through one of my favourite notes.

So this is lilac! I assumed the floral was a white floral bouquet. The scent is light, watery, and very floral.

As it turns out, I'm not a fan of lilac. But those who like it, or who want a slightly different floral from the usual, I'd recommend it. Medium sillage, good longevity, beautiful scent.

EDIT: having now bought a full bottle of En Passant to complement my Le Sillage Blanc, a few more wearings have allowed me to appreciate En Passant more deeply. It is a very calm and soft scent, but I am seeing a growing complexity and sophistication to this one. I think I should learn to give scents more of a chance before reviewing them!

A very clean, refreshing scent that is quite pretty. It is very pleasant on me, with just the slightest floral hint above a slightly nutty, soapy base. Possibly too innocent and fresh for a 40-something woman though :) ...?

I would love to step out of my apartment and smell this wafting down the street, but it's too powdery for me to wear. I feel the same way about Jardin Clos. Lilacs are my favorite flower, but never seem to make for my favorite perfumes. If Clair de Musc smells heavenly to you, but is the kind of thing you would rather spray in a linen closet than wear, you'll probably feel similarly about En Passant. Lilac fans looking for less powder should try Opardu.

EDIT: I take it all back! The more I try this, the fresher it seems. If you get self conscious about the powder, I suggest spraying it on your wrists only, never your neck. With the right amount of distance, the powder disappears.

My sister finally graduated from Daisy because of this fragrance.

ItI love this. I'm always cautious of floral perfumes but this has become a fragrance that on certain days I just crave. It is feminine and free without being cloying or cliche. I adore lilac and this perfume is a very clean and natural rendition, yet also delicate, not over-powering, to the point that I only want to wear it on days that I'm not going to be around other strong smells. It's a fragrance for a care free day and a beautiful dress, it's a day to be appreciated and admired. I wish it lasted longer but if it did it wouldn't have that delicacy, so I use it frugally but indulgently if it's an En Passant day. It's delicious.

Edit: this Does Not Work on a very hot day. Way too sweet.

Lighter than light.

Personally, I'd like to put these three FM floral perfume in one family:

En Passant, Eau de Magnolia, Carnal Flower.

En Passant is that innocent young daughter, simple, linear, transparent.

Eau de Magnolia is the well-educated older sister, much more refined, an young lady with impeccable manner.

Carnal Flower is their femme fatale mother (let's assume femme fatale also have kids, for whatever reason), who probably murdered their father and inherited his fortune: strikingly beautiful, cold-hearted, overwhelming sometimes.

En Passant, "In Passing", was designed to evoke the smell of driving through lilacs in the spring. Dewy, lightly floral, and crisp, it cools the nostrils with each whiff. A memory of the perfumer passed on to the noses of customers, a true masterpiece.

Oh I just love this forever. Beautiful creation - lilac and green. I wear it to work, on daytime occasions when I have to feel confident. While it is linear it is beautiful. This is just very well made with just the right amount of complexity for day time. Definitely not a soapy fragrance, I would classify it is a green fragrance that is very chic, even if you dont like green fragrances. It stays. Best for spring !

If there's a better lilac perfume, then I don't know it. This is a soft, natural lilac with cucumber essence, perfect for springtime. On my short list for FB.

Natural white lilac scent.

Truly divine!

Only I don't know if it's good or bad that it's light enough. Maybe if it was not so light, it would be less natural.

One of the best lilac scents in perfume world.

You can catch a lilac flower in a green field or you can also spray En passant in your body, inside the comfort of your home. Olivia Giacobetti works with minimalism and realism, especially in this job. It's natural and subtle. Some say Giacobetti is Ellena in skirts, but I think she created a new way of exercizing perfumary, especially with this perfume.

I really wanted to like this, but once again, my skin chemistry decided otherwise. So I endured it for a day and was happy to scrub it off. I agree with another reviewer that it can, on some occasions, smell like bread. To me it was like a soapy lilac scented bread, which is neither romantic nor desirable to wear. The same goes for another perfume of Olivia Giacobetti's "Tilleul". So wanted to love it, because I love linden blossoms, but it did not happen. Soap, soap, soap, too much soap and way too little linden.

So light, lithe and dreamy.
It seems white lilac sways in the wind in this airy fresh presentation. Cucumber and aquatics keep this perfect for Spring and Summer. Its not a classically green fragrance more like a morning dew feel. Elegant.

It does carry some melancholy. It's feminine, delicate, but also resilient. A bath of Lilac with a few slices of Cucumber on the eyes. There is something seductive about it, like getting ready for an encounter with a stranger. Clean and innocent, but misterious at the same time.

Not my tipical choice, but I very much like it.

This fragrance is tremendously comforting in it's easy beauty. It gives me the urge to hug myself: one of those scents that keeps me insulated from a world that can be full of noxious stimuli at times. Gentle, smooth floral, nothing overpowering but yes: confident.

I really love Frederic Malle's range and find his collection very creative and appreciate his work on perfumes. He is very inspiring and as technically his collection is very successful and no perfume goes wrong on your skin. I love Noir Epices, Une Fleur de Cssie, Une Rose, Portrait of a Lady Carnal Flower... When you start to wear them, you don't want to wear another perfume from different brands.

My childhood was great and have an amazing memories with lilacs. When I smelled En Passant, I was so excited to find some part of my childhood. I have to say, it is beautiful perfume. But, just beautiful and nothing wrong with it. Unfortunately, it is not what smelled lilacs from my childhood. No green garden, no rain (soory), no woods...Just beautiful floral composition.

When I was a child, I used to snug myself under a lilac tree with a good book in my hand and I spent my entire day preoccupied with an imaginary world and caught the breeze of the lilac whipped by the wind occasionally.

Olivia Giacobetti achieved to capture the lilac note truly , but it is more than a straightforward lilac scent because this fragrance evokes memories of my childhood.

There is something melancholic about this fragrance, it tugs at my heart strings. The smell of the sun on hay, offering a glimmer of light and hope, then a wash with cooling cucumber, providing a very wet texture, combined with the delicate and soft lilacs. Oh, the wet lilacs!

It constantly reminds me as a teenager cycling home from a fun visit, past fields in the sun, later feeling chilly and get showered on. As I approach home with a very heavy heart, I cycle past a neighbour's house with an enormous lilac tree, heavy with purple blooms. The rain collected in the tiny flowers, the scent filled the air and perfumed my sorrows, and I'm filled with wonderment over how I could smell something so innocent and pure when the world can be so ugly. It really is a beautiful and heartbreaking scent.