Fougère · Eau de Toilette

Fougère du Couvent

The fougère accord — lavender, coumarin, oakmoss — built the way the 1882 original defined it, with no actual fern anywhere in the formula.

Family
Fougère
Concentration
Eau de Toilette
Year
1962
Perfumer
Marcel Verdier
Batch size
30 litres / season
Top notes
Lavender, bergamot
Heart notes
Geranium, clary sage
Base notes
Oakmoss, coumarin
Lavender field in bloom, a Fougère du Couvent ingredient reference

“Fougère” means fern in French, which is a slightly odd name for a fragrance family, since ferns themselves have almost no scent — the name describes an impression, not an ingredient. The accord that earned the name (lavender over coumarin and oakmoss) was built in 1882 and has been the template for the entire family since, including this house’s 1962 version, compounded by Marcel Verdier during his one documented deviation from the family’s usual oriental leanings.

Coumarin — the sweet, hay-like note that reads almost like vanilla’s colder cousin — comes from tonka bean, and it’s the ingredient that makes a fougère smell warm despite an otherwise cool, green top accord. Bottled at eau de toilette strength, which was Marcel’s own preference for daily wear.