If there is one perfume that captures the beauty of jasmine perfectly, it must be Serge Lutens A La Nuit. It is a great example of the house’s ability to create an elegant, refined composition with a sensual edge. This fragrance starts out as a heady dark jasmine, with a touch of spice to give the dry down some warmth.
It is more elegant than Creed Jasmal and much richer than Maitre Parfumeur & Gantier Jasmin. I find that applied lightly A La Nuit is vividly recalls the scent of night blooming jasmine. At first it is rich and decadent, an olfactory version of triple chocolate cake. Warm undercurrent of dark vanilla adds depth to the jasmine note. The drydown, however, is a bit of a surprise since it is much lighter and greener than the heart. A jasmine gold standard!
Serge Lutens A La Nuit includes notes of Indian, Egyptian and Moroccan jasmines, green shoots, honey, clove, benzoin and musk. Jasmine blends really well with woods, especially sandalwood, and I love combing A La Nuit with either Lutens Santal Blanc or Santal de Mysore. Pure high quality sandalwood oil is another great way to add complexity to this composition. Then it truly becomes bois de jasmin, jasmine wood.
26 Comments
Diane: Good evening, dear! It’s all your fault. You kept talking about jasmine and now… oh, how I love A La Nuit. I bought a bottle from Aedes last month and it’s one of my most-reached-for fragrances these days. I love La Chasse and Creed Jasmal as well for more sparkling jasmines. May 25, 2005 at 9:17pm
Susanna: Ok I admit — the sample I tried was beautiful. Good staying power and drydown. However, I personally having caviar taste with a tuna budget cannot justify the cost of this. It is jasmine and just jasmine. Beautiful, lovely and simple —yet — I can do just as well with a bottle of jasmine essential oil purchased at the health food store for $5 bucks! SL does have some very beautifully mastered perfumes, however, in my opininon this is not one of them. July 26, 2005 at 11:04pm
Martha: Is this the parfum or the eau de parfum?
Love this blog. It has really expanded my appreciation of perfume, and of the world of smells, generally.
Martha March 8, 2011 at 10:20am
Victoria: Martha, thank you, I am so glad to hear this!
A La Nuit is the EDP, but it is as strong as the parfum on me! March 8, 2011 at 10:23am
Martha: Thanks! March 8, 2011 at 7:06pm
Ferris: How does this compare with Les Fleurs Jasmin by Moliard? June 7, 2013 at 3:59pm
Victoria: I’m afraid I don’t know. Maybe, someone else could chime in? June 7, 2013 at 5:43pm
Nadejda: Hello!
I’ve blind bought (from Escentual) Serge Lutens A La Nuit because I wanted a jasmine-heavy fragrance and an introduction to the line. A lot of people are raving about how this smells just like the real flower. I do smell the green and the honey easily, but instead of jasmine I get a synthetic scent. Any thoughts on the matter?
Thank you for your thoughtful blog – I have learned a lot from it and it is an enjoyable read. December 19, 2013 at 2:32pm
Jasmine Sambac Perfume Note: […] such example–and my absolute favorite jasmine–is Serge Lutens À La Nuit. It contains only a minute dose of natural jasmine absolute, but the composition is so skillfully […] February 24, 2014 at 7:02am
Karen: A few months ago I purchased A la Nuit since many of our vacation places had jasmine blooming and I wanted a reminder. During the winter months though it just did not resonate or work for me. However, last week, with warm weather here (finally!), I gave it a try again and WOW! simply stunning! Was the first time for me that weather had such an impact on a fragrance working – or not working. May 21, 2014 at 6:18am
Victoria: I couldn’t resist wearing some A La Nuit after getting home and reading your comment. It’s been warmer here too, so it works perfectly and not overwhelming at all. Maybe, it needs a bit of warmth to give it lift and sparkle. May 21, 2014 at 2:36pm
Karen: Sparkle is the perfect word to describe it! One thing I have become aware of since reading boisdejasmin is the effect weather can play on fragrance – until experiencing it so clearly with A la Nuit, I don’t think I would have believed it. May 22, 2014 at 6:03am
Boudicca: First Thank You Victoria for your articles on the 100 fragrances… I could only get 5 pages to download but I love to learn.24 yrs ago I started Essential Celebrations which was successful
Then all of my family died except me. I was a gypsy anywayin the mean time I continued to research and buy essential oils
Oh This I is hard to say.I had a backpack and traveled Corsica,Californis Bahamas NZso many places Well I met amazing artists musiciansectI always wore scents I made Jasmin Sambac, Or Rose,
I was so lucky they alwqys offered anything I wanted even cars houses the only thing I would let them give me was perfum Creed Tuberous Indieannawhen it was sthe original Formula.Also I found myselff following Mandy Aftel I was always living with screen writters,artist We always know another artistSo i didnt keep my business going.
Anyway now for 10 yrs My husband was so jealous,not an artist. he demanded I never speak to my friends again II didnt agree but he threw out all my contacts thats what I get for staying in one place but i have msde a few fragrancesOne is 3 kinds of vanilla drowned in ambergris, civit, musk It will go out with out you and enchant whatever man it wants!! Sp So I wear it under my arms ears between my thighs.
I paint, dance, writebut i have always been in love with real fragrance,honeysuckle in the Carolinas,Gardenia in Califurnia. Trees of citrus flowering.Flowers, trees ,bushes smell of the ocean walking almost there feeling and smells-maybe dxplains my addiction to ambergris Beach casr(I lived on Ambergris caye Belize.I saww alot there. And perfum being a luxury
Sometimes I would feel sick because i made friends with teenage girls who were without parents living third world 5 girls and a child in abarely nailed together 10×6’I remer the smothering smell of sweat, ,hope, resentmentment dreaming. One of a million experiences…ther but for the Grace of God/dess go any of us.
You know snow has a smell and ski lodges.Pr the dewy smells verbon and myrtle? on Corsca A scent adducted persons dreammnts of 9000 like the Appalachains half way down.
Before fhere was a distillery I wanted to build one there. Its like a hidden heaven….. So after all that Does anyone want to try my insanely intense fragranceIts in cream form
that kept them alive October 6, 2015 at 5:36am
Adriana: Heard its staying power is a bit low, can it be? From notes it sounds incredibly mine but if I have to re-apply every now and then during the day would be little unfair for the prise tag. Anyone compared it ever with Lust from Lush? Sounds little similar to my ear. Lust I know too well that way and for the jasmin doze inn there, it is quite affordable. December 10, 2015 at 2:54am
Victoria: It lasts pretty well on me, although the new reformulation is less heady. Not sure about Lust, since I’ve never smelled it. December 10, 2015 at 1:51pm
Lu: Hi there, I just can’t decide between Diptyque’s Olene and A La Nuit! Have been wearing a sample of each on alternate days, today tried each on different wrists so I could compare! A La Nuit is maybe a little bit sweeter on my skin (perfumes often smell too sweet) and Olene a bit bigger, rounder, just can’t decide which to go for! What in your view is the difference between the two? January 21, 2016 at 3:18pm
Victoria: A La Nuit is all jasmine, while Olene is more of a bouquet of different white flowers. Which lasts longer on you? Which gives you a stronger rush of pleasure when you spray it on? January 24, 2016 at 7:54am
Monica: Hello there, I brought a couple of Midnight Jasmine attars from my recent trip to India. I am a jasmine lover and I would like to get A la Nuit, but I have never tested it. Is a la Nuit similar to jasmine attars? I would really appreciate your input. Thanks. July 28, 2016 at 9:16am
Victoria: It’s very different, because attars are based heavily on sandalwood and are denser and thicker. A La Nuit is mostly jasmine, but it smells fruity, green, bright. July 28, 2016 at 10:25am
Monica: Thanks a lot Victoria! July 28, 2016 at 10:28am
jacquie: Lust by Lush is very real jasmine.
I also have a bottle of pure jasmine essential oil from 23 years ago and its still as heady as back then. I use it one drop at a time…..
There is a lot of jasmine in Alien and LouLou too, but they are a bit too synthetic for me if I use them too often, especially Alien.
I would Love to try SL A La Nuit as I love jasmine.
Victoria, Have tried Lust? Any opinion? December 22, 2017 at 6:18pm
Cecilia: Hi Jacquie! I live jasmine and I have both Lust and A la Nuit (plus a couple tiny bottles of jasmine essential oil). I find Lust pretty much identical to the essential oil, with a bottom note of something tangy, almost salt like that I don’t really love. A la Nuit is sweeter, greener, headier and more blended. Of course, it depends on your personal tastes, but A la Nuit (on me at least!) smells like proper, elegant perfume while Lust smells like a 10€ essential oil.
Have a nice day!
Cecilia May 16, 2019 at 4:27am
Jennifer Yi: Hi,
I just purchased a sample of a la nuit and I love it. I would like to know since the fragrance was discontinued in its original state but still can be purchased as a bottle in SergeLutens website, is there a difference in the formulations?
Has anyone tried the $290 bottle of a la nuit? March 11, 2020 at 3:31pm
ikbal kassir: hi jennifer please advise me if you tried the 290 $ perfume as i am as well missing a la nuit! thanks April 4, 2021 at 1:11pm
anoula: Oh, I’m glad to hear from someone who recenty bought this perfume. I would love to hear how you liked this one. December 14, 2022 at 8:01am
Amman: I love jasmine. So Lutens A LA NUIT is a must buy.
Sandalwood next to jasmine appears quite logical. As does Leather, a bright vanilla and Orange but, alas, I digress… June 10, 2023 at 5:34pm