During Paris Perfume Week, I stopped by the Thomas De Monaco stand for a conversation and ended up getting an early look at Luisant Haze, a new fragrance he introduced before its official release.
Thomas explained that the house had completed its Gold Collection, a line built around emotion, atmosphere, and richer textures, including Raw Gold, Fuego Futuro, and Sol Salgado. Alongside it sits the newer Artist Collection, designed as a more experimental space with younger perfumers and a different creative energy. But the focus that day was Luisant Haze.
He described it as a form of neo nostalgia. Not nostalgia in the vintage sense, and not a replica of the past, but a modern interpretation of sweetness and memory.
Much of the current market has moved toward dense gourmand perfumes with maximum projection and weight. Luisant Haze takes another route. It keeps the pleasure of sweetness but makes it lighter, cleaner, and more transparent.
The fragrance was created with Karine Chevallier, whom Thomas met the previous year in Paris. What began as a tuberose concept gradually shifted into something softer and more contemporary.
The notes he shared included:
- Tuberose
- Cotton candy
- Fraise des bois (wild strawberry)
- Pink pepper
- Musks
- Warm woods
When I smelled it, the opening felt airy and polished. The tuberose was present, but handled with restraint. The sweetness was noticeable, though never syrupy or heavy. It wore more like a glow than a statement fragrance.
Thomas also explained the name. Luisant refers to light shining through air in darkness, while Haze evokes softness, mist, and diffusion. It is an accurate description of the scent itself.
He noted that although the composition feels lighter, performance was still a priority, with a warm drydown lasting six to eight hours and traces remaining into the next day.
What makes Luisant Haze interesting is not that it follows trend, but that it adjusts it. Rather than another oversized gourmand, this is sweetness edited through a niche lens, with more air, more control, and more elegance.
In a crowded market, that can be the more confident move.
Luisant Haze is scheduled for release in May.
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