Clean geometry and water are the ideas Issey Miyake designed L'Eau d'Issey Cologne around, and the top reads like a study in freshness, yuzu, lemon, bergamot, lemon verbena and mandarin orange sharpened by cypress, calone, coriander, tarragon and sage into something bracing and aquatic. Blue lotus, nutmeg, lily of the valley, bourbon geranium, saffron, Ceylon cinnamon and mignonette turn the core quietly spiced beneath the water.
Tahitian vetiver, musk, cedar, sandalwood, amber and tobacco give the drydown an unexpected depth. Most aquatics thin out by the second hour, but the saffron and tobacco here hold their ground and let the woods take over properly, which is why it still wears well in heat. L'Eau D'Issey Cologne belongs to beach days and warm afternoons, an aquatic Eau de Toilette through and through.
Issey Miyake built L'Eau D'Issey Cologne to be worn, not just admired.