Since its conception in 1999, the Aqua Allegoria line has seen some of Guerlain’s most peculiar names, slightly Latinized to make us think of garden botany, and often ending on an “a” to rhyme with “aqua” and “allegoria” — Nerolia, Gentiana, Mentafollia, Magnifica, Nymphea, etc. However, we’re able to decipher that Teazzurra must have something to do with tea. The name is a contraction of “tea” and the Italian word “azzurra”, which means azure. “Revive yourself with a green tea as the azure waters lap gently in the breeze,” says Guerlain.
Guerlain doesn’t really have a tradition for tea-based fragrances. Citrus, herbs and wood, yes, but not tea. There’s a pale, colourless aura about tea that doesn’t seem to fit the brand (although Maison Guerlain now carries a selection of teas). In fact, apart from Herba Fresca, Cherry Blossom and Guerlain Homme, only Tokyo from the Une Ville, Un Parfum collection (which Guerlain says is about to be discontinued) comes to mind. Tokyo, a green floral fragrance created by Annick Ménardo, was meant to evoke the image of a Japanese garden, all tender freshness and zen, and with its delicate scent of green tea leaves, bergamot, jasmine, violet and cypress, it succeeded beautifully. It had the tone of a pastel, but was anything but pale and colourless.
If you missed out on Tokyo (or found it too pricey), you can look forward to Teazzurra, because the two smell quite the same. Let’s say that Teazzurra smells like an Aqua version of Tokyo, lighter and less long-lasting (Tokyo was extraordinarily tenacious), more transparent without the coniferous woody depth and the slightly vanillic drydown, and more citrusy up top. The extra dose of bergamot freshness works great with the green tea note, but compared to Tokyo, which managed to be at once simple and unique, Teazzurra feels somehow naked, and certainly not as interesting.
This year, Guerlain has modified the Aqua Allegoria box design. It actually never looked more elegant.
