Piotr Taraev

Piotr Taraev

Feb. 16, 2026

3/5

3

Unlike our chief editor, I can't say I adore Frédéric Malle fragrances. Yes, I await new releases and am interested in them, but my trust in perfume brands isn't what it used to be. The Sale Gosse fragrance isn't available from an official seller in Russia, so it was important for me to try it when I was in Europe. This happened on a hot September day in a boutique in Bologna, where bottles couldn't be touched, and you had to ask a consultant to spray the perfume on a blotter. I took an Éditions de Parfums Frédéric Malle blotter and realized that Sale Gosse smelled like laundry detergent with an expensive neroli accent. Cold bergamot and a bit of petitgrain created a green-citrus opening, followed by an avalanche of white musk, crushing everything in its path. After Zhenya's story, I expected a cold carbonated drink of bitter citruses and flowers with a creamy aftertaste. I expected the surprise that Frédéric Malle's style usually evokes. But, unfortunately, I didn't understand why such a famous perfume publisher released a fragrance that smelled like laundry detergent. What started as a classic cologne ended as an indistinct white noise with barely discernible coniferous-floral notes of cashmeran (which I had already encountered in another fragrance from the Dans Tes Bras brand). I hurried to share this with colleagues and ask what they liked so much about Sale Gosse. It turned out that I don't perceive it the way Evgenia and Julietta do. Perhaps it was a bad day, hour, weather, or even the alignment of the stars. These things happen. The second time I tried the fragrance was in Cannes, a week after visiting Profumeria al Sacro Cuore. The temperature, air, and even the country were different, but the result remained the same. After much thought (perhaps mistaken), I concluded that I have