Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Pera Granita

The fragrance house of Guerlain introduced the Aqua Allegoria line in 1999 and every spring a new limited edition version debuts. Guerlain is know for its historic and heavy hitter scents, none with a particularly quiet touch. This was their answer to pleasing an emerging market that wanted lighter less serious scents, while still keeping the integrity of their line intact.  From the Guerlain website:

"Aqua Allegoria is a continuously renewed collection that pays homage to the wonders of nature and beautiful raw materials. Delicate and cheerful fragrances that represent sweet and happy moments."

These fragrances usually feature one or two notes and explore the lighter side of perfumery. Projection and longevity are not what they are about, but that doesn't matter to the fans of the line who look forward to seeing what notes will be featured in the newest version.  The bottle remains the same each year, a simpler representation of the famous Guerlain bee bottle. Pastel tinted perfumes look even prettier in the bottles and add to their light, frothy appeal.

This year's introduction, Pera Granita, or pear sorbet, is meant to represent that refreshing summer treat. On first spray this perfume is a lot of fun. There is a big fluorescent blast of grapefruit, then I get a fruity notes of grape, berries (neither of which are listed in the notes) then at last pear. This big fruity opening is not too sweet and is rather enjoyable. Just as I'm thinking it's a bit too much fruit pop for me and would be better on someone born since cell phone usage became commonplace, it begins to quieten dramatically into a very subtle slightly sweet pear with musky overtones. Listed notes for the perfume are top notes of grapefruit, lemon and bergamot, followed by middle notes of pear, osmanthus and orange blossom, and base notes of cedar, musk and moss.

Pera Granita does not call out to me. I tend to gravitate towards the line's more herbal and citrus offerings, however if pear or fruity perfumes are your thing, this one is nicely enough done. I can see it as a more grown up choice for those younger women who are used to fruity perfumes or for anyone who just wants a fun simple summer perfume.

Photo from the Guerlain website.