There have been many new fragrance launches this week at Escentual but I’m most excited about this one from Chloe, a brand that has always spoken to me in a sartorial sense, but not so much in the way of their ultra-floral fragrances.

The brand new See by Chloe Eau de Parfum is a playful little fruity floral named for, and inspired by, the eponymous Chloe diffusion line. Despite its more youthful character it claims to retain that familiar sense of restraint and elegance that you’d expect from Chloe, and it was this that I couldn’t wait to discover for myself. A grown-up fruity floral with an awesome bottle? Count me in.

I had poured over the notes, the press release, the advert featuring the gorgeous Famke Janssen, and the various reviews (specifically this brilliant one from Bois de Jasmin). So when the tester arrived this week I was more than ready.

The very first wave of scent is buoyant: a sparkly yet slightly bitter bergamot paired with the more fruity facets of apple blossom, which smells remarkably akin to a Golden Delicious apple. The bright spark of bergamot mellows quite quickly, but the fragrance loses none of its fruitiness for the first few hours. After this, the fruits become increasingly milkier as the ylang-ylang and vanilla come into play. In the dry down, sandalwood prevents the scent from becoming a cloying apple-and-cream confection. It anchors the sweetness really nicely and adds a little warmth – plus it does a great job of eking a little more life out of the dwindling apple note. Bois de Jasmin was spot on by comparing the scent to a nutty almond milk granata. In fact, if you like this scent, you should sample the L’Occitane Almond collection; it could be the sister range to the See by Chloe Body Lotion and Shower Gel.

The bottle really shouldn’t matter too much in a fragrance review, but the See by Chloe flacon really pulls it out of the bag for me. Simple, sleek and weighty, with clever little quirks (ring pull on the top and little feet on the bottom) and bevelled glass. It’s just so chic. Like the Chloe bottles that have come before it, as much effort has been put into the look and feel of the bottle as has gone into the composition of the scent, and that’s something I appreciate.

I can imagine See by Chloe is going to be very popular. The simple but well-orchestrated fragrance will appeal to most because of its prettiness and catchy advertising, but I can see it being around for the long-haul because it’s just that charming. The brilliant sillage isn’t too intrusive, and the scent lasts for around 7 hours on my skin. All in all, See by Chloe is a keeper.

Similar scents:

Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue is sharper and more apple-like; Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire Eau de Toilette is fruiter; Daisy Eau So Fresh is more floral and less green; Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely is fresher and more musky.

Discover the entire See by Chloe range at Escentual