Yves Rocher So Elixir Purple EDP And Shower Gel Smell Like The Valley Of Flowers In The Rains….

There are summer fragrances, – light, airy, aquatic- and there are winter fragrances – warm, deep, musky. But here’s a fragrance that I couldn’t initially describe but that somehow, smelt like “monsoon” to me. I’m talking about So Elixir Purple from the botanical French beauty and skincare brand, Yves Rocher….

“Reveal your seductive power with the unique combination of an infusion of tuberose, plus essential oils of vetiver and patchouli in an incredibly feminine, floral-woody elixir.”


The first sniff of this perfume evoked images of a dark grey, windy and rainy day on a hill station with the wind carrying the fragrance of the earth, the rain and the wild mountain flowers. Don’t know if that makes sense to you, but that’s how this fragrance made me feel. Floral-woody is absolutely accurate. It is sweet, it is floral but it is also warm, and spicy, and woody…layered, complex and mysterious. And a wee bit Oriental too. I’m not too good at describing fragrances but since technology doesn’t allow sharing fragrances in the cyberspace (yet), this will have to do.

My only gripe with this fragrance is that it doesn’t last too long on my skin, just around four hours. Surprisingly, it does cling tenaciously to my clothes and I can smell them on the garment even at the end of the day. Perhaps that has something to do with body chemistry/temperature.

This So Elixir Purple EDP and Shower Gel set was a gift from my friend after she returned from a Parisian holiday. I’m glad that she got a set for me because it helps me layer the fragrance and make it last a bit longer.

I. Love. This. Shower. Gel. And more so because it’s the monsoons right now and like I said, I find this fragrance very monsoon-y. While it does have SLS, it doesn’t strip my skin of moisture and I can get away without applying a lotion after my shower.

The EDP is almost over and the shower gel too, won’t last me more than a couple of days. I was hunting for this at almost every Yves Rocher store in Chiang Mai and Phuket and also at their new store at Viviana mall in Thane but So Elixir Purple was nowhere to be found. Neither the EDP, nor the shower gel, nor the set. I really hope the Thane store gets it soon because I really like it.

Like I always say, fragrance is a very subjective, very personal matter and one woman’s perfume might be another’s diesel fumes so it is possible that you might not like this as much as I do. Personally, I found it to be quite a unique scent that reminded me of the rains. And yes, I am a pluviophile 🙂