Chergui

Eau de Parfum

Chergui

Eau de Parfum

by Serge Lutens

Perfumer
Christopher Sheldrake

Released
2005

Country
France

Ratings
61 REVIEWS

The Scoop

Chergui is named for the dry, desert wind that tears through Morocco in summer and brings life to a standstill. Like all of Lutens' magnificent scent creations, Chergui is high art captured in a bottle, a magical elixir that can instantly turn the most elegant of wearers into slavish wrist sniffers. It's everything you'd wish for from a perfume named after a legendary wind…sandalwood with a touch of hot incense, honeyed leather and tobacco leaf, it's quite sweet yet dry, spiced and mysterious. No wimpy, cloying flowers or sticky, humid sugar here – Chergui is full bodied and complex and has a sweet spiciness that's miles away from something girlish or cute. It's true poetry in a perfume… a hot and breathtaking fragrance that's not tame and not at all familiar (and oh-so-gorgeous because of it).

Chergui Notes

honey, musk, incense, tobacco leaf, hay sugar, amber, iris, rose and sandalwood

Chergui Sizes Available:


50ml	$150

0.7ml
0.7ml Sample	$5

If you like Chergui Eau de Parfum, we recommend you try:

L'Air du desert marocain by Tauer Perfumes

Ambre Sultan by Serge Lutens

Five O'Clock Au Gingembre by Serge Lutens

L'humaniste by Frapin

Jubilation XXV by Amouage

Memoir Man by Amouage

Here's what other people are saying about Chergui...

Chergui is a scent men notice much more than women. It has a masculine vibe to me, like a good exotic musk, but I wear it anytime I'm feeling saucy cause I know men love it. I was wearing it when I went in for my yearly check up and my 70 year old doctor literally asked if he could smell my shirt. The gas station clerk leaned forward and asked "what is that?" I had an ex email me after two years to ask me what that perfume was "you know, the crack smell" so they could buy some. Though I wouldn't consider it my signature scent and I certainly never wear it if I'm just going to be at home sniffing on myself alone, it is a standard that I always keep around. I think everyone should try it once, just to experience its magic firsthand.

By Jane Katherine - Librarian from Fayetteville on 8/1/2016

Did a foolish thing and bought a FB without trying first, given the rave reviews and Luca Turin's rating. Unfortunately, I smell almost nothing after practically bathing myself in this juice. How can I salvage the situation? If anyone knows of any other scent I can layer with this one with positive results, please help. Have given three stars since perhaps it's not Chergui's fault that I can't smell it!

By Joyce - Attorney from New York on 6/16/2016

I'm in love with this scent. It is like smoky honey that smells sweeter with wear. It smells more smoky and less sweet at first but then blends with own natural scent. Yet it smells sophisticated and spicy at the same time - Its definitely a scent for a Leo.

By veeborama - Analyst from Portland OR on 5/27/2016

I find this to be the most wearable of the Lutens fragrances, and all around a lovely scent. I would wear it year-round. It is warm and a little sweet, without being cloying. The smokiness is inviting, without being overpowering. My only 5-star rating for a Serge Lutens fragrance.

By A - Perfume Addict from Denver, Co on 4/27/2016

I wore this perfume on my trip to Petra and Wadi Rum desert, Jordan few years ago. It is sufficient to say that every time I wear it, this perfume brings me back to sand dunes, ancient ruins, camel rides, moon shining over desert and cold desert wind. It has the right balance of bitter and sweet, and airy and warm, and yes, it is a perfect match for warm, isolated destinations where temperatures go from high to low.

By j.s. - design director from shanghai on 4/10/2016

I will not go through the notes I smell, you can read all about that elsewhere. There was a brief moment of "oh this is so 'hippie'". However, after that dissipated, it was like coming home. I love oriental scents and this just was perfect for me. This is the smell of happiness.

By Andrew - legal from New Orleans on 7/26/2015

This one is great. One of the best from the house or Serge Lutens. I'd rate it equal to Ambre Sultan, and a 1/2 notch below Fille en Aiguilles and Gris Clair in my humble oopinion. It's spicy, semi-sweet,(not sure how some people find this overwhelmingly so) and extremely comforting. This pairs perfectly with a knit sweater in the fall. Perfectly unisex. I'd recommend this to people who are looking for a less brash version of Malle's Musc Ravageur.

By Eric - from Chicago on 6/26/2015

I have had my bottle for awhile. I never seen to pick it up. I force myself to wear it. Sometimes I have loved it but not usually. So sorry Chergui. Some people love it.

By Gloria - KW Realtor from Naples, FL on 6/12/2015

It's light smoky tobacco, like hay, has a touch of resin, pretty much fits the description. My problem is that it's TOO sweet on me. The honey bugs me tho it's not too strong. I find it more feminine than not, but for those who wear honeylike sweet scents well, this might be your thing, male or female. The other notes are charming, well balanced. Not too spicy aside from a hint of cinnamon.

By CeeCee - Art major from Mt Shasta on 1/5/2015

Wow! This perfume smells marvellous on me - dark mysterious and little sweet (but not too sweet!) Not for everybody but do try a sample and see if Cherqui blows you away!!!

By Carin - Sales assistant from Gothenburg, SWEDEN on 11/16/2014

Chergui is the first SL scent we bought. Hubby and I read scent reviews and pick which to sample. Chergui is one he picked for himself, but I'd bathe in it every day if we didn't have a "hands off" policy once we pick a scent for ourselves (his are his and mine are mine). The opening is powerful, but it mellows to a lovely warm mix of leather and tobacco with a light spicyness that last 12+ hours on him. Women and men follow him around the store to get a whiff when we're out shopping! This is a unique scent for those who are not shy about wearing fragrance. Ummm, so very very good.

By AL and RL from Bay Area - from Bay Area, CA on 10/6/2014

Not good! Sickly sweet, overpowering. One of my least favorites from this house.

By TwinklyEyes - broker on 6/6/2014

I'm correcting my last review. chergui is a great parfume but be aware. it leaves stains to white clothes. specially to white shirts in the collars. light brown stains that are not easy to remove in the laundry.

By Georgios on 3/19/2014

after 2 years of amber oud by kilian i bought a bottle of chergui. I love it

By GEORGIOS on 2/20/2014

I fell hard for Serge Lutens' Ambre Sultan and was hoping this would grab hold of me in the same way. (Argh! So many disappointments in this last batch of samples!) This is a powerful scent and deserves recognition for the fact that a little goes a long way, but WHAT it smells like is just atrocious. Something, some very powerful, over-the-top note right out of the gate is 100% synthetic, artificial, rotten fruit, cheap head shop incense smelling garbage. It smells like toxic plastics scented for children's toys. I completely and 100% disagree with this statement: "No wimpy, cloying flowers or sticky, humid sugar here – Chergui is full bodied and complex and has a sweet spiciness that’s miles away from something girlish or cute." This in fact, is exactly what I think Chergui is like, and why I'm hoping I can get it off my skin ASAP.

By Amanda S. - from Savannah on 12/14/2013

I adore this scent. The initial blast is very floral and sharp -even powdery - not unpleasant, but not my favorite part of the joyride that is Chergui. After an hour or so the flower/powder accord settles and it turns into this warm, spicy sweet carress that lasts all day and gets smoother as it melts into your skin. I have noticed that many reviews on LS say it has no staying power - either their chemistry is all wrong or their noses are malfunctioning. This lasts FOREVER on me - 12+ hours. However I don't feel the 'Harsh Morrocan Wind' description is accurate - this is not a searing blast of hot air, this is a warm, gentle zephyr that playfully twirls its way through golden wheat and hay fields in late August after blowing through the old leather tack room in a nearby barn, picking up spicy/sweet notes from curing tobacco, sunwarmed lavender and recently harvested honeycombs along the way. Chergui is the last golden moments of Summer, liquified and captured in a bottle, and it is one of the most lovely things I have ever experienced.

By Kate - Architect from Portland on 5/30/2013

My very first Serge Lutens. A masterpiece! A blond tobacco, with hay, amber a touch of honey and rose. Gorgeous. Definitely unisex, there will always be a place in my collection for Chergui.

By Anonymous - from Southwest, USA on 5/10/2013

I don't get what all the hooplah is about. Got the fb at a discount. Glad I didn't pay full price. I don't even consider this "kinda" good.

By Christopher - from Evansville on 4/9/2013

believe me when i tell you it resembles dior addict, yes that one that grabs you by shirt, throws you to the ground while sqeezing the near life out of you...if you like that sort of thing chergui may be for you!

By berlin - from edmonton on 4/8/2013

Wearing this today, and it's wrapping me in a cocoon of leathery, tobacco-y, incense-y goodness. There is some sugar, as well, but it doesn't smell like some candy fragrance aimed at tweens. This is definitely a fragrance for adults. I'm a woman and love this scent on me, but I think it would be equally amazing on a man. Well done, Mr. Lutens and Mr. Sheldrake!

By AJ - Scent Slut from Way back on 11/20/2012

A great unisex with just enough sweetness. Both tobacco and leather come through for me. A wonderful compliment-getter for me.

By Anonymous on 6/19/2012

sweet honey floral tobacco. Did I say it was sweet? It's sweet. Not very complex, but dense and long lasting. Hard to tell if this is more a feminine scent. Definitely not masculine.

By Vincent - Therapist from NY on 6/2/2012

I don't understand all the low ratings this fragrance has received. It is such an amazing oriental. Surely something you would wear to a christmas party or even your wedding. It is complex but simple. Not very many notes... but well made. I've been on a gourmand journey for about ten years and this one is in my top 5.

By Jermel KIdd - musician from Pensacola on 5/8/2012

A warm sugary leather with a wisp of spice and halo of musk. An almost gentle leather scent, apologetic even. No forthright honey or tobacco to my nose, mores the pity. I did enjoy the softness of a leather that a woman could appreciate. I didn't appreciate the benadryl and hydrocortisone cream I had to use after my light application of the scent to my wrist yielded angry red hives within minutes. This was the first time in a prodigious perfume sampling career that has ever actually happened to me. Wow...what's in that stuff?

By Anonymous on 3/21/2012

I adore this scent. Granted, I had a sample vial sitting forgotten, until I recently stumbled upon it. Hints of: Sweetened (not sickening sweet) leather (possibly the honey in the notes), sweet, but not overly sickening sweet tobacco, hay, which lingers in the background, while iris balances it out with harmonious effect. I'm so compelled to order a second bottle, since I've been dousing myself with reckless abandon...

By D - Bon Vivant from California on 5/3/2011

This is far too strong on me - I just get a heavy dose of amber and incense. My search for an SL perfume which suits me continues!

By Val - Pharmacist from London on 3/31/2011

fresh pleasant smell, on my skin smells like soft sweet sugar with leather . I was looking forward more for honey note like in back to black by kilian or tobacco note like in Tobacco vanilla by tom ford ...this feels like like more feminine version to me among all those three.

By Third Self - sleep specialist from Des Moines, IA on 12/12/2010

i know what he was going for - an unabashed sexiness akin to feminitite de bois - or at least what that perfume was so many years ago. now, things have changed. feminitite de bois is no longer the paramount of sexiness. and this, well, this is not the mistress, it is the frigid, anorexic upper east side wife who thinks she is sexy, but hasn't had sex in 5 years. don't love it.

By Anonymous - chef from nyc on 10/5/2010

Anonymous, you're not alone. Reading the ingredient list for Chergui, I'm expecting a a deep kick-in-the-pants powerhouse of smoky honied sweetness--and instead there's a whiff and poof, it's gone. THIS is what the over-reaction to the heavy hitters of the Eighties has left us with---wimpy, anemic little scents that aren't worthy of the name "perfume". Now, I'm not speaking specifically of Chergui here--it's a nice little scent, not on the worst offenders list--I suppose that with the banishment of so many traditional perfume ingredients, we're just never going to have those deep, rich, complex SILLAGE-FUL perfumes again, and I don't mean eau de drugstore that you can smell around every corner before you even reach it. Oh Nombre Noir, you damascone-laden beauty, how we miss your ilk.

By ann - from close to the edge just by the river on 8/22/2010

I was looking for a spicy, sexy winter scent when I tried Chergui. The minute I put it on my wrist, I was hooked. It's just lovely, everything I was looking for. I do wish it had better staying power, but I am willing to reapply if that's what it takes to smell this good.

By Rene' - Lab Technician from Fairfield on 2/10/2010

The first Lutens' I tried and also the first one I fell in love with. I just got my first bottle of this yesterday and the wait has been long, 4–5 years since I first tried it. Have gone through numerous samples since then. Pure comfort. This is one fragrance I don't want to pick apart into small details; it is the whole impression of it that counts. There is hay, tobacco and a bit of clean musk. Someone else wrote "I'm walking in a cloak of godliness" while wearing Chergui. I wholeheartedly agree!

By Martin F - Text Layout Editor from Sweden on 2/10/2010

I beg everybody's pardon. I thought I was editing my post. I didn't realize I was multiple-posting. And I know I was a bit forceful, too. I got increasingly mad. Maybe the powers that be want to delete the superfluous posts. Or maybe they want to delete me althogether. Whatever.

By Anonymous on 1/26/2010

Well, I finally got my bottle of the famous Chergui. Oh, it's a beautiful, unique scent (like most SL creations). But it's gone before it dries on my skin. Of all my SL frags this is the one that lasts the least. For the price, I really would've liked something more long-lasting. What a rip-off. I wish we were back in the 80s, when perfumes lasted, and you got your money's worth. And please - PLEASE - don't give me that idiotic, mawkish and PC sermon about how perfumes should not be "overwhelming," or the other rot about sensitive people. Yeah, everybody is a hot-house flower, these days. And I'm sick and tired of everyone of them. Yes, I said it. Sue me. I've probably wounded someone's tender sensitivities with my comment. Too bad. If some people don't mind been ripped-off in the name of some perceived notion of "good taste", I say please yourselves and have fun. A fool and his money are easily parted. I'm giving it 3 stars solely on account of the non-existing staying power.

By Anonymous on 1/26/2010

Well, I finally got my bottle of the famous Chergui. Oh, it's a beautiful, unique scent (like most SL creations). But it's gone before it dries on my skin. Of all my SL frags this is the one that lasts the least. For the price, I really would've liked something more long-lasting. What a rip-off. I wish we were back in the 80s, when perfumes lasted, and you got your money's worth. And please - PLEASE - don't give me that idiotic, mawkish and PC sermon about how perfumes should not be "overwhelming," or the other rot about sensitive people. Yeah, everybody is a hot-house flower, these days. And I'm sick and tired of everyone of them. I'm giving it 3 stars solely on account of the non-existing staying power.

By Anonymous on 1/26/2010

Well, I finally got my bottle of the famous Chergui. Oh, it's a beautiful, unique scent (like most SL creations). But it's gone before it dries on my skin. Of all my SL frags this is the one that lasts the least. For the price, I really would've liked something more long-lasting. What a rip-off. I wish we were back in the 80s, when perfumes lasted, and you got your money's worth. And please - PLEASE - don't give me that idiotic, newfangled sermon about how perfumes should not be "overwhelming," or the other rot about sensitive people. Yeah, everybody is a hot-house flower, these days. And I'm sick and tired of everyone of them. I'm giving it 3 stars solely on account of the non-existing staying power.

By Anonymous on 1/26/2010

Perhaps if I had smelled this before Back to Black by Killian, I would be more enthusiastic... This is a sweet tobacco with a touch of ashtray. Maybe this will grow on me someday (the drydown is nice), but for now I'm saving my pennies for a bottle of Back to Black instead.

By Anonymous - from Montreal on 11/27/2009

Have to revise my earlier post. As with other SL, the second go-round with this surprised me and I've begun to appreciate it much more than I originally thought. I must have tried too many others at the same time before (which may have wacked out my sense of smell), because while it did start off light and soft this time, it has developed into a nice spicy scent. Still not fbw for me, since there are too many others that I like more, but it is really nice.

By Anonymous - Legal Assistant from Washington, DC on 9/7/2009

I was braced to love this, but it is way too light on my skin. Seems watered-down (IMO) in comparison to other SL fragrances. It's a pretty scent, but not one that I would spring for for a fb.

By Anonymous - Legal Assistant from Washington, DC on 9/6/2009

Initially I thought this was the most intoxicatingly good fragrance I'd ever smelled in my life. Then as time went on it got sweeter during the drydown, which was a little bit of a turnoff. It had a heavy, syrupy feel to it. Overall a good fragrance, but not for me. If you like sweeter fragrances, definitely give this a try.

By Anonymous on 7/22/2009

this is great stuff..multilayered fragrance that wears well..love it!

By Anonymous - college professor from nebraska on 4/14/2009

Almonds and that typical sweet lutens drydown. Headache.

By Anonymous on 4/9/2009

Multi-faceted ecstacy for the nose :) What's not to love?

By Constance - medical professional from Alameda, CA on 4/7/2009

One of the most amazing fragrances out there, period. Chergui is just perfect, and if you love complex scents that you could smell for hours and find something new every time, this one won't disappoint. Not for

By Anonymous - from NYC on 3/31/2009

I bought Chergui in Rome as the first of my permanently growing collection of fragrances by Serge Lutens. As much as I appreciate all the others: This is the one I love, and this is the one I barely use because the situation has to be so special that it's on the height of the fragrance. "If I could have only one..." - you know how this phrase should end. But this time it's true: Chergui i s my holy grail, the most precious one - regardless of availability or price - in my collection. I have made the experience that, although others describe it as "sunny", it doesn't suit me on warmer days. Much of its magic get's lost when the fragrance mixes with something so worldly like sweat. You know these sunny days, when you wonder where all the people around you come from. Where have they been during winter? Why do they have to be there? Chergui is not worthy to be worn among the crowd. It's holy character get's spoiled by the plebs of mind. I save it for lonely winter days, for pensive moments full of memory. This fragrance is my ultimate

By Anonymous on 3/16/2009

I am in love with Chergui -- it does remind me of a great pipe tobacco, but there are all sorts of great layers of smell: musk, honey, a bit of cherry -- I think Tania Sanchez captures the magic when describing that "hay absolute, all by itself, is so insanely good it's a wonder nobody just dilutes it and slaps a label on it." I suspect it's the hay that gives it such an unusual smell, but all I can say is that I have it on right now and on my scarf and I could eat myself! I have to put in a goodly amount to get the full force and I wish it lasted more than 3-4 hours, but it's addictive and unique.

By Michele - College Consultant from Vermont on 3/12/2009

Moroccan babypowder, with a creamy note, smells the same from application to dry down, was more like an EDT than EDP.

By Clavette - soldier of fortune from Downtown Bucktown on 3/5/2009

I love this and got a sample based on these reviews here and other places. I smell spicy carnation in it, yet that ingredient isn't listed. I'm a "strong scent lover". Nothing weak for me, it doesn't work, but this one does! I only wore it once but I know I could spend hours figuring out the different scents in it.

By Elizabeth - grade school teacher from Pacific Northwest on 2/17/2009

Am I the only person who thinks this smells just like Christian Dior's Addict? When I first sprayed this is was so different from anything I had ever smelled before...woodsy, magical, sexy. But then I noticed the scent was so familiar. It took my awhile to figure out that I could be wearing Addict. It's exactly like it. I love both fragrances. they are sexy, warm, and inviting. I had hoped that this would be something like no other.....

By Lori - accountant from kansas city on 1/30/2009

Chergui starts off with a burnt fire embers and burnt incense opening but fades quickly into a rough medicinal, moldy-cinnamon and leather accord. There is a heavy sweetness to this fragrance [perhaps the honey and the hay sugar (as described by the Luckyscent website; a sweetness that comes from spices such as cinnamon, not sickly-cloying like candy. The medicinal fades quickly as well and the sweetness stays around through the lifespan of the cologne. There is a lavender-like facet to this scent, however, lavender is not listed so I would assume it is the combination of the iris mixed with the sandalwood and rose which gives Chergui a slight undelicate floral undertone. The sillage is somewhat moderate, meaning those close to you can smell it and yet, it does not announce itself; this cologne wears close to the skin. Chergui is a strong fragrance but with a sophisticated, urbane demeanor. The longevity is excellent...let's just say that you get what you pay for; well worth the money! I feel this Eau de Parfum is more of a Winter fragrance. One can wear this for an evening out, under a tuxedo, or to a board meeting. Chergui is a very classy and elegant albeit different cologne, yet wearable. If and/or when you are ready to splurge on an Eau de Parfum that is different and elegant, then I would highly recommend Chergui by Serge Lutens!

By Richard - from Gaithersburg, MD on 1/3/2009

This is delicious! Sweet, but not sickly. Multi dimensional, and perfect for all the Holiday events. LOVE IT!!

By S C Shore - Designer from Surprise Arizona on 11/19/2008

This is my HG! I thought Chergui was no longer going to be available in the US so I stocked up on it at Barney's NYC. Now I can wear it more often knowing it's not a LE anymore. This is everything I've wanted in a fragrance and it goes with any occasion depending on how much is applied. It's spicy, gourmand and exotic and wears well (and differently) in cold and hot weather. Honey, sugar and hay seem to flourish in the heat in such a beautiful manner. It's cozy, more mysterious and sexy during the colder months. I just wish it lasted longer on my skin but it's enough to keep me happy. Why did it change from the Black label to Beige?

By Anonymous - from Los Angeles on 11/14/2008

Chergui is the first gourmand (yes, I'd call it that) scent that I've found which I can truly call unisex. It's not a woman's scent that a man can wear, nor a man's scent that a woman can wear. It's a rich, multi-layered interesting scent that smells equally well on both genders. I know people who call this their Holy Grail scent and I can fully understand that assessment. There is so much here to love and virtually nothing to dislike. In a fragrance world overwhelmed with fruity-floral-aquatic scents suitable for 4th graders, this is a scent for adults.

By Teri - Energy Analyst from Denver on 11/12/2008

" ... miles away from anything girly and cute." Well, that's all I needed to know. This goes on my Christmas gift wish list. ;)

By Anonymous on 11/8/2008

THE BEST THERE IS!!!!

By Lisa - Mom from NYC on 11/3/2008

The very very best of all scents. There is nothing like Chergui. Traveled all the way to Paris twice to get my hands on this stuff before they exported to the US. All descrips noted here are true - could never have said it better.

By BK - from Boston on 10/31/2008

This is one of my favorites of Serge Lutens. Not too masculine, not too feminine. Great scent to wear during the fall/winter season!

By Tam - Supervisor from Bay Area, Ca on 10/30/2008

This is one of my favorites of Serge Lutens. Not too masculine, not too feminine. Great scent to wear during the fall/winter season!

By Tam - Supervisor from Bay Area, Ca on 10/30/2008

Not sure why this is called a new release- have been getting this Sheldrake-composed goodie for quite some time now. Perhaps this is a new launch here in the U.S.? So what is it? tea leaves, lime rind, hot sun, leather... crushed and producing the finest droplets of elixir. Additionally, one particular note that I hesitate to even mention, as it's an over-used note in recent years that now carries an unfortunate juvenile stigma: There is a sugar in the drydown - one that is quite stately, grown up and magnificent. It's a sugar that would make a little kid frown. This is no pixie stix, but a raw, wild sugar crystallized on rough frame screens set out in that same hot Moroccan sun drying the leather. "hay sugar"? Turbinado? Jaggery? call it what you will, this is big kid stuff. My husband and I had to get one bottle each - and he bickers that even that is not enough. The remarkable part here - he has normally worn only novelty gourmands till now; Demeter's Hot Fudge Brownie and Dulce de Leche, Luna's Wookie's Cookie and the like. What does this have to do with Chergui? Only that it's sugar can not go unmentioned, that sweet grounding note can not be under-emphasized. This scent, for all the leather, is just so very edible. A sparkling but deep-colored summer quencher that you simply could gulp down by the pitcher, yet you also want to savor each sip. A fragrance fit for hot weather, while never becoming frivolous. A heavy, rough sugar that says "adults only." An absolute dream of a scent. One of the very best.

By Zhara - Haflacrat from Gleann Abhann on 10/30/2008

this scent really turned me off,hated it.

By Anonymous on 10/30/2008

This was my very first Serge Lutens - so warm and delicious, yet with a touch of the exotic. A masterpiece.

By Anonymous - from San Diego on 10/29/2008

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Eau de Parfum

by Serge Lutens

Chergui

Eau de Parfum

by Serge Lutens

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