Green
Transparent
Unconventional
Notescut grassfresh linens accordhedionemetallic notesmineral accordnail polishozonic accordsand dunes
Tags
#aftergym
#clean
#ultra niche
Style
unisex
An abstract anti-perfume. An overdose of hedione, an aromachemical that sails high in the skies between clouds of jasmine and ozone, conjures wispy visions of hot metal, pure oxygen, wet laundry on the line and freshly mown grass. Radiant and transparent.
Perfumer: Martine Pallix
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
After a shower, with a freshly washed shirt still slightly crisp, Odeur 53 adds an unexpected metallic glint to the feeling of clean skin. Its grass-and-laundry transparency suits an unhurried daytime presence: composed and understated, but far from conventional soapiness.
How to wear
Start with two or three sprays on skin, leaving the airy hedione and metallic impressions room to register before adding more. Mild to warm weather suits its transparent grass-and-linen character; keep application light in heat so the abstract freshness stays in balance.
Who it’s for
For those drawn to conceptual perfumery, synthetic textures and freshness without a familiar citrus or aquatic formula. Its transparent mix of laundry, grass and metallic-mineral impressions rewards a taste for the unusual without requiring a heavy scent.
Release year
1998
The nose
Anne-Sophie Chapuis and Martine Pallix jointly composed Odeur 53. Developed at IFF, their composition steps outside familiar floral and woody structures, translating everyday and industrial smells into an abstract perfume.
Collaborators
Christian Astuguevieille shaped the creative direction, pushing the perfumers beyond conventionally beautiful effects toward something more disrupted. Rei Kawakubo commissioned the project and helped define its anti-perfume concept: reconstructing everyday smells rather than following a traditional fragrance brief.
Comme Des Garcons’s story
Comme des Garçons treats perfume as a medium for experimentation rather than an accessory governed by familiar categories. Under its unconventional creative direction, synthetic materials and ordinary smells deserve the same attention as traditional perfumery ingredients. Odeur 53 makes that philosophy unusually explicit.
Odeur 53’s concept
Odeur 53 began as an attempt to create an anti-perfume without natural ingredients, using headspace technology to reconstruct everyday smells. Heated surfaces, laundry and open-air impressions replaced a conventional fragrance narrative. The word “odeur” was chosen to suggest the wider world of smells, without immediately promising traditional perfume.
Extra info
The number 53 refers to the fragrance’s presentation as 53 abstract smells, not a published list of 53 ingredients. Its smell imagery includes heated rock, wind-dried laundry and nail lacquer—olfactory ideas rather than literal ingredient declarations.
Celebrity connection
Filmmaker John Waters described Odeur 53 as his only cologne and said he wore it every day in a first-person interview with BUTT. His enthusiasm documents personal use, not a paid endorsement.
Notescut grassfresh linens accordhedionemetallic notesmineral accordnail polishozonic accordsand dunes
Tags
#aftergym
#clean
#ultra niche
Style
unisex
An abstract anti-perfume. An overdose of hedione, an aromachemical that sails high in the skies between clouds of jasmine and ozone, conjures wispy visions of hot metal, pure oxygen, wet laundry on the line and freshly mown grass. Radiant and transparent.
Perfumer: Martine Pallix
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
After a shower, with a freshly washed shirt still slightly crisp, Odeur 53 adds an unexpected metallic glint to the feeling of clean skin. Its grass-and-laundry transparency suits an unhurried daytime presence: composed and understated, but far from conventional soapiness.
How to wear
Start with two or three sprays on skin, leaving the airy hedione and metallic impressions room to register before adding more. Mild to warm weather suits its transparent grass-and-linen character; keep application light in heat so the abstract freshness stays in balance.
Who it’s for
For those drawn to conceptual perfumery, synthetic textures and freshness without a familiar citrus or aquatic formula. Its transparent mix of laundry, grass and metallic-mineral impressions rewards a taste for the unusual without requiring a heavy scent.
Release year
1998
The nose
Anne-Sophie Chapuis and Martine Pallix jointly composed Odeur 53. Developed at IFF, their composition steps outside familiar floral and woody structures, translating everyday and industrial smells into an abstract perfume.
Collaborators
Christian Astuguevieille shaped the creative direction, pushing the perfumers beyond conventionally beautiful effects toward something more disrupted. Rei Kawakubo commissioned the project and helped define its anti-perfume concept: reconstructing everyday smells rather than following a traditional fragrance brief.
Comme Des Garcons’s story
Comme des Garçons treats perfume as a medium for experimentation rather than an accessory governed by familiar categories. Under its unconventional creative direction, synthetic materials and ordinary smells deserve the same attention as traditional perfumery ingredients. Odeur 53 makes that philosophy unusually explicit.
Odeur 53’s concept
Odeur 53 began as an attempt to create an anti-perfume without natural ingredients, using headspace technology to reconstruct everyday smells. Heated surfaces, laundry and open-air impressions replaced a conventional fragrance narrative. The word “odeur” was chosen to suggest the wider world of smells, without immediately promising traditional perfume.
Extra info
The number 53 refers to the fragrance’s presentation as 53 abstract smells, not a published list of 53 ingredients. Its smell imagery includes heated rock, wind-dried laundry and nail lacquer—olfactory ideas rather than literal ingredient declarations.
Celebrity connection
Filmmaker John Waters described Odeur 53 as his only cologne and said he wore it every day in a first-person interview with BUTT. His enthusiasm documents personal use, not a paid endorsement.