The Great Washed

The Great Washed is a perfume that sets out to smell of laundry, and it does so with unusual commitment. It opens with fresh cotton and a strong airy ozone note, lifted by lavender, bergamot and rose, and the first impression is of clean sheets coming in off the line. One buyer calls it a photo-real laundry powder; another finds the brightness of a laundry sheet. The middle is floral and quiet: jasmine, hyacinth and lily with a touch of ginger that brings a slight spice, which one wearer reads as the warmth of clean skin. The base is white musk with vanilla and a little patchouli, and that is where the laundry effect softens into something closer to skin. The seller describes it as long lasting with excellent sillage, and a buyer says a little goes a long way, so one or two sprays is enough. It is a spring and summer scent first, and an easy daytime choice for the office or for running errands. It also works as a fabric and linen spray, which the seller promotes directly. It belongs with the clean-laundry and soapy musk scents, where the appeal is familiarity rather than complexity. It was previously sold under the name Kireina Fuku, and is made by hand by Juliet Rose in sizes from a sample to 100 ml.