Rubini Profumi L’Eau Très Mer Review

J’s image of Rubini Profumi L’Eau Très Mer

Rubini Profumi Creative Director Andrea Rubini and Mane perfumer Cristiano Canali’s olfactive adventures continue. This year they take us from the deep space of Hyperion and plunge us into the ocean with L’Eau Très Mer, created in homage to Jacques Cousteau. Cousteau was a naval officer, oceanographer, cinematographer and author, renowned for his captivating films and books that showcase the underwater world. In 1953, he published the book The Silent World, which was later made into an award-winning film.  Now there’s a whole new generation that discovered him through Wes Anderson’s 2004 The Life Aquatic with Steve Zizou  which was influenced by Cousteau’s documentaries. I have hazy memories of seeing his films on tv as a child, not knowing what it was but I was completely entranced by this strange underwater world and the ways he revealed it through his informative narration. He spoke to viewers as equals, leaving the sea and its creatures as mysteries while adding a touch of action and drama with the ins and outs of his crew, all the while smoking his pipe and wearing in his iconic red beanie. Andrea Rubini and Cristiano Canali have captured much of the enchantment of Jacques Cousteau in L’Eau Très Mer, where even the packaging is a nod to Cousteau’s work on climate change using recycled plastic, held by a red band.

Jacques Cousteau and one of his submarines via wiki.

Imagine you’re on some far away island having just emerged from the sea and the aromas of plump juicy fruits waft in the air. Tart pineapple with subtle guava greens  are splashed with fresh grapefruit, then seasoned by a dash of salt. L’Eau Très Mer brings a sense of colours and aromas as the tropical fruits come into focus and then merge into a colour sensation like the shoals of fish that’ve just swam around you deep underwater. A shot of rum pairs beautifully with the fruits turning them darker and richer tones of tropical yellows and reds.

Andrea Rubini and perfumer Cristiano Canali courtesy of Rubini Profumi.

Salt water slowly dries on your wetsuit as you reach for your pipe, rubbery scents hover above the fruits, adding a new kind of warmth making L’Eau Très Mer feel sweeter. The aroma of dry plumy tobacco feels as it’s being pushed into the pipe but not lit. L’Eau Très Mer plays with textures, letting them wash over you.

Hiroshi Sugimoto’s North Atlantic Ocean Cape Breton Island, 1996 via wikiart

It’s as if time slows and L’Eau Très Mer’s focus changes, placing us on an old wooden dock that’s been etched by the sea aging its wooden structure and tied with reels of rope. The tropical fruity aroma has swum away, yet its  hues and tones still haunt the perfume’s edges like memories of the brightly coloured shoals of fish. They’ve merge into a delicious burley tobacco scent full of deep stewed stone fruit nuances with woody undertones. The way L’Eau Très Mer opens up at this point reminds me of Hiroshi Sugimoto’s seascape photos, a beautiful endless space that seems to go on forever. Gazing across the wide ocean of L’Eau Très Mer, the smell of driftwood blends with the dry essence of the docks, crafting a stunning woodiness, as the tobacco infuses a rich complexity into the mise-en-scène.

Andrea Rubini courtesy of Rubini Profumi.

L’Eau Très Mer is a deeply evocative perfume that captures the magic of post sea diving in far off places. Its salted wood and tobacco dry down is refined, contemplative, dreamy yet wild. Andrea Rubini and Cristiano Canali have bottled the life and achievements of Jacques Cousteau. One of my favourite perfumes of 2026.

Rubini Profumi L’Eau Très Mer courtesy of Rubini Profumi.

Notes: Caribbean Breeze, Salty Skin, Tropical Fruits, Diving Suit, Wet Ropes, Rum, Pipe Tobacco, Nautical Woods, Marine Depths.

Disclaimer: Rubini Profumi L’Eau Très Mer  was sent to J, as usual opinions and nose are his own.

J Wearescentient, Senior Editor – artist and olfactive writer.

Editor’s Note: You can purchase The Ocean World written by Jacques Cousteau on Amazon here

We have a sample of Rubini Profumi L’Eau Très Mer for one registered reader IN THE US ONLY. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what strikes you about L’Eau Très Mer  based on J’s review and where you live. Draw closes 8/17/2026.

Odenaturae made top ten best perfumes of 2023 for J. Rubini Nuvolari made Best Show at Pitti Fragranze 2021. You can read Ermano’s report here. Michelyn awarded Rubini Fundamental one of the Best Fragrances of 2015 here. 

Please read J’s review of Idìlios here, Hyperion here and Odenaturae here,

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