The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Nathalie Koobus created 102 in 2017 as part of Bon Parfumeur's numbered collection. The brief was simple: a fragrance built around green tea, cardamom, and mimosa. Koobus chose green tea as the anchor, its slightly bitter, botanical quality serving as the foundation. Cardamom followed, adding warmth and spice to the composition. Then mimosa, to soften everything into something powdery and floral. The three ingredients in 102 work together to create a cohesive scent experience, each contributing to the overall character without overwhelming the others. The combination results in a fragrance that feels both fresh and warm, botanical yet approachable.
What makes this composition unusual is the mimosa. Not the floral note everyone reaches for, not jasmine, not rose. Mimosa is powdery, almost dusty, with a warm yellow quality. In 102, it warms the green tea, softens the cardamom, and pushes the whole thing into powder without losing the freshness underneath. The green tea doesn't smell like a latte or a bath product. It's bitter. It's tea.
The evolution
The opening hits fast, bergamot, coriander, and cardamom arrive within seconds, with the bergamot lifting the whole thing before it settles. The coriander reads more herbal than citrus, which surprises people expecting a sharp spice. Within ten minutes, green tea takes over. It smells like the ingredient, authentic and unadorned. The jasmine appears quietly, sweetening the middle without announcing itself. By the second hour, the mimosa emerges: powdery, warm, sitting close to the skin alongside the moss and musk. The drydown is intimate and low-key, the kind of scent that stays near rather than projecting far.
Cultural impact
Bon Parfumeur's numbered collection arrived in 2017 as part of a broader shift in how French perfumery presents itself to consumers. By assigning only numbers and focusing on notes, the brand invited wearers to form their own relationships with scent rather than adopting prescribed narratives. 102 Thé Cardamome Mimosa exemplifies this approach, its green tea and powdery mimosa combination suggesting that sophistication could be botanical and subtle rather than bold and statement-making.
