The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Corinne Cachen built 104 around a single provocation: what if green could be the whole story? Not a supporting player, not an accent note, the protagonist. The name says it all: orange verte (green orange), jacinthe (hyacinth), lierre (ivy). Three green plants, three acts. Released in 2019 as part of Bon Parfumeur's numbered collection, this was Cachen's answer to fragrances that treat green as a garnish. Here, it's the main course.
The choice of galbanum, a resinous gum fromFerula plants, is the quiet rebel move. It's not the easiest green to wear. It skews bitter, almost medicinal in the opening before it softens. Cachen paired it with bitter orange and mastic to create a green that bites back, then surrounded it with florals that don't apologize for being flowers. Hyacinth brings a lilac-like density. Ivy adds that cut-stem freshness. Jasmine, often sweet, here stays grounded, almost earthy. The result is green in conversation with itself, each note pushing the next further than it would go alone.
The evolution
The opening doesn't whisper. Galbanum arrives sharp and immediate, a green that cuts through before you've even finished spraying. Bitter orange and green orange layer underneath, adding a citrusy bitterness that reads more botanical than bright. Cardamom adds a whisper of spice, barely perceptible. At minute twenty, the florals begin their hand-off. Hyacinth takes the lead first, bringing its characteristic grape-like fullness, while ivy slips in with that dewy, just-cut-stem quality. Jasmine appears around the hour mark, not the heady tropical jasmine you'd expect, but something cooler, almost ozonic. The aquatic notes give it that damp-air feeling. By hour three, vetiver and patchouli take over, turning the green into something earthier, woodier. The amber base keeps it from going too austere. Four hours in, you're left with a soft green-wood drydown that clings to skin without announcing itself.
Cultural impact
104 found its audience in the green-obsessed, people who wanted something more serious than "fresh and clean" but less demanding than full-throttle animalic. It occupies similar territory to Diptyque's Eau de Lierre, though Cachen's version leans harder into the galbanum bite before softening. The 2019 launch placed it squarely in the wave of accessible niche that Bon Parfumeur has built its reputation on, not trying to out-luxury the luxury houses, just offering a well-made, plant-based option at a frank price.
