The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Mathieu Nardin built Above the Waves around the meditative quality of tea ceremonies, treating scent as a ritual of reconnection with stillness. Mane collaborated on the composition, bringing a technical precision to the tea accord that three separate tea bases provide. The house, known for provocative work like Putain des Palaces and Jasmine et Cigarette, gave Nardin permission to build something that does not perform for an audience. The brief was simple: let the tea breathe, let the stillness speak. Bergamot and cardamom anchor the opening as the citrus and spice entry point, grounding the ritual in something immediate and sensory before the quieter heart takes over.
The choice of bergamot and frankincense in the opening is deliberate. Bergamot gives the wearer an immediate sensory entry point, the clean brightness of citrus, while frankincense turns that brightness into something more contemplative. Cardamom bridges the two, its spice adding warmth without sweetness. In the heart, the trio of black tea, mate, and rose works because the teas provide the structure and the rose provides just enough softness to keep the composition from feeling clinical. The drydown of cedarwood, tonka bean, and vetiver completes the philosophy: woods and earth, sweetness in restraint, the finish as unhurried as the opening was brisk.
The evolution
Above the Waves begins with bergamot cutting clean and bright, immediately followed by cardamom spiking the air with its warm, almost eucalyptic edge. Frankincense follows, resinous and contemplative, pulling the composition toward something ceremonial rather than commercial. As the minutes pass, the citrus and spice recede and black tea claims the foreground. The note is bitter, almost astringent, and it shifts the fragrance from bright to grounded. Mate adds a green, slightly stimulating quality that keeps the heart from feeling static, while rose threads through quietly, not as a romantic gesture but as a botanical counterweight to the tea's bitterness. By the third hour, cedarwood arrives to take structural control, its dry warmth replacing the green vitality of the heart. Tonka bean adds a whisper of sweetness, and vetiver finishes the composition with an earthy, slightly smoky drydown that feels like the last embers of incense in an empty room.
Cultural impact
Above the Waves takes a different approach than some of the house's earlier releases. Where Sécrétions Magnifiques and Putain des Palaces sought reactions through shock, this one asks for patience. The tea structure rewards attention in a way that citrus-fresh fragrances rarely do. It's the fragrance for someone who doesn't need to announce themselves, who arrives present and unhurried, comfortable simply being there.
