The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
I Love Les Carottes arrived in 2010 as part of the New York Collection, a trio of fragrances created for the French Colette concept store in Manhattan. Olivia Giacobetti, the nose behind it, was inspired by something unexpected: the smell of a sunny winter morning in New York, the kind that follows a sleepless night and ends at brunch. Carrot seed, she thought, could carry that earthiness, the optimism of something rooty and real against the city's energy. The brief was simple: make a fragrance that smelled like health, like joy, like the opposite of synthetic.
What makes this composition unusual is the carrot seed itself. It's not a common material in perfumery, it carries a dry, earthy quality that's closer to vetiver or orris root than to anything sweet. Giacobetti paired it with iris root butter, which adds that characteristic powdery violet note, and bourbon vanilla from the Caribbean, which brings warmth without turning the fragrance into a dessert. Orange zest cuts through the earthiness at the start, keeping things bright. The result is a fragrance that smells like nothing else, organic, vegan, and certified by Ecocert, because the materials themselves are the point.
The evolution
The opening hits clean and earthy. Carrot seed announces itself with that rooty, slightly mineral quality, not vegetable, not green, something older and drier. Within minutes, the orange zest cuts in, brightening things just enough to keep it from feeling heavy. The iris then rises, bringing its powdery violet character, and the vanilla underneath begins to soften everything. This middle phase lasts the longest, 2 to 3 hours, where the composition feels warm and close to the skin. The drydown is where benzoin and patchouli take over, adding a faint resinous sweetness and that characteristic earthy depth. On fabric, the vanilla and iris linger into the next day.
Cultural impact
I Love Les Carottes occupies a particular niche, it's the fragrance people seek out when they want something truly unusual. The carrot seed note has become something of a cult reference in fragrance communities, the kind of thing newcomers hear about and seek out to understand. It's not a bestseller in the traditional sense, but it's a conversation piece that continues to attract people tired of the same notes in rotation.
