The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Jacques Huclier built Clear Heart V.1 around a single idea. The 2014 release channels the Australian coast, where salt hangs in the air after a swim and the day stretches long and unhurried. Rather than a romantic gesture, this fragrance maps something more elemental, the feeling of salt drying on warm skin, the coast before anyone else arrived, the exhale after the water. The composition opens with bright citrus that cuts through the air like a sea breeze, blackcurrant lending a tart berry note that keeps things grounded and real rather than sweet. There's an immediacy to the top notes that feels honest, nothing synthetic or exaggerated, just the honest smell of salt and skin meeting for the first time.
What makes V.1 interesting is how the blackcurrant drives the opening without sweetness. It gives the citrus something to push against, a tartness that keeps the top from floating away. The aquatic heart isn't just water notes performing freshness. Peony and Tunisian neroli give it body, while iris introduces a powdery softness that prevents the whole thing from reading as sporty. By the time the sandalwood arrives, the composition has shifted from breezy to intimate. Australian sandalwood in particular has a creaminess that differs from its Indian counterpart, and here it anchors the musk in a way that stays close to skin for hours.
The evolution
The first spray hits bright, blackcurrant and citrus fruits collide in a way that suggests crushed berries on a coastal path. Within minutes the green notes lift, and the aquatic element arrives like a wave pulling back from wet sand and salt-worn shells. Peony and neroli take over the middle ground, sweet and clean, while the iris threads a powdery softness through the florals. As the composition settles deeper, warmer elements begin to emerge. Frankincense surfaces briefly, resinous, almost smoky, before the musk and sandalwood soften it into a skin-close warmth that doesn't announce itself. As the hours pass, what remains is a quiet whisper of cedar and white musk, the kind of scent someone notices when they're standing close, a memory of the day that lingers without ever having to announce itself.
Cultural impact
Clear Heart V.1 found its audience through word of mouth among those who wanted an aquatic that didn't feel like a sports fragrance. The scent offered something different in a crowded market, leaning into green and powdery dimensions rather than relying on brine alone to define its aquatic character. Its fresh, unisex sensibility resonated with wearers who wanted something that felt neither masc nor overly feminine, a fragrance that simply smelled like a good day at the coast. The launch came at a moment when fragrance culture was shifting, with more people seeking out scents that felt authentic rather than performative.
