The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
The Gold Deluxe Edition arrived in February 2008, a variant of the original M created by perfumers Carlos Benaïm and Loc Dong. The composition retains the same foundational structure, white florals lifted over a smoky amber base, while differing in concentration. The bottle shape remains unchanged, presented now in a different colorway. The core fragrance DNA persists, though the concentrated formula gives the scent a richer, more enveloping presence on skin.
The key difference isn't a new note or a shifted accord. It's concentration. At parfum strength, the gardenia and tiare don't just appear, they expand. They take up space. The seawater in the top is still there, mineral and cool against the cream of the florals, but the increased intensity allows the ingredients to interact more fully. Moroccan incense joins the composition, deepening the existing structure rather than replacing it.
The evolution
It opens soft. Chamallow reads like the memory of sweetness rather than sweetness itself, buffered by seawater's clean mineral note. Thirty minutes in, the gardenia arrives. Tiare follows almost immediately, the two white florals working in concert, gardenia offering structure, tiare offering warmth. The coconut hint in the tiare becomes more apparent as it warms on skin. The base begins to develop, amber and patchouli arriving together to build a foundation that doesn't rush. By the later hours, it's skin-close but persistent, lingering on fabric into the next day.
Cultural impact
The Gold Deluxe Edition sits in a specific niche: the fan who wanted more. Not a different fragrance, the same one, concentrated. It arrived in February 2008 alongside a set of miniature butterfly bottles in purple, pink, and gold, each holding 5 ml of extrait. The concentrated parfum offers a richer, more intense interpretation of the original scent, allowing the white florals and smoky amber to unfold with greater depth and presence on skin.
