S-ex (pronounced like “Ess-ex”) is a unisex fragrance created by Christophe Laudamiel for S-Perfume and released in 2004.

S-ex is described as “Sensual, Mystical, Spiritual.”

Here are just a few of the things that have been written about this perfume:

“…a masterful, complex juxtaposition of elements that gives the scent of the genitalia of a freshly shampooed beast.”

— Chandler Burr, V Magazine

“Laudamiel’s S-eX (aargh) is a remarkable leather-animalic-metal accord that convincingly modernizes, in a jaunty and elegant way, a style of fragrance that had become overburdened by heavy-lidded sensuality. This one I could wear every day.”

— Luca Turin, Perfume Notes

THE FASCINATING HISTORY OF S-PERFUME

S-Perfume (the brand) was founded in 2000 in Brooklyn by surfer and sculptor Nobi Shioya (now known as Sacré Nobi).

Depending on who you ask, Nobi set out to either: A.) create a fragrance that embodied the smell of surfers, or B.) create a fragrance that smelled like semen. Admittedly, there is probably some overlap. Either way, he got famous perfumers to do this. The end-result was called “S-Perfume”.

There are some discrepancies on the internet about who actually composed the original S-Perfume. The S-Perfume website credits it to Christophe Laudamiel, so that is what I am going to write here.

The notes for S-Perfume were polyester resin, neoprene rubber, wax, and ocean spray. These are the scents that Nobi Shioya identified with surfing, which served as the inspiration. Shioya sold his scent online (remember that this was way back in 2000), and took it all over Southern California surf shops, distributing it in small vials.

At some point between the conception and birth of this scent (see what I did there?), the connection between S Perfume and spunk had emerged, and apparently it was fully embraced. I say that because, well, here is a photo of the packaging:

Original S Perfume went through several permutations, both in name and in formula. It was renamed “Jet-Scent” and was reworked by Alberto Morillas as Jet-Scent 1.0.5. This is not a review of either of those fragrances, but they are a part of its history. Christophe Laudamiel also reworked Jet-Scent as Jet-Scent Remix 2.0.

THE ORIGIN OF S-EX

In 2004, Sacré Nobi had Christophe Laudamiel create a new scent, S-ex, which stands for S-Perfume Extreme.

Christophe Laudamiel is a fragrance rock-star and needs no introduction, but if you don’t know his background and his work, I wrote about it in my reviews for strangelove nyc part one and part two. Sacré Nobi calls him “the enfant terrible of contemporary perfumery.”

In 2008, Luca Turin wrote about S-ex in Perfumes: The Guide, giving it five stars. Then, the S-Perfume brand and S-ex kind of disappeared for a while.

In 2014, Intertrade Group resurrected S-Perfume, the scents got new packaging, and they are available again. This review is for a bottle from the Intertrade era of S-Perfume.

LET’S TALK ABOUT S-EX BABY

Sorry for the shameless Salt-N-Pepa reference. If you’re now singing the song in your head, like I am, go on over to their channel on Youtube and watch the video (here’s a link), then come back here for the fragrance review.

Also, I can’t start the review without mentioning that my dog, Mr. Biscuits, loves this fragrance. I mean, he goes nuts over it. And Mr. Biscuits has exquisite tastes. His signature fragrance is Bois de Violette, but this is one of his new favorites. He’s gotten several sprays while I was working on this review. He thinks that it smells like lying on the leather sofa while chewing a favorite toy. Here is is, trying to claim the bottle.

S-EX FRAGRANCE REVIEW

When first sprayed on my skin, S-ex smells like a can of pears in pear juice. A little bit sweet, a little bit metallic, and a little bit watery. This persists for about 20 minutes, becoming more floral as time goes on.

I wrote “can of pears, pear juice, pear blossoms,” and then went about my business for a little bit. When I came back to my notes, I was all…. Wait — pear blossoms? Don’t pear blossoms smell like — semen??? (See this somewhat NSFW article from VICE if you don’t believe me.) Thinking that I’d had an “a-ha moment,” I paid close attention to this phase during my next wearing. For journalism, of course. And, because I don’t find that scent to be at all unpleasant, if you know what I mean <wink wink>. But really, I have to say, there is no overt smell of semen in this fragrance. You can take the fact that I had to check twice as a sign that it is an unusual fragrance. But if you’re recoiling due to flashbacks of smelling Secretions Magnifiques, it’s nothing like that.

At the 30 minute-mark, S-ex smells like freesia to me. Freesia, plus a strong salinity, above pear-green leather.

Over time, the leather develops into something marvelous. It’s rich and smooth, and covered in strawberry pop rocks.

Also, after an hour, a malted-wheat smell emerges. It’s a little bit sour, a little bit doughy, a little bit nutty, and has an almost palpable “chewy” texture. Although leather and malt sound heavy, the fragrance manages to remain remarkably sheer.

The saltiness is still very present after 90 minutes, and the metallic notes have deepened to have an almost oily smell. The oiliness, plus salt, plus malty notes give me the impression of the very bottom of a bag of potato chips.

At two hours, what I smell is mostly refined leather with a slick musk and a metallic sheen. Luca Turin called it “futuristic leather,” and I understand that assessment. It’s straddling the line of not-quite-natural and not-quite-synthetic, there are lots of curves but no distinct angles, it’s both familiar and unfamiliar. It reminds me of a statement piece of leather furniture — the form is completely novel and avant-garde, but you can still recognize its function, and it still works as it was intended to.

S-EX DETAILS AND FINAL THOUGHTS

Like many of Christophe Laudamiel’s fragrance creations, S-ex will both delight and perplex you, and it is also very wearable. Longevity on me was about 6 hours, and projection was steady but low. The fragrance is perfectly unisex and I would say that it transcends both season and time of day. It is sensual and intimate, but not in the overt (and perhaps offensive) ways that you see wildly claimed by some people on the internet. It is a pleasurable scent to wear and to smell.

Perfumer’s listed notes are bergamot, nutmeg, pepper, leather, jasmine, sandalwood, patchouli, birchwood.

For more information, see the S-Perfume official website.