Tea, tide, and temples: my take on Etat Libre d’Orange Above The Waves

I wasn’t asking for another aquatic this year. Then Etat Libre d’Orange dropped the name Above The Waves and invoked Mazu, tea, and incense, and suddenly I’m wide awake. If you know the brand’s track record with atmosphere and attitude, you know why. ELDO rarely plays it safe, and perfumer Mathieu Nardin doesn’t do wallpaper.

A scent that bows to a sea goddess and temple rituals could go wrong fast. Too blue, too clean, too hotel lobby. But the tea and incense signals tell a different story. I’m imagining steam off hot leaves meeting a salt-bright breeze, smoke curls from a shrine, and something mineral that feels sunless and luminous at once. Not a beach cocktail, more harbor at dawn. If Above The Waves lands there, I’m in.

Confession as a coastal girl: most aquatics bore me. But ELDO can twist familiar genres without killing their soul. Think how they made cool-water moods oddly human in Hermann A Mes Côtés Me Paraissait Une Ombre, or turned fizz into a statement in Remarkable People. With Above The Waves, tea and incense could anchor the ozonic lift, the way classics like Bulgari Eau Parfumée au Thé Vert and L’Artisan Parfumeur Tea for Two taught us that warmth and air can share a bottle. And if the incense nods toward meditative woods, I wouldn’t be mad at a subtle wink to the Comme des Garçons Incense Series either.

I’m keeping my expectations honest. Notes have not been blasted across billboards, and thank goodness for that. I’m hoping for:

• Salty sparkle without calone overload
• Tea that reads like breath, not syrup
• Incense that floats, not chokes
• A drydown that feels skin-warm and a little stern

There’s also a tea-and-incense tribute giveaway swirling around right now, which fits the mood perfectly. If you’re into ritual, brine, and smoke, keep your eyes peeled.

Launch is tagged for 2025, and I’ll be testing the moment I can. If you live in scrubbed-clean musks, prepare to be nudged. If you love ELDO’s mischief, Etat Libre d’Orange Above The Waves has the right kind of omen in its name. May the tide rise.