Quick answers
Year and family
2017 · Musky iris floral
Olfactory signature
Le Cri reads as a floral musk in the Parfum d’Empire idiom: a single backbone accord built clean, with the natural materials doing the work rather than a packaging gimmick. Le Cri captures the primal cry and the light of dawn, winner of the 2018 Olfactorama Virtuosity Prize.
Perfumer
Marc-Antoine Corticchiato
Story
Le Cri, released in 2017 by Parfum d’Empire, is the cry of a rebirth, of a new day, of dawn appearing: it is the cry of light. Marc-Antoine Corticchiato, founder of the Paris niche house in 2003, signs every release. Through an abstract, radiant composition in spare luxury, he explores a quest for light.
Le Cri won the Virtuosity Prize at the 2018 Olfactorama. It sits inside Corticchiato’s long-running narrative method: pick a story, find the natural materials that carry it, and build the perfume backbone before anything else gets fine-tuned.
Structurally, Le Cri is a unique work around the precious ambrette seed (also known as hibiscus), seldom used in perfumery because of its high cost. According to Marc-Antoine, it is the most luminous ingredient in perfumery. Ambrette naturally has facets of eau-de-vie, pear, musk (it is a true plant musk), as well as powdery and woody notes. It is paired with a brilliant Turkish rose essence and an iris of Florence that adds body in clarity and limpidity. The brand insists on sourcing its own naturals where it can, and has run an essential-oil production unit in Madagascar for years to back that claim.
The fragrance ships in the house’s familiar 50 ml and 100 ml flacons cast by Pochet du Courval and engraved with the laurel-crown signature.
Olfactory pyramid
Le Cri maps to the classic top-heart-base reading: a luminous ambrette top, a structured floral heart with rose and iris, and a long-throw drydown anchored in ambrette absolute and patchouli.
Top
Ambrette (essence, eau-de-vie facets)luminous opening
Heart
Florentine iris, Turkish rose, ambrette buttercentral accord
Base
Subtle woods, ambrettevegetal musk drydown
On wearer skin the top lasts roughly 15 to 30 minutes, the heart holds for 2 to 4 hours, and the base can ride 6 to 10 hours depending on chemistry.
Olfactory profile
Le Cri reads as a floral musk in the Parfum d’Empire idiom: a single backbone accord built clean, with the natural materials doing the work rather than a packaging gimmick. Le Cri captures the primal cry and the light of dawn, winner of the 2018 Olfactorama Virtuosity Prize.
The cult favorite quality here for US niche wearers is the way ambrette, rose and iris stay in focus instead of getting buried under the base. That holds true across the line, and it’s the reason Now Smell This and Persolaise keep recommending Parfum d’Empire as a gateway into serious narrative niche.
As dazzling and exhilarating as a newborn day.Parfum d’Empire
Key characteristics
Family
Floral musk, French niche school
Longevity
6 to 10 hours on skin
Projection
Moderate to forward in the first 2 hours, then close
Audience
Men and women, unisex in practice
When and where to wear
Le Cri de la Lumière turns ambrette into a soft, vegetal musk woven with iris and Turkish rose, luminous and skin-close. It reads as a crepuscular scent for the turn of the day, an expressive and emotional wear rather than a loud one, at its best in cool air.
Wear references
Temperatures
Suits cool, gentle weather, roughly 46 °F to 64 °F (8 °C to 18 °C).
Moment
Dusk and the drift into evening.
Contexts
A recital, a moving occasion, a candlelit room.
Dosage
A pair of sprays, sometimes three; the musk stays intimate and radiant.
Similar perfumes
A handful of compositions sit next to Le Cri for US niche wearers cross-shopping the Parfum d’Empire shelf.
Frequently asked questions
Who created Le Cri?01
Marc-Antoine Corticchiato, founder and sole nose of Parfum d’Empire, composed Le Cri in 2017. He has signed every fragrance the house releases since 2003.
What is the olfactory family of Le Cri?02
Floral musk, built around a heart of ambrette butter, rose essence and iris butter over a base of ambrette absolute, ambrettolide and patchouli.
Top, heart and base notes?03
Top: ambrette (essence, eau-de-vie facets). Heart: florentine iris, turkish rose, ambrette butter. Base: subtle woods, ambrette.
How long does it last?04
Roughly 6 to 10 hours on skin depending on chemistry, with moderate to forward projection in the first two hours.
Where can you buy Le Cri in the United States?05
From the official Parfum d’Empire website and selected niche perfumery boutiques that carry the house.
Sources
Published June 12, 2026 · Updated June 12, 2026 · Last fact check: June 12, 2026 · Sabrina Carlier
Content built from official Parfum d'Empire documents, received in June 2026.
