Osmetheca: Odeur 53, the anti-perfume by Comme des Garçons

Name: Odeur 53
Brand: Comme des Garçons

Quick answers

Description

An abstract anti-perfume: oxygen, stone, metal, clean laundry and nail polish

Olfactory signature

A composition the house presents as a series of abstract ideas with no precise name, made by cloning the smells of inorganic materials.

Perfumer

Martine Pallix and Anne-Sophie Chapuis. The house credits no perfumer.

Audience

Unisex. Auparfum files it under both women’s and men’s fragrances.

History

Odeur 53 was launched in 1998 by Comme des Garçons, Rei Kawakubo’s fashion house. The house calls it “an abstract anti perfume”. It looks for no flower, no wood and no skin.

It was not the house’s first scent. WWD dates the first one, an eau de parfum, to 1994, and perfumer Mark Buxton claims it on his website. Auparfum wrote that Odeur 53 marked the arrival of the “parfum-concept” [concept perfume].

The brand’s official description states: “the latest technology is used to clone odours from inorganic materials.” The target smells have “no precise name only abstract ideas”.

Auparfum credits Martine Pallix and Anne-Sophie Chapuis. In 2007, Now Smell This gave the same names as “reportedly”, citing a June 1998 article in The Independent. Comme des Garçons names no perfumer.

Auparfum’s 2010 review noted a minimalist bottle, bare except for the mandatory legal text and a barcode.

Fragrance notes

Comme des Garçons publishes no pyramid for Odeur 53. It gives a list of eight evocations, reproduced below under their official names. The three-line grouping is Osmetheca’s.

Air

The Freshness of Oxygencool, open air

Pure Air of the High Mountainsthin, clean air

Mineral

Flaming Rockheated stone

Sand Dunesdry sand

Flash of Metalmetallic glint

Everyday

Freshly Mowed Grassgreen cut grass

Wash Drying in the Windclean laundry

Nail Polishsolvent note

On the formula itself, Auparfum’s critic reported “un dosage impressionnant en Hedione” [an impressive dose of Hedione], a molecule mostly used to push the other notes forward.

Scent profile

The scent profile of Odeur 53 drops the usual landmarks. Auparfum’s critic found nothing human, animal or vegetal. The review describes a deserted town at noon, sun-hot stone, scorching car bodies and T-shirts fresh out of the dryer.

Its distinctive trait is a paradox. The official list is deliberately abstract, yet Auparfum found the scent close to a warm cologne, transparent and never heavy.

“Il est juste nouveau, différent et pionnier.” [It is simply new, different and pioneering.]Auparfum, review of 30 June 2010

Key characteristics

Dominant note

None claimed: eight abstract evocations

Concentration

Eau de toilette

Size

200 ml, the size offered on the official page

Auparfum classification

Floral family, sharp style

When and where to wear

The house gives no wearing advice, and Osmetheca has not tested this fragrance on skin. Auparfum found it fairly easy to wear, suited to every style, gender, weather and age.

Similar perfumes

Three fragrances published on Osmetheca share the same refusal of classic perfume.

Perfume	House · year	Why related
Molecule 01	Escentric Molecules · 2006	Another idea-led scent: a single molecule, Iso E Super.
Not a Perfume	Juliette Has a Gun · 2010	The refusal of perfume down to the name, built on Cetalox alone.
Sécrétions Magnifiques	État Libre d’Orange · 2006	Another concept scent, aimed at the body rather than at inert matter.

Frequently asked questions

What is Odeur 53?01

A Comme des Garçons fragrance launched in 1998, which the house calls “an abstract anti perfume”. It evokes inorganic materials rather than flowers or woods.

Who created Odeur 53?02

Auparfum credits Martine Pallix and Anne-Sophie Chapuis. Now Smell This gives the same names as “reportedly”, citing The Independent (1998). Comme des Garçons names no perfumer.

When was Odeur 53 released?03

In 1998. Now Smell This dates the launch to 11 May 1998, citing The Independent of 5 June 1998, an article Osmetheca has not read.

What are the notes in Odeur 53?04

The house lists eight evocations: The Freshness of Oxygen, Flaming Rock, Freshly Mowed Grass, Wash Drying in the Wind, Sand Dunes, Pure Air of the High Mountains, Flash of Metal and Nail Polish.

What does “anti perfume” mean for Odeur 53?05

It is the house’s own term. It describes a scent that imitates the smells of inert materials, with no precise name, instead of the classic perfume families.

Was Odeur 53 the first Comme des Garçons perfume?06

No. WWD dates the house’s first perfume, an eau de parfum, to 1994, and Mark Buxton claims it on his website. Odeur 53 followed four years later.

Sources

Published on 4 November 2026 · Updated on 4 November 2026 · Author: Sabrina Carlier · Osmetheca.

Odeur 53