Re-released fragrances are a big trend lately. After Piguet and Lancôme revivd old scents (Sagamore, Magie…), Pucci gave new life to Vivara, Lubin L’Eau Neuve and Yves Rocher, creations like Venise and en avril un soir. Re-releases seem like a logical step, after vintage scents. But – and brands don’t hide this – some of these ‘new’ scents are quite different from their namesakes. Sometimes, they don’t have anything in common but the name. Rumeur by Lanvin, Visa by Piguet and Vivara by Pucci, have all been brought more up-to-date. For other brands, the problem is different. Some older fragrances used ingredients (like animal notes and oak moss) that are either no longer available or whose use is now restricted. The perfumer must adapt the formula to current legislation while trying preserving its olfactory values. Reformulating formulas is a hot topic just now. But despite some people’s nostalgia, fragrance critics often have perfectly good things to say about these re-compositions.