An electrified lily-of-the-valley spark, modern molecules reanacting a vintage theme. Also a romantic scented scetch on kings giving in to the magic of love.
Notes from the brand:
"The curtain rises on a state at the corner of 69 rue des Archives, in the Marais, Paris. A place that is like a frontier, where the old world ends and the new world begins. The pale moon can be seen lowering over the towers of Notre Dame in the distance. A man and a woman are in a perfumery, surrounded by bottles. He has yielded in submission to a fallen sovereign and is condemned to the ultimate fate. She is the new soul, the new role, she is desirable and she has conquered. She is the denunciation, a touch condescending. The fluttering of her eyelashes declares she is the one whose hour of glory has arrived, a scent testing blotter in hand."
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
This is the scent of someone who arrives composed but not passive: a cool, self-possessed presence that reads as polished up close and slightly mischievous in the air. It suits intimate rooms, close conversation and moments where a clean green shimmer should feel quietly seductive rather than loud.
How to wear
Best in mild to cool weather, where its aldehydes, lily-of-the-valley and moss can stay crisp without turning heavy. Apply lightly to let the opening feel airy and the drydown settle into soft woods and musk; a few sprays are enough for a clear, elegant trail.
Who it’s for
For wearers who like classic chypres reworked with a modern, almost metallic cleanliness. It will appeal to those drawn to green florals, aldehydic sparkle, mossy structure and fragrances that feel both vintage-leaning and freshly cut.
Release year
2020
The nose
Cécile Matton Polge and Ralf Schwieger. Both are known for polished, characterful compositions that balance clarity with texture, and for giving classic structures a contemporary twist. Schwieger often works with contrast and restraint, while Matton Polge brings a refined, luminous touch; together they shaped Exit the King into a modern chypre that feels clean, green and slightly subversive.
Collaborators
Étienne de Swardt, the founder and creative director, shaped the fragrance’s concept and narrative, framing it as a perfume about entropy, transition and the fall of power. His brief set the tone for the perfumers’ modern chypre interpretation, linking the scent to the brand’s provocative, theatrical storytelling.
Etat Libre d'Orange’s story
État Libre d'Orange treats perfumery as a space for freedom, irony and disruption. The house favors bold ideas over safe polish, using contrast, wit and sensuality to create fragrances that feel intellectually playful but still luxurious and wearable.
Exit the King’s concept
Exit the King was conceived as a modern chypre that bridges the green, structured style of the 1970s with the more assertive chypres of the 1980s and early 1990s. The brand presents it as a scent about entropy, a symbolic exit from old power and a fresh beginning, staged in the Marais as the old world gives way to the new.
Extra info
The name is a theatrical nod to departure and decline, but the scent itself is built as a “fresh start.” The brand’s storytelling places it at 69 Rue des Archives in Paris’s Marais, a symbolic borderland between old and new. It is also presented as a fragrance that plays against gender expectations.
An electrified lily-of-the-valley spark, modern molecules reanacting a vintage theme. Also a romantic scented scetch on kings giving in to the magic of love.
Notes from the brand:
"The curtain rises on a state at the corner of 69 rue des Archives, in the Marais, Paris. A place that is like a frontier, where the old world ends and the new world begins. The pale moon can be seen lowering over the towers of Notre Dame in the distance. A man and a woman are in a perfumery, surrounded by bottles. He has yielded in submission to a fallen sovereign and is condemned to the ultimate fate. She is the new soul, the new role, she is desirable and she has conquered. She is the denunciation, a touch condescending. The fluttering of her eyelashes declares she is the one whose hour of glory has arrived, a scent testing blotter in hand."
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
This is the scent of someone who arrives composed but not passive: a cool, self-possessed presence that reads as polished up close and slightly mischievous in the air. It suits intimate rooms, close conversation and moments where a clean green shimmer should feel quietly seductive rather than loud.
How to wear
Best in mild to cool weather, where its aldehydes, lily-of-the-valley and moss can stay crisp without turning heavy. Apply lightly to let the opening feel airy and the drydown settle into soft woods and musk; a few sprays are enough for a clear, elegant trail.
Who it’s for
For wearers who like classic chypres reworked with a modern, almost metallic cleanliness. It will appeal to those drawn to green florals, aldehydic sparkle, mossy structure and fragrances that feel both vintage-leaning and freshly cut.
Release year
2020
The nose
Cécile Matton Polge and Ralf Schwieger. Both are known for polished, characterful compositions that balance clarity with texture, and for giving classic structures a contemporary twist. Schwieger often works with contrast and restraint, while Matton Polge brings a refined, luminous touch; together they shaped Exit the King into a modern chypre that feels clean, green and slightly subversive.
Collaborators
Étienne de Swardt, the founder and creative director, shaped the fragrance’s concept and narrative, framing it as a perfume about entropy, transition and the fall of power. His brief set the tone for the perfumers’ modern chypre interpretation, linking the scent to the brand’s provocative, theatrical storytelling.
Etat Libre d'Orange’s story
État Libre d'Orange treats perfumery as a space for freedom, irony and disruption. The house favors bold ideas over safe polish, using contrast, wit and sensuality to create fragrances that feel intellectually playful but still luxurious and wearable.
Exit the King’s concept
Exit the King was conceived as a modern chypre that bridges the green, structured style of the 1970s with the more assertive chypres of the 1980s and early 1990s. The brand presents it as a scent about entropy, a symbolic exit from old power and a fresh beginning, staged in the Marais as the old world gives way to the new.
Extra info
The name is a theatrical nod to departure and decline, but the scent itself is built as a “fresh start.” The brand’s storytelling places it at 69 Rue des Archives in Paris’s Marais, a symbolic borderland between old and new. It is also presented as a fragrance that plays against gender expectations.