Elizabeth Arden White Tea Mandarin Blossom Eau de Toilette

Elizabeth Arden‘s White Tea Wild Rose Eau de Toilette, released in 2019, is among my recent fragrance favorites. The brand launched White Tea Mandarin Blossom Eau de Toilette in 2020, and today I will be sharing my thoughts on it.

Elizabeth Arden White Tea Mandarin Blossom Eau de Toilette (伊麗莎白雅頓 白茶花漾甜橘淡香水, 100ml, £40 in the UK, $56 in the US) was released in spring 2020. (In the US, it is also available in 30ml ($26) and 50ml ($42). It is only available in 100ml in the UK.)

According to Now Smell This, it was created by perfumer Gil Clavien. It is the fourth fragrance from the brand’s White Tea series (following White Tea (spring 2017), White Tea Wild Rose (spring 2019) and White Tea Vanilla Orchid (spring 2019)).

According to Elizabeth Arden’s official US and UK websites, the fragrance notes of White Tea Mandarin Blossom Eau de Toilette include:

• Top notes: mandarin, bergamot, lemon, exotic fruits
• Middle notes: orange flower, jasmine, neroli, white tea
• Base notes: musks, cedarwood, osmanthus, ambrox

The fragrance opens with mouthwatering citrus notes. They are sweet and succulent, but they also carry tart, sharp, and dry nuances. For the brief moments when they display their vibrancy, dynamism and subtle complexity, they are quite glorious.

After the initial citrusy energy subsides, a green-toned (not tea-like yet) calmness appears. It is a swift change from the colorful fruitiness, and it lasts long enough and is distinct enough to be considered the second part of the opening act.

Then the floral notes gradually emerge. In some other fragrances, the combination of jasmine and orange flower can be too intensely floral for me. However, here, I find it relatively soft and elegantly restrained. (Check here for the difference between orange blossom and neroli.)

The earthy and understated white tea follows the floral notes. It then fades slightly as it introduces the musky notes. The tea note and the musky notes form most of the drydown (which is not particularly woody). The musky notes are not overpowering and they work harmoniously with the tea note. I find the drydown to be soothing and sensual with subtle depth.

It has a decent lasting power as an eau de toilette. On the whole it is light and fresh, but it does gradually take on more depth during the wear.

I like the fact that it has clear stages of development. I happen to like all the stages, and it is fascinating and enjoyable to track the changes throughout the wear. Just to be a little picky, I wish the white tea note played a slightly more prominent role in the composition. (In contrast, White Tea Wild Rose develops less and its white tea note plays a vital role.)

For me, Wild Rose is mostly about the interplay between the rose and the white tea and Mandarin Blossom is mostly about how the various notes take turns to show their characters. Between the two, I prefer Wild Rose since I really like how well the rose and the white tea work together and the fact that the white tea is a key element in the composition. However, I like the sense of movement of Mandarin Blossom very much, and I will undoubtedly continue to enjoy wearing it.

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