Paris has long been a city of paradoxes where elegance is always a little undone, and rebellion is never far from refinement. Zadig & Voltaire, with its wardrobe of rock-and-roll chic and laissez-faire tailoring, has distilled this tension into scent. Their twin creations, This is Her! and This is Him!, are not perfumes in the traditional sense. They are alter egos, bottled. They are the poetry of a fashion house translated into skin, silk, and smoke.
This is Her! The Velvet Rebel
“She walks down the Boulevard Saint-Germain as though the world were hers cashmere thrown carelessly over bare shoulders, leather boots beating out her rhythm against the cobblestones. The air shifts as she passes. That is This is Her!.”
It begins with a floral exhale: Arabian jasmine, white yet untamed, not the polite blossom of perfumery but one charged with modern sensuality. A crack of pink peppercorn slices through the softness, adding lift and irreverence, like laughter in a hushed gallery.
Then comes Zadig & Voltaire’s twist: a gourmand chord of chestnut and vanilla. It is not sugared sweetness but something deeper, darker like roasted hazelnuts under autumn skies, tempered by the narcotic pull of vanilla. Feminine, yes, but restless, impossible to tame.
Finally, the sandalwood signature emerges, creamy and enveloping, like a lover’s sweater borrowed and never returned. It is here that the fragrance breathes its soul: warm, woody, endlessly wearable. This is Her! is not about prettiness. It is about presence.
This is Him! The Gentle Provocateur
“He leans against a graffiti-sketched wall in the Marais, cigarette smoke curling upwards like incense in a cathedral. His stare is magnetic but unreadable. That is This is Him!.”
The opening is kinetic: grapefruit, cut with black pepper, a combination that crackles with energy and intent. It is sharp, arresting, the olfactory equivalent of a guitar riff tearing through silence.
At the heart, an unexpected softness emerges: half incense, half vanilla. The incense is austere, smoky, contemplative, while vanilla lends it warmth an embrace beneath the leather jacket. Masculinity here is not rigid; it is tender, self-aware, a dance between edge and intimacy.
Once again, sandalwood anchors the trail, rugged yet sensual. On skin, it lingers with quiet confidence, like the echo of footsteps after midnight. This is Him! is less about seduction than allure a fragrance that invites rather than demands.
A Dialogue Between Rebels
What makes these scents remarkable is not merely their compositions, but their conversation with one another. This is Her! and This is Him! mirror and challenge each other like two sides of a record: one track floral, gourmand, and plush; the other spicy, smoky, and enigmatic. Both circle back to sandalwood, the unifying chord the bassline thrumming beneath their melodies.
Together, they embody Zadig & Voltaire’s philosophy: style without compromise, identity without apology. These are not fragrances designed to fade into the background. They are declarations, invitations to step into character.
In a luxury world often polished to sterility, This is Her! and This is Him! feel alive, unpredictable like Paris itself. They are not accessories. They are second skins.
Zadig This is her £110 100ml
Zadig This is him £79 100ml
