Baptême du Feu Serge Lutens for women and men

What an outstanding gem, Sheldrake continues to amaze. I always love translating these names and trying to put together the story. This being "Baptism by Fire." This baptism by fire is actually gunfire, which oddly enough makes even more sense. I get the vibe of a desert that was blazed by gunfire. First whiff it smells very fruity and citrusy. This gives off a playful vibe. Osmanthus can often go in a fruity direction. It smelt like a fruity red wine. Once that settled down the gingerbread note warms everything. I wouldn't be too scared of that Castoreum note. I'm not picking up anything too particularly funky/animalic or atleast it's tolerable. All of this sits on woody backbone. In the air it does smell a little powdery with some ginger/cinnamon spice that actually does put this desert gun fight image in my mind. It also simultaneously puts the image of baked goods around Christmas time. Only a Sheldrake fragrance can pull off that level of nuance. This might just become one of new favorite Serges that I've ignored for way too long. You should sample as always, maybe not for everyone. But dam as of right now this is banging. This thing has layers and layers. Serge Lutens is so creative and artistic that it makes your average "niche" brand look like a bargain bin designer.

One of those scents that tells a story, unique, definitely not for everyone, this is a creative scent that is sharp, strong, zingy sultry sweet concentrated spiced wine, powdery, old school castoreum, warm. Like someone has mentioned, this indeed is a fairy tale scent, elves, snow, it's amazing how the smell just draws these pictures in the mind. Not a modern scent by any means, but this is one that can definitely be appreciated, artistically conceptualized perfume.

First impression: smells a lot like Lagerfeld Classic

gothic! smells like mulled wine.. ginger, citrus, osmanthus, castoreum...all strong but blended nicely.
it has an aftershave feeling that made my wearing experience too harsh and unpleasant. this is the first lutens that i had to wash off.

First Serge Lutens scent I have tested and I don’t like. The opening is so strong and pungent, smells intensely smoky, some unrecognisable spices, dusty powder and something sweet. Plus something animalic, which apparently is the civet… I understand that this description is not going to make much sense, it confused me while trying it and trying to understand what I am smelling, but Bapteme de Feu is a fragrance that doesn’t smell like I have expected. I expected to love it seeing the notes but I kinda disliked it.

I can’t say I’ve smelled anything similar to gingerbread smell when I tested it. And I wanted an intense gingerbread scent, hoping that this is the one for me. I can say only that whatever it smells like is not my thing. Heavy, challenging, complicated and difficult to understand and like. Unique for sure!

As per usual, when I don’t like a fragrance, the performance is great. If this juice does it for you you’re in for a treat! It’s both strong and projecting well.

I might have to try it again, I want to like fragrance that are smelling more unique.

The sexy name Baptême du Feu, oxblood color and tantalizing reviews here seduced me into purchasing a decant of this.

It opens with a spicy citrus note that is beautiful, and then on my skin dries into a musty potpourri smell that I associate with old people, or my grandfather's linen kerchiefs that have been in storage for a very long time. It is powdery and woody and a little sweet and stale. Too stale. Another user here said it reminded them of their grandparents' air freshener and I kind of understand that. Not for me. Wear time on my skin was maybe 5-7 hours.

TL;DR: musty old potpourri, meh wear time

Gingerbread note is off-putting for me. If you're okay with that kind of sweetness then it should be great. It does smell like a European Christmas fair which should be a good thing but something in this scent just isn't right for me. Don't recommend this as a blind buy.

This is an instant love for me.
I'm wearing it right now, and I smell like an unmarried millionaire, who got tired of the city, bought a beaver farm in the woods, stays there in his exuisitely designed cabin with his hounds, writing a book about furniture design.
Occasionally he drives his car (leather interior ofc) back to the city to invite intelligent women and men to his beaver farm to drink Porto wine by the fire with him.

Bapteme du feu translates as Baptism by fire. It has nothing to do with war, it means 'thrown in the deep end'.

I would not describe it as sweet, nor would I describe it as powdery. The base is heavily amber-y, and the rest is tangerine liqueur and light incense. Castoreum gives it a warm quality. Truly beautiful.

Dry smoky, bitter orange peels, metallic and powdery, cold but with a sparkling ginger note. Strange and addictive.
Winter fair, frozen syrup on the snow, crushed gingerbread with lots of cloves and nutmeg, Santa’s reindeer, burning logs, mulled wine, Christmas star spices, and of course fireworks.
Baptême du feu » means the first time someone goes to war.

This is BONFIRE NIGHT in a bottle. Mulled wine, spicy potpouri, something 'sparky' - here in the UK we have sparklers during bonfire night. I love it.

This is a real banger! Beautifully blended and it develops awesome on skin. Intense opening then it gets softer and varmer and then the sweet gingerbread and skank (the good kind) shows itself . Masterpiece 👌👌👌👌👌

Urgh! The scent immediately brought back memories of my grandparents' bathroom air freshener in the late 90s - not exactly the association I was hoping for. Instead of gingerbread or tangerine, all I could smell were powdery notes reminiscent of the heavy fragrances favored by Soviet babushkas. No no no!

An unusual pairing of spicy and powdery notes with heaps of mandarin (perhaps mixed with sweet orange). There is quite a penetrating quality to the core, kind of like ginger, but not really, off paper it is almost detergent-like. It gets powdery over time, almost a bit talcum-like. Definitely unusual, feminine leaning.

The Ninth Gate by Roman Polanski (1999)

I pulled out an old sample of this today, and was pleasantly surprised by it. When I first tried it, the castoreum seemed strong and it seemed like a more masculine frag to me.

This time it seemed more feminine/unisex. I got a lot of cinnamon and tangerine with powdery notes, almost leaning gourmand. I could swear I picked up a red currant note, but one isn’t listed here. The powdery notes reminded me of high end makeup. This has fall and winter written all over it, but could be done in the cooler months of spring, too. Needs a challenging or earthy note for me to buy a full bottle, but I’d take a decant for sure.

I've had this fragrance for about a year now and I have to say it gets sweeter with age. It was very heavy on the castoreum and woody notes when I first got it. Now as it has finally gotten properly cold where I am, I pulled this out and was pleasantly surprised. It's very sweet with gingerbread and tangerine now. The castoreum fades into the background now and adds some depth to the fragrance instead of overpowering it.

Baptême du Feu isn’t the shining star of the Serge Lutens house, but it’s not bad either. I have to admit that I was expecting a little more here, but I’ve only worn it a couple times, so it could possibly grow on me later down the road.

At this point I’m not sure if I can see myself reaching for this a lot in the colder months, but time will tell. Still though, there’s something comforting and warm here with that Serge Lutens DNA involved.

Baptême du Feu is Spicy but subdued, and just a tad bit dark without being brooding…perhaps Winter Solstice in a bottle. Hell, come to think of it…this could be the start of a beautiful friendship.

I bought it with high hopes of having a gingerbread fragrance but unfortunately that’s not it. Let me summarize how i’ve felt about this perfume; It starts with burning smell of orange zest then i get cinnamon, ginger and cloves like you sprinkle them on burning zest then woody notes come out like a light smoke comes out from a stove which is about to burn out and when it starts to dry on my skin i can clearly feel some dried sour red fruits like they’re brewed in hot water such as prunes, rosehips or hibiscus and they give red fruits tea effect. To be honest I don’t get metallic note directly but I feel like that’s coming from a hot pot full of dried sour leaves of red fruits which contains so much iron and vitamine c. For me the prominent part of the fragrance is opening part and wish this could be much much longer🤷🏻♀️ but it’s not. It doesn’t stay on my skin more than 4-5 hours either. Hope it gets better as the fragrance reduces in the bottle🙏

Two sprays on my arm. Interesting and unisex opening. Smoke?...I don't get it. Middle phase is not that bad either. Not much of gingerbread, cinnamon, gun powder. All I get is powder and osmanthus. After 4 hours becomes a skin scent of full powder. Very feminine. Good for fall and winter. Good performance too.
I like it but for elder women instead of me at his mid 40s.

I'm enjoying this with the weathering cooling down. For me, this is a fall, mostly winter, fragrance. It's sweet, spicy, woodsy, powdery and slightly smoky. I definitely get the tangerine and osmanthus as well. I would call BDF one of my 'holiday fragrances'. It starts out leaning more masculine for the first hour or so. But the longer it's on my skin warming up.. it turns into this beautiful and mysterious scent. It almost smells dirty but not in a dirty way. It reminds me of a holiday potpourri in the absolute best way. It just makes me want to be wrapped up in a warm blanket, sitting by a fire in the dark with nothing but my Christmas tree lights on while I sip on a hot ginger tea sweetened with honey. Performance is also good. I find most SL fragrances perform very well for me.

It's back on rotation. I used to think it was a December/holidays frag, but I might have underestimated it. It can definitely be used throughout late autumn to late winter. And also, it might have something more to do with 'feu' than I previously thought. The beginning evokes a camp fire, or simply sitting by the fireplace. This smoky aspect mellows down eventually, but it sets the scene quite nicely. So, not so much fireworks for me, more about the days getting colder and lighting the fire (side note: burning wood is bad for the planet obviously). It transmutes into fruity, slightly boozy (tangerine liqueur-like), spicy heaven. Not as intense as Ambre Sultan, but still good performance. I would not describe it as sweet though. Just brilliant.

Opens zesty and spicy, it truly is a spicy potion! Wonderfully bright for the winter season. A minute later, it becomes kind of like a spicy orangey soap or candle without much depth. As it dries, I sadly don't get the complexity or woods or animalics others are saying. The metallic gunpowder note is, yes, metallic on me but never sour, and adds a point of interest that draws me back in to sniff again. Boredom reductionism in an otherwise simple orange + spice composition - very smart, Uncle Serge! The composition smells like orange peel and spice tea that lacks the depth I anticipated it would have. I think I like it, it's semi-gourmand and pleasantly sweet in a non-cloying way. Definitely has potential, I'll need to test more.

UPDATE May 2023: I found this scent to smell like watercolour - it smells a bit transparent, like spicy ginger water infused with orange peels without a heavybackbone to achieve (what I think) the intended concoction should truly smell like. I've had the pleasure of sampling the original paper-label bottle, which has much more depth and spice and less of the transparency the new bottle has. However, despite the lack of depth in the new black label bottle, I still think it smells fantastic (just orange-spice-lite instead of the hearty drink you might expect). This bottle was on my declutter pile for the longest time, but I'm glad I still have it in my collection! I find Serge Lutens scents to always end up in my "love" list, though the time it takes to get into that list varies greatly between scents.

I absolutely adore this gingery, spicy potion. Santa's gender fluid, emo son wears this to the elf graveyard.

Bapteme du Feu is very mysterious.. It's one of the scents that I'm not sure if I like or really love it. I find this scent to be very tempting on men and mysterious on women. Bapteme du Feu reminds me of sitting in some luxurious leather coach watching woods burning in the fireplace and eating some baked gingerbreads during that time and also smelling the fire of the lighter that I lighted the cigarette with. This scent reminds me of aristocracy - castles, high end clothing and classy personas.

It's very serious and mature. This scent is not for your everyday wearing, it's not your typical crowd pleaser. This scent is for people who have expensive and serious taste and style - and this type of people would also enjoy this scent on you. You need to be very confident and self aware to wear this scent. This scent should be worn during winter times, that's the best season for this scent. The projection is very long lasting and the sillage is quite long lasting.

Serge Lutens Bapteme du Feu (2016) - fireworks - #christophersheldrake ‘s creation starts with a ripe and juicy Tangerine then a Gingerbread accord appears reminding you already of past holidays. Then, a flinty, smokey, and metallic accord of Gunpowder comes into play. It’s not repulsive, but different indeed. Supported by a powdery suede-like accord that keeps it contained within the realms of perfumery.

Many hot dry ambers invoke exoticism, but this one enchants by contrasting familiar and nostalgic notes. There's candied sweetness and Christmassy spice, mineral medicinal dustiness, fuzzy fruit tinged musk, and a touch of lived-in skin-scent dirtiness. It's a long hug at the party and a solitary walk in the night, at the same time. Instant addition to my SL top 5.

If there's a novel written about this, the title will be: "The Christmas Eve Assassination of Monsieur Gingerbread"
Because it is what it is. An almost gourmand gingerbread scent, slightly sweet osmanthus and tangerine candy, spicy festive cloves and cinnamon, and a unique gunpowder notes with dirty castoreum. A horror with a background of twinkling christmas tree. Thank you Christopher Sheldrake for creating this!

Gosh this one is so interesting, unique and lovely. Loved it so much. I kinda wish it lasted longer on my skin, but it really is a gem and a surprise love. I did not even enjoy it on paper, but do test it on skin - wonderful!

Serge Lutens doesn’t produce mass appealing fragrances, if they do come off as appealing that’s secondary or say a lucky bonus. Lutens uses fragrances to create architecture, places, memories, and dreams.

I don’t really like this fragrance but I kinda love it and I can’t stop smelling it. I put it on whenever I can because I want to experience it. It’s like a melancholic song that elicits romantic memories.

It takes me back to the late 80s when I was a kid and the feeling of blazing summer sun midday while helping cut the grass, black plastic trash bags filled with clippings baking in the heat. This has that smell, of hot black plastic bags filled with steaming grass clipping starting to compost- warm earthy and green.

Leaning to masculine, there is a lot of smoke from fireplace. it is like christmas, but not a luxurious happy christmas, is more like a soviet winter christmas, austere and dry, no sweets, no vanilla, no incense.It reminds me a cold rural place. For my mother, in her 70s, is very evocative. To me is less powerful the imagination, it let me think about a grandpa scent.

I chose to wear this on a muggy sort of rainy day, slightly lazy and warm, but not so much so that I'm falling asleep. This perfume is one I like to wear for that warm scent without a suffocating gourmand. The gingerbread and citrus isn't overpowering to me, rather; softer/sweeter nods that make the wood and the headiness of the Castoreum balance the other.

Imagine a hot gigolo invited for dinner in a Scottish castle to meet your aristocratic mother! The Duchess squirms and instantly faints! Definitely a killer when worn by a sultry young man. Very gothic if worn by a woman. Enjoy!

Christmas in a bottle. Something in here adds a syrupy sweetness to it reminiscent of honey or molasses. Gourmand in a very different way. Big win for me.

This scent captivated me at first for its physical sensation. It felt tingly, of mentholated cream when dabbed on my arm. The scent captivated me second for its texture. Something intangible, fuzzy, gritty. For me, it was an experience I couldn't get enough of. This was new for me, as I tend to dislike 'molecule' fragrances, hate iso-e, ambroxan please stop, etc. But this composition is less brash and just...fuzzy. Olfactory gray noise (that's a good thing!).
The scent itself, spicy, woody, almost sweet but never gourmand. It opens fresh and bright, spends most of its life as spicy dry woods, and lives on the next day as an earthy, chypre-like whisper. Living in San Francisco, where it's usually between 45 and 60 degrees, this is an easy day-to-night pick. The fragrance sticks to clothes in a nice, mellow way until washing.
I bought this for my partner as a "nice" men's perfume--this guy who just wears California sage*, like the actual plant schmeared on his neck like a wild animal--and it's still fresh and exciting to me being around it on the daily four months in. I picked this one because we both liked it, and HELLO SO AFFORDABLE! I bought this on eBay 50ml NIB September 2021 for $49 out the door!! Totally screaming deal. ++Value!

*I initally loved L'eau d'Armoise, as this artemisia water is the most reminiscent smell of California sage (artemisia Californica) I have encountered. But again the synthetic composition/performance were a deal breaker. Like having a beautiful plant in a plexiglass box but after 4 hours the plant is gone and all you have is the box and the box sticks around for 72 hours.

I waited to review Baptême du Feu after the Christmas festivities. I bought this one blind in spring 2021, because I really wanted to have a Serge Lutens fragrance. This fragrance looked so good as I saw the unique note pyramid. Gingerbread, tangerine orange, cloves, cinnamon with a little dirtiness from the castoreum and boldness in that gunpowder note. The color of the fragrance is like wonderful warm red spiced wine. It all looked so fascinating and intriguing and perfect for the wintertime. But to my regret I have to admit this is a disappointing blind buy. The orange start is absolutely amazing and unique. A thick sweet ripe orange slice with the orange oil from the peel and some sweet juice. That almost brilliant start goes away to fast and the cloves and ginger pop up in a very nice way. I smell also a warmed red wine note that is really suitable for this composition. But after that the fragrance becomes to dirty and even unpleasant. There is an urine smell from the castoreum that ruins everything. It’s not to much on the forefront but it’s enough to spoil the smelling experience for me
and it’s certainly not erotic or tantalizing in anyway. This could have been the perfect Christmas scent for romantic walks on a Christmas fair. But the above mentioned off putting note takes away that feeling. It’s such a shame because there is definitely something eccentric and beautiful about Baptême du Feu. And the perfumer Christopher Sheldrake under auspices of the master Serge Lutens really made something distinctive and unique but a real good perfume has to smell good and pleasant the entire route but unfortunately this fragrance doesn’t. The performance and longevity are not that good but with this “Fire Baptism” that’s sadly not a bad thing at all much to my regret.

I already reviewed this ages ago, but I’ve been wearing this a lot lately & have to come back & to say it is an absolutely fantastic scent! There is something about this that makes it special. It has a kind of dry thick quality - without ever being cloying. It’s really hard to describe, but I think that’s often the case for me with great perfumes. They have a certain “something“ that sets them apart from the rest, & where magic happens. This, to me has that kind of undefinable magic. I dunno...there is just so much cleverness & complexity in BdF. Brilliant for freezing cold weather wear. It is a polarising perfume - but (imo) the best ones often are. I’m ordering a backup ...right now 🙄

Whatever is going on when you first spray this, it is exceptional even if I can’t totally understand or describe it: I suppose it is the literal translation, which means baptism by fire. It is also, I think, a play on words: baptism-invoking Xmas-conjuring the taste and smell of tangerines? To me it’s more tangerine liqueur than the actual fruit. It’s probably the combination with something else (osmanthus perhaps?). To say I love this is an understatement. And it proves that you can have a fruit note in a balanced yet multifaceted perfume. There is a point where the spices (I suppose this is what they mean by gingerbread) intermingle with the castoreum, which is just magical.

I got this fragrance last week based on an initial attraction to the ingredients and the concept presented by Serge Lutens.
At first spray, it did smell very different than the usual fragrances by other big brands or indeed by SL. Contrary to other reviews, I didn't get gunpowder, animalic scent, or anything resembling pee on me. Skins react differently to different scents. On me, I got a strong opening of citrus fruit mixed with spices such as cloves, cinnamon maybe even nutmeg, all coated in something green (cedar?). As the initial 'blast' of strong flavours cools down, a beautiful sweet, woody, powdery fragrance comes through. It's very comforting and prepares you for the dry down of something akin to beeswax or honey with florals.
I've been wearing it everyday since I got it and I love it. Yes, it's unusual, sensual, strong but in no way as powerful as Ambre Sultan. Some may find a Xmas vibe to it, I find it rather masculine, sexy and perfect for when you want to make a statement. Like with most fragrances, a little goes a long way but once you understand this fragrance, you will start loving it more and more. As with most of Serge Lutens' work, it tells a story and layers unfold and appear in waves, that's what makes his fragrances so special.

Blind bought this and I do believe this will become a love. The fragrance is far more aromatic than I ever thought it would be.

While the fragrance does have a focus on citrus, there are green elements at play here, possibly pine or cypress along with that gingerbread note that makes it fairly deep yet still intensely aromatic. As it dries, more spices like cinnamon begin to show and mingle with the aromatics.

I think this is not one you should necessarily sniff directly on your skin, because the metallic note is more present close to skin, and the aromatic qualities really become visible when you naturally smell it from sillage and projection.

It is truly addicting though when you get whiffs of it, and I can imagine this intriguing many people you walk by. Again only Uncle Serge and Sheldrake can come up with something like this.

In a weird way, I'm disappointed. I decided to sample this after reading the polarizing reviews. I can understand why it wouldn't be to someones taste, but I can't understand anyone finding this repulsive.

It opens with mandarin/orange that quickly gives way to smoky wood and spice.

Burning cedar, cinnamon, ginger, a little bit of citrus survives and lingers throughout the dry down. Yes there is something animalic in the background but it doesn't smell like pee, it isn't offensive at all. I find cinnamon to be the predominant note in this fragrance.

Overall I think this is very masculine, spicy and sexy (cinnamon is one of my favorite notes on men.) 10/10 sexy man smell.

I also find this reminds me of a manlier version of Chanel Coco. Anyone else get that vibe? (probably just the spices.)

Edit: reminds me a little of Habanita as well.

It smells like a hunting lodge: some pine trees, taxidermy, a few embers still in the fire, and just a hint of orange Pledge. Quite lovely actually, even if it evokes the Brawny Man. Lots of cleaning references here.

I liked this on the blotter. On my skin the orange and the castor stood out in a weird way, resembling an animalic popsicle. A pass for me.

The quality is good though as with all Lutens, natural (non-synthetic) smelling, good compositions with a sometimes slightly dark lining. Longevity was quite good, moderate sillage. Not blind buy safe.

A beautiful spicy fresh orange in the opening. I love orange in fragrances. When it settles the spice is heavy. A very spicy gingerbread, with a combination of cinnamon, all spice, cloves...maybe a hint of cumin, but this does not smell body odor at all. Just a beautiful heavy spiced orange.

In the dry down the orange fades, and you are left with the wonderful spices and wood. It didn't get very powdery for me, but to be fair, I sprayed more at the spice stage to get the orange back.

The scent aura is a beautiful sweet orange spice, with wood from a fireplace. 🍊 Not gourmand sweet. Just like a sweet juicy orange, with wood and spices. Amazing.

I wish I could afford to purchase all of the Serge Lutens fragrances.

I love cinnamon.. but it’s hard to find a decent cinnamon perfume. This was recommended by mila le blanc, and right after she mentioned it i decided to search it up. Serge Lutens has always captured my attention but i never really pulled the trigger. Bapteme de feu seemed extremely promising, the notes just smelled delicious. And wow, it really does smell delicious.

The reviews below me nailed it! Smells very christmas-sy. It’s warm, it’s spicy, it’s woody, it’s smoky (now this!! this is the kind of incense/smoke that’s hyper realistic). Smells gourmand, in a way that the gingerbread note is so real. It’s like dipping a warm gingerbread cookie into cinnamon tea. Or maybe diving into an iced gingerbread loaf. This perfume smells like a hug. Sillage and longevity is stellar.

This fragrance has been gifted to me when I was 18 and I didn’t know anything about perfume AT ALL.
This person had a whole collection of Serge Lutens and asked me to choose the one I was liking the most and taking it home.
I can’t believe I picked « baptême du feu » , this is quite of a challenging perfume!
I got it in July and kept wearing it for the whole summer and retouching it all the time! Oh my god..
I left to the other side of the world two months after and never came back. I regret SO much to not have taken this stunning artistic creation with me..
Im calling everyone who own this fragrance to wear it for me. 😢

At first I thought I was getting a little spearmint in the metal, but when I tried it more liberally and let it waft at me, I moved from clawing for specific notes to “bleachers and stadium blankets!”. I’d call it a conglomeration of muted vs mushy. And many things seem to just go mushy on me. I seem to burn up scents like aloe on dry skin. I like a range of scents, what I like is things that waft at me from time-to-time instead of morphing into vague mush or just vanishing. Others describe it so much better than I ever could, but while I can completely understand something like a goth vibe, I also feel this can be warm and cozy. But I don’t get incense or spice or altar boy or even bonfire. Go figure. But to me, that’s part of the fun - diving into the different facets for the same gem. Love hearing what everyone has to say. I’m just glad to find a wafter. I fell like that should be it’s own category, I’d totally sort and choose scents by that.
Other thing is, this thing actually morphs on me for several hours. Most things so mush up or disappear on me, but even several hours into this, just when I feel glad I can still smell it but am also kinda ready for a change of pace, it turns into this really soft and lovely scent that I still don’t have to shove my nose into my skin to find! I wish I had the vocabulary for it. It’s almost like a different fragrance entirely….. but not just the ghost imprint. No metal, light on the spice, not gourmand, not quite powdery, but almost….. it’s just beautiful. Just looking at the info, I guess it would have to be the osmanthus? It’s like getting more than one fragrance in one bottle, and it’s just enough shifting to keep you interested. Yes, I’m just partly excited to have something left to smell since I don’t get this experience from many scents at all, but it’s more than that - what is left is like when your guests are gone and you find they’ve left you a card and little bouquet of flowers on the pillow of their made-up bed. A real, unexpected treat.

This is not in my opinion nearly as controversial as the reviews led me to believe. Really lovely sherbet-y citrus notes open with a darker undertone of woodiness and smoke. This makes way for a powdery feeling on the nose followed by the slightest hint of spicy ginger. After it settles, you get more of the citrus and the powder. While the smoke settles, it's always there in the background giving this a deep complex feeling. This is an interesting fragrance and one that I see being appropriate in specific situations - this is a night-time fragrance. It is also an outdoors fragrance. I would wear this going to an outdoor event in the early evening. I would say it's a little bit of a hard one to place seasonally - my initial thought would be that it's a winter/autumn fragrance, but I could also see this being nice on a warm summer's evening. Just as long as you wear it in the EVENING! I just can't see how this would be appropriate during the day.

Update: After a few hours, this is still going strong though it doesn’t project incredibly far from the skin. Unfortunately the notes that are sticking around are my least favourites of the fragrance - I’m getting powdery tangerine with a burnt smoke undertone. The problem ironically is not the burnt smoke, but rather the fact that the tangerine no longer reads like real fruit, instead it reminds me of a powdered fruit cordial - in NZ we’d call this kind of drink base “Raro” but I guess most readers will be more familiar with the American version - cool-aid. If this was a more realistic citrus it would smell luxurious, but as a “fake” smelling citrus, it winds up smelling a little cheap. A real shame as the opening was so promising and interesting.

You cannot read the list of notes and get any sense of what this scent is. Like the reviewer below, this was a blind buy for me even after reading the mixed reviews. I am sad to say that the 2nd time I wore this the first hour of wear down right disgusted me and I swore I would add it to my Mercari listings of blind buys gone bad. But because it is Serge I'm torn. The dry down is actually nice. This is not a safe blind buy even if you love Oncle Serge.

I bought this fragrance because I love the brand and I was intrigued by the concept and the name. I would say as a blind buy, it wasn't the right choice for me, but I appreciate what it is. That's the thing for me about Serge Lutens, even when I don't care for the scent for myself I usually can appreciate the concept behind it, and that's the case with this one. the fizzy osmanthus "gingerbread" citrus thing with the metallic note and the amber-woody base, it's just not right on me, it's not my vibe, but you can see specifically what they're doing with it and it's a very unique, well thought out fragrance. This is the kind of fragrance that will work if you really like orange and tangerine paired with white florals, and it will especially work if you're into the kind of gunmetal metallic notes found in some of comme's anti-perfumes or unum's darker releases. definitely a try before you buy

I'm glad I have this one in my collection. I love fragrance as art, and this one qualifies.

I'm not sure of any time or occasion where I'd say "Oh yeah, this is the right scent for that!" LOL Citrus, gunpowder, gingerbread ... we're not in Kansas anymore, Toto!

It kind of defies simple categorization, for me. This is what Xerjoff should have done with "Don". This far exceeds that fragrance, in every way.

A tenacious Orange/Ginger/Clove Victorian Pomander with a herbal Fougère undertone.

Very much enjoying this.

After all the descriptions, note break down, reviews both good and bad, and storyline behind this perfume, I literally girded my olfactory for a fragrance that'd either delight my senses or completely repel me.
Instead, I would up with a smart, compact 1.69 oz. bottle filled with a lovely colorful fluid that smells like a fine (albeit unique) french parfum that I imagine an elegant and effeminate older gentleman might wear on an evening out at an exclusive social club.

BDF is a well blended and slightly delicate array of notes that, with a bit of warmth, reveal the orange rind, gingerbread, and castoreum.

Ultimately, this blind buy turned out to be a rather pleasant surprise.

Could also be considered a high end gothic sorta scent.🖤

I shall wear on those occasions when I grow weary of the mundane.


~Cheers

Wearing Lutens perfumes requires a translational shift in me; they're distinct and complete, but seem foreign in relation to other perfume houses.
I own four bottles and I'm working my way through a large bowl of decants, learning the Lutens language.
I've worn Baptême du Feu all day and sprayed it twice; the first time for pure immersion and the second for analysis.
It strikes me as a masculine-style fougere, traditionally herbal, a little bit spicy, warm in tone with a juicy tangerine/mandarin top note spiked with lavender, ginger and cinnamon.
Later on an aquatic Calone note rises which, oddly, works as a gorgeous foil for Osmanthus with its apricot-suede vibe. Castoreum enhances the animalic note in the Osmanthus.
I do get a pungent, powdery note from the perfume's heart to it's drydown; it could be described as gunpowder & it reminds me of the acrid smell a metallic sparkler has after it's sparks have fled.
That pungent note could be Hawthorn and iris, although neither are in the notes.
Fun rather than fascination.

Distillation:
after the party
the fizzle of gunpowder
ginger and spices

On me I smell purely gingerbread and citrus. No gunpowder, no skunk, no cat pee... I was hoping the gunpowder, though. It is really pretty on my skin, very gourmand. The drydown is not perfect, at the very end, when it gets really close to skin, the bleach like note that maaaaany perfumes I like pull on me kinda tries to appear. This could easily become my signature scent.

"Baptism by Fire" is correct; this one will certainly clear your sinuses!

This is a strange one with a lot of complexity that I can't quite pin down. At first sniff, the opening is actually really pretty. The tangerine (orange, mandarin, whatever you want to call it) is effervescent and sparkling. I definitely get gunpowder but at this early stage, it's not overpowering. I also get some woody and animalic notes. It's an interesting mix that will please only a select few, but surprisingly, it works. After a few minutes, the citrusy aspects of this fragrance take a back seat and the gunpowder takes center stage.

The gunpowder is a little overwhelming for me at this point. It's still an addicting fragrance that I keep sniffing though I feel like I'm sniffing cold medicine; you know, that red liquid that makes your throat burn but it sort of . . . feels good? That's how this fragrance makes me feel: I don't "enjoy" it in the traditional sense, but my lesser angel is drawn to it.

Interestingly, I don't get Christmas vibes from this one as others have. At least, not like any Christmas I've ever experienced. It's more like if Quentin Tarantino made a Christmas movie; like "Pulp Fiction" meets National Lampoon's "Christmas Vacation."

Overall, it's an addicting fragrance with seemingly contrasting and mutually exclusive parts that actually work very well together. It's not for me as I tend to go for more crowd-pleasing scents but I can certainly appreciate this for what it is. On the right person, this fragrance would be stunning.

This smells like a hybrid between a lemon and a cat. What kind of drugs Christopher Sheldrake is taking?

Well, this is indeed a weird one, but also addictive. I get some sweet citruses and spicy notes on a really dark background of the so-called gunpowder note that is salty and burned at the same time. This could be the castoreum, since it does remind me Antaeus a bit. Anyway, it has an animalic pungency that tends to amplify in the drydown. I guess it could be a bit too pungent with some skin chemistry. But overall, one of a kind olfactive experience. No "powdery" notes here, it's all gunpowder, like it says on SL webpage. For my nose, it turns "dark green" in the drydown, reminding me of old school chypres.

4/10

What a relief that this one works on me. It's not perfect, but it's nice and different. The notes should work on me, I kept telling myself for months, then the price went down and I thought, I have to get this bottle or I will regret losing out. I've only been able to get this kind of spicy gingerbread with licorice and orange (or tangerine, hard to tell) with some smoke in perfume oils from Alkemia or Solstice Scents. As I sit on this a while longer, it gets more powdery, though I'm still trying to detect the osmanthus. The smokiness is not overwhelming, which I'm grateful for, since it sometimes fails badly on my skin. I think I will keep this one, because I like it. I may layer it with a similar perfume oil, to tone down the smokiness.

I'm not sure where people are getting old school cologne vibes on this one. Maybe that's what's showing up on their skin. I usually can't do any masculine or unisex scents well, but this is one of those that I can. That powder at the end is probably what makes this one pull more feminine on me. Blind buy success!

Have to add...I kept getting a whiff of something, and I realized it was that tinge of metal that people kept talking about. It pulls almost aquatic on me, but not unpleasantly so. Hard to really define. This is a really interesting scent.

If Lord Lucifer had a perfume, this would be it! And I absolutely love it!

I cannot feel gingerbread, nor any other notes listed here. But I feel the metal, the darkness, the depth of it in a way that I do not need to know what is made of.

Congratulations to the creator of this masterpiece!

Nutmeg! It smells like this dessert we make that is ground boiled wheat with walnuts and a ton of nutmeg added. Such a natural and pleasant scent! If you aren't Orthodox you may not know that dessert that is mostly eaten on family's Saint day or funerals and other religious occasions.
Just imagine ground walnuts and nutmeg on a base of sweet neutral yumminess.
It smells like that straight out of the bottle and I had no surprises come up.

This one is very hard to describe as its hard to pin point what it smells like or what it reminds me of. It's challenging and it took me a bit to realize maybe this is not a bad thing. This isn't a perfume one would pick up at the mall or give as a gift. This is a mystery that is meant to be explored a little at a time depending on when and how you experience it. The notes listed here don't describe this at all except for maybe gingerbread. But this isn't a typical spicy scent or a gourmond at all. It's vaguely like a shot ofJagermeister and some red wine, with a splash of club soda...if this isn't helpful please accept my apology. This is more like cocktail spicy versus food spicy. These words come to mind as I smell this: Licorice, Angostura Aromatic Bitters, ginger, menthol cough drops, cola, orange pekoe black tea, wood, whisky and herbs. I do like this, I just can't describe why. Overall, this is soft, evasive, slightly smoky and spicy with a little wood with the needle tipping toward masculine. It's also very very complex. To be continued...

This is slightly mature gingerbread house during Christmas. For me, it is too much on a daily but my friend loves this one and I feel like it is more subtle on her. Unique one none the less!
Vibes: gingerbread, Christmas, baking
Form: 2ml sample

Opens with (very strong) anise/licorice and gunsmoke, dries down to something sweeter and more gourmand, although the top notes are still present if you really take a good sniff. I don't get any animalic or urine vibe from this at all. It's a refined, subtly masculine scent that doesn't overpower. This one is currently being offered at a sharp discount from some of the budget websites and it's certainly worth the asking price.

I've had to give up on wearing this, it's just too masculine for me. I do like that it's so strange. I especially like the gingerbread note, but it's more barber shop than gingerbread. I detect no urine smell or anything animalic. Unfortunately the gunpowder note scratches at the back of my throat and makes it challenging to wear. This appeals to me at a distance, just not on my body.

I have finally figured this one out. At first wearing, all I could smell was the gun powder accord. Meh. Interesting but not worth having as a perfume. The second time, I could smell more nuance so I checked the notes on here to see if I could pinpoint what notes I was picking up. Yep. Gingerbread, gun powder, maybe cinnamon, maybe wood, definitely incense. However. This isn't the warm gingerbread of cookies, or the banked fire in a fireplace, or the smoke of incense. Nope. This is the chemical reaction you get when you set something on fire and it hits its flashpoint and starts burning. I think that's why so many people immediately get the gun powder and/or firecracker accord. If you set a gingerbread cookie on fire, that's the note of gingerbread you'd get. If you light the tip of an incense stick and blow it out once it catches on fire, that's the note. If you set the woods on fire and then smelled the smoke on the wind, that's the smell of wood in this. In that, I think the name of this perfume is quite clever. Every note I pick up is the smell of that particular note hitting its flashpoint and catching on fire, then starting to smoke.

Because I've figured this out, I kind of adore this perfume. However, it fades my skin and clothing in about an hour. Even at a very discounted price online of $40 right now, I'm not sure it is worth having if I have to carry a rollerball or atomizer with me to spray every hour. It is a shame too, because I would absolutely buy this.

This is interesting. Definitely not a standard department store scent, which I really appreciate.

The spiciness is immediately apparent when first sprayed. I even got an intense licorice smell about 15 seconds after spraying, which isn't as easily recognizable 2 minutes in but still distinguishable if you try. Honestly I'm not sure how to describe the notes after though! It's super super spicy and I don't detect much sweetness in it, but underneath all the spice there's almost a skin-like sweet note? I honestly find this so sexy because it smells to me like a spicy cinnamon Christmas candle and skin, which gives it that added sexy boost.

Again, it's not a standard department store scent. After writing this out, however, I have realized that it isn't nearly as polarizing as I thought it would be (or maybe I just like it). It dries down to a very pleasant spicy sexy scent for men and women and I think I would like this on anyone really. I'm not sure I would think it's all that strange to smell on someone else, and I definitely don't get any pee smell. It's just really really spicy and quite pleasant. A bit of the citrus does come through, but IMO it blends so well with the spices that they kind of merge and aren't very distinguishable from each other.

UPDATE: God, the drydown is to die for. It's literally just spicy skin, but somehow on me it doesn't come across as BO at all. Just spicy skin! I have no idea how to explain this properly 🤦. I just might make this a November/December signature because it's DAMN good.

Baptism of Fire for the French impaired, and what an appropriate name. I love this fragrance. It's extremely creative and unique but might take some getting used to for some. My friend smelled cherry slushie when I wore it but it's subjective. To me, on my skin, it's smoky, sweet and enticing. The longevity could be better as I find it fades to almost nothing within about 6 hours and projection is moderate but what it lacks in performance it makes up for in uniqueness and creativity. Overall, I'd give it an 8/10 but if it performed better it would be a perfect 10 for me. I wouldn't recommend a blind buy though. Get a sample and test it out first.

Snickerdoodle cookies, the muzzle of a discharged firearm, sex.

I am certainly no shrinking violet when it comes to challenging and eccentric fragrances, so naturally I was drawn to Bapteme de Feu because it is just so leftfield, so daring in its execution, but nonetheless is anchored in the more familiar blueprints of perfumery so that it doesn't come off as entirely alien and ineffectual.

The opening is just a 'wow.' Not many fragrances can elicit that response from me, but the trophy goes to Bapteme. It starts hot, metallic, but edible, spicy, and aromatic, too. What really grabs my attention second is its dichotomy of the innocent and the profane: candied tangerine and ginger, the smell of burnt cookies, burnt edges, burnt smoke, a Maillard reaction captured in liquid form. This a plate of tiny edible barrels from smoking guns.

I am flummoxed by the deconstruction in its heart, beguiled even, because it somehow turns to a more prurious direction. Sweaty, ripe, but not dank. It isn't dirty to the point of being rank, but there is a bit of 'no-no' business going on. The castoreum must be responsible, and it actually pairs wonderfully with the more confectionary notes (which would make sense given its notoriety as an additive for sweet flavors). Furthermore, I've smelled far more urinous notes in other, more heavily lauded fragrances. Rest assured, it is the tiniest shading that provides dimension; there is no wet diaper here, no vagrant unwashedness. Once again, its the castoreum, it really is a dynamic substance. I am really finding this to be beautiful right to its dry down. As the owner of genuine absolute extraction of osmanthus, I can vouch that there is some in here, and it harmonizes with that castoreum like milk and coffee.

I'd take many of the other reviews with a pinch of salt, as this salty number is the cat's meow and has that addictively lavish Serge Lutens DNA.

10/10

Some very helpful and descriptive reviews for this fragrance from both men and women. Thank you very much for taking the time to give us all the benefit of your experiences. I will try and get a decant on eBay.

You stupid little boys need to grow up before you dispense your inferior opinions on the adults in the group.

Or at least wait until you learn how to articulate your views without resorting to prepubscent language. YOU are offensive, not the perfume.

Cherry Wine & Beaver Ass…

“Hey sugar, time to take a walk on the wild side.” …”Yup, that was actually LSD in your drink, though I did mean to give it to your mother.” Welcome to the Christmas fair! Bang Bang! “Look, the children… oh theres some nice candles. I like candles. Do you like candles. Smell the candle… Go on smell it.” Metallic screechy sweet cinnamon cherry cola candle. “yum yum. Wait, stop chewing it.” …”scary candle. Oh thats screechy. Feels like its coming at me” ...“oh nice gingerbread cookies.” …”wait, stop licking your arm”….

Thoughts: perfect date scent for your incontinent granny to get dolled up and hit the town to get drunk off her ass and do things she’ll later regret. And a solid party fragrance for the beautiful freak who usually bathes in cherry liquor before going for drinks but can’t always find the time.

Huh? How did we get here? Is there anybody in there? Why can’t I stop smelling my arm? What on earth was that opening? Do I even like this? Why does this smell like xmas candle, gingerbread cookies and beaver ass but not enough beaver ass? Can this scent alone bring on an existentialist crisis?

Festive and gothic, blood and fireworks out of a window of an abandoned pharmacy in a dystopian cyberpunk Western movie. Lingering shadows of iodine tinctures, and perhaps an odd shattered bottle of Zebeline. Like someone took a gun to a shelf of expensive medicines and bitters, and their little astringent spirits forever mixed with angry heaps of metallic gunpowder. Definitely bit of a ‘kill all humans’ vibe. Nothing soft, plush, or close to passing the Turing test about this smell. To be thoroughly enjoyed by robots once they take over the Earth and grow curious about what it must have been like “to feel”.

No urine in mine :-), but definitely old men cologne, the one which was kept on the shelf way too long, alcohol evaporated and the old thick dark liquid left. However I still like it! :-)

@aray review is spot on!
Same here - animal urine, dated man cologne and tons of powder. Though I wanted the animal to last a bit longer, quite liked it.
But nope, all I get is powder, simple cosmetic powder, not a gunpowder.
Never buy it without a try, like I did.

Christmas? Heck no. Here's what I get.. on first spritz, I flinched, for a nano second, thinking "ok this has gone bad". Super animalistic and urine like - but just for a second. After that, I get a burst of vintage leather jacket with vivid traces of men's cologne. Somewhat dated men's cologne. Another 10-15 minutes and FINALLY the Tangerine and Osmanthus show up - what a relief. There's still that leather jacket slash cologne vibe but it's becoming more contemporary and unisex as the minutes pass. Man.. that first impression though... dicey.

My beloved dark-hearted weirdo, like a childhood encapsulated. To me it is Stephen King's "Hearts in Atlantis" movie, with Anthony Hopkins and Anton Yelchin (RIP, Anton). It has the happiest boyhood and childhood notes/moments, - smell of fair/carnival sweets/night lights/games/fireworks/excitement and it has sadness and seriousness, realization that it is just a reflection on those long gone days of an adult.
This fragrance is raw and powerful "make-you-feel" enabler. Just like another big love of mine Dzing!, Bapteme makes your imagination go far and beyond those highly extravagant notes.
"Anything with the power to make you laugh over thirty years later isn’t a waste of time. I think something like that is very close to immortality".

Bapteme du Feu is one of a kind and should be called legendary. I lost a count when strangers with no hesitation were approaching and asking me what I was wearing. They didn't have freedom of picking notes on fragrantica and playing with idea of "gunpowder" or "castoreum". For outsiders it smells as "spicy and celebrative", something they never experienced, but want to own straight away, for its unforgettable spirit.

Received my sample... I wasn't too sure in what to expect and thought even though although unisex, the notes leaned more towards masculine, and the castoreum I thought ehhh I'm not animalistic note lover. I get tangerine peel and ginger right away, (the ginger cookie) I love both of these notes :). It's woody, very lightly powdery with a sweet drydown- perfect for my liking. It does have a smoke powder smell reminiscent to fire crackers (the gunpowder/metallic note), noticeable because it's been only 4 days after the 4th of July and so very clear in my mind. It also reminds me a tad of a warm holiday drink (spices/cloves?). Through it all is the castoreum/musk (the "dirty" note), so well done. Who knew I'd like the castoreum note?

Although it has a slight aftershave/cologne vibe, I find I can definitely rock it in the cold weather mos especially Dec and Jan. I can see myself dressed in jeans and leather jacket and boots rocking this fragrance. Hubs and I will be sharing :)

Totally ordering a full bottle :)

Update: Have a full bottle! :)

Bapteme du Feu (“Baptism of Fire”), is a dry masculine kind of sweaty kind of metallic woody fragrance... The ginger sings in the beginning, warmly and cozy tied with a bright and summery citrus... and then is soaked up into a strange dry, rusty metallic note(s) that mix with wood(s)... The dry down is very soft and beautiful... Overall a fascinating fragrance that is very unique, leans masculine and would be very well suited to the fall months. 7.5/10

This is the trickiest perfume that I own. I blind bought it out of curiosity.
Oh boy!!! On paper/test strip the first note smells like straight day old piss. The story is different on skin. It takes quite some time for this to emerge as something "nice" to wear in public It is quite different and not easy to explain. Even after the dry down there is still that occasional whiff of the castoreum(animalic note), then the gingerbread note and other notes. It is just weird, weird weird. It is a slutty perfume, it kinda smells like aftermath of a rough good sex if I may say so. It is kinda passionate I guess. It can be termed sensual but nooooooooooooot sexy at all. Man I don't know.
I am still getting to know it

11/19/2020
I visited this again today, then it hit me, the orange, oh dear the citrus mixed with leather = castoreum. The pissy smell is gone/mellowed down perhaps overtaken now by the citrus note. Medicinal, metal-like i detect chergui and five o'clock Gingembre
Argggg!!!
Okay back to sniffing my arm.

OK, this is an add to my review on the second day after wearing this parfume: the scent on my clothes and scarf from yesterday is - incense. The kind of sweet, smoky incense that you can smell in the orthodox churches. No more this metallic-powdery gunpowder that I got so much on my skin yesterday.

This was a blind buy for me, based solely on the notes listed in Fragrantica and the reviews.

The good news is that I really like the scent.

The bad news is that I don't get the notes listed by Serge Lutens or by Fragrantica.

For me it opens up with strong clove and then rests to powdery-metallic note that could be the gunpowder. If I put my nose close to my skin I can get also little bit tangerine, very vague incense and something sweet (maybe this is the osmanthus)?

I don't get the gingerbread as I imagine it: sweet and spicy, cinnamon-nutmeg-anise. No, no gingerbread at all. This is a pitty because I really love gingerbreads and I drink coffee with gingerbread spices all year long.

Also, based on the notes I imagined that the parfume could be overpouring, a real stink-bomb. The truth is the opposite: it is rather shy scent and the sillage and longeavity are poor.

Gorgeous stuff. Makes me think of a hot summer evening in the city. Definitely get the firecracker effect. This kind of feels like a modern nod to Old Spice which was a wild little thing when it was created. Favorite niche so far.

FYI The powder in this is gun powder.
This a hot fragrance to me. Like literaly hot. It gives the impression of heat.
Like hot ginger and orange tea with a little floral sweetness and a faint dirty wisper in the background.
It also has a metalic vibe, a bit blode like wich is the gunpowder imo.
A nice frag. For me it was to masculin. But it sure was a nice and intriging experience! Definitly test it. It is perfectly unisex but I like more tipicaly female branded frags.

I didn't get Christmas either: I got crystalized ginger in sea air. It’s fizzy ginger, almost fresh but with crystalized sweet notes and fresh air from the citrus, Faint faint florals so light they don’t register as flowers and some nice warm light spices round this out. I love it all day long. Very nice.

Nobody really mentions in comments the leather note that is listed in the pyramid. Is is noticeable? This seems to be right up my alley, but I detest leather smell anywhere, especially in a perfume.

Christmas Eve Day fragrance: Baptême du Feu by Serge Lutens.

I couldn’t quite deal with this fragrance the first time I got it earlier this year. The citrus and spice in the opening was promising, that Christmas cookie vibe. But then, I found it too dry and woody when it settled, a smell that brought to mind chips of scented wood; interesting, but more suited to inanimate objects, holiday decorations.

A couple or so more tests in the months after gave me the same impression, and I was discouraged and disappointed. But I decided to wait until the holidays or until cooler weather to give this fragrance a chance.

So today, I bravely wore it out for the first time, for my Christmas Eve Day me-time treat. And to my surprise, I found the scent that gently wafted from me a lot more pleasant than I remembered. It still isn’t a favorite or even a true like (yet), but it made me want to sniff more of it. I’m not sure if it was the holidays, the less oppressive weather, my mood, or what, but suddenly Baptême du Feu was promising again, and definitely appropriate for the occasion.

Perhaps it was smelling it from a little more distance (i.e. not pressing my nose to my wrist), or perhaps it was from actually wearing it, that made it more palatable to my nose. Whatever the reason, I’ll surely continue trying this out to see if this becomes a solid like, or a one-time hit.

Woody orange.
Actually very nice on me, but something still bothers me. Maybe it has too much Christmas vibe or it is generally too strong. It smells like my essential oils. Only more expensive.
After awhile it is just an average masculine scent.

It’s a critical question: why do you purchase a fragrance? For the joy of olfactory experiences or just for crowd pleasing? Baptism with fire, is indeed the manifestation of serge lutens concept of perfumery. An imaginary girl fallen in the rabbit hole, finds a big candy covered with ginger. It takes time to fully realize what i mean about not caring about what people might think or judge about your scent. It is sweet and kind of new and paradoxically still classic,
Good longevity and sillage for me. 6.5/10

Wow, i just cant get it. who would love it....
Its my personal opinion but, it really make me feel nausea. i got a sample from house of serge lutens its horribel to me.
maybe blending of orange and gingercookie make me sick. I just threw away the sample.
although leau serge lutens comes good feeling for me

LIGHT BROWN / ☆☆☆☆☆

This one for me,is an underrated gem.
This is one fragrance that ..I get something different each time I smell it. Must be my chemistry...???
Initially..I get a sweet citrus-ish fruity vibe...then I get the vintage powder vibe with still more notes arising from underneath. I don't "get" gunpowder..??!!
There is a smoothness to this..(not creamy,IMO)
I was 50/50 on this while wearing it...then I just kept wanting to smell it again and again.
On my skin, it is not a projection/sillage bomb...but it does persist softly...but still edures somehow.
This has to be "worn" and "experienced" on you skin before final judgement,IMO.
Loving it !!!!

First bottle from Serge Lutens, it’s weird coming from someone who’s only ever worn designer fragrances.

When I spray it on it opens up with a really beautiful juicy mandarin, the first sniff for me was very realistic and kinda refreshing, that lasts for about 30 seconds though. Then the gunpowder haha. I’ve never smelled gunpowder before but there is something in here that is very metallic and I think I saw another review below that said it smells like hot metal, which I completely agree with. Apart from the mandarin opening, this does not strike me as an ‘edible’ fragrance. There’s spices for sure but never a gingerbread vibe for me. This perfume also lasts quite well on me but doesn’t really project to hard which is ok because although I don’t think it’s a particularly offensive smell I’m not sure if people other than the person wearing it would find it particularly pleasing either. Its a perfume for when you’re feeling selfish and you just wanna enjoy something that’s unique and different, I really really like it! The name is also fitting as an excellent introduction to ‘niche’ perfume for me. Try to sample before you buy.

Edit - After wearing this for a while longer I can say that other people really like it, my initial thought that other people might not like it too much is wrong I think. It gets quite a bit of attention, on me at least.

Does anyone else find this reminiscent of a love tumble between some Gucci Rush and a bottle of Jagermeister?... In the middle of a welding shop?? I love how weird it is.

The isn't powdery notes; it's GUNPOWDER. That's the sharp, metallic note that I thought was just bitter orange.

Its a mystery how the fragrances of SL are composed.
Thats utterly true also for this one
I love it.
the start is as mysterious as its ingredients.
Starting in a fresh-powdery and sweet way that reminds me of some distinctive perfumes from old days.
Its a bit in the range of Colonia from Acqua di Parma but more woody
The Ginger bread is in coming true in the dry down. In this way its remembering me of the bakeries on the markets in Germany as in Aachen (city is the origin of ginger-bread) baking there Ginger bread as the Christmas markets selling ginger bread and perfumes. Then there is also some tea-like note, and i guess that due to the osmanthus and the orange-citrus.
In the end its most woody reminding almost of sandal-like wood mixed with a typical musk.
Its a nice perfume that i think is more for autumn but is also very distinctive and has some great class.

Cirque rouge by Marc Chagall 1956-1960

fish

I've read that there's really no powder note, but a gunpowder note. That fragrantica got it wrong.

This may be chemistry dependent. On my skin this is like a festively metallic ginger sparkler (like the fireworks kind of sparkler) that burns bright and hot until it fades away. Starts with a gorgeous incense note that gives way to the ginger and woods, and it's drydown is a gentle warm spicy and powdery sweet ginger with a musky depth. It gets brighter and more metallic at one point in its development. Bapteme du Feu is a fun trip, much prettier and more glamorous than the reviews suggest. In spirit it reminds me of Parfum D'Hermes in the Parfum de Toilette concentration, because its drydown is powdery, sexy and bright. There's a bit of glamour to it, especially on fabric. I tried it at Barney's and bought a full bottle.

As a Gourmand lover i deeply dislike this very well made "vintage vibe" scent.
On my skin it has NOTHING to do withe cookies or mandarine but all with the back- end of a civet cat.
A big compliment to mister Sheldrake to create a fume that is so unique and controversial and has thank god not the slightest oily Arabian perfume background as all Montale, Bond etc. perfumes have!!

Cold weather is here, and this is wonderful! Gingerbread, orange rind and clove. This perfume was fuming and suffocating in warm weather, but has crystallized into beautiful facets in the chill.

That Good-n-Plenty + caraway opening is a real punch to the senses. Hang on, though, because in less than 30 minutes, it morphs into orange-tinged incense. Weirdly likable, but too much of a skin-scent for me to go full bottle.

I just got this today, this was a blind buy, but after reading the mixed reviews on here I was scared to open it . So after Carefully peeling open the cellophane ( in case I had to return it) ...the first sniff...OMG , it’s beautiful. The references to gunpowder made me think of Amour Nocturne, it’s nothing like it at all, i do not get the reference. This is as others have said is “Christmas in a bottle” deffo an autumn/winter perfume, I can’t wait to wear it full on, as I’ve only tested it today... such a brill blind buy

The ultimate dark fairytale perfume. With Baptism by Fire, the eclectic Serge Lutens have created one of the most unique perfumes that immediately transport you to the land of the Grimm fairytales. The perfume opens with notes of gingerbread and tangerine. The heart encompasses osmanthus and castoreum. The perfume dries down into a woody powdery base where I can detect cedar, cloves, ginger and patchouli, perhaps amber. Unisex (slight feminine leaning) with moderate projection and sillage and very good longevity. Only for fairy tale lovers. Enjoy!

Ohh, fun. Serge Lutens always makes unique compositions. The opening is... interesting. I had a little bit of regret upon first sniff because it's nothing like how I had imagined. I agree with the other reviewers who mentioned it smells a bit sharp or gunpowder-like. It's almost off-putting because of the strangeness. A few minutes later, the citruses and spice start coming through. It never goes full gourmand, but if I had to explain it to someone who couldn't test it, it does smell a lot like Christmas time in America, not cookies or cakes, but the smell of scented Christmas decor like those ornate pinecones and spicy scented room sprays that appear in higher-end home decor stores. It brings back memories of Christmases in Pennsylvania, and there's nothing wrong with that. Best suited for cold weather.

I really thought I was destined to love this one, but alas, it did not work for me. On my skin, the ginger was sharp, fresh, and honestly a bit acrid. It was so strong I felt like I could taste it in the back of my throat. I am generally a fan of ginger, but this just felt too raw.
Unfortunately, the ginger overpowered the rest of the notes in this. I detected osmanthus and a bit of that "gunpowder" note, but I wasn't even lucky enough to get tangerine or any citrus for that matter.
I don't think this is inherently a bad scent by any means, I just think it's one that's best tested before purchasing. It's worth trying!

I tried a sample of this, a very light swipe from a wand and got lovely sweet, hot whiffs from my arm. Tried it again and it reminded me of those “masculine” scented candles with names like Thunderstorm or Midnight. Decided it wasn’t for me, but ended up buying it anyway because I found a deal I couldn’t pass up (I know, it’s an issue, but it’s better than drugs). After giving myself a rather heavy few sprays I learned 3 things 1) when SL says it’s high concentration, he means it 2) this is way more interesting than a scented candle 3) some scents definitely are meant for cold weather. I have no idea what gunpowder smells like, and I’m not getting a fireworks vibe from this so far (I say so far because I’m on hour 5 and it’s still going strong). What I do get is an almost lemon verbena with sweet ginger that starts off with almost an old school men’s cologne vibe before tapering into a sweet warmth... I want to describe it as a scent like after you’ve sprayed a fragrance, then went outside on a hot humid day. A bit ripe and salty under the warm sweetness. That sounds gross, but it’s not a stinky odor, just a warm, animalic saltiness. BdF also has a sensation- dry heat. When you smell it, it feels hot and dry. It’s basically a headache in a bottle for summer, but I imagine this will be perfection in winter. This is a weird and unusual fragrance, but I’m looking forward to getting to know it better once the chill is back in the air and the leaves begin to turn.

Smells on me; like citrus & blood.

very odd.

I do like it. but it's very strange on me.

on him, well yes, cloves & orange and all things Christmas,but on me it's metallic like blood and copper pennies in your mouth with a citrus scent.

Serge Lutens.
Never Boring!

Bapteme du Feu makes me think of Christmas and New Years Eve. It starts out citrussy with mandarins and oranges. At times, it has an edge of a classic male citrus cologne, but there is also sweetness from the gingerbread to balance it out. This is a really spicy gingerbread with lots of ginger, not some bland sweet stuff from the supermarket. That's the Christmas part.
And why NYE? It's not listed here from some reason, but in the official description from SL, they talk about a gunpowder note, representig shooting ranges on a funfair. I've always been more of a fan of claw cranes, so this metallic tingle reminds me of firecrackers on NYE instead.

So, this is very conceptual to me. Christmas with mandarins, spicy pastries and grandpa's old school cologne (not my own grandpa's, mind you). Small fireworks on the street a week later.
It's completely unisex to me, as these smells are universal. But it's not something I would wear.

Bapteme du Feu doesn't smell like I expected from the Fragrantica note pyramid, it was a blind buy. I don't really get gingerbread or marmalade here. What I smell (overall) is more of a spiced tangerine fougere type of scent with a little hint of something dry/salty (the gunpowder note, yes? -
a sort of unlit firework vibe). Whatever...it's quite clever & strange, & is not a talc/cosmetic type of "powdery".

It opens up orangey, spicy & herbacious, but as it progresses white florals come through quite prominently, imo. I think neroli & orange blossom or petitgrain? It reminds me strongly of a warmer (winter) version of Kenzo Ca Sent Beau, & I think anyone who likes the Kenzo would enjoy this one. I'm quite puzzled by BdF, it makes me wonder if I perhaps smell things differently to most people ... Anyway, I sure wasn't expecting such prominent white floral notes - & (to my nose at least) they're absolutely there, loud & clear ! I don't think the note pyramid above represents accurately, there's a lot more going on here than the listed notes suggest.

It's nicely done & I like it, but this type of white florals are not my favourite notes so (with hindsight) I possibly wouldn't have bought it. BUT, it does smell really really good in freezing cold weather, I have to say - so I'm keeping it. It's a Guy Fawkes perfume !

Edit: I was hoping for a sort of orangey/gingerbread version of Jeux de Peau - & this isn't it. Oh well, (maybe) my perception just might help someone else considering a blind buy of BdF ...or maybe not :-)

Imagine you are at a bonfire and someone rolls up in a front loader full of pomander balls and dumps them into the fire.

smoky cloves, oranges

I would love to love this, but after a lovely orange-spicy opening, this just turns metallic on me, like corroded silver, and faded to nothing after an hour. I love Serge Lutens and happily wear many of his more obscure creations and have to say, this is a safe one for most people to try and not be repulsed. Sadly, it's not for me, although I love it on others.

Why not Bapteme du Sagesse....?

Very interesting this one, yet comforting too. I like it.

For some reason I thought I was smelling immortelle, but when I checked notes here I decided it might be the combination of ginger and castoreum.

It's very more-ish as a scent, I like the way castoreum works here. I'm not so keen on it when it's paired with intense vanilla though (such as Musc Ravageur, which I like but find a little too sickly or obviously animalic at times, also Felanilla which can veer towards too sweet in drydown, lovely as it is).

The orange and ginger in Bapteme di Feu cut through the pissiness of castoreum here, making it warm so it becomes more of a comfort scent, definitely one for winter though.

It reminds me of a cosy dark liqueur, castoreum is usually associated with sexy animalistic effects, but this is subtler thanks to the sharper, less sweet notes.Into drydown it becomes significantly sweeter though.

Probably my favourite of the more recent Lutens perfumes. One to think of buying when the nights draw in again!

I don't know where this "marmalade" is coming from. I sprayed up and get a huge herbal opening then a bit of dry ginger spice not like a sweet gingerbread then all of a sudden it is gone, and I am left with a sharp skin-scent chypre.

Wonderful! Sweet and delicious!! Gorgeous marmalade beginning, followed soon by delicious gingerbread then lovely flowers and woods. It becomes smoother and more velvety as time goes on, and is really beautiful. Beautiful and totally divine. A scrumptious gourmand. I love it, it's fabulous. It lasts so well too, hours and hours, and stays delectably strong the whole way. It's a gorgeous gorgeous fragrance.

Baptême du Feu is more than just the notes listed above. Yes, it has a slight gourmand edge, a bit like orange rinds and gingerbread, but there is much more at work here. First, it has a long life, and each stage of the perfume is interesting. Initial spray is a perfect balance of sweet/floral and darker wood/incense. In a few minutes, it's slightly more powdery, but a subdued and mellow powder, more akin to an old lipstick smell, and not the high-pitched powder of carnations. Then as it fades it is nuttier, darker, thinning out finally to a soft floral that is then more like carnation but with sweetness. Here at this stage it resembles Vitriol d'Oeillet.

The fact that it moves from such a heavy and dense beginning to a rounded, smooth, almost velvety-paper end is really wonderful. Such a rich perfume experience. It really must be experienced - it seems to me almost a perfect "starter" perfume for someone who wants to know what Serge Lutens is all about. It takes the best of his nose for gourmand and his love of sharp floral and pulls them together into a long-life perfume of many rich faces.

I had a sample of this and tested it completely expecting it to be a " meh" going off the earlier reviews. Boy was I wrong! This starts out on me as a very jammy orange that calms down and gives way to a Moreish gingerbread, but never disappears totally.
Woody notes creep into the mix and it switches from harshness to loveliness constantly creating the most addictive aroma. Its silage and longevity are both great and I just find it such a mysterious, intoxicating scent and from so few ingredients! Who knew?!

It opens with a lovely and unusual riff on burnt marmalade, but does not hold long enough. (To someone who just adores Mandarin Mandarine). I thought we were back in Oncle Serge's fine art milleau but..... in the end I get a strange feeling that it's a melange of Chypre Rouge and ? Nuit Cellophane...something... there is a nice but not very persistent chord of cinnamon. The ginger is very warmly, yeasty, subdued to a cook who does a lot of Pacific Rim stuff with raw grated ginger root. It is completely unique, and as such I had to try and express what it makes me think....
I'm sure I will buy a bottle.

Opening decisive and strong tangerine,it is the first Note that you feel very much in evidence! After a while I feel like the other notes accompany so soft, almost in the distance,a whisper of a past memory, made harmonious by the notes listed in the background ... I can detect a certain dust,and a note of great Osmanthus ! Another really nice S.Lutens perfume, I feel that this perfume is a combination of old and new,of melancholy and harmony. That's a different fragrance for autumn/winter... among other Lutens always amazes me, how did with this new eau de parfum....Nice!

Sillage: 7.5/10
Longevity: 8.5/10
Scent: 8.5/10

Overall: 8.5/10

The initial vibe is a strong citrusy and aromatic opening that recalls the classic men aftershaves from the 70s.

After 10-15 minutes, the classic cologne accord is becoming sweeter and sweeter. We can smell pungent spices (the accord of gingerbread is noticeable, but not overwhelming) mixed with powdery notes that recall sweet myrrh or opoponax.

"Baptême de Feu" is nice, well done, and that classic-retro vibe never disappears. But, despite the name, there's nothing striking, wild, ritualistic or violent in this perfume.

6,5/10

While I think Serge still has some major cleaning up to do following the utter mess he's made over the last few years, there's a faint echo of the line's apex here. Some of the weird, winey, fruity, woody-gourmands like Chene and Chergui are mirrored here, but it's closer to Xerjoff's Red Hoba than anything — only several decibels lower. For the first ten minutes it smells like chewy cinnamon candy — a touch mentholated for ventilation (think red vines, only less saccharine and more rich). A slight cosmetic floral effect is mapped onto a tame cashmeran for a creamy, velvety texture. After the opening fades away (very fast, unfortunately), that's really what you're left with: a savory take on cinnamon candy masquerading as a plush albeit diaphanous fabric. While it does get your attention, it doesn't hold it for long.

Cross between l'orpheline and Vitriol d'oeillet. If you love those two then you will love this. Or you could mix l'orpheline and VdO yourself.

Opens with a burst of ginger and dries down to a lovely violet/iris/musc base and finally an wee oud note peeps through but not overtly.

This is good - I am a fan of Serge anyway, I love his perfumes, some more than others. This isn't as stellar as some of his other potions but that said, I bought, I like it and I will wear it.

Highly recommended if you like the idea of owning a calmer fragrance from his line.

Interesting mix of woody notes and spices. I can sense cloves in it. Smells like early Christmas, as many Serge Lutens scents do.
It has the quality, the interesting composition and the longevity, it doesn't disappoint.
Gingerbread note definitely exists in this fragrance.

Barney's in NYC just got it in today. I'm smelling fresh, slightly fiery ginger instead of gingerbread, but the composition has a counterintuitive "cool" feeling thanks to an almost incense-like gunpowder note. A lack of sweetness stops this being too obviously gourmand. While it's not the most groundbreaking composition, it is certainly interesting and well-made. There's a very autumnal feeling to it.

"My emotions are fluid. Like liquid wax poured into a mould, they determine what seduces me - like this gingerbread heart"
Serge Lutens
Bapteme du Feu
A bombastic gourmand!
i got my bottle from Niche Essence in Toronto, Canada.

Well, Oncle Serge as we know him is "back from his long trip," bringing us loads of tangerines! This is not Mandarine Mandarin (though it shares some DNA without the "celery"), and it's not Gingembre (that is more woody, resin, spicy oriental), and I love Vitriol d'Oeillet which someone compared this too (I'm alone there too...)--and This is not That, but, something rather fresh. And old.

To my nose this is a woody-aquatic initially summery fragrance in the top notes that border on "foody-gourmand" plunging one into a "jammy rosy citrus" potpourri in the first discordant and dazzling few minutes. I kind of like the first 5 minutes--though they conjure up many "men's" scents (Old Spice meets CK1). I also was transported instantly to the realms of Yankee Candle shops which did not exactly delight.

Five--ten minutes in BDF trims the gourmand border closely. The osthmanthus is present but gripped more tightly by its truer tangerine captor, and the ginger is neither a "biting-lemonesque," nor is it a warm, woody "gingerbread ginger." It skews toward "potpourri." Twenty minutes in, it seems like Oncle's trip down memory lane brought back grandma's drying bits of old flowers heavily mingled with long-dead spices, now so old and blended one cannot make out the clove from the cinnamon stick lying in the dusty crystal dish.

I love potpourri (I do!), but this one is disconcerting. Perhaps more accurately, it calls to mind the old-fashioned pomanders that used to hang in closets that as young girls we'd make as gifts, where one punctures an orange with a bunch of cloves. Where the cloves would be, is the ginger, so imagine the effect if it was somehow "dried bits of ginger star" piercing a mandarin rather than orange, and hanging in the closet for a very long time.

Underlying this odd powder pomander-tangerine predominant note is an "aquatic-calone" vibe I know is not listed and nothing above in the notes identifies or points to. Nowhere do I get gunpowder, and I grew up shooting guns. Ignoring the politics for now, from a very early age, I watched my father clean his guns, and we would shoot pistols, his regulation gun as well as rifles and shotguns. I even had the dubious pleasure of shooting a muzzleloader with powder that knocked my 10 year old frame nearly to the ground. I know what gunpowder smells like, and I was looking forward to seeing how that note could (easily I thought) be incorporated to the overall notes. But I don't get it unless it is a slight, very faint "metal"tinge to the aquatic, or, what I'm sensing is similar to "calone" is the purported "gunpowder" note.

All of the SLs that this points to I quite enjoy (including the feared "celery-Mandarine" which turns into what this one "wants" to be, that is, a spicy oriental that I just love...).

On the tester strip, rather than my skin, the scent is more generally "citrusy" with a subtle ginger bite to it, cleaner and crisper with better defined edges and less powder. The osthmanthus is still subdued but present and trying to hold its own. I sense vetiver though not listed, as well as a jammy rose quality, and I think that it does share some notes with Mandarine Mandarin (so if one did not love that scent, I really don't think one would like this one either--but, if it was the "celery" that repelled, that note is absent here).

I wear Vitriol d'Oeillet with great pleasure, and my Gingembre is a comfort scent, but I really don't know about this one. I have a FB so will wear for a while to see how it morphs. I have discovered that SL perfumes change with weather and temperature and personal chemistry as well as mood. In its overall "wearability" it's a bit like Douce Amere.

Silage seems low with good to very good longevity.
Happy sniffing!

Intriguing and mysterious ... a playful interpretation of gingerbread (and fresh ginger, I feel) combined with a citrus halo suspended between velvety and harsh and with a surprising woody note which composes , decomposes... very special... another great Lutens!!!

i need to smell this