Above The Waves
Etat Libre d'Orange
Discover Above the Waves, the first tea-inspired fragrance by Etat libre d’Orange.
The ritual of tea is more than a gesture, it is a way of reconnecting with movement, with breath, with life itself.
In honor of Mazu, the goddess who protects sailors, the spirit of movement, and the promise of elevation, we translate this timeless ritual into fragrance. A blend of two unique tea varieties, aromatic and fresh. It is a perfume that protects and uplifts, reminding us to take a step back, to rise above, to see the larger picture. Beyond the waves, beyond the elements, this is not just a fragrance, it is a companion for life’s journey.
Fragrance Facts
Head Notes: Bergamot, Cardamom, Incense
Heart Notes: Green Maté, Ceylan Tea, Rose
Base Notes: Tonka Bean, Cedar, Vetiver
Perfumer: Etat Libre d'orange
Conception: Paris, France
Year of Release: 2025
- Meet the Brand
- Meet the Maker
- Media
Etat Libre d'Orange were founded in 2006 by Etienne de Swart. Disenchanted with modern perfumery, Etienne sought to start a perfume revolution by eschewing trends and embracing all that is unconventional and rebellious.
The logo of Etat Libre d'Orange invokes the tricolour of the French flag, celebrating freedom and liberty! With this in mind they founded their independent perfume republic, free from convention, giving perfumers and guest noses the chance to create without financial or creative limits.
Etat Libre d'Orange (The Orange State of Freedom); always witty and provocative, always ambitious, forever free.
Etienne de Swardt

Etienne de Swardt, an opportunist since 1970, is a survivor of consumerism, a witness to (and participating in) the decay and atrophy Known As the business of beauty. Etat Libre d'Orange is His rehabilitation, His Attempt to cleanse himself. Burned by life, with all ict perversions and distortions, he now Makes perfume as an antidote to despair.
He has-been Told (as we all-have): find yourself, be yourself. Purpose he knows (as do we all) That this is a futile pursuit in a meaningless void. So he Creates a collection of scents That ask "who do you want to be today?" This suits His nature as a refined chameleon, living a singular existence as an oedipal mammal and naked cowboy in a state of contradiction. He is an arrogant egoist Who Recognizes His own inadequacies.
Whether he comes from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away from gold Some terrifying future dystopia, he knows That he knows nothing, he is only That lost in this century, lost in translation. He is a citizen of nowhere, so he HAS FORMED the Orange Free State, a fantasy world Where he can Demonstrate the beauty in strangeness.
A blatant disregard for convention Enables _him_ to give in à son basest instincts, and He Has taken it upon himself to unleash His obsessions in the form of scent. He sells himself. With His manwhore attitude, He Has surrendered à son own narcissism, arrogant and this pathology is the gateway to Orange Free State.
Introduction to Etat Libre D'Orange
Etat Libre d'Orange X Ogilvy from Etat Libre d'Orange on Vimeo.
Etat Libre d'Orange at Esxence 2016
Credit: Esxence 2016

