Description
The fashion designer of gorgeous couture dresses Azzedine Alaïa launched his first perfume Alaïa in 2015, a leather scent based on the contrast between cool and hot, oriental notes. The fragrance was inspired by the designer’s memories of his childhood spent in Tunisia, like water poured over hot brick walls. Alaïa Blanche comes out in late 2016 as its new edition.
Alaïa Blanche is inspired by the designer’s visit to the fortress of Alhambra in Granada in the south of Spain. People who worked on the creation include Carla Sozzani, the famous editor of Italian Vogue and founder of the brand 10 Corso Como, designer Martin Szekely and fashion photographer Paolo Roversi.
The composition is created by perfumer Marie Salamagne, who is also behind the original: “The bottle design is elegant and simple, inspired by contemporary art. We wanted to focus on a minimalist design, black and white, with this symbol of opposition and attraction between men and women.”
The elegant glass bottle has kept the shape and design of the original, only instead of black, it comes in white with the letters in nude. Available as a 50 and 100 ml Eau de Parfum.
ifbb – :
This is divine!I tested it yesterday and I couldnt stop smelling it. I love powder scents, Valentina poudre is my top one but this also is WOW – powder power and really elegant with vanilla and white flowers behind giving it a really rich sophisticated aura! It fits to a woman entering a room and everyone is wondering how amazingly sweet but sophisticated she smells. Love it! If anyone wants to swap it please oh please message me!
FeklinDI – :
It is something between Narciso Narciso and Narciso Poudree with more stingy vanilla. A little bit disappointing as imitation is obvious and nothing unique. Silage is quite strong.
tem200288 – :
I don’t know how given the comparison of different notes pyramids, but I find this to be extremely similar to Ellen Tracy Bronze. Powdery, a little dry, distinctive heliotrope, very sheer and beautiful. Parfum Blanche is a little muskier than ET’s Bronze; I find myself reaching for this fragrance in the evenings right before bed as it has that cozy, relaxed, comfy and snuggled up at home feel to me. Additionally, I think the “solar notes” give this one a slightly brighter feel than Bronze has.
Fragrance: 8/10 Beautiful but not as unique as I expected.
Performance: Moderate or better. Soft sillage and projection unless you overapply.
Value: Price to quality/performance ratio is good, from my experience.
Oddly, although I become quickly anosmic to this fragrance, while I can’t smell it, strangers in public have offered unsolicited compliments. I wish I could still detect what others can, other than in mysteriously-fleeting whiffs here and there seemingly out of nowhere and everywhere at once.
Nera) – :
Several commenters here have noted that the “official” notes list differs from the notes listed here; it includes almond, heliotrope, vanilla, and musk. But I understand why this listing includes “solar notes”, as the opening has a slightly honeyed, lemony vibe that I’ve smelled in other fragrances listing “solar notes”, like DKNY Nectar Love. Here, it is slight and fleeting; Alaia Blanche quickly moves into powdery territory with an undertone of vanilla. It is really pretty! When its vanilla and musk notes emerge, they are soft and lovely — as long as you apply with a light hand. I think this could overwhelm if oversprayed, as it is sweet. Not sugary, but sweet like vanilla and honey used in baking, combined with a touch of almond extract or flour. The musk is one of the nicest I’ve smelled, very warm and soft, and it last a long time. I can still smell it on my skin the morning after I applied this before going to bed.
osb23 – :
Received it as a gift from my man and I love it
I can see why it’s compared to Valentino Poudre which I also own but they’re not dupes by any means.the note “powder” is truely detectable in both,but other than that powder-vanilla gene which they share,I can’t find much in common
I can detect powder,non-descript floral notes and a soft veil of powdery vanilla since the very first minute of spraying it.Valentino Poudre gene is apparent in the opening part but it’s more airy,less vanilla heavy in Alaia Blanche.in less than ten minutes musk shows up.it’s not a cold,harsh or chemical musk,not an oily,skanky one either.I love powder and vanilla but what makes me love this perfume is it’s musk which has such a magical dance on my skin that I sometimes find myself hypnotized.I can sometimes feel it’s warm,animalic undertone but sometimes it feels silky and clean.
Heliotrope reigns the drydown with it’s yummy almond-vanilla cookie scent but I can still can smell enough musk and a light veil of a floral accord to see it as a perfumey scent,not a totally foody one.I like it all through it’s life but dry down is heavenly and comforting.
I can see that most people consider Alaia Blanche unisex but I find it very feminine,charming in a non-pretentious,elegant way and sexy,truely sexy in a nude,delicate way.it’s soft and gentle yet deep.unlike some other light,nude fragrances lacking character is not a case here.it doesn’t try to look complex or different,it doesn’t shout at anybody but is artistically done and while it may remind us numerous other perfumes,it’s actually original IMO
For me it’s a year round perfume.now I’m wearing it in hot summer days and it feels right
Longevity and sillage have good ratings in fragrantica but unfortunately not on me.it becomes a skinscent in an hour and I can’t smell it three hours after spraying.it’s a shame as I love it and I prefer to be able to smell it like a cloud of powder around me for couple of hours.I’m new to this perfume so maybe my nose gets anosmic to it(usually this changes after a while) or maybe it performs better in cold weather
For now I can say that I like and enjoy it a lot and I’m glad to have it,though I’m not satisfied by it’s strength
wjh104InsuffBooni – :
I pick up a boatload of vanilla here, and a little honey (perhaps this is how my skin is translating the solar note in this?). I don’t get white floral, nor the musk, nor the powdery notes, but I agree with UnearthlyApothecary’s bit of “There is a creamy gourmand sweetness here as well, my daughter said it smells like cupcakes”..that to me is spot-on, and I agree, this has the perfect sillage. Not too heavy or overpowering, but not a skin scent. You might get soft whiffs of this on the person 2 people ahead of you in the checkout line, that type of sillage. I think this would be especially lovely during the cooler/colder months.
A little bit too sweet for my taste and the bottle is not quite as pretty as I’ve seen some mention about the Alaia bottles, and I don’t see any similarities between Alaia Blanche and the other current crop of “reminds me of” list here on fragrantica…But to each their own! 🙂
гена – :
Wow! So glad I swapped for this! What a beauty <3
This is the day to Valentina Poudre’s night
It is lighter, the white florals give it an almost tropical vibe
I find the ambrette very medicinal and masculine and heavy in Poudre
This is the softer, more feminine musky powder.
Absolutely stunning
There is a creamy gourmand sweetness here as well, my daughter said it smells like cupcakes lol
The silage is just perfect
longevity is great, could still smell it on my skin after a shower
андрей1 – :
opening stage is very similar to NR Poudree…drydown is fresh and milky high quality cosmetic powders.. very nicely blended.. evolves, projects and lasts.. 9/10
s77 – :
I decided to blind buy this fragrance based on your reviews 🙂 although I do like it, I need to test it on my skin. So far, on paper, this reminds me of Chanel Allure. It might be a little too strong for my nose. But I really want to give it a try and see how it changes on my skin. I’m hoping the almond comes out on me.
Update: I wore it for 6 hours and unfortunately, I was disappointed. I had high hopes for this fragrance. The musk came out on me. All I smell is sweet heavy musk. But I think it’s my body chemistry. I don’t do well with musks. It gave me a headache right away, but I wanted to wear it and see if it changed on me. I’m so sad because the reviews I read mentioned powder and vanilla and I really wanted to like this one.
ulcenoPreorex – :
Hard to find in France. Only sold in Alaia boutique. Classy almond scent. I would have call this one “nude” and not “blanche” because this one is really soft and the “nude” is too woody for me.
marhun – :
I’ve owned this for a couple of weeks now and worn it several times, but I’ve waited till now to post a review because my impressions seem so at odds with the notes posted above.
What I get is a beautiful, soft combination of powder, heliotrope, almond and vanilla with an underlying, but not at all aggressive musk.
For me, it is quite linear, and I do wish it had a bit bigger sillage and longevity but I have skin that seems to eat most scents so it’s not the only one I wish that about.
It does remind me slightly of Valentino Valentina Poudre but, thankfully, not so overpoweringly sweet and a more sophisticated and balanced blend of ingredients.
I really enjoy this scent and I’m willing to reapply a few times during the day in order to keep enjoying it.
As an added comment, my husband apparently really likes it too. Since he came in while I was writing this, I asked him how he liked the scent I was wearing now, and his response was, “ one of your best”.
Orbishacash – :
I totally agree with the previous review i find this so similar to poison girl, love them both <3
angelochek21 – :
I tried this fragrance simultaneously with poison girl from Dior, and found this “Alaïa” much better, more unique, has more interesting details in her character!
10/10
kavani – :
Both Alaia and Valentino Poudre are “powdery” – but this is as far as the similarity between them goes. They are most definitely not identical, Valentino is cosmetic powder without much else, Alaia is not powder as such, but powdery heliotrope with vanilla and a bit of almond. I prefer Alaia with its very delicate gourmand twist, although Valentino is still a pleasant and well executed powdery fragrance.
Nigoless – :
Almost identical to the almost simultaneously released Valentina Poudre. This one’s perhaps a bit lighter and therefore better suited for summer, or daytime. Which makes Valentino’s offering perhaps even more feminine.
****
malih1977 – :
Gosh!! this is so similar to Valentia Poudre, but the powder note here is less concentrated and all in all fresher than valentino,, if somebody likes valentina Poudre but wants something fresher or maybe a version for the hot weather, i suggest her/him this one,it is really nice.
Valentina Poudre has better sillage and longevity though!
pawlik37 – :
In a nutshell, this smells like Narciso by NR mixed with Narciso Poudree by NR without the woodiness or creaminess. I sprayed one spray on my forearm before getting in my car. First blast I smelled lots of vanilla mixed with a sharp floral. Thankfully, the sharpness disappeared pretty fast. Then, lots of powder, sweet vanilla, a bit of almond. Very feminine, a makeup powder smell. Nothing in this bring “solar” to my mind.
This perfume has great sillage and longevity! Don’t let the clear bottle fool you into thinking this is a sheer light scent. Great quality perfume!
Тунгуска – :
This is a nice, sweet, powdery fragrance. I also get a lot of strawberry, however that’s not listed in the notes. To me, this smells just like a strawberry popsicle. I don’t get much flowers or musk, this is straight up sweet and powdery. Sillage is soft, longevity is average-good.
dead n bass – :
In the event of Azzedine Alaïa’s death yesterday. I wore Blanche to commererate his passing and I made a point to spray it on my clothing as well as onto my skin; and for the first time it lasted the whole day…. After a few hours, I found that I could smell it as a skin scent when I buried my nose into my jumper.
Sadly I rarely reach for it as it’s just not heavy enough on me and lacks the depth I was hoping I would acheive from it, but from the moment I apply it, I struggle to smell it on myself. So I think I may have to let it go to someone who really appreciates it.
It is such a shame as it is the one musk scent that I can tolerate,as it is very well blended and I would give anything to smell the almond or solar notes but I get nothing. In fact I cannot identify any of the other notes listed, not even the white flowers, so that is sadly disappointing. However, I do get some powderiness, of which I find is stronger in the warmer weather.
Ultimately, I think this is a great scent for those who like light spicy musks. It works well during the day or at intimate gatherings when you want to relax and take it easy. And it def would work as unisex, as it is a good balance of masculine and feminine.
Canchi66 – :
makes sense, ArtDeco, I can definitely get heliotrope and almond here
MER72 – :
Actual notes listed on Alaia’s website:
Top: Almond
Middle: Heliotrope
Base: Animal and musky notes, vanilla absolute
tylpan81 – :
This reminds me, just a little, of Helicriss by Sylvaine Delacourte. The musk in this is much more pronounced in the beginning, but quickly dries down.
I’m not sure by what is referred to as ‘Solar Notes’ though. It seems like a Spring time day scent… like being out in a garden with sunrays beaming down… but in what pretentious way does that equate to actual notes that are solar? Is this not more of an accord? Floral and perhaps spicy notes combined to create the sensation of being in the sun? Odd note classification, Fragrantica. Odd indeed, but I must commend you for being much more knowledgeable and open minded than I am it seems.
All that aside… a beautiful scent, I love it.
jandaulov – :
This is stunning! It’s velvety smooth, creamy, milky. Very heavy on the heliotrope, can’t believe this note isn’t listed, there’s a heavy dollop of it! It’s unique, can’t think of anything like it, and suits every occasion, season, time! Adore the bottle too! Great longevity and sillage.
Sueno Kim – :
Smells like luxurious body cream or body oil used during the massage in fancy spa. I appreciate its uniqueness. Beautiful.
aleks9882 – :
What a beautiful fragrance so soft and addictive. My sister thought i was wearing hypnotic . I just love it!
ogliki – :
I was excited to test this perfume after all the comparisons to Valentina Poudre, which I love. I don’t see any fruity notes listed in the pyramid, but the initial blast I got from Alaïa Blanche was in fact some creamy fruitiness, almost like an artificial (and not so elegant) peach note that you would get on stationary as a child. The perfume mellowed down to a “sunny” (and not dusty) powdery drydown with a creamy hint. I didn’t care much for it at the start but the drydown is okay, but quite faint and maybe not that interesting. It’s not as elegant and comforting as Valentina Poudre, it actually has some note in the drydown that bothers me a bit, so I wouldn’t purchase it for those reasons. I do however agree with some other people here that this scent is lighter and more summery than Valentina Poudre (which can feel to heavy in warm weather), and could be a good Summer option for a creamy powdery skin-scent.
messir-alex – :
Stunning fragrance. Not something you want to wear if you have a hangover. The solar notes for me translate to something sort of aquatic smelling. Loud, sweet, addictive and screams high fashion. Something to wear when you want to be noticed. Very polished. Has a bit of an edge to it. Like that it doesn’t smell like everything else.
red1941 – :
Smooth, soft, airy, light vanilla dry down. I agree with those who recognize Valentina Poudre here but Blanche is lighter and during the first hour I get cherry? whereas I detect something like coconut in VP. If you find VP too heavy Alaia Blanche is an excellent choice. I personally prefer Valentina Poudre (or N.R. Poudree for that matter).
Artur4ik – :
Hmmm …I have to return..respect to Alaia.
This is why… I hate the dark Alaia- black bottle.
Today I have got…a perfume in Sacks 5th Ave in Chicago and the lady gave me a sample.
I even didn;t know what it is. when I came home and I saw word ALAIA on small white box I thought ALAIA- go to garbage and just out it there without even one spray.
Well by the evening I said to myself.. Blanche … let me see..
I went and I have sprayed on my tissue.
WOW- ok I won/t buy it.
But it is nice.
Blanche should be the one … which should take a lead with campaign and promotion not black.
I would say it some kind of spiceness and women scent.
It;s not for a girl but it;s sthg for a woman with character.
I like it because I feel powder…but…As Alaia is an Arab…I do feel white musk in it. To me is a scent from White Musk from Abdul Samad Quraishi and sthg from Arabian Oud. It reminds me how this store have smelled when I have crossed it in Dubai.
SO here is my theory: Blanche … has a better Arabic DNA than black Alaia. Because of the ingredient I have mentioned..This one might be consider as a modern middle eastern scent. Very similar to Abdul Samad Quraishu line from Saudi Arabia.
Agreed with previous review- it has sthg from narciso rodriguez. No doubt.
safalex – :
This is a very nice fragrance. It smells luxurious but very soft. It reminded me very much of J by Jennifer Aniston because of the sweet musk, but this one is more elegant and it is better made,a bit more mature too, but if you liked “J”, you can´t go wrong with this one.
On the beginning i get a very light sunny floral touch that i wished would last longer, but the powder soon overpowers it and almost everything else.I actually do like how the powder notes are made in this fragrance ( even though i am not a fan of powdery notes) but i wish it would be balanced by the solar notes and the white flowers.
Anyway, this is worth trying.
irrideFag – :
it’s very soft and airy and vanilla-powdery skinscent. it is very strange that even though i can’t smell it because it is so soft i think i’m in a cloud of vanilla and it’s there everywhere around me. very delicate fragrance.
Gaddy77 – :
dupe for narciso by narciso rodriguez is good but come on it has been done already
predator3564 – :
03. may 2017
At first i thought it was just a different bottle of the original Alaia fragrance in black bottle, so i didnt bother to test it even. The original was interesting fragrance, but not something i would wear. Few weeks ago i passed through deprtment store and saw this bottle and decided to try and BOY, did i do a right thing!!! This is just such a lovely nice fragrance that it went instantly on my want list. I didnt know the notes when i tested it and im surprised it has “powdery” notes, since it does not smell anything powdery in vein of Narciso Poudre, i mean, it just doesnt smell like a powder at all. It is a delicate milky vanilla, as someone mentioned indeed it smells like a rice pudding. It is such a delicate yet a very potent fragrance at the same time. I dont know anything about “solar notes”, all i smell is a delicate milky vanilla with a hint of musk. this vanilla is not an agressive vanilla bomb, which is a nice surprise.
Surprisingly potent smell and great lasting power. I enjoyed wearing it several times already and if it wouldnt be that expensive (120eur for 100ml) i would buy it instantly. Recommended!!!!
P.s. ok, it seems like the notes are incorrect indatabase, since the official website lists following notes: almond(top), heliotrope(middle), musk and vanilla (base). Well that makes sense now, it indeed smells like almond milk with one of my favorite flowers -heliotrope. This is 100%love from me and i hope adminswould change the notes.
GhostST – :
After initial tests it sounded like a classy, subtle floral with a soul. Today, I used my sample globally and to my surprise it turned out to be a rather hyponotic concontion with echoes of Hypnotic Poison, Hypnose and Ange ou Demon vanilla with facets reminiscent of almonds! Beautiful, but heavier than expected and with a lot of presence! Intriguing.
ome99 – :
Beautiful skin scent, like some sophisticated body cream, warm and cozy, all year round.
opponnaAntamp – :
This is the white skin scent I’ve been looking for! It is nice and soft, with a musky and milky vibe. The projection is low/moderate, but the longevity is on the short side at about 2-3 hours. It’s really lovely if you are looking for a nice vanilla powdery scent topped with white florals lightly dancing in a cloud of milk. It’s not too sweet and almost gets that playdough note, but never crosses the line. It has a similarity to Donna Karan Liquid Cashmere White. If you like that scent, then you will like this, but I like Alaia much more.
denisvol – :
Uuuuhhh so good ! Very good ! 😀 So happy I tested it because I wasn’t sure.. all about the packaging… didn’t catch my eye and since the black Alaia didn’t make my taste I never came to this precious perfume. I loved it! It’s like rice pudding mmmhh 😛 Reminds me Kenzo Amour
swanker – :
Smells like sweet rice pudding made with almond milk and cosmetic powder. I really like it!
grub_04 – :
My very first impression… it’s a mixture of Valentina Poudree and Violet Blond qith a touch of green notes. Beautiful, classy and addictive.
Feniks17 – :
It’s the second fragrance with Solar notes that I have tried in the last couple of weeks – looks like it becomes a trend in perfume world. Distinctively different from the original Alaia, which was more spice, more leather, more orient. Alaia Blanche comes in gorgeous mesh bottle and strikes with warmth and not overpowering light sweetness. It develops beautifully on the skin, and throughout the whole wear remains a beautiful clean powdery scent.
36131732 – :
It’s not very good in my opinion.
Terribly bitter and musky smelling.
I sense powdery notes, but it makes me feel like something is messed up with the scent. It’s so strong and kind of screechy.
I don’t like it at all. It makes me want to sneeze.
klipssa – :
So much better than the original which I hate.
They’re a few notes missing here, the almond especially which I feel it’s the star of this perfume.
It’s definitely powdery but not granny powdery, more like a floral modern and sweet powdery.
asya20072007 – :
You can get it at Saks.
solang77 – :
anyone know where to get this in the US?
Caramel – :
just tested it today – love at the first sniff which happens rarely to me….light soft non sweet vanilla with soft musk and kind of milky – like a vanilla milk shake. it resembles Cerruti 1881 Blanche a lot with the soft almondy vanilic heliotrope. get Cerruti fot a fragment of the Alaia price and you wont be dissapointed
studentvsegda.nastya – :
Strangely addictive. It’s a powdery almond vanillla perfume with a milky note. It’s a white scent. A skinscent but strong . Although Paris Blanche is mainstream it falls In to niche cathegory in my opinion. It does not smell very main stream .
It’s sweet but not candy sweet. More of a sensual , classy sweet or a cookie as far as sweetness and smell goes.
Almond ,vanilla& powder , plus milk sums it up !
Almost like a shortbread cookie with ground up almonds , even a hint of lemon in its opening or something citrusy. Someone said meringue ! The musk keeps it from going completely into edible gourmand cathegory and keeps it clean ,there for I would say it’s a woody floral musk as suggested.
However I still don’t understand the solar note.
arcanados – :
Just received my bottle, and I love it!! It is strikingly pretty, very warm, very romantic…it really makes me think of sandy dunes, of tropical flowers, it has an undertone of sunscreen, but the most expensive one…the animalistic vibe is there from the top notes to the base, giving Alaia personality and a bold presence, the sweetness comes early on, it isn’t a typical sweetness, nothing is boring or generic about Alaia…it is exotic , proper, beautiful..I don’t find it overly powdery, I own Valentina Poudre which is a lot more powdery to my nose…the heart is more floral, I thought I detected candied violets, not sure..I think of a sun drenched house with white walls…nice creation
I asked my husband what he thought, he doesn’t seem to know!!
It has a bit of Hypnotic Poison sensuelle ‘ S vibe..but I find it better …for my taste, what a great scent!!
It is like a clean scent with a dirty undertone, real unique.!!
crayry8 – :
Powdery white floral scent, not bad, not exceptionally good either. I like it, but it’s not in my style.
Enjoymnteem – :
This was a nice surprise! Strong and yet feminine, simple and warm but powerful.
Solar notes (whatever they are) give such a warmth to this composition. I smell amber, honey, vanila… like expensive suntan oil or lotion. But it is not another beach summer fragrance!
The gorgeous Musk adds the super warm, sexy, skin, almost animalic element.
The white flowers make it fresh like spring, and at the end the powder gives it another dimension of warmth, but it is the winter warming coziness.
This is one comforting, rich scent. It is deep and complex, but its nature is simple and sooo feminine. Suitable for all seasons, it can fit into summer happy vibes same as it can be warm winter blanket.
It is not trivial evet hough there are many similar. But this one somehow beat them all for at least a class.
katabazis – :
I found a tester bottle of this on the bottom shelf in one of the department stores. It stood among some celebrity perfumes. There was not even a promotion of the new scent, very bizarre.
Now onto the fragrance, this is a powder bomb to me, even more powdery, than flankers by Valentino and Narciso Rodriguez.
In my opinion, Marie Salamagne put heliotrope really generously into the composition, because it gives you that almond powder type of smell. This accord with a significant amount of baking vanilla in the base makes the perfume.
On my skin the fragrance evokes a feeling of a delicious meringue sprinkled with some almonds. Very gourmand and exceptionally sweet!