Description
The designer house of Balmain, led by young creative director Olivier Rousteing, steps out with a new interpretation of its signature, classical chypre, floral and fruity perfume Ivoire de Balmain from 1979. The new Ivoire launches in July 2012 as a modern version of this super popular fragrances of the eighties, created in a way that respects and preserves the heritage and richness of the original and causes nostalgia.
Olivier Rousteing finds the new composition fascinating for its timelessness. The composition is developed by perfumers Michel Almairac and Jacques Flori. The fragrance opens with accords of mandarin, violet leaf and galbanum, leading to the rich floral heart of rose, jasmine, iris and ylang-ylang. Elegant vetiver and cedar, with pronounced patchouli, are all wrapped up in warm, precious and delicate vanilla.
New Ivoire is available as 30, 50 and 100 ml Eau de Parfum.
Mandarin Orange,Galbanum,Violet Leaf,Rose,Jasmine,Ylang-Ylang,iris,Vetiver,Cedar,Patchouli,Vanilla
wwwfidesmail – :
My sister bought Ivoire as her wear-everywhere, office-safe perfume. To be honest, this scent was not on my radar; but now that I’ve tried it, I have to admit that it’s very beautiful. I love galbanum and I’m happy to find it in modern feagrances. Here galbanum, violet leaf, iris and vetiver combine to create a scent that is neither ‘sexy’ nor ‘assertive’ (akin to Olivier Rousteng’s studded, shoulder-padded mini dresses), but rather elegant, classy, fresh and feminine. I don’t get the soapiness, although it is undoubtedly a very ‘clean’ scent – you won’t find anything filthy/carnal/beastly/edible here!
Печенька – :
PLEASE bring it back! I love this so much – I’m afraid to even touch my stash – I don’t think I could bear seeing the level going down in my bottle.
Very clean, full bodied, and yes, it does smell like a VERY expensive French soap. About as non offensive as you can get. Lasts beautifully, office safe, and as lofty as it is, it’s never snooty. Gives you courage and comfort all at once.
If anyone in the States has some they’d like to trade off, please send me a note!
cdeujh – :
Today is my luckyday!!
I sniffed this perfume yesterday, came home and wondered where that special smell came from, and it was this little beauty!
Back in 1983 I bought Armani Giorgio for Her at the airplane on the way to my new job as an au-pair-girl in England. -I loved my new perfume, and bought another bottle later on.
Much later, it was no where to be found in Norway, and I have been hunting high and low to fill the gap my Armani left behind..
The perfumeshopowner gave me a great discount today, only 25 euro for 30 ml, and this little gem fits perfect in my tiny hand :))
And, I have detected what it is that is so spelling for me with these two perfumes:
-It’s the GALBANUM effect that makes it!
They are both very powdery and soapy, just what I like, they are both woody, green and balsamic,
and I can smell the cedar, the rose and the sjasmin in the background.
I am so very greatful, and happy, so yes, this is defently my lucky day 😀
sintEtic21 – :
This is exactly what I have been looking for all along. I have been blind buying all the frags outlined in the posts on here for “soapy fresh” items. This is FINALLY the one. It is so beautiful and clean smelling to me. This is what I had hoped for in the Clean Fresh line of perfume. Why was it not like this actually? There is not a fresher cleaner feeling than this beautiful perfume. This is the closest thing to a safe blind buy that I have ever come across. I cannot imagine any person not wanting to smell like this.
CariDauralley – :
Ivoire is my no brainer fragrance choice. The equivalent of the office outfit I wear when I am in a hurry and don’t have time to mess about. My Can’t Go Wrong, Offend No One, Impress Everyone whilst boring me to tears choice. This isn’t really a criticism, because I do get pleasure from wearing Ivoire, but it’s not outstanding. It doesn’t make me constantly sniff my wrist or make me secretly smile. It is worth considering if you need a fragrance for a job interview, meet the scary parents or a funeral. Oh dear.
Dmitriy123 – :
Lovely soapy fragrance, I can say unique! I don’t smell these kind of fragrances everyday, nothing here will make you stand out, but I find it a good option when you are in the mood of wearing ´no perfume ‘ but you still want to smell good, office friendly, longevity and sillage are good.
A final thing to add: the very first moment I tried this fragrance I got the feeling of being on a mountain and can feel the grass and the nature all around me, if I’m not mistaken I think in Palestine “ Galbanum” is so popular flower here, so for people who love the smell of the nature this one is for you.
shoutgun – :
This is a nice, fresh, soapy fragrance. On my skin it smells floral and powdery, but still very fresh. The notes are well-balanced, but, as a vanilla lover, I would like to smell more vanilla in this fragrance. Therefor I will not buy a full bottle, but I very enjoy my sample.
Sillage is average, longevity is very good.
Abrem2180 – :
I did a blind buy of this for $25 from Fragrancenet, and it’s nice. I can’t imagine anyone having an extreme opinion on such a light, inoffensive perfume.
Yes, it smells like Ivory Soap, but after 20 minutes it became a soft smooth linen/clean/fresh generic smell. THIS is what you’d expect White Linen to smell like. Haha.
I was intrigued by the notes: violet leaves, galbanium (my fave green note), vanilla, etc… but this is just a nice clean soft scent. Like soap, or a dryer sheet. I may try to layer with something bombtastically green like Givenchy III, Miss Dior, Calache, etc…
Seems rather weak on a tissue test (winter) so perhaps I’ll use this as a shower/body spray, while wearing something like Givenchy III on my chest/neck. I wouldn’t rebuy this, but for $25, it’s great.
Dry, and a bit bitter/sharp in the drydown… I can smell the vetiver/patchouli/cedar… making this a clean unisex shower smell. I wouldn’t call this woody and green- more like powdery/musky/fresh/woody.
Sergeiz – :
I can’t figure out if this is a like or a dislike to me. The floral notes are quite soapy, deep and heavy. I smell powdery notes too. There’s a woody, green hint in the background. It’s a classic scent. your grandma could have worn it in her younger days.
Zhurenko.evgenija11 – :
A soapy floral right of the bat, intensely powdery and cosmetics type in the best way possible, almost screechy in its soapyness. If I’m not mistaken it is a dove soap intensified ×300, so if you like the true scent of cleanliness, then this is for you.
Abstract scent, inedible, really lovely, very lady-like. A wrist-crack scent, for all the time that I have been using my sample it would create a cloud around me and project very well. It has a quite different character from the first Ivoire Balmain.
Also, galbanum for starters.
kron_1 – :
I like some powdery scents, but this one not.
One note is so irritating in this composition i can not stand it. I generally like scents with Iris, yet this one i reject easy.
xqqmgltjaf – :
This is stunning I tell you I was shocked when I first sprayed this I didn’t know what too expect I have 5 sprays on my shirt and I am in love with this I get the shampoo smell but adore it never smelled the vintage so can’t compare but the current is breathtaking. I don’t get a Chypre vibe from this I get only floral. Love it! My new favorite.
надоело – :
10/17 Combo Tip: Ivoire and Prade Ambre, equal portions. Sooooooo cozy!!
botydymegi – :
Ivoire is a beautiful boudoir scent, not for the bed, but for the dressing table — compact makeup, pink face creams, a pot of vintage lip gloss, dusting powder and a spritz of refreshing green rose facial mist.
This is quite balmy and cosmetic feeling with some subtle fresh green undertones. The soapiness is quite prominent and probably one of the soapiest fragrances I’ve encountered. It feels thick and sudsy, too much so for me that I can almost taste in in my mouth. Perhaps I sprayed too much. Additionally the fluid in my sample has separated and I can see pink beads of oil.
The scent is personally a little much for me — too much soap and not much of anything else. However, I recommend for those want a straightforward, luxurious clean soap/cosmetic scent.
zapadinskiy – :
Ivory soap, and that’s all she wrote. Dull, uninspired, inoffensive – just nothing there of any interest to me. Yeah, you’d smell clean if you wore this – but wouldn’t you rather get clean, then wear a perfume that was worth paying for?
pma584InsuffBooni – :
Such a lovely fragrance. Well blended, almost seamless. Very bright and at the same time very cozy.
I am not going to talk much about the notes since those have been well characterized by others.
What I am going to rave 🙂 about is the longevity.
On skin 8+ hours, on clothing or hair it is well over 12 hours. And the best thing is that you can still smell the “brightness” after 12+ hours, not just the base notes.
This is going to be a well-loved and much used part of my perfume wardrobe.
I also want to thank you the previous reviewers for leading me to this gem.
Vald1409 – :
This late summer morning, I am wearing Pierre Balmain Ivoire. It’s been quite Fall like in the high dessert this summer. I thought to celebrate this favorite season with a pungent essence of dying drying greenery. That is my reflection on the vintage classic Balmain de Ivoire. But this is not that! That is not to say I dislike Balmain (no “de”) Ivoire. Quite the contrary. The 1979 vintage is haunting in its austerity, its sharp edges impinging on my consciousness, breaking through any reverie. The 2012 version is arresting in its own way, but softer, much softer, replacing the grande dame’s luxurious cruelty with a modern elder female’s gentle wisdom.
helo – :
I blind bought this based on all the reviews that described Ivoire as a clean, soapy and soft. Imagine my surprise when I found it to be sharp, green and extremely strong. I brought a decant along on a weekend trip and couldn’t bring myself to wear it as the smell from just that small sample permeated my entire suitcase! I’ve tried this in both winter in summer, hoping a change in temperature would change my perception, but with no luck.
From reading other people’s experiences with this perfume it seems as though people fall into two camps…those who smell this as a soft clean perfume and those like me who find it sharp and strong, so be sure to test before buying!
kolomnadenis – :
Ivoire II
The first Ivoire de Balmain, I mean it’s aromatic scent which can be described as green and an undeniable chypre, never did match up with the name ‘ivoire’. I adore the original as I am fond of chypres and the complexity of the notes in the original, but here at last we have a scent that can be called ‘ivory’ white. As it wears on your skin for hours, you discover it’s like the world’s longest lasting soap fragrance. It’s milky, creamy, like a bath soap that envelops you in a white foam. Unmistakably feminine, and yet, no, she has a broad range in her soapy cleanliness and can be unisex with the dry notes of green vetiver and herbal patchouli leaves, not to mention the wood. It’s bordering on Chanel No 22 territory and that’s definitely my kind of fragrance. A clean unisex powder with a pristine godly perfectionist air about it. The Pope would wear this. Angelic and pure, innocent, and yet mature for it’s elegant fragrant clean line. A suit of white. Mark Twain in a white suit at the end of his life. A milk man white uniform. A lady in white gloves, white sunhat, and white cool long sleeves blouse and dress or skirt, or suit-skirt. French manicure white nails.
As it opens there is a very soft and barely noticeable fresh alcohol-aldehyde scent which serves as a booster for the aroma’s top notes of citrus and galbanum. The top notes smell of citrusy scents typical of so many perfumes but it is so effervescent and a tad sweet. It smells almost like lemon verbena or neroli so that mandarin or bergamot has been toned and turned up in volume. The galbanum and green notes that follow are a natural development from the citrus to green tree leaves around the oranges. Smells of distinct and now nearly extinct galbanum note. The green notes are further boosted with patchouli and vetiver which give this scent that green bar of soap kind of smell, masculine-unisex, but feminine with the flowers that come through in it’s heart.
A powdery iris flower is at the top of the floral pyramid to my nose. Smells of iris flower from up close. There’s also equal parts of it’s root – orris. The white floral fragrance also consists of jasmine which is a very French jasmine, those Grasse based classic jasmines, heady, sweet, feminine, not of the darker or more brazen night blooming ones or the indolic musky fleshy types. This is almost a gardenia. A delectable jasmine perfumes the liquid with a deep and very pleasant aroma. I don’t get any of the other flowers. Certainly not the ylang but I do get a white soft rose from time to time. This is as others have said, quite soapy, powdery, as a floral aldehyde normally is. The aldehyde portion is shy and hardly there but the powder comes from the dominant iris. The violet leaf is also quite a player but she is married to the iris which then dries into a clean polished and very warm wood note.
Ivoire can be quite Anglo lady-like, demure, soft, creamy, powdery, and yet she gets to you. She can be sexy once you get to know her. This is a fantasy for those out there that want to get to know the more passionate woman behind the ‘clean’ fragrance and the clean look of perfect hair, all in place, up do and conservative clothing. She has so much more going on than the perfume and the clothes. But what is it? Just a whiff of this perfume with the galbanum and the unisex complexity can say it all. She has a personality underneath the perfectionist image. But as it is the perfume is a public face persona. This is for wearing in the day time with your business suits if you’re in business, with your executive attire Ms. or Mrs CEO. This is a very professional type of scent, office-friendly, wear-it-to-a-meeting friendly. Never does it turn overpowering nor even aggressive. She is also not boring. But at the same time she is modern and far from the classic clean soapy aldehyde florals like White Shoulders or L’Air du Temps which I like very much. This is a fresh new genre of fragrance. I don’t have anything like it in my current collection. The price is rather high but you get a very beautiful luxurious clean scent and it comes from a fashion house that is as prominent as all the major brands of Chanel and Dior. This is a winner. Find it at the Balmain store or online store as well as eBay store. Worth looking into..
idc588Bessinepome – :
Update to my previous review: it bothers me that I have a soapy taste irritating my throat in the first 3-4 hours. Is not just the taste, is something harsh and scratchy like when you wash your hands with a soap bar and don’t rinse your hands well so accidentally taste the soap on your hand. Or when you feel like the person who cooked a meal had scented hands. This, to me, is unpleasant . I discovered that , if I spray Ivoire on the lower part of the body- on my skirt or on the back of my legs, etc, the soap taste is my mouth is attenuated.
demontevator – :
This is an amazing fragrance!! Clean, fresh, slightly green, slightly soapy, with a touch of powder. It reminds me of a fragrance that my grandmother would wear. And NO…not an old lady smell. But a beautiful rich, classy smell. I have already had so many compliments on it! I can’t believe it…well worth a try, especially for the price.
javorik76 – :
Finally my bottle arrived. Gorgeous minimalist, timeless package, anyway. To backtrack a bit, from the reviews I was expecting a bitter green soapy blast with a vague powdery note from the iris and I was kind of afraid that the perfume will remain too bitterish- although I loooove galbanum and Iris is my favorite flower note. Anyway, I think I was expecting Ivoire to be more of Silence de Jacomo and I was also surprised to see that Iris is listed as the 2nd most voted note by fragranticans. Great, I said. But again , most of the reviews are not emphasizing the presence of the iris.
My experience? Beautiful soapy iris!.Not green harsh and bitter but with a hint of a bitter note just like a bar of soap would smell bitter-ish. And I am almost ashamed that I tend to compare perfumes with my limited experiences. If you look at my reviews, i tend to compare everything with Narciso Rodrigues or Chloe Love. It also looks like my skin loves musk and powder and purple flowers- and I love them back. So, please bare with me in my learning process of educating my nose and senses.
Because, I swear to you, the opening is a soapy, more retro Chloe Love. Remove the powdery and rice famous notes and here you go. And yes, I sprayed twice and feel it very, very potent.
Back in my childhood, my mom put expensive and hard to find at that time bars of soap between the lines of linen. Ivory reminds me a lot of soapy freshly washed and ironed linen.
The drydown, however, is what I like most. It detaches from being an iris powdery smell and becomes greener and soapy and indeed, slightly bitter. Unique!
makslu72 – :
I was after a clean soapy scent, imagined this would be more like Glow by JLo,
but it is more like See by Chloe! All I get is clean fresh – apple scented shampoo, not bad
but it’s not something that could become a signature scent only something
to spray into your hair to make that freshky washed hair smell last longer.
bai_ – :
This is what I reach for when I’m not sure what else I should wear. It’s clean but not scratchy, sweet but not sickeningly so. It’s definitely a clean, classy scent that could work in any season and any time of day. It also lasts forever, too!
Flestyalits – :
Even with all the reviews on here I still did not know what to expect with this little number from the house of Balmain! I surely did not expect to fall in love with it! It’s something I was missing in my wardrobe! I am shocked I don’t see any musk listed in the pyramid at all! I get… A lovely clean musk with hints of florals it’s composed so well that I get a little of every thing and I just can’t get enough! In the heat it blooms and the musk becomes warm and addictive! Just clean and refreshing all while still being classy, clean, and eloquent from in its opening spray to its musky addictive drydown it’s just gorgeous in a minimalistic way!
megaline5555 – :
I don’t have a signature perfume, but if I did, Ivoire would probably be it. It is clean and soapy, but not like a Dial bar soap. It instead resembles the expensive, creamy, fragrant bath soap that Mom put out for company that you weren’t allowed to touch. Ivoire has that same type of polished elegance. I’d describe it as pretty but not romantic so think boardroom, not bedroom. It’s really, IMO, a nearly-perfect every day fragrance. The juice aside, the bottle is gorgeous and as esthetically pleasing as any Chanel or Guerlain packaging.
1477 – :
I was charmed by the reviews here and on Victoria Frolova’s blog and bought it blind.
I did not like it at first. Not at all. That was 2 years ago and although in the meantime I downsized my perfume collection, I could not bring myself to give this one away.
My taste may have changed or I tried it in the wrong season but this spring I have to say I love it. I got complimented on it when I wore it to work.
So to all blind buyers: if you do not like to straight away, give it multiple opportunities. It may please you in the end.
Stezis – :
Really nice soapy sugar creamy fragrance.Remind me a lot GENNY GENNY.
DanilkaUefa – :
I must start by saying , I have never tried the original version, my quick review is solely based on the current formulation .
Wow . If you are looking for a clean soapy shampoo scent , this is it . If you are looking for good projection and staying power , let me tell you that after spraying before bed , I woke up still smelling as if I just spritzed . This to me, is incredible . I rarely can smell my fragrance within an hour let alone feeling as if it was freshly applied . Now , I may need to spray a bit lower as it may even be too much to have this fragrance going 12+ hours at full potency .
All in all I would say this is quite a quality perfume , and for the price..a steal .
GurikSon – :
Ivoire is feminine, polite and nice day-time fragrance for any occasion and any particular time of year.
Overall Ivoire is lovely, tender, slightly restrained and clean scent, like a polite smile from a pleasant face wearing transparent, descrete make up – slightly dry, slightly formal smile, but with nothing fake in it.
If you like soft powdery scents – here it is.
Actually, it isn’t that soft as you might have wished because there’s a contrast in vetiver’s light sharpness, but – it’s so nice.
If you like galbanum and green freshness – here it is.
Actually, it isn’t that greenly fresh as you might have wished, because there is a soapiness joined with it, but – it’s so nice.
If you like clean, bright scents – here it is.
Actually, it isn’t all that clean, becouse undreneeth the clean brightnes there is some eartly skin-like patchuli, but – it’s so nice.
If you like woody scents with touch of firmnes in the base – here it is.
Actually, it isn’t that “firm” as you might have wished, because there’s some violet leaf airyness contrasting it, but – it’s so nice.
“Actually, it isn’t… but – it’s so nice.” – This is the best description of this, new Ivoire.
I pick Ivoire when I don’t feel like wearing any particular fragrance, or I don’t want to make a statement, or I just want play safe with something discrete and refined, elegantly understated and pleasantly attentive to those around me.
Ivoire does its job so nice that I don’t need to think about all of its “but…”, and when I do, I think of them as refined, descrete interaction of many perfectly blended constrasts.
Jet another Balmain which (like Ambre Gris) at first seems as “nothing special”, but, in fact – it trully is something else.
* like (almost love)
* longevity: long lasting (up to 8 hours)
* silage: moderate (arms lenght)
* weather/season/time: All year round. But I skip the warm spring and hot summer, because the heat on my skin amplifies patchouli in this, and overall feeling of Ivoire’s lightness and clean freshness is quite weakened. (This came as a surprise, because I expected to be able to wear it also from +25 C up, but no.). Casual to formal. Day.
woolfssfloow – :
If you want the smell of the original Ivoire de Balmain, you have to buy K de Krizia EDP, by Krizia. It’s almost identical …. you can tell by the scent notes. You can find it on Fragrancy Buy, Canada.
alena234 – :
This fragrance is the perfect representation of the Balmain aesthetic; it’s refined, elegant, luxurious, and assured. It has no need to announce itself loudly because its quality is simply there.
This perfume is no sillage beast that you can smell across the train station. It travels in chauffeured cars, thank you very kindly. And it doesn’t need to sell itself with trendy, sugared fruitiness.
It’s soft and effortlessly refined.
gjh820Unlogrere – :
Bought this in 2015. It’s Feb. 2017 and I’m still enjoying it. In the cold months, this fragrance smells like a cashmere sweater feels. Soft, cozy, lux, beautiful. In the warmer months, it smells like a soft breeze blowing with the scent of pretty flowers.
senta111 – :
I must confess that when this version of Ivoire came out on the market I pretty much ignored it having worn the original many, many years before.
Fast forward to 2017 and one of my sweet swap buddies sent me a generous sample of Ivoire so I thought…”why not?”
At first spray I was transported to somewhere in my perfume past, not knowing exactly where I was! Sheer loveliness, springtime, green, sunshine and joy!
I have worn it all day long, refreshed it several times and I am still enchanted! Nowhere do I smell anything common, humdrum or soapy. This Ivoire reminds me of vintage Chanel 19, Chamade and perhaps Vent Vert all rolled up in something more modern and softer.
Every waft takes me back and I still can’t put my finger on what exactly it reminds me of but it’s distant and very vintage.
How nice for me that this is so beautiful!!
olegdoc1981 – :
The ONLY problem I have with this …..is that I should of ordered a BIGGER bottle !!! I have avoided this one, due to the fact it is a re-do/reformulation of the original. I am a BIG Balmain fan.I find this scent calming,and soothing to the senses. Love at first sniff.
I decided to go with a 1 oz bottle,just in case I did not care for it. Well…I am loving this one. Nice Iris and galbanum….the patchouli is not prominent to my nose. The florals are there,and yes …a little soapy/powdery too. It is old-school to me..which I love.
There is an underlying greenness too.
9/10 rating for me
sillage: medium
longevity:medium
projection:soft, but it reminds you that it’s there!
Love!
nitro_drumer – :
Well first of all this perfume is so basic that is such a waste of money.
It is clean scent but not different other than that.
It seems that when you are Balmain you can afford to sell scented water or basic soap for not cheap.
mr.Dunk89 – :
Wearing this at the moment. For me it’s the shower i am yet to have. It smells soapy, fresh and clean. I think it’s perfect for the gym…won’t knock anyone out. Won’t repurchase simply because it is too safe for me.
GaaNanof – :
I would love to smell the original, but the current formulation is unfortunately a bland and sorry affair. I get none of the sharpness that others describe – just a demure, soapy, powdery iris and galbanum accord. Still, it’s many magnitudes better than the ultra-sweet confections that pose as perfumery these days.
pavlik_vv – :
Finally I got my hands on Ivoire. Surprisingly, my review is going to differ from others. I mean, I don’t get any Dove soap. On me Ivoire starts with a slightly sharp, but very clean galbanum. The iris is more earthy than powdery. Next I smell vetiver. It’s been an hour on my skin, but my nose still does not detect the rose and violet skin. IMO this perfectly could be unisex. It’s a very elegant chypre, on a crossroad between retro and modern. So far I am pretty content with the silage and I really love the bottle. I think I could wear that perfume all year round. So, it’s a like for me, but I didn’t expected it being so herby, I was hoping for something like She wood – very fresh, airy and clean. Ivoire is more on the aromatic side, but it’s still nice.
Update: Today I wore it and it was very cold outside – well I have to say it’s really gorgeous and unusual perfume, my mom fell in love with it.
councesom – :
Ahhhh…the soapy goodness, like freshly washed baby’s skin. Or a roll in freshly cut spring grass. I absolutely love the neutrality of this scent. It is not floral, not spicy, not rosy or fruity…..it is just “there.” Just a fine, clean smelling presence about you.
Unfortunately, this scent belonged to me in a different time in my life, one that I have left behind and moved on from. So, with new times, come new perfumes, always moving forward and never looking back. While I now have a collection of superb newbies to spray, I always will have very fond memories of Ivoire, even if I have no fond memories of the time from which it was worn.
gsmgsmgsm8 – :
Gorgeous bottle, and superb glorious scent. So feminine and gentle and soft. Exquisite.
viktorvys – :
I wore the original Ivoire de Balmain Parfum back in the 90s and recently finished a bottle of 15ml I bought from eBay last year. I purchased this as a “new” fragrance from Balmain and tried not to compare it with the original but I can’t help myself! This version is like a distant memory that pops into your head out of the blue but you cannot quite grasp all the threads to remember the whole story; some pieces of the puzzle have faded into a foggy veil. The opening notes are musky green on me, there is a hint of gentle citrus and then the fragrance mellows into a soft floral with gentle cedar and vanilla. It becomes subtle and close to the skin on drydown. There is nothing offensive about this fragrance, it is grown up,elegant and delicate. A good choice for Spring!
egor_nsg – :
I don’t think people give Ivoire much of a chance, indeed this fragrance goes on super sharp…but it mellows out to be exactly what was promised: clean white soap. The galbanum is perhaps a little too prominent throughout, but after a few hours it settles perfectly into the skin leaving a very sheer and creamy scent.
I was originally on the fence between Ivoire and Glow by JLO, both were exceptionally harsh in their opening but Glow came off being too synthetic and stayed that way for hours. Although I prefer the latter for its more floral character; Ivoire has better tenacity on the long run and is overall less offensive and pleasant in its performance.
This perfume really sets off after 45 minutes on my skin; it’s really quite strong in composition so longevity is of no concern. My end goal was to smell like fresh ivory soap that smells like clean skin after a bath, and although Ivoire achieves this somewhat—the heaviness of the vetiver might come off being a little damp/earthy for those who find such things unpleasant.
There is Iris immediately in the opening and it blossoms into galbanum and roses, it’s refreshing and very powdery, but overall clean and sharp. This shifts into a slightly clammy stage which is no doubt due to the vetiver and patchouli combined with ylang-ylang. It feels a little woody and ozonic at first, yet the heart of this fragrance is flowers and cream…the earthy base produces a warm and inviting skin scent. Beware though that sillage is enormous and the more you apply the worse that chemical scent will become. It’s really quite unbearable after 3 spritzes, and veers uncannily into bug spray territory.
Overall this is the closest I have ever found to a real “Dove” soap fragrance, there is always Nivea by Nivea, but that product is not available in the United States. Until I can find something better that fulfills my standards for French soap, Ivoire will have to do.
Vienna.Pink
spaind – :
Clean,elegant and very soapy.Very long lasting and powerfull,you need only one or two tiny spritzes, no more ,otherwise you’ll almost taste the bitterness of galbanum all day long.In my opinion,not a safe blind-buy.If you ask me,I love it!
alendelon3456 – :
Didn’t like this at all. It smells like old soap.
papasa – :
Clean fresh and slightly powdery. I love the Iris – beautiful and I want another bottle!
myncressgrarm – :
Received my 30ml EDP Ivoire yesterday courtesy of my lovely fragrantican friend, anitaoolong, thank you. It’s a lovely, elegant looking bottle, too. Took a quick sniff from the bottle and instantly it was so familiar to me. I gave it a spritz. Apart from a little green in the opening (presumably galbanum and/or violet leaf, but it’s quite understated) what I was left smelling was a dupe for Vera Wang. I really don’t understand all the soapy comments regarding this fragrance. To me it’s not what I call soapy at all, but it is certainly a clean scent. Like VW, to me this is quite a softly sparkling floral, although perhaps more subtle than VW. It’s not overly powdery either, in fact it’s not overly anything really. Just a balanced and pleasant soft floral. I never smelled the original Ivoire de Balmain but you only need look at the notes to know that it’s not going to be the same beast. I already have VW and 5th Avenue, which are very much alike. I’m not sure I need another one so similar but nevertheless this a pretty, modern, elegant fragrance.
exstudent76 – :
This was a blind buy, actually my first blind buy. I looked at the bottle and I just HAD to buy it. Totally irrational. I like it, although it’s a litlle too soapy for me. It’s nice and clean, inoffensive and pretty lasting on my skin. For me, this works best in cold weather; I wore this in the summer and it’s a big no.
simon-martens – :
when deciding which frag to buy next, I always go for the same stuff – very light, flowery, natural scents… sometimes I’m drawn to slightly sharper notes – green or citrusy, however, fresh and clean are non-negotiable requirements.
Lately, I’ve been searching for something more feminine, powdery and distinctive as long as it doesn’t differ very much from my usual choices.
This is it! Ivoire smells soapy, creamy, powdery but also mainstream. Clean and inoffensive. Attractive in a very subtle, grown-up way.
Exactly what I was going for.
ali_93 – :
Another TJ Maxx find, what a steal! I do know the original Ivoire through my mom and yes, they are completely different. However, this version still holds some classic elements making it a timeless scent indeed. The opening is fresh and rather green. To me the violet leaf is quite prominent and distinctive (I love that note). After that it dries down pretty quickly and stays the same for hours. A slightly powdery, woody scent.