Description
Carven introduces “younger sister” of the Carven Le Parfum from 2013; its Eau de Toilette version simply called Carven L’Eau de Toilette. Although the two fragrances share a similar name, bottle design and composition concentrated on white flowers (and also share common notes of sweet pea, hyacinth and sandalwood), L’Eau de Toilette is supposedly a completely new fragrance of sweeter undertones which aims at younger audience.
The composition is created by Francis Kurkdjian who described it “like a lightweight piece of clothing…as easy to wear as Le Parfum but made of a different fabric, probably more airy”. The scent is fresh floral – woody – musky, opening with notes of Italian lemon, sweet pea and peony. Freesia, white hyacinth and wisteria form the perfume’s heart, while the base includes sandalwood, blonde woods and musk.
The bottle was designed by Thierry de Baschmakoff. The fragrance is available as 30, 50 and 100 ml Eau de Toilette.
L’Eau de Toilette was launched in 2014.
Oceaksisak – :
At first blast I get the seeming typical air-freshener, clean and green scent that is typical of many L’eau fragrances. But after about a mere 5 minutes, I (temporarily) pick a juicy gummy candy scent for me. I’m glad to see I’m not the only one picking up a sweetness with this. At that point, I was thinking..all in all, while not a terrible fragrance, it’s just not one that I care to smell like.
But then about an hour passed by, and I kept picking up this subtle, soft, slightly sweet, clean fresh scent wafting up from my wrists..not laundry detergent or anything like that, but just a fresh sweet clean scent..and then I stepped outdoors and a faint soft breeze wafted by, and..this smelled lovely!! Soft, slightly sweet, clean, fresh..almost like a delicate bouquet of flowers..I liked it!! Will particularly be nice for hot humid days, which we get plenty of here. Not a terribly unique fragrance, more of a casual everyday fragrance, but some days, that is just what I want/need!! Nice.
Enlaweagere – :
I have a lot of respect and admiration for Francis Kurkdjian but this is a miss for me. I blind bought it because I’m a fan of his work, and this Carven EDT was included in an article I read here on Fragrantica about FK, so I was curious.
It’s pretty in a safe, generic way. I can imagine this is what a sorority might smell like, or a group of 30 something women who shop at Pottery Barn.
Decent projection during the first hour and decent longevity for an EDT.
With so many provacative and interesting creations out there (including the masterpieces I adore by Kurkdjian) I can’t imagine ever feeling like wearing it. Into the trading bin it goes.
marin_cotuna – :
As someone mentioned it before, it is a watery and greenery scent with a hint of citrusiness, probably because of the mandarin or grapefruit note. It is not really floral to me though I can smell a bit freesia and peony scents(but these two flowers have light floral scents). It is more of a light, airy, dewy scent with a bit sweetness of fruits. As its name suggests, it is like water with some fruity sweetness which smells so fresh and so good to me.
The lemon is quite sharp but blended well with probably sweet pea(I am not familiar with this note) which creates a hue of sweetness with an undertone of freshness and cleaness. It is also quite greenery but I cannot find any green notes in the ingredients list. It would be a great watery and greenery perfume for spring.
Toshka11111 – :
Strange, sour scent. Hyacinth is often too intense for me in perfumes. Here it is not so, but this scent is not my cup of tea anyway.
Pikasso – :
I don’t like it if you are interested to swapping write to me
EWGEN83 – :
Not sure I love this one. I like it. I have used up the tester while on business trips but not sure I will go forward with a whole bottle. A very clean, upscale floral with bold grassy notes. Not that complex, just nice and good for work meetings or dinners. Similar to Dolce by Dolce & Gabbana, which I have already. We will see…
Vieptexia – :
This one is kind of uninspiring. I thought there was lychee in here, but it must be something interacting with the lemon. Floral, citrus, sandalwood. Fades down to a soft vanilla sweetness a few hours after the initial spray. A very conventional fragrance, in my opinion. I do not smell the grass, green notes, grape, rum, jasmine, melon, or ozone that other reviewers are finding. Maybe it’s my skin chemistry, but I feel like I have smelled Carven L’EDT before in many other places, certainly cheaper ones at least!
Djin – :
A fresh clean pretty sparkling blend of citrus, green notes and floral bouquet. It’s uplifting and bubbly. Silage is low and longevity is moderate to high on my skin. keep getting wafts several hours later and this is good for me. Very pleasant day scent.
Looking forward to trying Le parfum too.
update. tried le parfum and although i knew they are not the same, i thought i’d love le parfum but i dont. i like it but not enough to keep (it would gather dust and probably sour before i could use it so better a friend get enjoyment with it.) so i gave my full bottle to a friend.
however, a full bottle of carven edt is on the way and i can hardly wait.
demontevator – :
This is a fresh green apple scent on me. I also get musk and sweet pea. It has the slightest touch of popular aquatic men’s cologne going on too. This would be great in the heat of summer. In the same category as Chanel Chance Eau Fraiche but with more fruit less citrus. It’s a touch sweeter too.
biqqzazanzh – :
Aside from being way to strong I found it to have an almost plastic component to it. I didn’t find it fresh but over powering and I barely sprayed a small amount on.
Athaneric – :
its , juicy and fresh. i love the bottle tho.
qqrpyxbn – :
I have been rather impressed with the very limited tests I’ve made of this house. Surprising since I own none of their scents.
This is a sweet floral of sweet pea and musk. The musk keeps it from being too much of a mainstream perfume. But I don’t get a lot of development here.
If I was more of a fan of sweet pea, I might love this.
garik30 – :
Oh dlane1953!! I completely, totally agree with your beautiful review – and I’m 65!!!
Carven L’eau de Toilette lasts a good 12 hours on me, and I adore it! It’s so light and fresh and sparkling! Beautiful!!!
It is for any woman, young or old, it doesn’t matter. A woman is a woman. And Carven L’eau de Toilette is a dream perfume, for any woman who loves perfume!
MAXS – :
This is a flanker of Francis Kurkdjian’s Le Parfum EDP for the same house a few years ago. While his Carven Le Parfum EDP was elegant, sexy and sophisticated, this ‘take’ on some of the same notes is a wholly different creature, a gossamer fairy enrobed in some of nature’s finest, most delicate fragrances. Airy, sheer wafts of sweetness capture your heart; it’s truly a spring time/innocent maiden sort of feel playing out here. There are some nice woody notes to ground the scent as it wears over time, and some touches of musk.But overall it’s lightness and effervescent beauty is what steals the show. This is perfect for warm weather, easy to wear and easy to love SIlage is moderate, longevity at least 9 hours so far. I love it. Not for young maidens only! This 63 year old adores it too.
Belyaw – :
Another splendidly beautiful Carven perfume! I love it ALMOST as much as Carven Le Parfum, which is my signature scent. I adore them both. I think Carven is wonderful. I love these bottles, and the colour of the liquid is so fine and perfect, and perfectly expresses the feeling of the perfumes.
Carven L’eau de Toilette is so fresh, so scintillatingly spring-weatherish, so crisp and gentle, and such a lovely sweet pea, peony and juicy lemon scent. I feel always happy and calm and enlivened at the same time when I wear it, which is often. It is so sweetly yet crisply refreshing. The white hyacinth gives a lovely smooth and alluring feeling to the whole, and the woods and musk soften and earth everything. And as always, the very lovely freesia adds its own special aura of sweetness and light, and what can I say about the wonderful smell of wisteria? An amazing, slightly spicy lilacish scent. Totally beautiful.
The brilliant Francis Kurkdjian has done it again! What a divine genius. He and the House of Carven are a beautiful gift to perfumery.
okcaHa.35 – :
Beautiful, crisp, elegant. Plush and reminiscent of a warm summer morning in the flower garden. I am getting a juicy green apple and, surprisingly a pear note too. Unexpected longevity. My new summer favourite.
TRAKT – :
The word that comes to mind regarding this perfume is – “green”. Very fresh, for some reason I get apple… green apple… and flowers. Nice perfume, but I do get a slight synthetic feel from it. Maybe it’s the green note, which can get a bit too sharp for me. But I must say – the bottle is a work of art! So classic and modern at the same time, the design is amazing in it’s simplicity! Beautiful on the outside and fresh on the inside.
Lyapaev.sanek – :
Nothing new in this one, but if you like fresh and tonic fruit water this is nice.
nasty666 – :
It’s unique, as others have said here. I can’t put my finger on what the dominant notes are in this fragrance on my skin. Something reminiscent of a mixed fruity alcoholic beverage–almost like grape must, or something like a rum mix, sweet. Vaguely soapy. I don’t get much lemon at all. I can pick up a sweet pea note.
It’s overpowering at first; hard to ignore for the first hour or two. It settles into a lovely warm scent on my skin, but those first few hours for me are too overwhelmingly sweet.
nesterov.gosha – :
This was a different experience for me with a fresh fragrance and my first from Carven. I received this lovely apothecary-style bottle in a swap via my good swap buddy (thanks RC!).
The first time I sprayed L’Eau De Toilette my son who was sitting across the room said “I don’t know what you’re wearing but it sure smells good!” He rarely comments on my perfumes, good or bad, so such a compliment from a 12 year old boy certainly bears repeating. He said it smells like strong fresh peach!
Although I don’t personally smell it as peach, he’s right in a way, because for a lightweight fragrance this has some power! It is super-cooled lemon and light florals, almost as though they’ve been frozen by liquid nitrogen, leaving them cool and super-dry.
Great for hot and humid weather, where refreshment is a priority. Unfortunately there’s something in this that triggers sinus symptoms in my family members so it will have to find a new home.
arabella – :
For some reason this one and the original just satisfy me so well! I read someone say it smells like a musky old wardrobe.
It does! The original more so. This one is lighter and as such I think more date-appropriate. I got it with the moisturizer as well and I think I prefer how the scent lasts with that. It’s unique but not so different that it’s offensive. I love it and I love the cute bottles!
Wraddifognora – :
It reminds me of the scent of barberry candies.
Super ozonic, aquatic fresh scent. Notes are quite floral, but in a light way. Peony and freesia are the most dominant notes, there’s also a hint of citrus.
Not something I would appreciate, because I’m into warm, sweet fragrances, but not the worst one either.
Jeothepen – :
Soft, pretty floral. It’s in heavy rotation during the work week. Where I live it gets to be over 100 degrees for more parts of the year than I care for. This is a fragrance that I can wear when the weather’s that unforgiving without worrying that my scent is going to cook into something that smells too strong and offensive. Since I love having pretty things on my dressing table, I also appreciate the simplicity and elegance of this apothecary-like bottle.
sanchesfil – :
because of the color of bottle I thought it should have got lots of citruses, but I was wrong.I smell something like fresh pear in this perfume. it’s mixed with a bouquet of violet flowers which make it both exotic and powdery. nice one, but I think they’ve made a mistake by putting it in a green bottle, it needs a lilac bottle to represent its personality. also no complain about long lasting power and sillage.
fmsever – :
Pleasant lightweight floral with green and citrus notes in the vein of D&G “Dolce”
sergey90 – :
Vacationing in Arizona, I stepped into Nordstrom with some time to kill. I was waiting for my sales lady to decant some samples for me when I smelled the most clean, perfect summer scent being sprayed by another sales person. Not my usual favorite notes but it works in the Arizona dry heat. It’s just so fresh.
It reminds me of how the Arizona desert smells at night; like ozone, desert jasmine and a some kind of sweet melon or pear.
Not sure how it will translate once I return to humid weather but for now, it’s a win.
Py6JIb – :
Fresh, floral, green, no bitterness and easy to wear. Reminds me of Chanel Chance Eau Fraiche but doesn’t last as long nor does it have the same luscious and womanly drydown. I get the topnote peony and sweet pea, a delicate and fresh citrus without bitterness probably due to a lack of bergamot, not much depth in the drydown, and then it’s gone. More of a skin scent than a perfume. Almost regretting getting a big bottle as I have to drown in it for it to last and wondering if I should have gotten a big bottle of Chanel Chance Eau Fraiche instead, Versace Eros pour Femme or Bvlgari Crystalline which it reminds me of…
fenix2365 – :
David Jones in Sydney has this on sale – 30ml $30, 50ml $40, 50ml with body lotion $40 and 100ml for $50.
I bought the 50ml with body lotion.
We are in the middle of winter here so I’m going to save it until the weather warms up.
Reminds me a little bit of Mariah Carey Lollipop Bling (the blue one) but without the cheap musky dry down.
ertderf – :
I tested this today at Nordstrom and it smelled so fresh and green. It’s on my list to buy. It smells very similar to Dulcé (D&G) in my opinion.
jorg – :
Searching for a spring scent, found it in this. Wanted something, fresh, light, clean, floral with a BIT of sweet and this hit all marks. Passed it over many times since it’s launch, as I thought it would be the weaker version of the EDP, which I own and only wear during the cooler months starting in fall. SA at Nordstrom was quick to point out this is a completely different fragrance, despite the same name and same bottle. (Why do they confuse us like that?) They should rename it Le Carven Eau Fraiche. Just bought a rollerball yesterday, 5/24/15. Wearing for first time today. Not sure it will wear well during the heat of the summer months, but could be a very nice bedtime fragrance until next spring rolls around.
( Something in this also reminds me of Bottega Veneta’s Essence Aromatique. This one smells more floral and sweet where the BVEA smells more green and aquatic).
I find it refreshing and soothing at the same time. Very pretty fragrance. For me the white florals and citrus seem to be what are prominent. I definitely disagree with it being a woodsy. Wondering about its longevity. May update my review after some time wearing it. Thinking now that I want a full bottle.
Note: although this fragrance has a soft quality about it it is strong upon application. I can see where other reviewer’s compare it to a shampoo smell, but there are some shampoo/conditioner smells that I absolutely would love to wear all day. Sometimes you just want to smell fresh and clean and no fuss. This one may fit the bill.
insa – :
As a previous reviewer states this is a very unique fragrance. It is light and airy but there is an edge to it that I don’t like -maybe a bit synthetic? Not sure how to describe it. I think this is one of those perfumes that would smell nice on other people but just doesn’t suit me. I think it would be nicer on a more mature lady.
numinor – :
I do not know what makes this perfume so nice but it is nice and it is most unusual as well. I do not recall to ever come across a similar one. It is difficult to describe this perfume because I do not pick up any particular flower note or wood note but all components create a beautiful, mostly woody and musky blend. It is actually something I would have never picked. 🙂 I am not particularly fond of musky scents. Conclusion: it is worth to try because it is interesting but do not buy it without trying it on skin first.
Alex1887 – :
Fresh and elegant with white flowers and citrus. The drydown is a bit sweet which gives it a nice touch, lovely fragrance for spring.
DjwiRUS – :
There is only two words to describe this smell, very beautiful. Highly recommended. It has a freshness about it that reminds you of spring in all its glory. I JUST LOVE IT.
kirsan2009 – :
L’Eau de Toilette by Carven smells like potently fresh and fruity shampoo like Garnier Fructis or the equivalent, combined with very ripe juicy and sweet lychee fruits. Definitely a modern-smelling composition. In fact this perfume would most likely result if you combined the two things I just mentioned. I actually can’t detect much else. I’m baffled by all the flowers listed in the notes. This perfume is extremely strong and energizing. Perfect if you want to smell CLEAN like fruity green fresh shampoo all day long.
The sweet powdery sandalwood base reminds me a lot of Hanae Mori.
jhntnfntgfvr – :
I love this and want a bottle along the way soon. Soft, fresh ,delicate clean french scent. The parfum version..is a bit strong ,more 1980s dune with a older woman at 70 modern twist. This is better.
Nataly86 – :
A very nice and fresh scent, but also a very unobtrusive one.
I prefer my perfume a bit more edgy. But still; this is a very nice everyday scent, that I have received quite a few compliments and appreciating comments on.
I like it, but still this will not be a repeated buy.
entreaty – :
EDT 1 FL OZ
I like this scent because it’s a spring combination of flower and woody notes, where lemon provides freshness but no harshness.
I love warm florals and this one is perfect. This scent is all about delicacy and elegance.
At first I smell a bright flowery mix, which is then warmed up a little by my skin, letting sandalwood and light woody notes express, again, gently.
I find it very easy to use, very safe and inoffensive, subtle and elegant.
lasting power: 3 hrs.
sillage: soft.
repurchase: yes.
destroy – :
This is lovely!! Fresh bright green floral, a bit faithful to Le Parfum., more zesty fresh though, a real fresh chypre fragrance, lovely flowers in the background, a slight smell of fresh cut grass, quality throughout!! No room there for any inkling of resemblance to some shampoos!?
This is very French. The Carven class shining through…the floral notes are bright, intensive enough than for an EDT this has very nice longevity!! The hyacinth comes through loud and clear.. The scent opens up nicely, warms up on the skin…love it!!!plus my husband just said it smells lovely!!!
Amunkbernita – :
I love this scent! Normally edt’s are not strong enough for me, but I was shocked I sprayed this on and although it has light sillage, it lasted for hours – 6+ and I kept getting soft wafts of it. To me its light and airy, green smelling with tons of citrus – I thought it was grapefruits or mandarin. It reminds me a bit of victoria’s secret bombshell – the original version. Citrus and fruity, but definitely higher quality and much longer lasting. I prefer this to the Carven Le Pafum. I got samples of both from a recent saks fifth avenue order, and this one is just superb. Definitely not something I would ever imagine myself really like, but I just couldn’t stop sniffing myself lol…it evolves and is just lovely.
yubel – :
Although the floral notes cover a wide spectrum, what comes to the fore on my skin is an almost fruit-going-bad kind of scent…I quite like this on paper, but did not work on my skin.
ANKAlexey – :
I prefer this one over the Eau De Parfum which is just a ton of Sweet Pea. This is not offensive, and has a nice youth about it.
It’s fresh (I don’t know who was calling out notes on here but I think they were just pressing buttons, this is NOT woody at all.) But as a lot of the fragrances being launched, this one just doesn’t have that character to it. A very safe fragrance, balanced in it’s citrus notes and florals, great time to launch it before spring. Saks will have it exclusivly for a few months I believe.
I wish more perfumers would go out and smell general products such as shampoos, soaps, air freshners, and cleaning products. Because it took me a week to figure out that this smells like a cross between Pantene’s hair conditioner and a (Fructice?) shampoo combined..
corjow – :
I have a 30ml bottle of Carven Le Parfum and I adore that one so I will be anxious to test this one and hopefully love this one also.