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Abratoprusast – :
I can absolutely appreciate this fragrance but cannot wear it. It reminds me of a wooden wardrobe and vintage fur coats. I don’t mean this in a bad way, the scent conjures up this image very clearly for me, an older and golden time. Upon dry down the spiciness mixes with my chemistry to have a ‘your skin but better’ sort of quality. I find it similar to LHB, but it has a hint of something green that makes it a notch more fresh, which I actually prefer. I wish I could rock this, but I feel too small to wear it!
klassik_ap – :
I tried this just now. I’m tiring of soft, floral fragrances, so I wanted to see if something smoky and mysterious was more my thing. I know someone who wears the original Opium, and it sort of reminds me of that but it’s classier, maybe that’s due to the vintage bottle, rather than the smell.
It starts off all smoky, and woody, and like a bonfire, and wet grasses, but is now after an hour or so is beginning to soften, and I can maybe detect some sweeter, fruitier smells.
I find it really intriguing, so different to any perfume I’ve owned before. Apart from maybe Obsession years ago. I think it’s comforting, and would be lovely on a rainy day to soothe the soul. I’m not sure if it’s beautiful. or not in a way I’m used to anyway. I really like it, and may buy a bottle one day just because it’s so different from modern perfumes.
Cuarta – :
As same with L’Heure Bleue Extract, I don’t have to write anything about this masterpiece, but this is the best Chypre Fruity for me who loves the classical scent.
Since Mitsouko, I’ve never taken the scent of Chypre perfume like strong women of early 20th century.
Of course, I know that there were Chypre notes before Mitsouko and have heard that the scent has been changed the recipe during the 100 years for regulation of some materials. Though, after all, I always return to here (only the category of Chypre notes).
It had included intertwined spices and Cinnamon, ripe peaches, jasmine of distinct outlines and powdery and classy oakmoss, so it was a dignified scent with a strong intention even in the amidst silence. Though, I feel she might pass away after it came her aniversary of almost 100th (or already).
But I would never forget the scent at that time and also respect the efforts of the perfumer Mr. Thierry Wasser. Great perfume.
npp1960knd – :
Last week, a sales lady forced me to try Mitsouko, and sprayed EDP on my wrist. Oh noooooo, how dare you….wait, ahh, this smells sooo good! She was right. After few days, I got a Parfum.
In early 00s, I tried Mitsouko at random sales points. It was gorgeous, but something in it always caused bad reactions like headaches, sickness and fever. I gave up and said goodbye to Mitsouko… Maybe Thierry Wasser broke the curse. Current version doesn’t give me any bad reaction.
It’s fresh and spicy. Topnote is like a deep breath in mountain, morning mist of deep woodland, or a Japanese garden that has a pond and mossy stones. And then, hot spicy cinamon lits a fire in my heart. It gives me ambivalent feelings, calmness & passion, coolness & fire… Is this Mitsouko’s forbidden love? Dangerously beautiful.
krivcovsanek – :
Wearing this one once more in a cold Buenos Aires night. Delightful!
fgo285speagoessenda – :
OMG, a lovely friend gave me an unlabeled vintage Guerlain parfum with just a tiny bit left. And I am pretty sure it’s Mitsouko.
I previously thought the EDP was horrifying, but I’ve grown to appreciate it, and I like it’s warm comfort now. But it is awfully dated, mossy, musky, and strange. I like it on fabric, like my pillow before bed, because it’s much more powdery that way, rather than on my skin. The EDT is lighter, more wearable, fresher, it kinda sparkles and shines, way less heavy. But both these are the current/contemporary versions.
This vintage parfum…. amazing. OMG. It’s soooo sweet and smooth. And I get a mossy/woody cinnamon with a bit of spicy peach. It’s really really good. I’m so not prepared to buy a vintage parfum…. but this is so damn good! I’m finally on the Mitso Train! <3
I agree with other reviews…. I detect this gingerbread note– but I love it! And I get this sweet/salty bit… def get the citrus and peach- but they are meshing into this light and sparkly fruity note– the extrait is much lighter and sweeter than I expected. OMG… it’s sooo good! I also agree there is some “tea” to this.
The notes I dislike in the EDP, are sooo smooth now. Clove, cinnamon, cumin… it’s perfect!
I find this more subtle too (compared to the EDP) but it’s still got smooth amazing sillage. It’s def worlds above the EDP.
About 2 hours later… I am just about done with the spicy cake (but it’s still there), and it’s near the subtle (yet good sillage) drydown of dry-yet-warm, mossy spicy peach. It does resemble the EDP/EDT now, but so much smoother (how many times have I said that? lol…) and more sophisticated!
Obeflalse – :
Mitsouko extrait is my favorite concentration of my summer/autumn favorite. In truth, each strength has something special to offer. I was lucky to find a 1/4 ounce vintage for 50 dollars.
But the extrait is mesmurizing! At it’s most concentrated, I am given all the more of my favorite ingredients to love.
The peach is sweet this time Full and rich and
real. The gorgeous and elegant oakmoss hangs heavy and is intoxicating! Of my favorite notes, so luxurious; so Chypre! I am a lover of spice, and being Guerlain, the extrait has spice of the best quality. I need a full ounce bottle of this!
dewastators – :
I was fortunate to obtain an unopened bottle of vintage version. Very hard to describe such a rich scent. I recall what Luca Turin says the vintage Mitsouko an epitome of chypre scent. I can not agree more.
dron1984 – :
When I wore this back in the 60’s it was like they made it for me because all the notes pleased me. The notes were like old friends that I’d already had the pleasure of meeting in other fragrances.
Citrus, cinnamon, spices, cumin, jasmine, rose, lilac, oak moss and amber!!
Is this a perfume or what?
The concentrated extract pure parfum bottle is what you want to experience. This is an arrogant Oriental, a scented palace. This is the main dining room of a Chinese imperial palace in the Forbidden City. Everywhere is the scent of bergamot teas, spices, cinnamon, and jasmine. The air is perfume with savory scents that draw you in further and further in.
The citrus is quite delicious like an actual bergamot tea. But it’s joined by a jasmine tea. So this smells exactly like a teahouse that serves bergamot tea and jasmine tea. Very exotic and spicy. After the tea note fades away, a powdery and dusty rose emerges. Yes it is a mature rose. But I love my mature scents. I have worn this to Church and to work. In the smallest amount it can actually smell very sweet and powdery. I apply it up and down my neck and in my cleavage. The scent throws out a sweet citrusy smell and a jasmine. Most of all on me this is citrus and jasmine.
There’s enough spices to keep you interested: cumin, cinnamon, even honey! There is so much more going on in this fragrance than the notes themselves can do. The oak moss is a nice touch. It’s also got amber. A simple and demure scent and yet exotic and vibrant.
I recommend this to any fan of vintage classic Guerlains. The eau de parfum is just as nice and the eau de toilette but not as rich and intoxicating as the extract which is only a click away on ebay.
UKR – :
This review is for the 30 ml cube bottle that is a tester in the perfume department at Bergdorf Goodman and many Guerlain boutiques. Best version of Mitsouko I have ever tried. The vintage formulas have mixed results with various spoiled notes and the current EDT is like the abridged version focusing mostly on the balmy woodiness and dry rose petals. I haven’t tried the current EDP. This version includes the essential peach notes and an array of florals the way I have only experienced in L’heure Bleue. In true extrait fashion, a little goes a long way so be careful not to overapply ( you will stink to high heaven ). It’s melancholy and strange as ever but when I travel to places like Florence or Paris, surrounded by ancient buildings, perusing antiques on a grey day, this is exactly what I want to smell like.
Newman32Frankie – :
Fragrance Review For Vintage Mitsouko Guerlain
Top Notes: Citrus Jasmine Bergamot Rose
Middle Notes: Lilac Peach Jasmine Ylang Ylang Rose
Base Notes: Spices Amber Cinnamon Vetiver Oak Moss
Vintage 1919-1920 Mitsouko is a floral Oriental chypre in simplest terms. I have an old splash bottle that was in my closet for the longest time. It’s not even mine. A friend of mine gave it to my mother who decided she didn’t like it and passed it on to me. I have worn it very infrequently. This is an aromatic scent and pretty strong stuff if you don’t know how to wear it. It evokes the atmosphere of a Japanese teahouse. I smell something like a bergamot tea, very citrusy, and lemon. There’s also a jasmine and two notes of roses and the combination of roses and lilacs give it a distinct powder. So it starts off like a bergamot or lemon tea, and I also smell a sweet peach. The rose powder gives this scent a sweet femininity that evokes a Japanese Geisha. I visualize a young geisha in a flower print kimono having tea or serving tea. My impression is that this fragrance is an Oriental that had been launched before the Oriental craze that began with perfumes like Emeraude and Shalimar. This wears a like a fruitier Shalimar. It’s very sweet, fruity and powdery. It was very nice but the old bottle has a huge sillage and the aroma can be quite strong so I can only put on the littles bit of perfume on my wrists or sides of my neck. People who have smelled it on me say it smells like peach and cinnamon. At one point it only smells of cinnamon. The scent dries down to oak moss and vetiver. Spicy but sweet. This is lovely but it gives me a headache because of the powder and it does have an “old lady” vibe. Now normally I don’t care about that association but this time around it really does smell of lemon tea spilled onto your grandma. And yet I love this fragrance. There has never been a fragrance I’ve come across that I didn’t find something to like about. Every fragrance has a group of notes that appeal to me, even if the whole thing together isn’t quite nice. This is really sweet, fruity, cinnamon powder. Any woman is free to experiment with this scent. It is a Guerlain which makes this high quality and it does last a very long time.
samuray74 – :
For the vintage parfum.
I feel Mitsouko is a fragrance for special occasions, something to wear with the best clothes you’ve got. It feels very elegant, so much that I couldn’t wear it everyday.
The peach is definitely the strongest note, but it’s a sharp, mossy peach, not a sweet mellow one.
It lasts very long on skin, but doesn’t project too much, even though you can smell it on yourself all the time without putting your nose to your wrist.
ванек 86 – :
sO many layers it’s almost mind-bending.
Very Japanese you almost need a kimono
100% silk only. Very dressed up, Japanese
to the point of almost being out of place in
certain areas of the world. Night time in a
kimono with a special someone perfume &
you’d have to be doing something Oriental
like exploring that Dubai Miracle Garden in
that silk kimono (of course) or a Botanical
Garden somewhere (always in that kimono)
or taking a helicopter ride over Chinatown to
arrive being nO one else there. This is not
a public perfume at all – for secluded times…
And if you don’t have a silk kimono this will
get you to realize how much you need one.
…Peace….
ancanot – :
I just spilled a bottle of vintage Mitsouko extrait all over me. Shit. Time to sell my soul for another.
Liss – :
Guys, I did it. I sold my kidney, my firstborn and my self-respect, but finally I did it. I went and bought it. And it was worth it. The oakmossyness, sweetish-savouriness and goodness is unimaginable. Going crazy with the dabby thingy all over myself was a rite of passage. Now, feeding on soup and noodles for the next months will be like eating ambrosia.
Don’t mind me, I’m just high.
SAA – :
My skin is hard to perfume, most fragrances smell harsh and sharp on it. Even Shalimar smells like pure citrus detergent without a single hint of vanilla.
In my late teens, a friend introduced me to Mitsouko which was the perfect choice- smooth, warm and salty. I didn’t wear anything else for 10 years. I loved the smell myself, but never got a single compliment. Instead, the boyfriends who weren’t indifferend would ask, beg and plead with me to get me to stop using it. I would just continue, alternating eau de parfum with parfum. And then I stopped using it when I got pregnant. I kept a small bottle of vintage perfume to smell every other year at the most. Then I met a man who loved perfume on himself, and on women. But Mitsouko reminded him of his evil grandmother.
A long search begun for something he could like, and I at least tolerate. The irony of it all was that at the right stage of unwash, his armpits smell exactly like Mitsouko, smooth, warm and salty. (I just caught a typo: Pitsouko, but I should start calling him that!)
I would find something that worked for me, kind of, use it for a year, get bored, try to find something else.
Now I have a number of ok ones ones I can alternate, but I kept searching for something to love. Lately the search intensified, there must be something else out there that’s really really good! Mitsouko can’t be the only one. And does it really smell that fantastic? Today I brought out my old bottle and yes, it does. Right from the application, no neew to wait for an acceptable drydown. Nothing else even comes close. I will stop looking for others and start ebaying for vintage…
jenek17 – :
I recently had the opportunity to purchase for $50 vintage unopened Mitsouko Extrait in the Parapluie bottle. They believe it is from the late 1950’s to mid-sixties.
I have often read that estate fragrances lose their character over time, and Mitsouko is particularly prone to this. The bottle and box looked well stored, so I took a leap of faith and went for it.
Prior to this, I had only worn the pre-reformulation EDT, which I have in my collection. I had also sniffed the EDP a few years ago on a test strip at Neiman Marcus and found it to be beautiful but I had never been intimate with it in that form as I had the EDT. Soooo, I’m no expert on vintages here. These are simply my impressions.
Being patient and getting the fragrance home before just digging in like a spoiled child was the hardest part. I opened it, dabbed a bit on my skin and for JUST a split second I thought I KNOW this fragrance!
I’d smelled something similar before, as a child on my Grandma Firebaugh’s skin–I remembered her bottle of Coty Chypre and the matching powder and suddenly I knew what people meant about Jacques Guerlain refining and building on that Chypre accord.
Bergamot and Cinnamon, and oh, THERE is that soft, ripe and luscious peach aldehyde. I can actually smell the rose attar and jasmine in this more so than either the EDT or the EDP. The oakmoss is so rich and cozy, the labdinum dry down with its warmth and subtle sweetness. This doesn’t have the sassy, loud personality of my EDP…it is more subtle, more sensual and a scent that doesn’t go too far from my skin.
It lasts for a good 8-10 hours, and I wear it when I want to treat myself with kindess and compassion.
My impressions? Worth every penny.
vvs_93 – :
I should like Mitsouko. I have worn it off and on over the years because it is my husbands favourite frag.
Recently I have had the opportunity to test out the toilette, au de perfume, and extract.
The extract is the most manageable one of the three as it seams a bit smoother. Unfortunately I still pick up notes that aren’t supposed to be there, like lavender and beeswax candles. No amount of dry=down time helps.
Having tried all three, and they are all recent formulas, I must accept that Mitsouko is not my favourite fragrance. I feel like a traitor.
Fedotikov_AV – :
i reviewed my 1998 EDT recently (LOVE) and have an extrait mini…
well, whatever vintage my beautiful teeny Guerlain bottle is…this lady has lost her spice, citrus, sweetness and her golden beauty isn’t shining as it should. she sits sadly, surrounded by strong sharp oakmoss, which smells synthetic and bitter to me. Unless…this is old school oakmoss from a long ago vintage, which has a raspy sharpness to be expected, perhaps. but i did imagine the extrait to be smoother and deeper, yet have the same warmth and sunshine as my EDT.
i hear the current formulation is very true to the original, despite the use of synthetic oakmoss.
i do remember dabbing this and liking it very much, as it convinced me to bid for the EDT (yellow box) on eBay, which when it arrived…had never been sprayed and lasts at least 12 hours, with all those notes working in perfect harmony.
this lasted about 4 hours and as expected, wears close to the skin.
pilsgrew – :
I’m not sure what year this sample is from, but it is beautiful far beyond my paltry powers of description. I love the EDT and love this, too. This is, as Mellyhelly said, “complex, deep, warm but not sunny”….perfect summing up. I find the EDT sunny and bright, and this version deeper, heavier, more womanly.
There’s really no describing Mitsouko. She’s different every time! Today, for me, she is golden and peachy, with dark vetiver and cinnamon wrapping their velvety arms around the whole stunning creation.
Yup. I’m in love.
Аленчик 1 – :
I’m so jealous after reading the last review in particular. I have a large sample from last summer that has NO spice at all. Just sweet, powdery, mossy. That’s all! It’s perfectly lovely but nothing at all of what others have remarked upon. I was told that Mitsouko has many many variations depending upon the year and formula, so I guess I got the sweet one. I’ll try again someday, because the whole reason I oredered the sample, and waited with excitement,was from the descriptions here.
lukja – :
For me, a lover of Mitsouko in EdT concentration, this parfum is fragrance heaven. Being so familiar with the EdT concentration, it is impossible to review the parfum concentration without comparing it to the EdT, but I will try.
Mitsouko parfum has a beautiful, typical Guerlain citrus opening, that takes ages to develop. Musty citrus and soft floral notes take their time to get to know each other, supported by the tiniest hints of oak moss and spices. Slowly but surely the fragrance becomes deeper and a dark jasmin takes over, balanced by oak moss and wet, rooty vetiver. Flashes of ripe peach bring light in the darkness. Then spices, dry but smooth and dark, take center stage and dance with the jasmin. The fragrance stays like this for a long time and then becomes sensual oak moss, garnished with spices and vetiver and balanced by hints of smooth amber.
And here is where is differs from the EdT (one comparisson is alowed I would say); the parfum is much smoother and darker, deeper also, with stronger base notes. The EdT is much more citrussy and lighter. It seems also thinner and has a somewhat “raspy” texture, created mainly by the cinnamon. Both are exquisite, but the parfum is simply divine.
Mitsouko parfum has very low sillage, but is always there for the wearer to smell. Perfect elegance.
PS: this review is for a very recent formulation of this parfum. I believe it’s from 2014.
anastasiya1988 – :
I purchased the 2013 reformulation of this by Thierry Wasser. My only other comparison for this is a vintage eau de parfum version.
The two versions are very different, but I love them both! The oakmoss in the 2013 extrait is not as strong as in the vintage, being a low atranol type, but it is still a clear note. What I do find very different from the vintage is that the vintage is much spicier with much more of a clove and cinnamon bite to it. Does not have the lasting power of the extrait. The extrait is plush, delicious peach and oakmoss, sensual and luscious. The kind of perfume you wear to bed for a lover. You wake up in the morning, and the scent is still there on your skin. What a novel delight in today’s world of weak, skimpy scents!
And thank goodness that Guerlain cared enough to try to restore the oakmoss to this beauty, even in a slightly weakened form. Now if only the IFRA and EU can be stopped from banning any forms of oakmoss in the future….What a tragedy.
сергей11 – :
Tried this in a shop where they used a squared old and dusty bottle of Parfum as a tester! No Parfum or Extract was sold there.
I like Mitsouko especially in the EdP/EdT vintage prior 1990. It was never a scent for me because I feel it has a sad fragrance, too gloomy and deep. A beauty made of elegance and introspection.
Unfortunately this tester was harsh, probably not gone but a little bit changed? It was kept under the warm lamps on shelf.
It smelled so incredibly leathery in a very old school manner, not feminine nor masculine, a perfectly leathery scent of times gone.
In spite of being so strong there was no trace of that plasticky synthetical wood that you smell in every modern fragrance.
Past one hour it settled for better, less leathery, flowers came out and it was plesant and elegant.
It kept close to the skin and lasted for almost 24 hours and more on my jacket.
It’s complex, deep, warm but not sunny.
It reminded me of an edge of CK Obsession first version, maybe CK had this one in mind.
A scent for intellectual personalities with a deep core of dark earthy vibe.
Edit: I insist, but I’m not a Mitsouko lady. I found a fresh tester for Mitsouko Extrait/Parfum and sprayed a little more liberally. I still don’t understand why Guerlain does this thing of testers: a few oldies are given only Parfum tester in the square bottle, but only EdT, sometimes also EdP is sold there.
There is a huge difference. EdT is more screachy, EdP is rounder and deeper, closer to my fave version Parfum de Toilette from the ’80s, the most peachy one and so poetical.
The Parfum version is entirely a different matter.
So far, in Parfum, Mitsouko gives out a strikingly beautiful old leather edge. Bottega Veneta only wished to be Mitsouko.
I swear my wrist from a distance smells also as if someone is peeling a luscious orange, while closer it smells leather, then gradually oakmossy. But it’s not for me. A rare case where a perfume loves me and I don’t love it.