Vent Vert The Original

First, a big Thank You to Svetlana at Fragrantica for adding this as of June 2018. So glad that we've got a separate listing now for the original Germaine Cellier brew. It's so much different than subsequent formulations and it definitely deserves its own time in the limelight. Imagine walking into the woodlands in a deep valley somewhere north of Paris. It's Spring; the narcissi and hyacinth are up, and everything is turning green with the new season -- so verdant, so vivid it almost hurts your eyes. You reach down and rub wild young grasses and herbs between your fingers, and on the breeze is the scent of sweet moss from the forest ahead. The whole world is newly alive and there is the sense that wonderful things are just about to happen. That's how I feel whenever I wear Madame Cellier's iconic 1947 creation. Interesting that there is more than one set of notes ascribed to the 1947 Vent Vert. One version -- to me, the one closest to my own impression, from my own well-preserved one-ounce bottle, and the one adopted by fragrantica -- lists: Top notes: bergamot, neroli, jonquil and violet leaf Middle notes: geranium, narcissus, basil, galbanum, lily of the valley, freesia, rose, jasmine and hyacinth Base notes: sandalwood, oakmoss and musk Others mention this set of notes: galbanum, citrus, gardenia, peach, rose, lily of the valley, hyacinth, iris, jasmine, oakmoss, vetiver, styrax, and musk. These are plausible as well. Apparently it's said that over 1100 ingredients went into Ms. Cellier's formulation, so adding up all of the above is still only scratching the surface! (Another description raves about the inclusion of oil of marigold. There is a note that certainly gives that particular impression. And it's been said that the iris in the second list above is more correctly the distinctive note of orris root. That would be my impression as well.) Any which way, it's said that galbanum comprises a whopping 8% of the formula. I wouldn't be surprised. If you love galbanum to distraction -- and bonus points if you can't get enough of the kind of sharp, complex bergamot they used to use back in the old days -- this might be the fragrance to have you fall in love all over again. To me, regardless of the notes, the beauty of Vent Vert 1947 is in the Whole-is-greater-than-the-sum-of-the-parts perfume trope. Inhale slowly, let all analysis go, and enjoy the deep, rich, glorious beauty that is the original Vent Vert. If you love intense, bitingly green florals, and vintage is your thing, this might be a new Holy Grail. It was for me.

(Review of the EdT, bottle c. 1960) I am lucky. I freely admit it and I recognize it. I came across my bottle of Vent Vert at an estate sale several years ago, and nearly fell over in disbelief at the find. The seller obviously had no idea what they had, probably just trying to offload their passed relative’s belongings as quickly as they could since they were selling it for pocket change, and it was barely used and kept in the box. I found vintage bottles of Joy and Diorella at this same sale. Lucky me, indeed. My Vent Vert is in pristine condition, and will hopefully remain so since I refuse to let it out of its box in my perfume refrigerator except for some very quick minutes when I apply it to skin. I hope it stays in pristine condition, since I refuse to buy new formulations; they are ghastly. It is criminal what Balmain has done to Vent Vert in recent decades. Just discontinue it, please? Green Wind is a beautiful name for a beautiful perfume that perfectly evokes the aromatic sensation of green florals on a warm breeze of a cool day. As has been written ad infinitum, the galbanum opening is one of the most strident in the green perfume genre and would give permissions to the green perfume craze to arrive more than a decade later. The hesperidics are just as strident, parched, and bitter. Hyacinth is the floral star here, overlapping seamlessly with indolic jasmine and watery muguet in which the latter gives you a bit of a break from the green potency. I find more so captivating than the shocking green opening that every perfumista rabbits on about is the floral heart. My word is it gorgeous. As Vent Vert dries down it loosens up and warms up to you with roses, orris, oakmoss, and gentle balsams. The oakmoss and woody vetiver make sure the green message stays loud and clear through to the skin scent. Simply stunning. Well, no, I shouldn’t say simply/simple. There is nothing simple about Vent Vert, but it feels that way. Walk down a sidewalk on a cool spring day, feel a warmer wind blow the aromas of fresh green florals across your nose, and the experience strikes you as incredibly simple but completely arresting, yet when you consider the science behind what creates that breeze and those aromas your mind is boggled. This is what Vent Vert does to me every time I wear it. There is a simple elegance in the experience, that the opening triggers you into realizing it is anything but simple, so relish it and relish the fact that you are able to be present and enjoy it.

[700] Germaine Cellier may be my favourite perfumer of all, and that is a big statement coming from this fan of Roudnitska, Ropion, Ellena, Coty, Chant, Jacques Guerlain et al. Considering her limited output, it is a case of quality (read: wizardry) over quantity, and Vent Vert is perhaps her most celebrated creation. It was groundbreaking at its time of release, using materials that were not deemed feminine or fashionable. Cellier was an undisputed genius, and it is hard to understand exactly how she composed her scents. I initially fell in love with Jolie Madame, also a Cellier creation for Balmain, and I since was lucky enough to get my hands on a miniature of VV - the green perfume of my dreams. I'm a lover of green scents in general, wearing copious amounts of Chanel No. 19 and Lauder Private Collection in the spring, and Balmain Vent Vert was (to my knowledge) the original and best. Great name aside, this galbanum-rich green scent is dense and mutifaceted, floral and vegetal at the same time, damp yet powdery - spring in a bottle. VV opens with hazy galbanum, a real vintage note, richer and more dense than anywhere else I've experienced it. Some bergamot adds tart zesty freshness, and a prominent green violet note initiates the floral bouquet. Green-tinged citric neroli is an inspired addition, bringing the dewy springtime effect to life, followed by grassy, slightly smoky narcissus. There is a rooty, vegetal effect to the opening, powdery and herbal, utterly green. It is like fresh foliage. As it develops, other floral notes unfurl. The hyacinth is surprisingly subdued, fresh and dewy, and I get green lily-of-the-valley. Some powdery rose follows. There is a damp, herbal undertone. The galbanum persists. As it dries down, a vintage chypre accord emerges, mossy and earthy, a now natural progression for a green scent (albeit pioneering at the time of VV's creation). Soft woody notes ground the greenness, and it becomes softly musky as it fades. Sillage and longevity are moderate. Unisex and made for spring days. The greenest green scent I've ever had the pleasure of smelling, VV is lush, dense, mossy, vegetal, dewy, floral, leafy, herbal, hazy, fresh and woody at various points, yet utterly cohesive - masterfully put-together. Like emerald-green silk, bottled. The work of a true genius. 5/5.

I'm lucky to own the original masterpiece. Imagine a large container that has been stuffed completely full with fresh and damp grass clippings, white flowers, moss and dirt. Someone probably sprinkled citrus juices in there too. The container is then left somewhere where it's very hot and steamy. When you open the container what does it smell like? Probably something like the opening of Vent Vert. At least that is the picture I have in my mind every time I smell this. This is the greenest fragrance in the world. It's full, deep ans vital. No other fragrance comes as close to capturizing the scent of freshly cut grass, which is actually the scent of chemical reactions caused by plants trying to save themselves from injury. This is the smell of freshly cut grass in steroids. This is greenness screaming "I WANT TO LIVE" at your face in full blown panic. In some hours it mellows down to be a more classic white floral scent. It doesn't lose it's edge, but the edge becomes a little less sharp. I adore Vent Vert, but I can't wear it often. I find it easiest to wear in a rainy spring day when it's still cool outside, flowers are already blooming and the young leaves of trees and grass are almost neon bright. Germaine Cellier was a genius. Like other perfumes created by her, the original Vent Vert is an extraordinary piece of art.

97°F today in Ohio. The air is SOUP and Vent Vert is the perfect garnish. Grassy, earthy, and cool--but not too clean; it cuts through the heat like an industrial shop fan. Feminine despite a distinct lack of sweetness or indolic florals. I can imagine well-heeled young women of mid-century finding respite by splashing this liberally on an oppressively sultry summer day. Wearing her feels like stepping into a cool, dark evergreen forest insulated from the sun trying to poke through the canopy. Green chypre lovers will smell the lineage pointing straight back to Vent Vert. It's worth it to seek out a vintage miniature and get your nose on this branch of the family tree. Even with the later reformulations, its herbal, sharp, absolutely non-modern character remains. Sad it's no longer produced; corporate buyouts, amiright? Chanel no.19 comes close, but she's a prude & won't take off her spectators to run barefoot on the lawn. No one can out-green the Green Wind. Thank you Germaine Cellier (your breezy spirit lives in my bottle.) Long live the old-school classics! 💚

Do what you must to get the real thing!! Today I have Polka dot 1991 on left arm and Orig Eau de Toilette on the right. P 1991 is sooo sweet--more like Annick Goutal DNA. The reformulations are not cheap on Ebay--vintage is basically the same price. Orig EDT is cleaner, dryer with more depth --and is more unisex. I do get a bit of the oakmoss when I wear the EDT. (If you own a bad sprayer--just hold the bottle horizontally!) My true favorite is the Parfum--I bought a clutch of small bottles on Ebay (boxed 4mls). These babies really soar with living green--and then settle down into a beautiful floral on me. I decant the parfum into spray bottles as I think more oxygen amplifies the top notes. You will never regret letting Germaine Cellier capture you.

I tried a vintage EDT (don't know the decade) on my skin and let me tell you, trust Germaine Cellier to break some walls in what you think you like. I usually HATE a very obvious citric scent but this is so well mixed together with the flowers that i can't even argue. Beautiful bright fragrance, zesty, very fresh and green in the opening but made in a charming, not obvious way. It looses it's power quickly and becomes more flowery and subtle after a few minutes but still great. To me this is a very young and lively fragrance (like Opening Night by Lelong). It may not be my style but i would love to smell it on someone else. I really liked it but I'm still curious to try the parfum version and hopefully fall more in love with it.

I've had a couple of the 1991 minis sitting in my stash for a while but recently got my hands (or my nose, actually) on a 2ml micro-mini bottle of this. I misjudged how close the bottle had been and had it smashed against the tip of my nose instead of gently catching a whiff like I was intending to. While the 1991 retains the Vent Vert DNA, the Orginal, a potent little parfum, packs a spicy punch. While the 1991 EDT is sheer, green, and floral, the Original parfum is vegetal, spicy, and really quite earthy and I definitely prefer this a lot more. The EDT is like a watercolour painting, whilst this is more like an oil painting. Big love for its richness!

VINTAGE PARFUM EXTRAIT - Gorgeous elegant, fresh, rich, complex, intense, green lushness. The real oakmoss is a magnificent cradle for all the green here. Sandalwood and musk add depth and sensuality to an abundance of blooming garden greens. Nothing detergent like here. This is a vegetal freshness of great complexity tempered with a beautiful narcissus/rose/jasmine floral goodness. The galbanum oozes green depths, the violet leaf/neroli carve out clean facets on the emerald. Everything just radiates like a great mossy emerald forest. Magnificent. I adore this.

I could almost taste the hyacinth but without its headiness; emerald in spectacle but never burdening unlike the Dior chypres. This one’s laid back focusing on citrus and greens along with the blue flower. Later on it becomes sweet amongst the melange of superbly combined white florals which never smelled stuffy. As fleeting as it might be, beauty is truly beheld when smelled. A progenitor of Jean Louis Scherrer’s classic chypre, Dior’s Diorling and to an extent, 19 and Y. Niche can’t replicate this.

I wore the original faithfully since being gifted an emerald green felt covered bottle. I was 16 but loved every “grown up” scent this woman gave me. No “Love’s Baby Soft” for me!! So wow was I disappointed when I bought a nice big bottle with a new cap...one whiff and I knew this wasn’t the same perfume! So I search for the original and purchase when I can. Still wear the newer variations from time to time but they don’t have the staying power or beautiful memories invoked by this, the original.

Did not realize the original Vent Vert has been added. Just copied my 2016 review here. The sun was warm but the wind was chill. You know how it is with an April day. Robert Frost. The harsh bitter verdancy of galbanum with cool citrus being a crisp spring breeze brings forward scents of early flowers and past winter's decay. No other perfume can depict spring as best as Vert Vent. It is breathtaking. Pre-1991 parfum in rectangular bottle with black cap.

Vent Vert the origonal, the one and only. I grew up wearing this perfume. Fortunately it can still be found but for how long? I bought the 90's formula et was so disappointed. I gave it to my mother. That reformulation is in fact a very nice perfume, it just does not stand the comparison with the original, which I hoard.

A true Green scent. Complex, dry, not sweet - nor sour. I love Germaine’s work and own Bandit original extrait that I eek out along with this absolutely divine fragrance. Aptly named. Unparalleled in uniqueness and greenness. Perfection. Vintage is a must to really enjoy this perfume.

I've loved green scents as long as I can remember, Gap Grass being my first BIG heartbreak when it was discontinued. This is a revelation, really the penultimate. I can't write anything about her that hasn't already been expressed below. Do get some. She is absolutely worth it.

A true masterpiece from the past 🏆❤️ now discontinued by Balmain unfortunately 👎 Balmain just replaced it with new vent vert which has nothing In common with the original! Shame on Balmain for having released a dupe of his own signature fragrances 👎😠

I got the best compliment with this vintage: "OH! Someone in here is wearing a very nice masculine cologne... And someone else is wearing a beautiful perfume. Masculine, feminine." Me, the only person in the room: "Yes."

I remember having this wonderful fragrance in the late seventies. I had been given a present of a Balmain Gift Set comprising of Ivoire de Balmain (it must have been to celebrate the launch of Ivoire as this bottle was a bit bigger than the others), Miss Balmain, Vent Vert & Jolie Madame. I was about 18 and too young really to appreciate these wonderful little treasures. My boyfriend at the time had previously bought me another larger bottle of the Miss Balmain and I had loved it and thus my love affair with it began, hence being my signature scent. Vent Vert, as I can remember it, was much greener than the more sweet Miss Balmain. It wasn't as much to my taste back then and, as I mentioned, I was too young to savour the notes as well as I might do now. But I must have used it and the Ivoire too. Having said that, on moving house recently, for the third time since my teens, I found the little bottle of Madame Jolie tucked away in a box. A find indeed. I may have to track down Vent Vert again although I doubt I'll come across the original version. Here's hoping I might come across the original bottle of this in one of the still unopened boxes in the house. Miracles do happen!

This would have been totally groundbreaking in 1947. The genius of Germaine Cellier, bringing out aromas that were not traditionally floral or musky or ambery but instead bitter, herbal, aromatic and tobaccoy. Even Vent Vert (mine from a small green furry bottle) has the backdrop of cigarette smoking Germaine that is so visible in Jolie Madame or Miss Balmain. Is this the first perfume introducing the use of galbanum in this fortitude? Like all her creations, it has me scratching my head, WHAT exactly is this? Her peculiar form of magic. The woman was a genius.

a friend visited berlin recently and brought me back 2 mini vintage bottles of perfume she found at a flea market. this was one of them. when sniffed from the bottle, the greenness reminds me of the green/florals in piguet's bandit a bit, but far more intense and woody. after being on the skin a few minutes, the green notes calm and i am left with oakmoss and florals. such a pretty scent, and one that i didn't even know i needed to try! it's the type of scent that's lacking in my collection, and one i've been looking for.