Vent Vert

Any perfume lover on the journey has heard of Vent Vert at some point, usually referenced as THE Galbanum Fragrance. Galbanum is not exactly an ideal note to put solitarily forward, a brutish punch of green with some strange woody-oily aspects, it's like the interesting misfit kid that is obsessed with nature and hugs the trees but punches you in the face if you carve them. Poison Ivy just before she became the mean, green, killing machine. I particularly love galbanum, give me a pretty green nose bleed, I don't mind, but Vent Vert is much more than a galbanum fragrance. It is masterfully abstract green and a tigerish, rude green. But in a good french way. It is feral galbanum as the queen of a barbaric grassy tribe doing a victory pow-wow dance over The Hulk overdosed in clorophyll. Leafy, breezy skirts swaddled by wind and floral crown headbands of the daintiest florals to celebrate her - frail lily-of-the-valley, a super gauzy iris, probably hyacinth- softens her image almost enough to romanticize her into an art noveau dryad, a lithograph of a pastoral goddess, fair hair gusted by the wind and that sort, a maiden form with a lot of movement to remind you that nature is an unstopabble living being but ironically pictured trapped in a spiderweb of vines, leaves and flower-spangled meadows --no one can escape nature, especially their own; nymphs in anarchy but contained by art form. The complexity scores high as with most of Cellier fragrances, I try to imagine her original composition with the legendary minibases inside the base, this is peeking at it with with its drapes of mesh-like green gauze intershaded with darker tonalities of spiky chunky wool. Sitting in one of those franchised coffee houses wearing Vent Vert in a bustling city makes me query of the urban life, I fall into a bucolicism extreme enough to question even the charming ones. No wonder some citadines have a fame for being grumpy when they have people like Germaine Cellier to remind them of Arcadia.

Some weeks ago I visited a little store which had plenty of perfumes from the past. They were gems unruined by the IFRA and among the others I bought a very vintage and perfectly preserved Vent Vert. Germaine Cellier is a perfumer whose talent has no equal in the perfume world. Far from being a monument like Jacques Guerlain or Edmond Roudnitska, she shares the same genius of both without enjoying the same status. If you look at her - certainly not many - creations you can see how her talent is multifaceted. Take Bandit and Fracas, at the opposite poles one from the other. Take Vent Vert, opening green and closing another hue that I would define dark saturated pink. Vent Vert opens taking you in a meadow full of grass, some cut, some full of those fantastic "herbes folles" as the French say, whose smell is a voyage in my childhood when I used to live in a happy countryside. Little by little you are transported to a town where the smell of grass is mixed with friendship, love, human warmth symbolized by the flowers that take the scene after the green. Here you are in the yellow phase. Then you are taken to someplace which is the city of your maturity, your work, your stable relationships, husband, sons, long life friends who have travelled all the way with you. And here you are in the final, deep pink phase, when your life is accomplished with every success, goals achieved, duties done. And Vent Vert has developed with you, step after step. More than a scent for me Vent Vert is a metaphor of life. A masterpiece.

Vintage Vent Vert by Balmain is as close to iconoclastic feminism as fragrance gets. On its release this searing, adventurous and uncompromising scent must have cut a swathe through not only smoked filled rooms but preconceptions of what a woman should smell like. It is a bracing bolt from the green. An amorphous, abstract yet geometric gesture in shamrock. To describe and dissect the principle notes or accord seems almost pointlessly reductive. It contains grasses, nettles, citrus leaf and moss but is not solely defined by any of them. Beyond this there is fruity acidity set off by softer florals that appear and then disappear repeatedly in the heart. Like the summer wind the name suggests. Chief amongst these floral elements is a hyacinth that retains a degree of hauter, the slight detachment of that note smudged by a friendlier lighter muguet. The base is another convergence of not only notes but tone, galbanum against amber, sandalwood and cedar, oakmoss and herbaceous border. The effect is entrancing yet at the same time a little alarming. Indeed, this is not a perfume with which the word comfortable can easily be associated. It is too urgent, too agitated, has a point to make even to the point of a certain cold aggression. I can’t help but adore it for its restless boundary-testing taut beauty. If Vent Vert were a painting it would be a cubist Picasso from his lost green period. ************ This is a concise version of the review, to read my full thoughts check out my blog theperfumeddandy.com

I fell for VENT VERT from the first moment I inhaled this incredible and gorgeous green spring scent. This is one of the best green scents I’ve ever tried. It smells just like a spring day after the rain. The scent captures the abundance of greenery, raindrops on a grass and fresh spring air. I am wearing it today on such a spring day and it is in complete harmony with the nature around me. It smells so natural but it is also complex and interesting. Unbelievable experience! The opening is green but not sharp or harsh. It is so harmonious that it is hard to discern the notes. I think I smell a bit of lime, a bit of herbs and orange blossom. I also thought that I smell galbanum but it is not listed, so perhaps it is asafoetida that adds this earthy touch. The symphony of spring continues with the gentle floral heart notes. They are still green but not sharp at all. I catch whiffs of lily of the valley, freesia and later on violets. The scent continues to be in a perfect harmony. The notes are so flawlessly weaved together that I cannot really say which one takes a lead but together they create this beautiful light and refreshing floral scent. The dry down is also a bit green. I mostly smell vetiver and sandalwood. This scent is beautiful from the beginning till the end. In my humble opinion it is a masterpiece among green scents and an absolute delight to wear. I am sure it could be worn anytime of the year but I think its true magic comes alive when it is worn in spring. Definitely recommend.

A review for both the present day version of Vent Vert (as of 2014) and the 1990 Calice Becker reformulation of the original 1947 vintage: I simultaneously bought both versions for a comparison, becoming recently enamored of vintage perfumes. The modern Vent Vert is completely incongruous to its name. It is no more of a green breeze than an old bag of potpourri. It is relentlessly floral, cheery, bland, overly sweet to my taste, and wouldn't you know, it has sillage and longevity for miles. Any initial green notes are at the very beginning and last for about 30 seconds. It's obvious Balmain continues to call this fragrance Vent Vert as mere name recognition marketing strategy. A real shame. I guess cheap floral aromachemicals are just too easy to use in perfume in these days of perfume quality downgrades. The 1990 vintage reformulation still has a really pretty green element to it. It does drift off into floraldom after about half an hour, but the initial burst of it is really nice, and it's something I enjoy wearing. Better than a lot of the modern day dreck out there. I did get a teeny sample of what might have been an original 1947 EDT version of this, but it faded so quickly on me. Tried to buy the actual perfume, but the vintage seller ran out of it before my purchase went through during a sale (or so they said!) One day it would be my dream to own a vintage bottle of the original perfume, sour and spicy and bitter, like biting into a fresh lime. I'll keep looking...sigh.

Wearing the vintage. Green is an understatement. It is different from every other perfume I have ever smelled. It opens smelling like salad and grass clippings- maybe even a salad OF grass clippings, right down to a hint of balsamic vinaigrette. Then it begins to smell strangely of a doctor's or dentist's office. Is that galbanum? It's not bad, but very, very different. It would 100% never be marketed as a feminine scent today. It would probably be marketed as a unisex niche scent from Demeter or something. Except it is a lot more photo-realistic of green things than most of those types of perfume lines ever do. Upon smelling it, I immediately recognized the smell, even though I can't place it. It's so interesting, and I mean that not as a euphemism, but as a sincere compliment. Every Germaine Cellier fragrance I smell is so different from the last one I smelled, and I love how bold they all are. What a genius. It reeks of daytime, springtime. Yet I can picture a summer evening at a European resort on the coast, with a stiff breeze off the ocean chilling a woman who was not dressed for it, but who remains because she needed to come out to the water's edge to think. Germaine Cellier was a conjurer. I have to say I love it. I can't admire something this strongly and not call it love. I could go on, and I may later, as the scent unfolds.

Too good to waste....This is a big green forest with little woody and powdery tunes on the background. The green is harsh, bitter, bold and frank. The rest of the ingredients delicate and refined. I LOVE this timeless creation even though it's not the Vintage version from 1947. I never sniffed the vintage bottle unfortunately (shame on me, I know guys) , but I hear and read that that's the BOMB. Despite of that, I am happy with this reformulated version from 1991, see photo above, by Calice Becker (by the way, there was a second reformulation in 1999 that seems to be bad stuff comparing to the former ones). It was love on first sniff for me. Thanks to the strong and bold galbanum surrounded by lots of green and flowers. Ofcourse I am very curious about the vintage version, but a bottle from e-bay is much too expensive for me. The bottle I got with polka-dot bow says this: Topnotes- Lemon, Bergamot, Neroli Middle notes- Galbanum, Ylang Ylang, Hyacinth, Lilly of the Valley Base notes- Sandalwood, Ceder, Iris Does anyone know more fragrances with that same harsh, bitter and bold green in it (except for Chanel 19)? Not 'just' green perfumes, but the in-your-face ones. Mostly with galbanum and oakmoss in it. Please let me know by giving me some names. Thank you sooo much.

A classic green floral perfume that opens with fresh and green notes. Flowers like Hyacinth, Lily of the valley and Jasmin have an important role in that and perfume has a herbal earthy background. I also feel there is a little bitter Neroli that makes this scent citrussy and fresh. Finally it ends with woody musky notes and flowers dont lose from begining to end . . دسته گلی در برگرفته شده توسط نسیم سبز چمن زار. در فضایی کلاسیک روشن و آفتابی... . فوران رایحه سبز و باطراوت و سپس قدرت گرفتن ذات گلی عطر که سنبل، موگه و یاس در اون نقش های اصلی رو دارن درکنار تلخی مرکباتی طور نرولی و حس خاکی ناشی از باریجه که مثل گَردی لطیف روی گل ها و سبزه ها رو پوشانده توصیف نت محور این عطر هست. به مرور، طراوت و رطوبت اولیه انگار آفتاب خورده و خشک میشه و کم کم شیرینی چوبی مشکی با برجسته تر شدنش در حضور عطرِ گلها پایان بندی کار رو رقم میزنه... . کلیت عطر رایحه ای سبز و مرطوب، کمی صابونی، شیرین از جنس شیرینی گلیِ کلاسیک و تلخ از جنس تلخی لیمویی(نرولی) داره که در پس زمینه ای خاکی و گیاهی قرار گرفتن. گاها ردی مصنوعی از بوی گل و برگِ کنار هم له شده و چمن بریده شده ازش حس میشه علی الخصوص در ابتدای راه. در یک نگاه کلی هم رایحه ی کرم های قدیمی گل بو روی پوست شسته شده با صابون گلنار حسی هست که ممکنه این عطر تداعی کنه.

Vie Cafe said it well! I also saw and sampled the New Vent Vert, available in a truly lovely bottle befitting a retro glamour queen. Normally I don't get excited over bottles, but this hefty beauty is a stunner. Without the bow, she could just as easily be a men's bottle - but only for the most exclusive and well designed men's fragrance. As for the juice itself, it is considerably sweeter and gentler than many a green powerhouse - including my favorite, Silences. I found the sillage to be light but the longevity to be reasonably good ~ around 5 hours. Anyone easily intimidated by cold greens need not fear. Once the initial green burst dies down, you are left with the fresh, sweet air of spring! I do not currently "need" another green floral to add to my burgeoning collection, and so passed by a 40 dollar bargain at Marshalls..... Something I'm telling myself was a noble sacrifice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is the first green floral perfume, created by Germaine Cellier in 1947. Vent Vert is up there with Guerlain Vetiver as a pure green perfume that feels very much like “me”. Green florals can come out so pristine they’re practically prepubescent; or they can compromise on verdancy with warmer notes. Vent Vert doesn’t do either. It just doubles down really hard on brilliant, bitter, laser-green galbanum, which adds an edge that isn’t present in, say, Estee Lauder’s Pleasures. The cut-grass and galbanum blend together seamlessly into a single fresh-sharp-green note. And then it opens out into a vernal, bright hyacinth, and a little wisp of lily-of-the-valley and maybe jasmine – but the galbanum sticks around too. I love the delicate fierceness of it. It’s like an angry fairy.

You write such wonderful reviews, lucia.lawson. Thank you! I always enjoy reading them, and this one is no exception. I love the beautiful way you have described this classic and gorgeous perfume; so evocatively. In fact, it was because of how much I enjoyed Vent Vert through reading your review, that I decided to blind-buy it: and I am completely thrilled and happy that I did!!! Vent Vert is wonderful, and green, and exquisitely flowery. It also has delicious citrus scents that are very fresh and green, the glorious flowers, that I do wish lasted a little longer, especially the lily-of-the-valley (my favourite), but I actually don't mind too much, because I adore the masculine, woody, vetiver, mossy warm dry-down. It's fabulous. I LOVE it. It's a wonderful, wonderful perfume.

This review is for a sample of a vintage Vent Vert...WOW Although the beginning notes are sort of 'meh', could well be cause this is a vintage sample, as soon as they settle the scent becomes amazing. It's kinda a warm green scent if that makes sense, it lasts really well on me and all this time I keep thinking 'I have sniffed this before' but don't know where...but I want to keep sniffing my wrist ALL the time. Then it dawns on me...it smells like a croos between Chanel no19 and Carven MaGriffe. Both of the scents I love and own...hhmmmm.... So I guess I should not be purchasing a full bottle of this beauty but only because I already own some very very similar.

I was lucky enough to find a pre-1991 original, good condition bottle. Wow. Sour, bitter green. tangy with galbanum and oakmoss, giving way to floral notes and a lovely powdery drydown with real lasting power. Scents of this depth and evolution are rare today thanks to the IFRA ban on oakmoss. It's an acquired taste, but once acquired, one is hooked. Sadly this may be the only bottle I ever find of this age, I have the middle version which is nice enough (post 1991) but lacks the depth; and I won't bother with the new version, it would only suffer by comparison. - Lovely. Like the original Opium, find a vintage one x

I was given a small bottle of the perfume in 1974, I adored it! My sister was given Miss Balmain. We didn't appreciate them enough to keep them for posterity, because we loved both so much we used them up in a matter of months...well we were teenagers! Vent vert (green wind/breeze) is exactly that, young green grass and flowers, beautifully soft, fresh, a breath of fresh air in a tiny bottle. I bought the reformulation a couple of years ago, it is the pale ghost of the original, but still with its fresh charm. Longevity is not its strong suit.

I have had this on my want list soo long that I think it still came in the "lettuce" on top bottle which has since been re-bottled into a classier looking, but not as fun, flanker. This is a lovely fresh fragrance that is VERY similar to A Scent by Issey Miyake. A Scent though is more floral where this one is more herbal. The difference is minor but in my opinion it is still worth owning both. For me, the house of Balmain can do no wrong and this is no exception. This is age appropriate for all....fresh, classy and non-offensive.

Spring is in the air. It's a while ago that I reached out for the cute bottle on the shelf with green bow. My darling Vent Vert was waiting for me and she knew for 100% that I would appear. My oh my, what a lovely, rich, chique, green floral, sparkling spring scent this is! I bend for the galbanum and I am moved by the gentle flowers hidden behind the spicy citrus that welcomes me in the first place. I'm awake again. Darling Vent Vert leads me into summer 2020 as she led me to many summers in my life before.

Acquired through a recent trade, I’m so happy. This is one of the first vintage perfumes I have found that I really like. Vent Vert is green, natural, lovely and I pick up no fruit or flowers. This doesn’t last long before it turns to a skin scent but I need to test this in warmer weather and see if that changes as I would suspect. I reserve the word unique for those rare occasions when it’s well deserved, and that’s Vent Vert. This is niche before the word niche was used to describe perfume.

Fellow Fragranticans, caveat emptor! If you come across the website 'BelowX', which claims to sell the 1991 reformulation in 3.4 oz size as pictured above, be advised that they will ship you the squat, 2.5 oz cube-shaped bottle containing the watered-down weed-juice that bears no resemblance whatever to the fragrance we know and love. Furthermore, attempting to contact them to complain is a lesson in futility (I've tried). So save yourselves the hassle and heartache ...

A signature scent for me...it reminds me of the first palr green leaves budding out and of jonquils blooming..First purchase in 1965; this was released in ca. 1946-49 and was mentioned in Ian Flemming's James Bond novel "To Russia With Love" as a seductive addition to a liasion on the Orient Express! It HAS been reformulated over the years as Balmain was absorbed by a giant conglomerate. Beautiful, very galbanum-y fresh, and I love it at 56!

Lovely floral green. Bold, sharp, bitter, spicey, fresh, flowery. Special, not common. For self-conscious women. Spring-like but mature. Sunny and windy, with substance. But overall green. Not velvet green, but prickly green. Even brutal green. I love this perfume. It's daring outdoors, it nevers steps aside of anything, it goes straight forward with her strong mossy depths, but always in a feminine and classy way.

fresh green-citrussy-bitter oakmoss with a hint of oakmoss. I love it. Despite the long list of notes, it manages to stay fresh and green. this is a classic style fragrance, no mistake there. Often compared with No 19, I found Vent Vert to be more fresh citrussy and green, more suitable for day. Whereas No 19 is more powdery-leathery, more suitable for night. I honestly love both and will use them based on my mood

Opens with a really powerful 'GREEN' burst. If Green could have a smell, this would be it. Green-Crisp-Light-Country Fresh Then slowly shifts into a nice floral haze and ends in a delicious, clean, almost soapy 'just out of the bath tub' sort of feeling. Perfect for one of those 'summery-i-need-to-feel-clean' sort of days.

Oh wow what a beautiful perfume, and still smells amazing for a vintage. I’ve got another small 4ml bottle edt in its original box. Very nice collector’s piece. Message me if you want to buy it. It’s a full bottle. Still has a very strong scent . I almost dont want to give it up...

Does anyone know more fragrances with that same harsh, bitter and bold green except for Chanel 19? Not 'just' green perfumes, but the bold and harsh ones. Please let me know by giving me some names. Thank you sooo much! Edit: the best harsh green EVER. Almost addictive to me.

This was first ever perfume I had. I brought it home all the way from Paris. And I used up all small bottle and never had it again as it was not sold in Russia at that time or was hard to find. I still can remember it so well. Wonderful youthful scent.

I've tried, but I can't take the reformulations - either of them. I fell in love with the original when I was very young, and I love that version the best, when I can get hold of a well-preserved flacon. Nothing hits the spot like the real thing <3

VV Platinum Roberto Verino for women should be tested by the Balmain Vent Vert lovers! To my nose it is a Vent Vert (even verter than Vent Vert) without the flowery powdery herbacious bits of the "before" reformulation (real) Balmain Vent Vert.

A member of the Vent Vert Family is Romeo by Romeo Gigli. And then I mean the original as well as the Eau Fraiche version!

We do not mentoin this one quite often, when we are talking GREEN and Sexy, but actually it is just that!! :-)

It's something like Ma Griffe, but with a twist.

Calice Becker, a skilled perfumer in her own right, was tasked with the mammoth challenge of reformulating Germaine Cellier's classic Vent Vert for Balmain fifty years after the original's release. Given that Cellier's creations are shrouded in mystery and notoriously difficult to dissect, as well as having fewer raw materials at her disposal thanks to ingredient restrictions over time, Becker had her work cut out for her. The resulting scent is quite different from the original; still very green, but dewy and more transparent. It lacks the magic of the original, but is a very pleasant green springtime scent in its own right. I have miniatures of both versions for comparison purposes. VV opens with transparent, dewy green notes, sap-like and damply fresh. Some galbanum adds greenness here, but to a much lesser extent than in the original - here, it is fleeting instead of permeating the scent. Zesty citrus enhances the freshness, giving way to soapy florals. Muted neroli is evident, followed closely by clean jasmine and green lily-of-the-valley. There is an aquatic quality to these florals - they are lightweight, dewy and damp - reminiscent of soap but without aldehydic radiance. Delicate florals remain as it develops, with uncharacteristically muted hyacinth - dewy and fresh - evident. I get a nice herbal-spicy accord thanks to the marigold note and other green herbs, adding a nice counterpoint to the soapy florals. A little violet follows, harking back to the original. The drydown is powdery and cleanly musky, with a soft amber accord adding warmth. There is a vague hint of chypre-like mossiness, mostly thanks to grassy vetiver rather than the oakmoss of the original. A soft woodiness grounds things nicely. It fades to a soapy, musky skin scent with remnants of florals. Sillage and longevity are moderate. A dewy green floral scent made for springtime, VV delivers unisex leafy loveliness in spades. A beautiful green scent in its own right, but no comparison to the original. 4/5.

During my quest for a “green” floral appropriate for spring/summer weather, I sniffed several reputable fragrances with the intention of finally finding the perfect balance of refreshment and sophistication. One of the fragrances, Chanel Cristalle Eau Verte, was quite disappointing and left behind only a trace of white-floral fart after the citrus quickly dissipated. (The original Cristalle is quite lovely, however it transforms into an unpleasant mess on my skin. I love No. 19, but I feel it is too formal for every day wear.) So, there was nothing left to do except sample, sample, sample. After quite a bit of huffing and tossing, I finally stumbled across Vent Vert. Is it good? Yes. Does it end my quest? No, but sniffing Vent Vert was eye-opening because I realized that this is what Cristalle Eau Verte is supposed to smell like. At least that’s how it goes down in my noggin. The note quality could improve a little; things move into soap and shampoo territory and call me crazy, but wearing Vent Vert is a little like washing the dishes while wearing a chastity belt. Although Vent Vert is a decent green floral with a very reasonable price point, I’m not interested in owning a bottle. My search continues... 3.5/5 A large dose of green in exchange for a little green. I really need to think of better tag lines.

If you've smelt the best (1947), then this is nothing to be compared to. It was an astounding feat reformulating the verdant masterpiece but falls flat because of the absence of the bases Germaine used in her creations; namely a spectacular mélange of orris, violet, oakmoss and amber. It imparts an aftertaste of mitigation, where the core of her perfumes are of course endlessly replicated, I daresay a flick of shimmer or pink emanates and it endears you. There's a je ne sais quoi and you can definitely put your finger on and say that this is feminine. Calice's version is more herbal and bitter, more on the green side but the original is a symphony of green, violet and yellows. If you'll have a chance to compare her creations, there's a persistence of an impeccable use of orris, amber and violet and there's where the magic lies. You can almost taste the asafoetida and vetiver in Calice's but with Germaine's, it doesn't overturn the others: such restraint. In the original's parfum, the base is more salient as compared to the light-hearted and I daresay original elven eau de toilette. Vent Vert doesn't smell like Chanel 19 not even close to it. Also, I'd like to reiterate that this is a green perfume: fleeting. Stop making wishes that this should last longer.

After my first spray of Vent Vert I didn't want to waste another drop, that's how quickly I fell for this green beauty. As NebrascaLovesScent put it, Vent Vert is 'an olfactory experience in a bottle'. I find it interesting that a perfume with quite a substantial list of notes seems to produce a feeling of lightness. This soothing green (did I mention green?) floral has a pleasant bitterness and a slight powderiness which strikes a balance between boldness and gentleness. I'm not going to claim I can pick out all the notes, but one that interests me is asafoetida, a key note in Dior Poison Tendre. A dear friend of mine makes the best Spanikopita and (don't tell anyone) but her secret ingredient is asafoetida. Smelt on it's own it is extremely forceful, but here it works with the galbanum to accentuate the floral notes. Serene, charming and unruffled. A timeless classic. The first fragrance I've encountered in it's reformulated life that makes me curious to smell the original. Thanks Anywho for the opportunity to try this green gem. I'll wear this through the summer but I look forward to trying this in the spring.

Definitely smells like the 1990s. I loved the 90s, but am not crazy about the scent. However, that is the only version I've tested. I have no idea how it would compare to the reformulated Vent Vert (which is not as highly rated). Reminds me of Chanel 19, but both are a touch sweeter & more floral than I prefer in my greens. I might like this one a bit better than the Chanel, but I do not enjoy it nearly as much as the very similar (but fresher) Eris Green Spell. It lacks the sharp bite I've read about. Very soft and bland. update: I finally tested the vintage (pre-90s) Vent Vert and it's magnificent. I can't believe how they had already ruined it by the 90s & I've read the most recent reformulation is even worse. The vintage reminds me less of Chanel 19 & a bit more like Cristalle, which I highly recommend if you want to experience that beautifully sharp & sparkling edge. However, I've never smelled anything that is this bright, zesty AND leafy green before. It's spectacular. If only they'd bring it back in its original form. 😭

O Pierre Balmain, how do I love thy fragrances? Let me count the ways: BALMAIN, BALMAN, JOLIE MADAME, MISS BALMAIN, IVOIRE, EAU D'IVOIRE, BALMYA, LA MOME, EAU D'AMAZONIE, the list keeps lengthening and today I am happy to add: VENT VERT is a burst of green freshness with a family resemblance to Carven MA GRIFFE. Equally funky, but in its own distinctive way, VENT VERT offers a cleaner grass smell in the drydown, which I find utterly wonderful. In fact, as much as I appreciate MA GRIFFE, I have to say that, based on a side-by-side comparison conducted only today, I like VENT VERT even more! Very fresh and squeaky clean but not at all aquatic--instead, it's totally green, literally a kelly green gale! VENT VERT is similar to the Body Shop's now-discontinued BE LEAF, but with more depth and complexity, especially in the opening. A great summertime scent!

Hmmm. VERY old fashioned, powdery, clean and deceptively NOT REALLY green! Smells summer... strawberries and farmer's markets. Gingham and straw clutches. Straw hats and lemonade. White Eyelet. You get the idea one hopes. If not then ivory strappy sandals and a pair of capris. New haircut and a pot of orchids. And you live in France. It's actually a profound seriousness found at the heart of the playfulness encased therein. The polka dots, neon green & promises of grass-field filled (no pun intended!) dreams, in the end comes to deliver a nostalgic, multi dimensional powdery olfactory orchestra w/ notes hitting you upside the head with full bodied voluptuousness & depth. Not a "happy" perfume even though overtly cheerful. Euphoric longings is the result of her somber heart and melancholic undertones. Impressed! but I feel piney. ...Peace...

This is the review that finally reveals me to be a perfume plebian. Having lamented the demise of many magnificent perfumes as a result of reformulation I happened upon Vent Vert, shining in it's newness, bold in it's updated version. It starts out very green but with a bite from the asafoetida. This blinding beginning soon fades out to something I was not expecting at all......jasmine with oakmoss, each taking turns with their solo. This smell-off lasts for hours as the volume dial is very slowly turned down to zero. Interesting..............veeeeeeery interesting. I'll take it and if this is considered a blasphemy in the name of what went before, I'll take that too if I ever find it.

This is the greenest perfume I've ever tried and I mean that in the best way. I wanted the smell of a grassy knoll in a spring wind and I got it. It's sharp, bitter, acidic, resinous. At first I thought it was too linear, but keep sampling until a neroli-cedar-sage base presented, which added an interesting and welcome sensual dimension to the piercing green. Will keep trying to see if I can detect more flowers. So far, only the barest hint of hyacinth which gets lost among the essence of grasses, mosses, and stems. I love the bottle, a crystal cube that displays lime colored juice topped with a hammered silver knob and a green polka dot grosgrain ribbon.

A zingy green floral with complex notes and a real interestibg progression. I wouls say the floral lemon is the green note mixed with bitter herb butter cream. I get a biter chickory and lemon peel opening that starts to turn slightly gourmand and buttery with a tart sweetnes. Gives me visions of a baking lemon tarts in a fresh alpine meadow. The floral notes are violet and jasmine. The violet give a powderyness after 30 minutes with a hint of spicy cinnamon. As it drysdown the green note sweetens into powdery floral with amber that feels a bit dated. ⛤⛤⛤⛤

Very nice, fresh, crispy, yet femminine smell. It starts green sharp, but settles into a woody floral refined fragrance. Nice sillage, but not great staying power. After one hour you can feel it but it is rather a close to skin smell. Well, this is not so bad for hot days.. I have the reformulated one and I can imagine how great the original was, when galbanum was at its best. It is a nice fresher alternative for Summer, if you love Chanel 19 edt. For me, was a blind buy that I did not regret it!

First I 've got a green mossy smell very citrussy. after 10 minutes I can smell flowers and nature (green) and a scent that you get just after the rain an almost petrichor-kind of scent. The flowers remain and the petrichor is leaning backward but comes and goes the following hours, never really leaving. It becomes more balmy because of the cedar/vetiver. A very fresh and refined perfume that stays, for the following 12 hours, close to the skin.

If happiness could be bottled, it would smell like Balmain's Vert Vent! The effervescent opening of lemon verbena and lime develop into freesia and marigold blossoms. The drydown notes of cedar and freshly cut hay are lush and comforting. A fresh, complex "green" potion that is uplifting. The packaging is absolutely gorgeous--the icing on the cake! Vert Vent reminds me of a lighter, more citrusy cousin of Ralph Lauren's Safari.

I had high hopes for Vent Vert as soon as I popped open my sample vial of the EDT. The initial blast is mean and green, fresh and sharp with galbanum! Stunning! After just a few minutes, though, all of that bright green goodness falls away to let the florals take center stage. Hyacinth and jasmine are most prominent to my nose. Is it still enjoyable? Sure, but is it what I was after? Not in the slightest.

Fresh green scent, quite pleasant - I can guarantee you that because I'm usually not keen on green scents. I mean, this scent is good enough to be a lucky exception. At first it is intense like a green garden after a shower, but after a while it settles down to very nice, refreshing scent. I think it could be great in heat. Green fragrances' lovers, you must try this one!

I tested it few times as much there was in the tester and I can't say I liked it a lot but I also didn't dislike it. I smell only two things: green notes and soap. Why put soap in a fragrance? I think something else would've been more interesting. But anyway, it was an interesting experience. It was something new to me that expanded my discovery in the fragrance world.

I agree with Dezaval. Vent Vert is a real green, with strong note of lime and lemon. Personally I love Lemon, lime and grapefruit in fragrances. I find it very refreshing, energizing and to be fresh all day especially in hot days at work. The name is so appropriate. I feel as to be refreshed by a vent vert.

I wasn't crazy about this in the warm humid weather, but now that fall is here and it is dry out, I'm loving it. During the summer, it didn't seem fresh, it was overwhelming to me in the way it spread out, but now it is just delicious and lingers perfectly. Each new waft of scent is a pleasant surprise.

Vent Vert reminds me of a puppy rolling on a fresh grass, bound to burst with excitement because of spring and lots of new great smells in the air. Floral greens are not my cup of tea, but I can adore them platonically and that's what happened between me and Vent Vert.

Vent Vert starts so soft and gentle, but there's still somewhere hidden it's strength. So comfortable and lightweight to wear, but you could easily overdo. Very delicate and feminine to me. Really green in a sexy way, as Action noticed.