l'Effleur

If you love Quelques Fleurs by Houbigant you'll love Coty's L'Effleur. This is a romantic, soft floral fragrance by my favorite perfumer Francois Coty and was first released in France in 1907. Coty had already made his fortune through the sales of his first perfume La Rose Jacqueminot. He went on to create hit after hit: Chypre, L'aimant L'oregan and Emeraude (whose formula gave us Shalimar). This is a beautiful floral fragrance. The notes are not listed here on Fragrantica and most likely weren't even known to the public in 1907. In 1907 these accords were available from Grasse and as you can see it's mostly a floral woodsy fragrance also called a chypre. Top: Lemon Neroli Bergamot Orange Blossom Lavender Rose Middle: Rose, Jasmine, Lilac, Carnation, Lily of the Valley Lily Hyacinth Lavender Base Notes: Sandalwood Oak Vetiver Oak Moss As you can see it was mostly floral but not a chypre in the truest sense. Coty's Chypre from 1917 would change all that. L'Effleur opens with citrus: bergamot and orange blossom. There are no aldehydes as this was made before aldehydes were used in perfume. The dominant note in its heart is the rose but it's not an in your face green wet garden rosebush. It's soft, sweet, heady but not too powerful. Because of the synthesis of other flowers the rose appears to disappear quickly. To my nose the white flowers are the strongest accords: jasmine, lily and lily of the valley. The lack of tuberose makes this much softer and less creamy. It's more of a green-floral. The lavender is obviously there and it sweetens the fragrance as if it were vanilla. An old fashioned and lovely hyacinth is here too. I was enchanted by the flowers in this garden. It's not as heavy as Quelques Fleurs and its scent is like a little cloud of scent that waft out of the bottle. And what a beautiful little bottle. It's straight out of the Edwardian period. It adorned the dressers of English and French ladies who would splash this stuff on after their bath. It's a fresh after shower fragrance that you can wear regularly, casually in the day time in the spring and summer months. I find this fragrance to be in the same family as Quelques Fleurs. The woodsy notes appear at the end as the fragrance dries down, but they're also very soft woods. This whole thing is soft, never powdery but soft. It wears like something a child or teenage girl would have worn as well so I'm thinking perhaps mothers AND their daughters both wore this fragrance in 1907 through 1912, but it really comes off as more of a fragrance for a very young girl who is just starting to wear perfume. This could have been worn by a young lady of about 14 through 16 and it could have been the scent of young girls aboard the RMS Titanic. This perfume used to be a drugstore cheapie and sold by Coty through the 1980's as a reissue that honored the original 1907 formula. As such a lot of girls and teens wore this in the 80's in much the same way that Tea Rose by Perfumer Workshop was worn by teens in the 70's. This is highly recommended for lovers of floral fragrances of all ages. Also for lovers of vintage old timey perfumes. I adore this fragrance. Thank you Lucia my flower power girl friend in London for this lovely gift.

l'Effleur by Coty is absolutely glorious. I love it so much. I have a bottle that was bequeathed to me by my grandmother! It's so gorgeous. I sniff the bottle, and put some on every now and then, and it's the most divine, sweet floral there ever was. Beautiful, fresh, youthful, elegant elegant elegant! It's a fresh spring day, in the meadow, with the most glorious sweet and natural green smells wafting all around, with a soft gentle sun giving that beautiful powdery feel that the perfume has; and it makes me feel like dancing for joy. It's sophisticated, elegant and young. Young in spirit. It's just wonderful. Fresh delicate flowers, clean, clear, crisp white flowers, with a smooth creamy heliotrope, and gloriously powdery, with a lovely sweet woodsy dry down. Sweet and innocent and very alluring. I adore it. And the best thing is, it reminds me of my beloved Granny.

I wore this in high school, especially around Christmastime for some reason. This morning, our teenage kitten knocked down my large L'Effleur bath oil which was gifted to me the year I got married. Of course, the bottle broke. :( (My bathroom smells amazing.) I never knew what the notes were, but I mostly smell jasmine and rose, some orange blossom. Something is slightly soapy, with a very gentle complimentary "spice" that isn't spicy, like carnation. Pink carnation. It stops just short of having a minty (or eucalyptus? Pine?) aspect which sounds awful even to me, but it is really a beautiful, totally flowery fragrance. A very clean and floral-sweet profile. There is no dirty musk or anything heavy..It's a bouquet like no other. The closest thing I can compare the dry down to is Narciso's Poudree, though the textures are different and L'Effleur is more complex.

After searching high and low for a place to buy this scent without paying an arm and a leg for it, I was able to get a .75 ml brand new bottle off of ebay for $17.50. It has turned a bit because of it's age and initially I noted a licorice note that was not present when this was purchased fresh while in production (1990s). After it dried down, that aspect went away and it is exactly as I remembered it. A very sharp, very green floral that isn't sweet like a lot of today's floral scents. It smells just like the bottle looks. It's very feminine and reminds me of what I think a Victorian era housewife would smell like. I wouldn't classify this as soft. It packs a straight up flower punch! You can smell it on you for hours. Coty needs to bring this one back.

I had to revisit this—one I remember from my childhood. I remember the pretty little flowery bottles that rode on the coattails of the early nineties romantic revival. Puffy shirt couture. I dug it back in the day. First spray smelled off. I panicked a bit. But then—Heliotrope!—in its full “cherry pie plant” glory. Also, lily of the valley, lilac, rose and lavender. Prim, pretty youthful florals. Is there cinnamon? Or is that the heliotrope or a product of this bottle’s age? It has more strength and persistence than I expected, as well. I’m going to agree with my fellow reviewers and say that Coty should bring this back. I would adore a fresh bottle of L’effleur, scented lotion, and pretty flower shaped soaps.

I had no idea that this was from 1907 but it does have a very antiquey feel to it. It has a very bittersweet memory to it for me- I was 19 and in the throes of a very intense but ill fated romance and one of his gifts to me was a bottle of l'effleur in an oval box printed with roses. He was an older graduate student who had a wife in another city as I was to find out later and the romance didn't survive the summer apart. When my grandparents passed away I found the box, now faded from age with his picture still inside, tucked at the back of my old closet. I bought two bottles recently and they take me back to that time.

Guess I am going against the grain here but I love L'Effleur - or should I say loved. I wore this as a teenager then a few yrs back, found a bottle online but I suspect it had gone off as it was not how I remembered it to be - sweet, powdery, pretty and kind of innocently sexy. I miss this fragrance and would snap up a bottle again if I could find it! Edit - I found and bought a bottle of Lilabelle by Kate Moss today - it is the closest fragrance to L'Effleur that I have come across in all these years! Tho my nose may deceive me...

I remember a friend had this perfume back in High School , I loved it ! It was so pretty ! Its definitely a green floral and such a spring summer fragrance, I have since found a replacement though not as stark as l'Effleur. Si Fleuri by Lomani has a similar scent profile and is also very pretty... so as l'Effleur has been discontinued and you want to walk down memory lane to experience l'Effleur once again with Si Fleuri should give you a fix🤭

To me this perfume opens with a 4711 Classic olde cologne style, fresh, spicy, familiar. Then 4711 goes to her wardrobe and selects a dusty fusia raw silk gown. Deepest pink rubies and diamonds later, the ivory silk long gloves go on. This was the pefume Karin Blixen wore in Out of Africa as she accepted the drink at the men ́s only club.

I owned a bottle as a teenager(late 80s-early 90s) smelled amazing.im not great on description of notes but it was classic.girly.young.my sister scored a bottle on eBay.i use it for special summer/spring occasions or when I want to remember those times.still very classic,flowery,fem.smell.

This is my favorite!!!! I have a couple bottles that I use for special occasions or more in the winter time. It's very very hard to find. Such a soft and almost powdery smell. I had no idea it was launched in 1907

This was one of my favorites and I so wish that they still made this! I received so many compliments when I wore this fragrance, its clean, soft, soapy, and powdery - just lovely.

My first love! I was 10 or so, early 90s. So fancy...

The word that immediately came to mind when I first smelled l'Effleur (After the initial bad notes, that must have gone sour due to this being a vintage) was the word "kind". As others have mentioned, this scent evokes the Victorian era. I must agree with this; it is soft, sweet, rosy. It makes me think of my mom in a warm kitchen baking a chiffon cake, with the gramophone playing Chopin. It is lovely, and contains so much more class within its soft floral notes than any modern perfume ever could. Perfume makers seem to have forgotten how to make a floral smell something other than sickeningly sweet, apart from a few good ones. It is very innocent, and has a hint of fresh laundry smell that allows l'Effleur to be both sweet and clean. Something about it makes me sad, as all vintage perfumes tend to do to me. l'Effleur lets you grasp those bittersweet memories of childhood innocence, first love, flowers in your hair. And for those that do not have those memories... l'Effleur will allow you to truly feel the joy of them.

Beautiful light floral with an adorable, super-femme bottle. Very dainty scent that reminds me of the talking flowers in Alice and Wonderland. This is a very friendly floral, not a headache-inducing one. The fragrance smells like how the bottle looks. L'effleur brings back memories of when I used to go up into my aunt's bedroom and sneak sprays of this from off of her dresser when I was a little girl. She had Heaven Sent, Coco, No. 5, and many others, but this was always the one I "borrowed". I used to drown myself in this and she would just laugh and play some Beatles records. Thankfully it wasn't expensive. Noticing that I was a budding perfumista at age 5, she ended up buying me a sparkly little bottle of Petite Nate to get me to stop taking her stuff, ha ha. It's been discontinued but you can find bottles of L'effleur on ebay. I have a bottle that is expired and it is a bit wretched in the beginning, but after about an hour it smells just like it used to.

I remember this very young barley remember.... A woman who I used to look up to wore this&I remember she got this as a birthday gift from her mother&she was so happy it was a boxed gift set,angels&florals&she had the bath salts and the box displayed in our bathroom....back then it smelled like bubbles from a bubble bath&florals&watered green soft flower stems almost a light bubbled champagne feel also. So I bought a bottle for her&later me online....It almost smells the same,not as magical as when I was young girl though,I got for nostalgic reasons...I wish coty could make this again&make it last,I guess what made it so special was the memory & packaging! Let's all vote lol come back L'effleur!!!!!

Many years ago,I bought a gift set (with body lotion and spray parfum) for my Mom for Mother's Day. She loved the sweet but light floral scent, and I even borrowed it a few times because it did not make me sneeze, which is an issue I have with floral scents. It smelled almost exactly like a bubble bath which was popular at the time, called "Victorian Blossoms"--old-fashioned but in a pleasant way. Longevity was on the high end of moderate, with good sillage too. It did not have that aldehyde note which I usually dislike in the traditional floral perfumes. I am not surprised that it was a Coty original from 1907, as there was something "classic" about it.

I haven't smelled this in years, but it was my goto scent during my goth days spent hanging out in cemeteries making rubbing of old gravestones, contemplating Victorian life. Green and floral, it was timeless and transcendent, innocent and clean. I wore this on occasion through high school, but lost it in a move. Shame to see it discontinued, though, every little girl should be able to wear a perfume her grandmother's mother wore as a girl, I think.

My great aunt gave this to me when I was twenty and I jelously hold on to it because of this. I had no idea this is an original Francois Coty creation of 1907! I like this fragrance because it's so pure, clean, soapy and flowery that it fits perfectly a spring day and because it's not so "aunty" as I supposed it to be when I received it. Nonetheless this is too clean and soapy for me, I undoubtely prefer more provocative scents.

my bottle was left to me by my grandmother. It wasnt her signature scent or anything but i'm definitely still biased. It has a lovely floral scent without being rosy like modern floral perfumes. It also has a hint of musk, and is exactly how youd imagine a floral perfume in an old disney movie would smell. Beautiful, fresh, classic.

An old-fashioned floral, a journey into the long gone days when women had time to have a bath before heading out for the evening. Powdery and fresh floral, could still be contemporary? It’s a like for me.

Lily and oakmoss; this is a sweet floral but with a sharpness that is not typical of white florals and not a headache inducer; deep and intriguing

Was it really launched in 1907?? I wore it in high school, late 80s - early 90s. I thought it was new back then. A lovely soft floral.

When I was young my moms favorite perfume...I found few bottles on ebay& they seem different than in the 90's when she wore this& I used to sneak & smell it,it came in a vintage floral box,with angelic angels, roses dorated on the outside of the perfume box...how I remember this smell was always champagne fizzy with florals but yet pretty enough to wear powdery .....now I believe this turned of course, now I have small bottle scent it smells like a vase of sour flowers....that set in vase water too. long,with canada dry ginger ale...or spite,with powder& only last like vase water& sprite soda,powder...30 mins to 1 hour no worries....but when this wasn't old in a bottle it was beautiful...sadly its been discontinued 100 years ago& now all we can do is describe what it used to smell like...because we only can get rotten old version of this,because its so long ago the last batch was made& triple x over shelf life here!¡! It used to smell like a sunny happy day& vibes& people were different, the breeze outside perfect warmth from the sun& florals, flowers,stems& sparkly champagne, with a faint pastry, flour maybe? not listed..just it was a delicate floral with golden waters& my mothers cover girl powder~ when I was little only our memories can describe this one,a wonderful nostalgic scent♡ May L,'EFFLUER by Coty REST in Peace past.🥀

I got a vintage mini bottle. At first it evoked thoughts of sugar water, but it has since grown on me more as I've studied the notes. It's mainly a lemony spicy white floral, much like a 'Duchesse de Nemours' peony if recall the scent of the one I planted last year. Later on, it starts smelling more and more like the sea. I am still a little off-put by the lingering sweetness despite all this, which is a shame because the rest is so nice. It's just a little off balance for me because of that, so I'd say it's definitely not for everyone.

Found this at a thrift store today for $5. Not sure if it’s just my bottle but it pretty much just smells like soap and nail polish remover. Still kinda fun though and the bottle is beautiful.

When I first tried this I thought it had turned. But now that I've read through the reviews I think I was mistaken. I cleared the siphon by spraying into the sink then tried some on my skin. I thought it was a lovely big floral at first, even though the alcohol seemed very strong and bitter. Then as it dried down it turned into something tangy and floral, like another reviewer described, not sour, but bitter flowers. It's also very soapy. Vanilla77 described rotten grapefruit and I think that's what I also experienced. I think it has the sort of citrus that doesn't agree with me at all. It brings back memories of ladies I've thought were wearing awful perfumes when I was a child, dressed-up ladies at church, school teachers, etc. Considering it's age this is likely to be one of the perfumes they were wearing. It was still a great experience to try something from so long ago, I just wish I had loved it.

I got a bottle of this when Coty brought it back in the early 90s. It was awful on me. It was OK at first, but then it turned bitter and nasty, and possibly sour. It's been a long time so I'm not sure about the sour. Too bad - it was such a pretty bottle. IIRC, I threw the bottle away. If this works with your chemistry, you'll enjoy it. Unfortunately, it didn't work with mine. I would say this isn't a good blind buy or a safe gift. And I'd spray it carefully for office wear, or anywhere where you're going to be close to people for long periods of time. Edit: It appears from reading other reviews that this came out in the late 80s. My apologies; I don't remember seeing it until 1990, but I'll take y'alls' word for it.

L'Effleur starts big and opulent. The opening had me excited because big florals are my thing, but then the dry down turned sour on my skin. Maybe it's me, most Coty frags - except for vintage Emeraude - become thin and sour. It's a pity really. If L'Effleur had stayed a big floral it would be a new favorite. Now it's just another Coty I can't wear.

Like Vanilla77, this turned bad on me. But not rotten grapefruit - strong, sour flowers. I think this was a problem with my body chemistry. I'm sure it's nice on others.

NO KIDDING! it is all about the flowers. OMG I can't beleive i wore this as a teenager. AUUUUUGGGGGG!

I had this when I was a teenager...I remember liking it pretty well then, not so much now ;)

Hideous, radioactive shower cleaner floral from hell. Avoid this like the plague.

Not sour flowers - bitter flowers, if that makes any sense at all.

This is what made me afraid of trying floral scents.

A wallop of pungent, bitter, astringency. It may be expired citrus top notes? Galbanum, spicy lily, muguet, hyacinth, with a raspy bite. Perhaps fake oakmoss, definitely sandalwood, musk, and heliotrope. The abrasive quality doesn't go away. Shrill, soapy, powdery. It doesn't smell anything like Margiela Springtime in a Park, that perfume is a watered down fruity floral. It reminds me moreso of Calvin Klein's "Eternity". They do not smell the same, but they both contain the very same bitter, sharp, spicy green aromachemical in the base. I find it thoroughly unpleasant. If you dislike Eternity, you will most likely dislike Coty L'Effleur as well. I very much doubt this 1980s rerelease of L'Effleur smells anything like the original, considering its distinctively late 80s/90s scent profile.

L'Effleur! What a charming, touchingly beautiful floral fragrance that casts a spell over anyone who wears her. I agree with other reviewers who've compared her to Nina Ricci's L'Air du Temps but closer (in time) to Houbigant's Quelques Fleurs. The old orignal bottle is long gone and one has to make the best of it by wearing the 1980's reissues. They come in a very attractive packaging & bottle, with an air of Victorian refinement & middle-class domesticity. This is a fragrance for Eliza Doolittle from My Fair Lady. She smells of a young, very young lady; some have even said that it's appropriate for children. A sweet white floral & lilac scent wafts out of this adorable bottle. L'Effleur opens with bergamot orange neroli & orange blossom. The citrus or citrusy floral scent with that orange blossom is invigorating and refreshing as a toilet water to put on after a shower or bath. Once again - as with Royal Bain by Caron, L'air du Temps Arpege and Chanel No. 22 - I sense this fragrance was a bath product. The floral notes consist of lavender, rose, jasmine, iris, heliotrope, violet, orchid, carnation, lily of the valley & hyacinth. Long before aquatic florals, the staple of floral fragrances was powder. The powder is here in the form of orris root. I love powdery florals. This is a very sweet scented floral perfume that brings me a lot of pleasure. I wish it could last longer but it's fine as it is. At the base the notes are made up of minimal oak moss, cedar and sandalwood amber and vanilla. The dry down is powdery as the florals eventually turn into one big vanilla flower smell. L'Effleur is delicate & child-like but not quite baby powder because it is so floral. It leans toward toilet water with floral notes in the style of Quelques Fleurs. The latter, however is more green and shampoo like whereas this is powder. Pretty and lovely like a little girl wearing a floral print dress and a sash or bow. It smells like a porcelain doll from the era, with blue eyes and blonde hair, and a pink dress and little shoes. Still, because of it's age and the floral notes, this fragrance can now be seen as a mature scent. It's not overpowering and so one can wear it freely anywhere as a casual day wear scent. Quite nice.

This was my very first perfume. It was a Christmas gift that I will remember for the rest of my life. It was the late 1980's probably 1987 and I was still under the age of 12. So I was blown away because to me at that time perfume was for grown ups. I didn't know that children ever wore perfumes. I didn't realize that girls under the age of 13 could wear fragrances until I was already over 18 and noticed that moms were buying their girls Disney Princess perfumes. But I digress. This makes a great gift. The bottle and the packaging is vintage and Victorian. It's innocent and sweet. It's a good introduction to perfume for beginners. It can't be compared to any fragrance being worn today. If I had to make a comparison I would say it kind of sorta wears like CURIOUS BY BRITNEY SPEARS. It's a subtle and soft white floral fragrance. This has subdued gardenia, lovely white lily of the valley and lily, hyacinth, pink roses, jasmine, lilacs and heliotrope. It's mainly white floral but these are not screaming white florals. They're little babies. It's powdery and sweet and has a pretty decent life. It was on me for over 5 hours which I thought was ok. Hard to wear sometimes because it's very old fashioned and outdated and no one recognizes this fragrance on me anymore- except my mother who gave it to me as a gift in 1987. She was surprised I was wearing it and asked me where the hell could I have gotten a hold of such an old perfume and she could not believe I'd kept the one she gave me. I told her I bought it on ebay which is where all good old things go to make a comeback.

I got this from goodwill auction. My mom subscribed me to Victoria magazine in 88' & this was always In there I always opened it up to rub it on my skin. & as I looked through the cottages w the floral gardens all around it was perfect to be smelling all their pretty sun hats, white linens hanging out to dry, the tea biscuits on the iron rod white table with lace & poupouri wafting in the air along with this purfume. On a wispy warm dry summers day. That is what I think of when I smell this, its all the pics in Victoria magazine. They discontinted the magazine. Hope they didn't discontinue the purfume

Many years ago I contacted a lady from Coty to ask her if my beloved perfume had been discontinued. She had told me it was and I asked what were the perfume notes so that maybe I could find something similar. I have lost that email but, I remember she told me that the main flower found in the perfume was Amazon Lily. I remember because I went online and bought an Amazon Lily. It only blooms once in a while and has a very light clean smell, very green. If I ever find that email I will post with the rest. I think I also remember either oakmoss or vetiver, perhaps Ylang,Ylang also.

I used to wear l'Effleur back in middle school. I was attracted to the advertisements featuring Victorian style decoupage. I thought it was very romantic and lovely. Recently I found a small bottle at a perfume sale. It's pleasant, but certainly nothing my adult self really wants to smell like. I can't pick out any individual notes, it is a mixture of soap and wildflowers. Very clean and innocent. This would never in a million years be accused of being sexy. I smell like soap. A very finely milled French soap.

When I picked up this fragrance in the 80's, I didn't realize what a gem I had in my possession. What a shame I didn't give it the value it merits-a Francois Coty creation. I honestly thought it smelled, well, elderly: lace, ruffles, scarves covering shoulders, waved hair or ringlets, antique jewelry-cameos, etc. I dashed it on hurriedly and literally didn't smell the antique floral garden. Alas, my loss. Meanwhile I treasure my other Coty creations, Emeraude, Le Chypre, Le Muse, and Truly Lace.

This was my signature sent back in my grunge days. I remember that I purchases it because I loved the girlie, Victorian packaging and cute little bottle. When I tried it on, I fell in love with the sharp floral scent. If I remember correctly (it has been 20 years) it had a note in it like gardenia and something crisp, maybe green.I would love to smell this again. I purchased the Kate Moss perfume because someone said it reminded her of L'Effleur. In comparrison it is too musky and flat.

I feel exactly like pisces3774!!!! I was so into 'Victoriana' back then. I loved the box, the scent. Recently got some one eBay which leads me to a question. It smelled like smoke to me. Plain old bonfire smoke when I first put it on. Is that normal? Has it 'turned' in some way? Or is my chemistry putting it off? It's been about 10 minutes and I'm still getting smoke but not as strong. I am now getting flowers. I'm really curious about that smoke smell!

Wow! I had this as a child. I used to love the floral scent and the lightness of it on my skin. Not so sure my family felt the same way as they would tell me to take it easy on the perfume, but definitely an oldie but goodie for me. I'd love to pick up a small vial somewhere just to see if I feel the same 20 years later. hmm.. I doubt it, but it would sure bring back a lot of childhood memories.

This brings back memories! This was my perfume when I was in high school. I really don't remember what it smelled like, I just remember loving it back then! I'm not sure those around me shared this love, however...in fact, I remember walking into Sunday School one morning in a cloud of this and causing my teacher to sneeze repeatedly. I wish I could smell it again!

i love the dry down of this one, currently my favourite "grown up" fragrance that still lingers on youthful and nostalgic. perfect for bedtime after a long shower or starting your day early and going downtown. i get a mild tangerine note from this but could be down to the age of the bottle, nonetheless a perfect casual summer fragrance.

This was my first ever tween perfume. The packaging brings back so many memories of Buster Brown shoes, a curling iron and gold hoop earrings. I can't remember what it smells like, but looking over the notes and reading that it's from 1907, really makes me happy that my love of vintage, flowers, musk and complexity started early.

Ha, I also thought this was relatively new when I wore it in junior high and my mom bought it at an outlet. The floral label was very Edwardian. It's so interesting that women wore this back then and up until it was discontinued in the late 90's or earlier 00's. I just cannot picture an Edwardian lady wearing this!

Oh I am so happy seeing this familiar bottle...Either my sister or I had this when we were kids. She's six years older than me so everything she had was mine too as far as I was concerned. Would love to get a bottle and remember what it smells like as that was so long ago.