L'Origan

I have a bottle here of the modern EDC. I think I paid $14 US for it. It's really lovely stuff, old-fashioned in the very best way. At first spray, orange blossom is definitely the star of the show, with its nostalgic "Cashmere Bouquet" soap quality (the way that bar soap still smells in the bathrooms of inexpensive Mexican hotels). Soon it is countered by an almost masculine ambered cologne quality, which subsides, and then you get the gorgeous powdery (not fresh) confluence of iris, carnation, ylang, rose, whispered violet ionones, and a subtle jasmine. Character-ful also is a note of methyl salicylate... that very nostalgic "wintergreen" smell, that, in larger doses, would flavor things like Pepto-Bismol, Pepsodent tooth powder, those old pink wintergreen round lozenges, Bazooka bubblegum, NECCO wafers, and those wax vampire lips we used to get at Halloween in the 70's. Methyl salicylate is used in perfumery mainly to enhance narcotic white flowers, like tuberose and gardenia. It's what bestows the famous "root beer" note to Dana TABU. (I notice some modern expensive niche fragrances will use the descriptor "sweet birch" instead of the more pedestrian "wintergreen".) In the base is a subtly spicy cushion of vanilla, benzoin (with its not-unpleasant vinegary nuance), nutmeg, clove, faint cinnamon, sandalwood, possibly some tonka, and a very subtle musk underpinning. All the notes of this perfume blend seamlessly, in the oldschool French manner. L'ORIGAN is not a seductive femme-fatale number by any means... it smells more charming, motherly and Norman Rockwell homey than swoon-y. Its lasting impression, to me, is like a quaint pomander or spicy retro cinema candy. It's much spicier and less overtly floral/anisic/farinaceous than L'HEURE BLEUE is, and much more sucrée than MITSOUKO. It's not nearly as Tuileries-in-the-rain "heartbreaking" as APRÈS L'ONDÉE is. It lacks the butch castoreum note that TOUJOURS MOI has. Nowhere near as complex, louche and nocturnal as HABANITA, or as opulent, musky/smoky and multi-tiered as SHALIMAR. It's very similar in quality to the classics from the "TITANIC" gilded era that Grossmith still sells, like PHUL-NANA, HASU-NO HANA and SHEM-EL-NESSIM, or the wonderfully retro-charming numbers of Oriza L. Legrand. Like all the Coty scents, L'ORIGAN has always been drugstore-affordable, and is not as grand and complex as the vintage Guerlains or Patous. I do wish I could smell a more concentrated jus of it, in PDT or Éxtraît... I suspect those smell richer and deeper? (Note: Don't expect any bargains on eBay for vintage Cotys, though: they now go for the same eye-watering prices as vintage Chanels). Me, none of my female forbears had any AIRSPUN powder by the time I came along in the 60's, so I have no particular nostalgia about this smell. Or if they did, my curious, grubby fingers never encountered it in my nosy toddler years. L'ORIGAN could conceivably be unisex by today's standards, especially after its floral accords pipe down a bit. Nice stuff. I kind of love it.

I was wandering around an antique shop today looking for furniture and decorative items and came across a vintage 1.25 fl oz bottle of this for twelve dollars. I thought I'd give it a whiff, and did I ever fall in love! I'm not so much an expert but I try my best to identify the different notes. I put a few dabs on my wrist and I have been sniffing myself repeatedly. Older fragrances are always so much more complex and fascinating. I got a LOT of orange at first, but now I'm at the heart. My, is this spicy! I don't really detect any nutmeg at all (to me, nutmeg smells quite unpleasant). I get some jasmine and a lot of spices. I can smell some other stuff too, but as I've said my nose nor my mind is the best at detecting it. It's strange that I think this is a lovely summer fragrance, seeing that usually spicy ones remind me of winter. Maybe all the fruit in it combined feels different than most. UPDATE: I've worn this for a while now and after reapplying in order to enjoy the orange note again my brother told me I smelled like an elderly woman. "You reek of old moth balls and death." I did put too much on, but it calmed down after a short while. Also, he's wrong. ;) I'm now at the base. I'm getting a lot of incense, hella vanilla, and quite a bit of Benzoin. Civet is kind of there but luckily not really noticeable. There's sort of a greenish hint as well. Is that the cedar? I don't really know what cedar smells like exactly. I don't smell musk, nor am I getting any coumarin at all. None. But oh well. I'm really quite happy with the combination that I'm left with. I will say that it is very heavy and there is no way that everyone will enjoy it, but for those who at least appreciate vintage fragrance (like most users on here do, possibly even more than I do) this is definitely a keeper. So far I think I'll give this an 8.8/10. It's not for everyone, but it sure is lovely for those who enjoy it. :) (I bumped up my rating from 8.7 to 8.8 because of my great fondness for vanilla and the drydown exceeding my expectations; I was nervous I'd end up with some offensive, animalic mess).

L'Origan is a piece of history. The version I own, an atomizer Parfum de Toilette for which I cannot quite pinpoint a date (60s? 70s?) seems to have been the right choice. It does not smell deteriorated at all, and it emanates sunlight through pastel filters. It smells eerily familiar in an odor-evoked-memory-of-decades-past way, and it's me in one of those pensive, yet not necessarily unpleasant states, where I recall lives that have been lived in the past that become only memories and those memories fade along with the aging kinfolk of those who had already past, as they too, become memories. It's like looking at old film footage of those going about their day in the streets in the early-mid 20th century, and you begin to imagine what must've been going through their heads, what sorts of dreams and hopes they had, what griefs and strife they held within. And wherein and within, among the pillboxes and trilby hats, the well groomed and dressed, there is the smell of L'Origan. It begins with a shimmering orange and nutmeg scented powder, swirling through the echoes, parma violet breaths and sighs, an orange flower that is bright-eyed yet sleepy, a bit of mimosa pom-pom tenderness. It all lies on a cushion of benzoin, vanilla, and tonka, and smells to me like one of my favorite holiday treats, a mince pie, stuffed with raisins and currants, lemon and orange zest spiced with clove and the aforementioned clove, finely chopped stewed apples. Now I cannot "un-smell" this impression, and it makes me love L'Origan even more. But then, I begin to think of the classic Karl Lagerfeld cologne and how much that seems to have been modeled after L'Origan, especially as I experience the latter's dry down—how curious! Now, anisette cookies come to my mind: apparently this has become my kind of "gourmand," of the less obvious sort. Similarities to L'Heure Bleue, while here, are superficial, really only sharing spice, violet, and texture. L'Origan is a most glorious relic to cherish.

Everyone has a fragrance that holds a special place in their heart or memory. L'Origan is mine. I've never smelled anything as beautiful (to me.) I've never thought that the Blue Hour could hold a candle to L'Origan, no matter how many times I've went back to retest that theory. Not for me. There've been other fragrances that smelled similar but none have ever done for me what L'origan has. I love the sweet spiciness, the soft yet striking carnation and clove in some ways resembling the orange pomanders we made in grade school for our mothers. EL Spellbound may have some of this same character to it. Wearing L'Origan doesn't remind me of any particular person, although it was a friend from the past who introduced L'Origan to me so to her I will be forever grateful. None of my female associations smelled like L'Origan. L'Origan is one I especially love to wear in this autumnal part of the year. To me it just fits dry autumn weather and that pinkish glow that happens in the late fall afternoons. L'Origan is sweet but in a makeup and powder way. I knew L'Origan way before I heard about Airspun powder's resemblance to L'Origan. Maybe L'Origan was the Flowerbomb of yesterday? Unapologetically candied makeup in a bottle. A friend recently sent me a small vintage bottle of L'Origan and I have the tall more modern sprays of it as well. I love them all. During the 80's we could still walk into small drug stores and see those bottles of L'Origan sitting next to the L'Aimant and Emeraude and all of them were so inexpensive! Oh to take a time machine backward and stock up! If only! All I can say is I hope everyone can find their own really special fragrance that is that mind out of body experience for whenever they feel in need of such a thing and these strange times do call for that. Thank you Francois Coty for this beautiful gem.

This review covers the vintage 1940s parfum and EDT formulas, as well as the current formula in the bottle labeled "cologne mist". First, the vintages. Both open with a very fleeting bright and green note, it fades very quickly, and I can't identify the note, other than it seems very "green". After that, both mature into sweet, floral, warm, powdery orientals with fruity undertones. The final dry down is where the two start to diverge. The parfum takes a turn further into the oriental category and the vanilla, wood, and musk notes take precedence and linger for hours. With the EDT, the middle notes last much longer then finally fade into soft powdery vanilla remnants at the very end. I actually prefer the vintage EDT, in my opinion it holds onto the middle notes longer, and that's what makes L'origan L'origan to me. The contemporary cologne mist formula is very much recognizable as L'origan. However, it seems to lack that distinct green note right in the beginning. And it starts, stays, and finishes as the characteristic scent of the classic Airspun face powder. If that's what draws you to the fragrance, you will be pleased with this formula. I do notice some similarities to the older version of Estee Lauder's Spellbound. But in that they could be sisters, or perhaps cousins, and not twins. I find it to be a classic scent that is still wearable tody. For me, it's a nostalgia and comfort fragrance, as one of my favorite aunts always used both Airspun face powder and L'origan fragrance. This fragrance is childhood Auntie hugs in a bottle to me.

L’Origan is without a doubt one of the most important and influential perfumes ever created, and one of the first great hits from Coty which demonstrated the true extent of his genius. With this scent he was one of the first to exploit the newly discovered category materials - absolutes. Without this creation some of the most famous and incredible scents would not have come into being - Après L’Ondée, L’Heure Bleue and Bal a Versailles. The scent opens with a pronounced hesperidic burst of bergamot underscored by neroli, before rushing into a central theme of a dominant carnation note intertwined with the delicate powdery facets of jasmine, rose, violet and ylang - which is at once sweet, slightly creamy and spicy with a highly distinctive, almost grass-like, note. The warm, almost spicy facets of the carnation are heightened by the inclusion of clove and a very subtle amber base. The ingenuity of this scent is its rich floral harmonies which nod towards spiciness without actually being spicy, an effect which is warm and vibrant with the soft sensuality of coumarin and vanillin rounding off the base. Such a masterpiece of a fragrance forever ensured Coty’s fame and fortune.

I had a treasured aunt who always smelled of Coty Airspun powder, scented with L’Origan. I loved my aunt, and I love her still, although she was taken too soon and too painfully for such a sweet and gentle being. My impression of L’Origan, therefore, may be filtered through memories, but it remains my impression. I often spent the night at my grandparents’ house when my parents worked overnight shifts at the mill. I always loved when my aunt would come to breakfast early in the morning, in my grandmother’s kitchen flooded with morning sunlight and the smell of Constant Comment tea and cinnamon toast. She would hug me and I could smell her Coty Airspun, soft and slightly sweet, delicate but present. L’Origan is that scent, and it reminds me of that woman and that time. It is precious to me. Childhood, sunlit mornings and unconditional love. The scent itself is softly, sweetly spicy. Comparable to my beloved L’heure Bleue, but sweet spiced violet where Bleue is iris, heliotrope, and violet, cinnamon where Bleue is anise. L’origan lasts through lunch, while L’Heure Bleue sticks around all day, but “nothing gold can stay.”

After I dabbed this on from my decant, I carefully painted on a bold, red lip just as I did in high school. It just seemed the right thing to do. L'Origan smelled like that lip color. I knew this scent. Yet, I knew it didn't come from my favorite 80s lipstick, a cheap Wet and Wild red lipstick, a Revlon Cherries in the Snow knockoff with a tenacious formula that stayed all night and stained your lips for days afterward. To my nose, the scent was pure 1986-1988. Then I came here to read others' reviews and I had to laugh at how clueless I can be. Of course! The smell is of Coty Airspun! Airspun, the lovely powder in the beautiful orange and white package. The powder I set my first layer of lipstick with before carefully applying another layer with the help of my magnified lighted makeup mirror. The powder that I dusted softly over my face morning and night. To my nose, this scent is clove and nutmeg bouncing off a powdery floral. It is lovely, a closer to the skin, more innocent L'Heure Bleue. How amusing it is to think of all the trouble I got into with my face and lips giving off this scent. Of course I did.

This is amazing! The initial blast was like "yeah, that smells vintage," undoubtedly the coriander and fruity top notes, but then! It turns into the most wonderful floral. It has spice and ambery/ vintage-y notes underneath the florals, they are all mixed together and they all keep going together. This is not one of those where the florals are fleeting and then it's just the base notes for hours, not at all! The florals stay the whole time and are the strongest part of the fragrance. But the spice and base notes are there at the same time, truly forming a base, like a pedestal on which to display a vase of flowers. This is the one and only time calling the longer-lasting bottom notes a "base" has ever made any sense to me. I got a micro mini so it's not going to last long if I just wear it every day but that's not going to stop me. I just received this today and I lay down with my wrist up by my nose for an hour in the middle of the afternoon today. It's really a great perfume. I actually wanted to try this because of its influence on L'Heure Bleu and other perfumes, and I can see why it was influential.

1905 L'Origan. I will always love it. My grandmother wore it exclusively..perhaps before she married in 1933 or right after. Her whole house smelled of this heady fragrance. She even used the airspun powder on her face. When my mama was suffering from lack of smell and deteriorating Alzheimer's-like dementia, I found a bottle online (easy to find almost anywhere online) and hid it in her nursing home room. A place she required for herself 30 years ago. When I was there, I sprayed this on her, and the CNAs and nurses went wild over the scent, which is why I had to hide it. It developed on her just like it did on her mother. I still have her bottle, since she relocated to Heaven Christmas Eve 2014. I'm going right now to spray it on. Maybe the appropriate clothing would hold the scent. If only I could've smelled it back in the early 20th century. I can only imagine it's absolute yumminess. I'm sure the scent was stronger and lasted longer. The cologne spray produced today smells delicious but doesn't last long on the skin. I'm so thankful it's still produced.

I have found by reading this site, that as soon as someone disparages a perfume as 'old lady', then it's almost 100% guaranteed that i will just adore it. BRING ON THE OLD LADY PERFUMES! I bought this perfume initially as I liked many other Coty fragrances, plus anything made in the early 1900s tends to be delicious. L'Origan IS old lady - in that it brings back memories of crowds of grey haired rellies - but why is this a bad thing? Maybe people just associate certain smells with their Auntie Clarice and veer away from them - but i'm a vintage fan and if I got out in my best vintage frock, then I like wearing an appropriate scent for the era. Plus i liked my Auntie Clarice. :) I love this fragrance. It's slightly bitter, a bit civetty, and a bit orangey, it smells utterly divine. I cannot stand modern perfumes. Sweet patchouli and cloying - yuck! L'origan - YUM!!!

Mine is vintage parfum from anywhere between 1916 and 1935, judging from the label. It's GORGEOUS. I've even broken down and purchased the similarly-scented airspun powder, even though I'm anti-paraben. But I digress. It may be macintoshes and clementines to compare the (unknown) vintage parfum L'Origan to the 2013 eau de parfum L'Heure Bleu, but that's what I got here. They are obviously related scents, but L'Origan suffers in the comparison. It's more linear than LHB, which, even in the edp, is richer. LBH really puts into high relief the classic-powdery-makeup smell of LO. Where LO has citrus, LHB has cloves. If L'Heure Bleu didn't exist or if Guerlain had screwed up the newest formulation, vintage L'Origan would be a top scent for me. As it is, I'm just very happy to have it. It's certainly a beautiful perfume.

I have finally tested all 4 of the Coty classics released in charming (matched) glass bottles. It's been quite an education! Though Muget de Bois is a clear and fresh vase of water lilies (and a refreshing hint of lime), L'Origan exudes oriental spice and mystery. It's a light oriental, not a bit like Obsession or Opium. The cloves really shine, through a powdery haze of sightly bitter orange. One person who sampled my newly aquired treasure found it go positively harsh and dry on their skin. For myself, this couldn't be better. It's not too sweet or harsh or bitter or strong. And yes, the Airspun powder is a terrific way to smell this fragrance before comitting to a bottle. It seems a milder form, however, and not nearly as strong in cloves. The lovely bottles are oh - so- giftable, so don't be afraid to try one!

Just got a vintage bottle of this. I am on memory cloud no9. This was my grandmother's scent. She used the airspun face powder, I think that is where my love of powdery makeup-y type scents came from. I always thought she smelled so beautiful and elegant. Now it is so wonderful to smell her again. She was so beautiful inside and out, everyone that knew her loved her. I love the spicy (especially nutmeg, I love nutmeg!) powdery, incensy floral mix...it is just so beautiful! Everything I love is in this perfume...such gorgeous notes. I don't know if the modern version still smells the same, but the vintage is just as gorgeous as ever! A favorite vintage powdery scent with lots of wonderful memories:) They don't make perfumes like this anymore

My bottle of L'Origan came yesterday. Very strong at first but fades out and then becomes hardly noticable to me. I know it is still detectable to others so it does it's job. It's dreamy. It's sweet in a way that not all little girls will ever know mommie's perfume from 40 years earlier, most creations won't make it that long I'm afraid. It's a comfort scent for sure, so soft it's "misty". So feminine and proper. Thankyou Coty for taking me back to the bathroom mirror waiting to be beautiful, spraying mom's perfume and using her lipstick and Airspun powder. This is charm. *Update 2016* I emailed Coty and sure enough, they have discontinued this. My last bottle is on it's way. So sad. So beautiful.

After a very smooth transaction I received the coffret containing three 50 ml bottles of Eau de Parfum. One of them is the re-interpretation of "L'Origan" by Daphne Bugey, initiated by the François Coty Association. I am overwhelmed: this is simply lovely! A classic perfume emanating all the vibe of a scent you thought to have been lost. Aldehydes, freshness, softness, all that you can wish for. If you love scents from the past impeccably executed with all the headnotes still intact do yourself a favour and try this re-interpretation. I have bought many an old bottle giving only the shadow of a classic perfume. This is an alternative, in my opinion.

If L'Origan is a gorgeous Golden Orange, then L'Heure Bleue is Blue Velvet. I think of them as colors, because to me that perfectly defines their differences. L'Origan is Sunny, Warm, Vibrant, and Spicy. And L'Heure Bleue? Mysterious, Melancholy, and Velvety. Neither is a substitute for the other, and both are wonders of balance and construction. After several years of intensive perfume sniffing, I can truly say they are among the best quality scents I've tested! Fragrances like these are for the lucky ones who will open their arms to vintage adventure and in so doing find themselves surrounded by ( ahhhhh! ) BEAUTY.

Incense, nutmeg, spices and a hefty dose of benzoin lead a merry dance with rose, jasmine and a cloud of civet in the background, this is an unusual scent, there is something antique like about it, yet still wearable today, brings to mind a lady at the turn of the century, dressed in a long chantung silk dress adorned with lace, her hair in a soft bun, sitting in front of a Venetian mirror in her bedroom applying this perfume... Vintage yet still relevant thanks to it's timeless composition! This is a must for lovers of deep, resinous, smoky, woody scents with a timeless quality and vibe.

I thought I might be the only one to think L'Heure Bleue smelled like L'Origan with my chemistry. At least 10 others have the same experience. I finally treated my self to the Guerlain expecting --what? I don't know, except it was very affordable blind buy last month. Surprise, surprise. L'Origan IMO is a lush evening scent, maybe going over the top with spices, but still, it brings memories of my mother's only perfume. Guerlain's is lighter, easier to wear during day. Both remind me of a lady's boudour in 20's and 30's movies. Both are classic and equally welcomed in my collection.

I adore this! So pretty! Comfy, cozy, spicy, a bit orangey, a tad flowery, boozy and powdery. It has a lot of notes, but they are blended so well, none of them are screechy or discordant like other vintages, Chantilly, for example. Luckily, I can not detect the civet, I am not a fan of that note. I only wish that I would’ve discovered this sooner as it’s quite expensive and rare. And how cool that it was created in 1905! Ahead of it’s time! I will treasure what little I have of L’Origan, it’s gorgeous! Definitely one of my favorite perfumes!