Peony

This to me smells of a really good high quality incense. It brings back memories of Camden market shopping. I love the smell of this so much and it layers so well with other scents from Demeter/Library of Fragrance as they're called in the UK. I wear it with Daisy, Fig Leaves and Honeysuckle.

I received a free sample of this with my Demeter order, and ended up liking it a lot. It's soft, dewy, and floral with a powdery feel. It smells green and white to me. Like a beautiful garden you wouldn't mind spending an afternoon in, sipping tea. There's a subtle earthiness behind the florals, and I even pick up a slightly peppery smell that keeps it from being too sweet. Overall it feels light, feminine, and pretty. It's not loud or attention grabbing but it is pleasant and nice to wear. The only thing I can't comment on is its realism. IDK what peonies actually smell like so I can't say if this is a realistic scent or more of an interpretation of Peonies. Either way, I like it and will enjoy wearing this!

This bottle came free with a Demeter order. I absolutely love the smell of a peony in bloom, so I was looking forward to trying this Demeter scent. I don't dislike it, but there's something sharp and a little "scratchy" in this perfume. I know that the scent can't be recreated perfectly, but I was hoping this would capture the freshness and lightness that I love when smelling the real thing. Nice free gift, but I would not re-purchase.

the worst fragrance I have ever smellt! ew

Peony is a vague and changeable note in perfumery, ...I must spend more time smelling real peonies in gardens. Next Spring for that. As for peony soliflore fragrances, they are often rose-adjacent and tend to vary between green and sweet, as well as between watery and fruity. Demeter Peony is certainly on the green and watery side. Some describe peony as a blend of rose and muguet, ... and that description makes sense here. In any case, it is an enjoyably lovely scent. Wea rit in Winter to both quell and prime one's longing for spring. I once glibly, but sincerely, described Demeter Hyacinth as having all the realistic nuances of a live flower market abundantly stocked with bouquets of fragrant stock (the flower). Now, I speak similar of their Peony scent. It smells like that same flower market after just receiving a large shipment of roses. I may be reaching a point of diminishing returns with sampling Demeter's floral recreations, ...but I do still enjoy them immensely for what they are, even if they often fall short of fully replicating their natural counterparts. Edit: It's early spring, but I just encountered my first fragrantly blooming peonies (at a 'garden center'). Now, comparing the fragrance of those flowers with that of Demeter's Peony, I will say, there is partial overlap. More specifically, they both possess a distinct spicy tang that overlays the underlying floral sweetness.Furhtermore they both also contain nuance of rose in their bouquets. However, the spiciness of the actual flower is lighter and finer than that of the Demeter product, which comes off as both rougher and more powdery. Ultimately, Demeter Peony still smells like what it is: a constructed floral accord that (as always) imperfectly tries to replicate an exquisite scent of nature. I can't fully fault it for that. ...Even if it is a semi-ersatz soliflore, I still have admiration for it as a powdery-spicy mixed floral. ...but all the same, always remember to also smell real flowers whenever you have the chance.

Did you ever have a Cabbage Patch Baby doll? Not the standard-sized kid doll, the smaller baby — the one with the (allegedly) baby powder-scented head. At first whiff, that's what Demeter's Peony reminds me of. It's delicate, sweet, and powdery. The powder note is pleasant, but it's hampering the peony effect for me. If I take a really deep whiff, I can detect peony in there somewhere, but I have to almost strain to find it through the powder. I think that's also what makes it skew toward the granny-ish for some people. That said, I don't know if the problem is actually too much powder, or not enough of something else. What I'm personally missing is a touch of green freshness. I wanted something a little sharper and brighter. So I'm not sure I'll be keeping this, but I think I'll give it another chance, layering it with one of Demeter's green fragrances before I decide. (I've already tried adding Grass, and it helps, but that particular green is a little too specific. Maybe Clover will do the trick when my next Demeter order arrives tomorrow...)

This one smells pretty synthetic. I snatched it up for $4.95 at a little boutique without smelling it and even for that price I kind of regret it. I smell the green parts of the peony (leaves & stem) and I do smell a smoky thing like one of the other reviewers mentioned. It's not a bad smell. It's just not the best peony smell in the world. Good for layering... I guess. Also, I have synesthesia where smell sometimes gets reinterpreted as taste in my brain and this one gives my tongue metallic tingles and the sweet powdery after-taste of pink marshmallows. It's like I can taste the peony in the roof of my mouth rather than smell it in my nose. If I put my hand in front of my nose and inhale deeply, my mouth fills with imaginary, pink, fluffy, powdered sugar covered peonies. Weird. I guess it's worth keeping just for that experience alone. I mean it's still an okay peony scent, especially for the price. I'm just saying you can do better.

This is not a fresh photorealistic peony smell. Unfortunately it's a dupe for Jo Malone's Peony & Blush Suede which is actually a highly sweet, heavy musk scent - like all the other scents in the mainstream market - that is a pink bubblegum version of YSL's Mon Paris. Not my tastes and very disappointed they portrayed it otherwise. Thumbs down! If you want a beautiful photorealistic peony look for Nirvana White by Elizabeth and James!

So I'm not sure if my idea of the smell of peony was wrong or if this fragrance is a little off... Probably me to be honest, I get florals and a make-up kind of smell. I don't hate it, but I don't really like it either. Might have to see if anyone else likes it! It's a shame as I've really enjoyed my other two Demeter buys!