190 Ans de Création 1828-2018

Thank you Zoka for listing this gorgeous fragrance celebrating Guerlain’s 190 years of creativity. I first tried the EDP last December in the newly launched Guerlain concept store in Hong Kong. It was dispensed from their “fountain” into a bee bottle the colour of your choice, with free optional engraving. Although I see it’s listed predominantly as citrus on this page, it’s luscious mock orange blossom on a bed of almond nougat, floating on a base of sandalwood and ylang ylang. What I absolutely adore about this creation is how unique it is, I have far too many fragrances for my own sanity, and nothing I own comes close to the sheer ethereal quality of 190 ans. It’s a gourmand but not in the sugary sweet way that so many modern ones are...this is far from cloying, it’s airy, heavenly, pervasive - like strolling through an orchard in the early evening. I bought the Extrait on my visit to HK last month, it comes prepackaged in a 250 ml white bee bottle with a bonus 20 ml travel sized dispenser half nestled in a leather case. There are only 761 pieces of this version out there, so if you want to buy a piece of Guerlain history, here’s your chance. The ladies at Guerlain told me it was likely that the EDP would be discontinued this year. It goes without saying that the extrait is sublime to the point of taking one’s breath away, and lingers on the skin for hours. If there’s a Guerlain boutique near you, I hope you get a chance to test it.

Whereas the EdP version of 190 Ans (only available from fountains in Guerlain Boutiques) was allready a masterpiece with it's creamy vanilla-benzoin dressed orange blossom Absolu, the Extrait version here is an absolute masterpiece ! Less creamy than the EdP, the élégance of the Parfum concentration stands out with an additional note of jasmine, clearly present and mentioned BTW by Thierry Wasser himself when he présented, at the 68 Champs Élysées Boutique, the special Guerlinade he used herein. So please note that vanilla and jasmine should also be present among the notes proposed above by the editors. . As moppety27 says, this juice is just sublime, heavenly, and it demonstrates the skill of Thierry Wasser as he takes to the front stage a superb Ylang Ylang, along with a just as fantastic orange blossom Absolu to celebrate the anniversary of his house. The few flacons available were mainly sold in France, and as 2019 is coming to end, so do the last flacons of this perfume on the shelves. Surprisingly, the price of this Extract version (1100€) did not exceed the price of other classic Extraits of the same house when sold in larger flacons. I had the opportunity to test the "Double Absolu" (sort of super Extract version of 190 Ans) which was sold in beautiful Baccarat Crystal special flacons at collector prices: same juice as Extrait, but still higher concentration with longevity exceeding 12 hours, vs. 10h+ for the EdP.

Released in 2018, 190 Ans Absolu in the iconic Bee bottle celebrates 190 years of Guerlain. If I recall correctly, this perfume is supposed to commemorate the various facets of Guerlain’s 21st century perfumes. Described in a few words, this perfume is a sweet and creamy orange blossom-almond-vanilla scent. On me, Absolu opens up with a majestic blast of a very sweet orange blossom (clean and bright). I also smell a honey-like nectar in the opening. Shortly thereafter, it evolves into a more complex scent with floral notes of ylang-ylang, rose, and a touch of jasmine and iris, complimented by almond and benzoin. Sandalwood rounds out the fragrance. I also detect a sweet vanilla base, making the entire composition reminiscent of Guerlain’s famous Guerlinade. The Absolu also performs incredibly well, with 10-12 hours of longevity on my skin and a very pleasant and extensive scent bubble. Overall, it is a beautiful and delicate floral fragrance with some deliciously sweet and almond-y features and a slightly woody-musky base. 190 Ans Absolu smells heavenly and it is one of the most cherished bottles in my small collection. It also happens to be my favorite Guerlain fragrance.

Guerlain Imagine is extremely similar to this scent if not identical. The fragrance profile is beautifully buttery, vanilla sweet and spicy at the same time. If you can’t get your hands on this one, add Guerlain Imagine to your collection. My guess is Guerlain has renamed and repackaged this, as the house does this quite regularly.

I have not smelled this yet, but I ordered it today from the US website. My friend Joanne told me about it, since I trust her taste in fragrance I went ahead and ordered it. The price was a little steep, oh heck, you only live once!! I even paid for the express shipping to make sure I get it fast before they run out. I will post a review once I receive my baby. :) 11/13/2022 Update - I received my bottle from Guerlain, oh my goodness this fragrance is absolutely a stunner and the beautiful bottle is to die for. It is one of these fragrances if it was not for the price point I would have several bottles simply to have around to look at and wear daily. This is how beautiful women suppose to smell. Ladies, find a tester of this if you can!

I have a 30ml bottle for sale, used only to smell the fragrance initially, otherwise it’s a full bottle. Please contact me if interested.