L’Eau d’Issey Eau & Magnolia

At the first spritz I was ready to write it off as bland and as I don’t like bergamot, but moments fleeting by I found myself addicted again to that signature Issey Miyake water scent. Can water smell ethereal? It seems so. I think I am realizing Issey Miyake is my spirit animal as far as fragrances go. Hundreds of perfumes tested, from the highest end houses to dupes, and only a few loves with a majority going to the l’eau D’issey flankers. There’s something so captivating to me about the evasive scent of a pure droplet of water. A skin scent? Yes. Fleeting? Yes, but my is it beautiful while it lasts. I normally wear perfume on clothing, but this is perfect for those bare skin days.

I've been looking for a summer fragrance. On my short list...D&G Light Blue, Aerin Mediterranean Honeysuckle, Tiffany & Love For Her, but then L’Eau d’Issey Eau & Magnolia came into my life and I'm done with my search. This fragrance has more depth, longevity, and non body wash-like or dish soap scent than any of the citrus above. HA. Also, I'm not a fan of musky in a summer fragrance. Smells like BO on a hot day. This perfume has sandalwood at its base and it's gentle, clean, daytime sexy. It takes me to the Amalfi Coast.

Beautiful and tranquil are the words that I want to describe this scent. I amagine a well mannered girl in a minimalist Japanese house wearing this. It's flowery and softly sweet. Although the scent maybe linear because of creamy magnolia from start to finish, it has depth and not fleeting. Actually I'm not a fan of Issey Miyake L'eau d'Issey (the original one) because of its strange greenness and sweetness, this L'eau & Magnolia is much better.

such a mood lifter. a vortex of tranquility & playful warmth. it makes me feel like I am inside a clear bubble floating amongst the clouds with only magnolia petals keeping me company. floral, aquatic, light, airy, breezy. settles into a pleasant floral powdery base that rests more like a second skin. will rate this one a 9/10 (EDT intense)

Got this sample in the mail. Sprayed the back of my hand one time...I have now worked 10 hours and washed my hands about 4 times and can still smell this. I dont know about aquatic, this reads as almost a honeysuckle on me. That might just be the magnolia? Either way I am pleasantly surprised at how much I like it as well as the longevity.

very clean scent , magnolia is the star here .. very flowery and aquatic .... don't overspray or you end up with a headache

Very floral with an aquatic flair. Initially has a strong aroma that dries down to something more subtle and lovely.

Fresh (not scratchy) a tinch of sweetness, flowery yet light, type of scent that most of the ppl will easily like.

L'Eau d’Issey Eau & Magnolia is definitely flowery. On my skin the sandalwood or any wood do not emerge at all. The evolution is absolutely linear, the fragrance does not undergo notable changes, from opening to drydown it is practically the same scent. It's just a slight nuance that makes it different on the base notes. I do not feel bergamot if not subtly, therefore to my nose it is a purely aquatic floral. 'Eau & Magnolia' can be an elegant aquatic, clean, defined flowery scent, so versatile and fresh without being too summery even for people who don't appreciate l'Eau d'Issey, as it could be a perfume in itself and not a flanker, to me. It is my Easter gift for my sister, I'll get to know it better, I was only able to test it yesterday. But I'm already considering it...hmmm.. ;) At the moment I'd recommend to try it, not so much for its originality as for its good lasting power, and superbe minimalism. Really worthy of praise, somewhat positive opinion. I almost forgot..... the wooden cap is a beauty for the eyes!

I was tempted to buy this blind and I'm so glad that I didn't. It's OK after the first few hours, when it becomes much more aquatic and begins to resemble the other fragrances in the L'Eau D'Issey line. The initial stage however is very floral. I smell orange blossom rather than magnolia although it is not listed in the pyramid, and that is a problematic note on my skin unfortunately. Too bad, I was sure I would love this one. ETA - 6/1/26 I've been breaking out this sample whenever I vacation in warmer areas of the country and I have to say that this scent has really grown on me. I am actually considering a full bottle now.

This is a clean, soapy, creamy, floral scent. It opens with an aquatic touch, which settles in about 15 minutes. It then becomes smooth and creamy. It's like going home after a long day at work, to a warm, creamy bath, waiting for you. It's inviting, relaxing, and comforting. Today, I was wearing this perfume, and my daughter came to my room and asked if I'd just had a shower. I said no, and she responded, "You smell so nice and clean as if you just came out of the shower." I think that sums up Issey Miyake L'eau D'issey eau Magnolia!

This fragrance lingers beautifully throughout the day, leaving a soft, comforting trail I can still detect on my clothes the next morning. It carries a clean, creamy elegance—subtle yet unforgettable. Though it remains linear in its development, it exudes a refined femininity. I can easily imagine someone like Audrey Hepburn wearing it: effortlessly graceful, timeless, and quietly captivating.

Tart, powdery, and surprisingly linear! It’s a pleasant late spring/ early summer scent, nice enough for any occasion with feeling too bland. I got about ten hours of wear time from six sprays, which is nice for the price they want for it.

Great floral scent for the spring, but perhaps a bit too linear for my taste. It start with a slightly more aquatic and citrusy note (though very faint and not overpowering) and then the magnolia comes out stronger. Very pleasant.

Someone help me out here, i smell tuberose and nothing but tuberose. But absolutely NOT a bubblegummy! More like a grandmotherly classic floral tuberose like nishane tuberoza and le labo lys. Am i the only one?

Reminds me a lot of Gucci Bloom for a clear floral vibe. Lasting power is not the best yet it still worth giving it a try.

I'm generally a fan of clean scents and when I first smelled this in-store it was love at first sniff. Every time I would visit John Lewis I would spritz it on my wrist and eventually purchased a bottle last year. The first spray is clean, soapy and citrusy - but not particularly floral to my nose. It's really like sniffing a bottle of cotton-scented fabric softener. The scent stays quite linear and doesn't develop much. There are some soft aquatic notes in the background but I can't really detect the sandalwood which is a pity as I feel like it would have rounded out the scent better and given it some depth. As it is, it's pretty much just fabric softener with a hefty squeeze of bergamot. This perfume is nice but can get a bit screechy and headache inducing if you overspray (one or two spritzes is more than enough). I think it would be good for those who can't really wear strong scents to work as this basically smells like fancy soap. Maybe I don't like clean scents as much as I used to as I now find this perfume boring, which is a shame. I just don't derive any real pleasure from using this scent and the idea of trying to use up a 50ml bottle feels like a bit of a slog. As such, I will rehome it to someone who might appreciate it more.

Very sharp opening; a broken piece of mirror reflecting the sunlight and freshly picked flowers. Slowly you enter the scene yet the feeling of that sharp mirror remains, aquatic notes feel a bell that keeps ringing at intervals, it's not salty water notes, it's sweet river water... Walking through a garden of gardenias divided multiple times with bodies of thin streams, there's longing here, like it wants to be seen so much that it radiates the flowers over the stream, there's a woman leaning over the stream and pouring an endless supply of gardenia petals into the water... Even if she's wearing layers of clothing her frankness makes her appear naked. A Jane Austen heroine in her chemise soaked in river water; she's holding a bouquet of magnolias, she seems fragile and like a lost doe but her tongue is sharp, her heart is wild. It feels simple yet in this simplicity there's beauty, but you have to be able to carry the sharpness. You have to be able to look into that piece of mirror with a soft gaze.

I honestly didn't get much more than a pretty basic floral with weak longevity . Can you smell magnolia? Yes, but I didn't care for it that much. Even though I received it as a gift because I'm not a huge floral fan and will never blind buy a floral but I must say when I looked it up and saw the notes I was expecting a lot more, especially better legs. Ok so I'm not a big floral lover but the that it faded like a body mist was disappointing especially considering how strong it is at first. Oh I thought I smelled neroli as well but I went by the notes I saw on here. That could definitely be the reason why I thought I would have liked it more.

On a quest to find myself a magnolia scent, and this one’s... fine. A very safe, perfumey take on magnolia that doesn’t do much to stand out. The floral note is there, but it feels more like a vague impression of magnolia than the real thing—clean, a little generic, A LITTLE TOO GARDENIA, and lacking the charming facets of the flower you’d typically look for. Misses the mark on character, essence and depth—hard for me not to crave more.

It smells like warm laundry detergent or shower gel. It’s nice and smells very clean, but it’s also abit heavy...I expected something fresher, cooler and more delicate or ethereal, but nope. Nothing special here, if you spray it on your clothes, it will smell like it’s freshly laundered. A safe scent.

Very floral, in fact, pretty much all floral. A clean, spring-summer-ish scent but nothing outstanding. If you love florals, this may be your thing but it left me wanting more.

Thought I liked it at first, but disappointed by how aquatic it turned out to be 😕

You are better of with the BBW Magnolia Charm body mist...just sayin'

sweet & bergamot. great at first but more muted and soft

Oh boy I don't like this one. Someone says this smelt like Nivea sunscreen. I concur. This smells like a cheap plastic synthetic sunscreen. On my skin, it develops into a bad and piercing odour. I am generally a fan of Issey perfumes but this one is a no no. Either I really dislike magnolia (which I doubt) or they messed up with this one... or this one just reacts poorly on my skin. I have no idea. All I know is that I feel so glad I did not blind buy this. Also, the price is horrendous for the scent. I can't imagine anyone wanting to pay for this only to smell worse than Nivea sunscreen.

I really don't mind if the fragrance is simple, but this one is fake magnolia with syntetic freshness. Pleasant as household cleaning products, but not for personal aura. If there is something to praise, it is gentleness. I belive there are ladies which can wear this perfume and with elegant, tidy appearance it will be charming. Sillage moderate, longevity almost 7-8hrs.

I love magnolia generally, but this one is not a good version of magnolia. It does not sound like "a magnolia petal enhanced by the freshness of water". It must be orange water or neroli, as mentioned in the previous comment (not a part of the official description however) adds unnecessary sweetness and ruins it for me. Dina_France (perfume reviews on YouTube)

Drydown smells like washed clothes, some aldehydes. Meh.

This is possibly the most synthetic, off-putting I.Miyake fragrance I've had the surprising displeasure of sampling. As I read past glowing reviews and struggle to put my sample paper to my nose due to the smell being headache inducing, I wonder what on earth has gone wrong. Perhaps this is to remind fragrance lovers that as with everything in life - difference strokes for different folks. Take all reviews with a pinch of salt. A dislike for the books.

Initial neroli blast! Citrussy, orange rind, kitchen cleaner, lemon drizzled pancakes - heaped in sugar. Softens, thankfully, subtle aquatics emerge. I recognise immediately the Issey "PURE" edp and edt base as it settles and mellows. Orange blossom - too much of it, magnolia, wood, bergamot, very subtle aqua. Not weak, but very gentle and easy going once it comes into its own on the skin. Sweet, warm and caressing. Citrussy scent with a woody character. Was hoping for it to be more floral and aquatic, to be honest. Surprised that it is part of the L'eau D'Issey range and not a flanker of Pure. Very close wearing when settled, not at all projecting like the other Issey scents I own. Two hours in leaves a skin scent. Very little projection from this. Subtle woods. Overall, somewhat disappointing. I like it, but I don't love it. The more pleasing aspects of the scent don't warrant sitting through that opening repeatedly. This scent is not particularly appealing for me. Olfactory fatigue may be an issue here... Update - just sniffing the potent neroli from the bottle is enough to put me off. This scent is not in-keeping with the l'eau D'Issey range of parfums. I'm simply not a fan.

A very simple, aquatic magnolia. Airy, but not too light. In fact, go easy on the sprayer because if you overdo it, it can get a bit heavy. I recently sampled Gorgeous Magnolia by Gucci, which was borderline suffocating, this is miles better. Much fresher and more breathable. That said, I’m starting to think magnolia might just not be my note in general. Even when it’s done well like here, it still doesn’t completely win me over. Maybe I just lean toward fresher florals in general, something with a bit more clarity or probably more green and "aqua". I’ve yet to smell a magnolia that really captures what I'm looking for. This magnolia settles into a powdery base, probably from the sandalwood, so while it opens aquatic, it gains weight as it dries down. Still, I quite like it. It’s the best magnolia I’ve tried so far, and even if it’s not a full love, it’s a net positive. People seem to give this one a hard time (mainly the synthetic-ness comments) but honestly, out of all the magnolia attempts, this might be the most wearable one.

I knew I smelled Neroli when I first sprayed this, it's very heavy on the Neroli that I couldn't believe it wasn't in the note structure. Low and behold, I checked other websites and sure enough, the correct note structure is: TOP: Neroli, Bergamot MID: Magnolia, Rose BASE: Dreamwood (Sandalwood) I think this is nice, but nothing great. The sandalwood or dreamwood does something really weird on my skin about 30 minutes in and it has a weird almost dirty driftwood scent to it, it's only noticeable if I bury my nose in my wrist though. It's definitely a pleasant scent, but nothing worth having in my collection.

Amazingly I found that the longevity of this is 10+ hours and lasted a transatlantic flight after spraying on my hand at the duty-free shop. There are salty notes of lilies which are not listed on here. I cannot stand the original L'eau d'Issey Pour Femme from 1990 which has an outdated calone note and reminds me of brackish turgid water. But this one is modern and fresh (created by another designer since Issey himself has passed) and I added this to my collection.

This is a lovely issey scent... it's wet, fresh, clean, Magnolia floral... on me it's a touch like issey Pure edp... a clean fresh and bitter scent... it ovulated between airy ans wet floral aquatic, to an alos flat and gently bitter edge.. It lasted very well, I will reset it. Not a favorite, and I love most of isseys offerings.. Overall it does what it says on the box so to speak

I smell orange blossom and vanilla. Others are saying it’s tuberose, which I can see, and gardenia which I think is a stretch. Idk I just feel that this floral is far too loud and sugary to be magnolia... but maybe that’s what the fantasy magnolia accord is, bc irl magnolia blossoms are very very light smelling.

It's very conceptually focused; what you get is heavy magnolia, a little honeysuckle-esque sweetness, and a little of that sharp, bitter note of jasmine. It's a punchy white flower fragrance which means it wears pretty mature, but maybe stops just short of being 'stately grandma'

This isn’t usually what I go for but I got a free sample. I don’t see how there isn’t neroli in this. Smells like neroli and a swimming pool lol it projects and decently lasts. Would be awesome for the summer if freshies are your thing.

Feminine, elegant, soft and relaxing. I imagine a peaceful, minimalistic woman wearing it with an all white outfit. She is polite and deep, a bit mysterious and introverted. This scent is classy and timeless. Floral and slightly sweet.

I bought this perfume because i smelled it on a lady in the locker rooms of a spa and thought it was one of the most clean, soft, light and feminine scent I had ever smelled. I am absolutely in love with this fragrance.

simple floral and aquatic fragrance. strong in the opening and then mellows out as it dries down. def can see this worn during the day for a brunch or something like that.

I'm sure I had this exact smell as furniture polish a few years back...

-Oh god, no. All I get it bug spray in the dry-down. (-)