Mauboussin

Smells gorgeous, but you really must love patchouli. Mauboussin is a difficult scent to describe - the notes are simple and the scent smells true to the pyramid, but there’s this magical aura to it that is hard to capture with words alone. Mauboussin EDP encompasses fall to me and reminds me a lot of the scents I fell in love with at the start of my fragrance journey. I loved scents that were unique and had character, and this one fits the bill perfectly. My bottle is, I believe, part of the first reformulation (silver box, purple stars, possibly from 2012-ish). First of all, this is a fruity chypre. I can see the comparisons to Angel, what with the fruits and patchouli, but Maub is more like your cool aunt that could possibly be a witch than the luxury car and extravagant jewelry I’d associate with Angel. And, CAUTION, Maub is much dirtier than Angel in my educated opinion (see my resume: a lover of both vintage Angel and Maub). This is a powerhouse scent that repels the fragrance non-believers (looking at you, Glossier You, JHAG Not A Perfume, and whatever other molecules are out there, though I still do love you in a different way). I smell the autumn air, mystery, and a cauldron full of dirty patchouli, cedar, plum, bat wing, eye of toad, and monkey’s paw. Ok, maybe not the last 3, but you get it. Despite my very apt description above, let’s talk about what the scent ACTUALLY smells like. The opening can be off-putting if you don’t love patchouli as the first few seconds is immediately a musty, dusty, dirty patchouli. Plum comes out to play for a bit, which makes the whole concoction quite the fruity chypre, except for oakmoss, which I honestly would have loved. Fine, I accept that patchouli is the modern oakmoss in a chypre, but I love oakmoss, ok? It’s interesting to hear people describe the overall scent as dry because this phase smells quite wet and rich to me, like a plum and patchouli pudding or crème. And this plum is not a fresh one - it’s a very Grojsman-esque fruit, which is exactly why this scent smells vintage. It’s interesting to smell the Grojsman accord in this type of composition! It’s like Diamonds and Rubies, or Tresor or True Love done on a dirty patchouli base. The dichotomy of “warm hug” emulated by the Grojsman accord + the dirty base could be why some reviewers are so off-put by this scent and I don’t blame them! Slowly, Mauboussin EDP becomes less fruit-dominant. I smell this leather quality that people keep referring to. It’s kind of dirty and bitter and gives character to the scent. It also smells like the dirt in a forest, and I love that when I’m looking for the cedar in this scent, it’s there. But at the same time I can smell a sweet plum-wine-filled chocolate. How unique and interesting! And in fact, I think the “crème made of patchouli” description is quite apt, as there are several other scents with this exact quality (Francesca Bianchi’s Sticky Fingers and Maison Violet’s Sketch), which don’t exactly smell the same but definitely have this same “texture” that I love. I’m reminded of quite a other few other scents as well, which are listed below for brevity. So, yeah, that’s my review. All over the place, but in summation... * Full bottle of Mauboussin EDP circa 2012 Primary notes: PATCHOULI, plum What I smell: PATCHOULI (dirty), forest floor, chocolate filled with sweet plum wine, autumn, leathery, vintage-y Reminds me of: Angel, Sticky Fingers, Sketch, Decadence (Decadence is like Mauboussin EDP 20 years younger and transported into the future), White Diamonds Night (Grojsman accord + patchouli), True Love, Diamonds & Rubies Recommended demographic: Possibly 30s+ women but honestly anyone can wear it, I think even men would smell amazing with this one You should try: If you love hidden gem cheapies AND PATCHOULI, if you love the Grojsman accord You should avoid: PATCHOULI SENSITIVE folks, if you dislike very strong scents, if you hate anything that smells “dirty” (and if you think Angel smells dirty then you’ve got a good surprise in store if you try Mauboussin lol), if you dislike the Grojsman accord

So this is Mr. Perfume, ladies and gentlemen. Expensive even niche smelling, long-lasting, strong, stunning, exhilarating, warm, fruity-floral-woody amber. Addictive scent. A very concentrated perfume that needs at least an hour to develop!!!! t really needs that hour (on my skin 2 hours) to go crazy, and only then that wonderful fragrant symphony begins, and spreads throughout the room and everywhere you go. This is not an ordinary mainstream fragrance that you needs 7 sprays to smell something after one hour. Be careful with the quantity, otherwise you will suffocate everyone around you. This is how perfume is supposed to behave, one drop on your wrist, spread it on the other wrist and you smell all day. If you spray it on your clothes, it will smell for 3 more days. As a consumer, I enjoy this quality for such a ridiculous price, but as a business woman, I absolutely do not understand how this brand can combine such a unique, expensive, heavy, designer bottle and such a high-quality and concentrated fragrance composition, literally for pennies, but I read somewhere that the house Mauboussin kept the perfume department only as a entertainment for someone in the family and thus with their wealth they tolerate it as a non-profit department only for the amusement of that particular family member. All bottles from this brand are works of art and you really won't find similar quality of bottles even with much more expensive brands. Of all the Mauboussins, this one is the most distinctive and long-lasting. This is not a perfume for those who prefer Versace or Light Blue DG perfumes, this is a serious perfume for the grown-up woman. Regarding the composition of the perfume itself, it is a fruity-oriental type of fragrance. There is fruit in the head, flowers in the heart and woody and amber notes in the base. Plums and mirabelles, bergamot and peaches are the first to appear, followed by jasmine, Turkish rose, ylang-ylang, and finally the perfume turns into an amber, woody scent with a little patchouli and vanilla, although the flowers and fruits do not disappear, they only soften. Especially suitable for cold weather, in autumn, when the air is already cold, in winter and early cold spring. Now it's summer and I can't stop smelling it on my wrist, I won't wear it on the street, among people, I'm waiting for the cold season and then I'll enjoy itś full potential. This scent amazed me so much that I have already ordered 3 packages of perfumed cream and a backup bottle of perfume, although it is 100 ml and will probably last me 100 years. But this fragrance is so enchanting that I'm afraid they will stop selling it. EDIT August 28, 2023: I could not wait until autumn and pulled this gem in the summer heat 35C. I take my words about cold season as only suitable for this parfume back. It is sooo good even in summer. I went for 10 minutes grocery shopping and 2 women approched me and asked me about my perfume. I am going to wear this magical potion all year round! I am in love! EDIT May 28, 2025: Well, the summer temperatures are finally starting and it's time to bring this little darling out into the light and enjoy it. After 3 years of owning this gem, I have finally and definitively come to the conclusion that this is a summer perfume. I practically can't stand it in the winter, even though it is meant for winter by its composition, in my opinion it only flourishes in warm weather and only in the heat. At least on my skin. In the winter, I primarily smell from it exactly what the haters of this gem complain about, namely ashtray. In summer, on the other hand, this accord, which is really nothing but a strong patchouli, is suppressed and mainly fruits, amber and flowers develop. Yes with an ashtray undertone, but tasteful and attractive.

I love the changing of seasons, when you get to experience the fragrances, that have been hidden away for months, all over again. The fragrances have macerated, your sense of smell has changed and suddenly they are all new! I won’t leave a full review, because of course the scent is so basically the same, but man it’s so different too! To my nose the peach has really come forward compared to the last 5-ish years (I believe my bottle is from 2018) that I’ve been wearing it! It’s less resinous and has a soft fresh sweetness that I have never experienced before. In previous years I experienced the fruit notes as just dried fruits and very subdued, but now the peach shines in a more juicy way! I had never expected it to become more juicy and fresh after 5 years! I would have expected it to become more spicy and resinous instead! It is suddenly much more youthful, and it smells more powdery and clean, where it used to smell more dusty. I also smell something like anise, but it’s not listed as a note, so I’m not sure what it is. At times I pick up something animalic and musky (in an animalic way), which I also haven’t picked up on before.. But MAN is this peachy all of a sudden! In the heart the peach starts to tone down, and the fragrance becomes more floral. The rose is also much more prominent than before. The peach, jasmine and rose are a delicate bouquet and very pretty. It vaguely reminds me of Tresor, despite smelling very different. Where to nee this has always smelled like a dry, dusty, woody, spicy, resinous scent (if that makes sense), it’s now much more delicate, fruity and powdery, with the aforementioned profile forming the base. As if I’ve layered another fragrance (something reminiscent of Tresor) over the Mauboussin I knew. It’s Mauboussin, but it’s different. Deeper into the heart the banana like sweetness of the ylang comes forward. I love this new experience, yet I also have to get used to it. This fragrance has become much more feminine to my nose, but I did like it for it’s almost masculine dryness. I do believe I’m now experiencing this now how I’m supposed to. I think the resinous notes were not supposed to overpower the fruity and floral ones, but they did before. I believe I’m now experiencing the full elegance of a scent that is much more complex than one might think on first wear. The one thing I do hope is that the dry down will still smell like old books, because that was my favourite thing about this. I won’t reach the dry down today, because I only sprayed it in the evening. Exploring a fragrance over the years is a journey, and Mauboussin is taking me on a ride... and I’m here for it! ETA: this ended up to be a full review after all. As I’m heading to bed way too late I have in fact reached the dry down. The dry down still has my beloved smell of old books, but the dry down too has changed. It now has the sweetness of dried fruits that I know from how the opening was before and which used to fade away. The fragrance overall has become a bit more perfume-y, and while the new layers add complexity, I also feel they somewhat takeaway from its earlier uniqueness. All in all this fragrance does age like a fine wine and I’m the 5 or 6 years I’ve owned my bottle, new layers have been opening up and coming forward without the slightest hint of the fragrance going bad. This truly is a rare gem for the price, and would make a worthy signature. I feel it has become more decidedly French with these new layers, so I envision this on an elegant Parisian lady in a quaint antique bookshop, her perfume mingling with the scent of old books, wooden beams and dust.

Just a gentle reminder to please not downvote reviews unless they’re offensive. If a review is new and doesn’t have any upvotes yet it will be removed completely (I suspect even with as little as one downvote) and not even the writer can access what they’ve written. This is extremely frustrating when you’ve written long, well thought out reviews and it happens constantly. It demotivates people from putting effort into reviews, and no one benefits from that. If you disagree just leave your own review, or scroll past it. I bought my bottle of Mauboussin in 2017 or 2018 and it’s been one of my favourites since the moment I tried it on. This scent is gorgeous and so sophisticated! The notes listed on here are a bit misleading, as one would expect this to be very fruity and juicy, and it’s not. Wearing it today I’m noticing fruity (dried fruit, not juicy fruit) sweetness for the very first time, but my bottle is 6 years old and it clearly needed those 6 years to macerate before the sweetness started to come through. No if anything this fragrance is resinous, somewhat dusty and dry, but very smooth. Individual notes are hard to determine, except for the benzoin. This is smelling a bit different today than I’m used to, sweeter and fruitier (again don’t expect any juice, this is fruit). I’ve always been able to recognise the bergamot in the opening, although it’s subtle, but today there’s something minty in there too. Clearly this fragrance becomes more and more nuanced and delicious with time. The fruits (besides the bergamot, which fades very quickly) aren’t distinguishable, neither are the florals for that matter. There’s just a dried fruit sweetness, that’s super well blended with all the other notes. After about 10 minutes the florals come forward and I pick up jasmine. There’s a hint of a metallic note too that when more present (I’m other perfumes) can make me extremely nauseous and cause migraines (I think it’s either ylang or jasmine, although it only makes me sick in a select few perfumes), so those who are sensitive to migraines might want to avoid overspraying when trying this out and/or test it on paper first. A little while later the jasmine blends back into the mix and here we reach my favourite part of this perfume. From here on -to me- it smells like an antique bookshop/ antique books and I’m digging it!!! It had that exact dusty, resinous smell of old books and as an avid reader who always smells the books I’m reading like a creep this smell is so heavenly to me. While I understand why people say this had Shalimar vibes, I do think they’re quite different. In my minds eye this would look like very smooth birch wood, where Shalimar is a dark, polished mahogany. Shalimar is more sensual, where Mauboussin feels more.. professional maybe.. Shalimar wears an evening gown and black furs and Mauboussin wears a business suit. Mauboussin is much smoother and lighter (although it’s by no means a light fragrance). Both Shalimar and Mauboussin have the same type of dustiness to them, a type of resinous powdery dust, but not powdery like (Iris or violet) powder, but actual dust and maybe some sawdust. There’s something raw about it that lures you in. Shalimar is the sensual, voluptuous seductress, and Mauboussin is her geeky sister who sneaks away to the library during the party, to read a book. She is sexy too, but she’s sexy because she’s smart and knowledgeable. Shalimar turns around and ‘accidentally’ drops the key to her room on her way out.. Mauboussin walks away and a note slips from between the pages of her book...

WOW. Okay, I have both... EDT and EDP are definitely different! On initial spray, the EDT has more of that familiar "oriental" scent to it in the same vein as Kenzo Oriental & Coco Chanel. The plum is not as noticeable other than it is a kissing cousin of Kenzo Jungle Elephant, and the oriental-ness is light. But yes, I understand why everyone mentions K.J.E. I smell no floral whatsoever, and the patch and cedar are super light, if not just imaginary to my nose. The dry down is a lovely sweet benzoin amber powdery wonderful heaven scent. I actually fell in love with this version of Mauboussin due to the light oriental and faint reminder of Kenzo Jungle, but MOSTLY for that delicious sweet dry down. OMG! This is the same dry down you get with Sensuous Noir. They are nothing alike at the top or heart, but that base is identical. Sensuous Noir has that great punch-you-in-the-face patchouli opening... where I can't detect patchouli here much at all. Which is odd, seeing as the patch is the #1 scent on the notes listed above. Then I bought the EDP: Okay... where one reviewer said she "hates" the EDT and loves the EDP, I'm living in opposite land. The EDP is way too heavy on the plum (and is that REALLY PLUM? It's so not plum to me, but obviously it's "something" (!), and nothing else in the notes would explain it.) I think it's prune. Not overly sweet. Though it is thick. Cloying. Heavier and more pungent than Jungle Elephant. HOWEVER, as much as I have a hard time with the first 5 minutes, it's REALLY great after that. The "plum" note (The Kenzo-esque part) does linger much longer in the EDP than it does in the EDT. The drydown is identical to what I wrote above for the EDT, except that the "plum" note lingers much longer into the heart and actually into the first few hours of drydown. My advice: Get both. Use the EDT in spring summer, and the EDP in Fall & Winter. If you want something that LASTS, this is your perfume, use the EDP! WOW... Besides my K.J.E. and my Serge Lutens Jeux de Peau's longevity, this juice is potent and right up there with those two with MONSTER longevity. And, P.S. for the price?!? PEOPLE!!! This is a huge bargain at twice the price! I own 2 EDT's and 1 EDP, and I'm considering getting another one just cuz it's so in-expensive, and this is now in my top 3 "go to's". Edit: I just read Sandra Raicevic Petrovic's (sandrina_bambina) Report from TFWA 2012 Cannes and it states the following WONDERFUL news about Mauboussin: "The news reports from the Lorience booth will delight lovers of the Mauboussin, Courreges and Lulu Castagnette fragrances. Mauboussin launched the oriental version of Mauboussin, which arrives in a dark bottle and is named Mauboussin L'Elixir pour Elle. There are also men's Mauboussin Pour Lui and Mauboussin Neroli, in a golden pyramid-shaped bottle, dominated by orange blossom absolute and the absolute of Tunisian neroli." Woo-Hoo!