Le Jardin

I'm so excited to have purchased a 30 ml new and boxed fragrance off ebay this morning. I used to wear this when I was about 14 or 15 years old (in the mid eighties). I am hoping that the smell is just as I remember it and I am sure it will bring back a flood of memories. It's fascinating the way a smell can do that in the way that nothing else (except for music)can. Will post my impressions later. I love this site, it's reminded and re-united me with some long-lost perfume loves! Update 27/9/11....Yep, just like I remembered it. Fresh, clean and floral. Completely innocent and fun-smelling if there is such a thing. Brings and instant smile to my face when I wear it. A definite mood-lifter.

Wonderful, green, woody-floral fragrance with ethereal musky base notes. It leaves a subtle, beautiful musk that stays on clothes for days. I sit at my desk wearing my sweater which I had sprayed on Le Jardin like six days ago and the scent passes by my nose each time I move around. This perfume is actually very cheap for its value.... One day it will be totally discontinued and will hit a high price on ebay, just like Cachet... I was able to find it in the UK by Eden Classics and smells exactly the same as my first bottle by Dana back in Chicago. It's available on amazon.UK. I purchased 4 bottles to make sure I don't run out! Simple and mysteriously enchanting...

I have just received a Procter & Gamble-produced version, with the same bottle design shown here on Fragrantica. I have also tried both the Eden Classics version and the original Hollywood release. To my nose, this version feels like a bridge between the original and the current formulation. It is lighter and fresher than the Hollywood version, yet it retains a more vintage character than the modern Eden Classics release. Fortunately, this version has preserved the identity and charm of the original fragrance, something I feel the current version has lost. I have to say that out of all the versions I’ve tried, this one is my favorite!

I had to get this 60 ml mint online. I wanted to see if it even slightly could remind me of the joy that was Le Jardin. I don't know how old it is but the grey packageing, the flat bottle and the plastic cap with it's cheap looking print of flowers is the same as when it first was released. Well. It's not taking me all the way back, it has of course aged through the decades.What survived is mostly thick aldehydes - the sweetness is the same but the flowers I can separate from this withered potpourri is lily of the valley, ylang and maybe cyclamen. There is something like yellow fruits, slightly acidic. Well, I tried. It was a beauty.

I wore this a lot in the 80s & always got compliments on it. The face of this fragrance was the beautiful actress,(former Bond girl) Jane Seymour. I adored everything about this fragrance, as it was one of my main signature scents in the early 80s. I even liked the bottle, ads with Jane in them... If I could almost wax poetic, if Monet's Garden could have been put inside a bottle & liquified, then this would have been it, IMHO, of course. It smelled of a wonderful French garden, as its name... Love this one!!! 5 stars!!!

I wore this as a signature daytime fragrance in the '80s and and have purchased some of the original version over the years on eBay. I just received a small bottle today and immediately applied it. I still love it! It is sort of pungent and very sweet "out of the bottle," but settles down on the skin and becomes a more subtle, delightful floral, not too heavy. I have never tried the newer versions (didn't even know there were any), but rarely does a "remake" live up to the original!

I just got a vintage bottle, the one with the flowers on the cap. I do understand why some people say its very ‘old lady’ like, because you really get a vintage vibe while wearing this one. But for me its also very mature and womanly. Its dreamy, soapy and romantic. I can absolutely picture teenagers and young women wore this back in the 80s. Today this is more for nostalgia and collection, I guess. One of the best vintage scents in my opinion. A true guilty pleasure!

I remember Le Jardin ... back in the 80s when I could not afford my favourite Anais Anais. It was wonderful and really suited my phase of wearing long floaty flowery dresses and pastel high heeled shoes!!! I haven't tried any recent versions so cannot comment but this was probably one of the best "budget" fragrances and it lasted and lasted. I certainly got a lot of compliments while wearing it and it made me feel very feminine :o)

This is my all time favorite fragrance. So much so that I contacted the company when they quit making it to find out how to purchase and found another company that had started making it. I purchased 20 bottles when I found out they were going to stop making it. I am still trying to find another fragrance I like as much as this one. The dry down on this and longevity is everything.

It was my first parfume. My mother bought for my sister and for me as we weren't more than 14. I understand - seeing the ingredients - how it determined my later parfume decisions and how good taste she had. I am pleased to find it here finally, because I looked after it earlier in this site without result. Now I am thrilled and in nostalgic mood. Thank you!

My all time favorite fragrance. Was made aware I could find it a few years ago after a long time without it. Purchased some of the original from eBay, so great to smell it again! Purchased body powder also, which my cat spilled. I swept it into a little pile on some paper and smelled it for a long time in my space.

This was my first perfume I picked out for myself when I was about 10 years old. It made me feel so grown up! I recently bought myself a bottle to feed my nostalgic cravings... still just as good as I remember it :)

This is a bouquet of joy, spring in a bottle, it reminds me so much of Anais Anais de Cacharel and the longevity is excellent. It is so affordable, really worth having it. One word : Lovely.

My sister had this when we were around 12 and i remember thinking it smelled lovely. Just bought 2 vintage bottles online and am very excited to smell it again❤️

@ntabassum92 The Woman in the garden wrapped in flowers is actress Jane Seymour! She totally embodied the fragrance Le Jardin absolutely beautiful!

A teenage romance for me will always remember the sweet floral scent it brings back so many memorys all of those years ago

For me, this is really about the cyclamen, oakmoss, sandalwood, musk.

Gifted for Christmas. Had forgotten how lovely it is.

I recently stumbled upon this in a very outdated pharmacy, it is like going back in time to this said pharmacy they carry products I haven't seen in years including old lentheric and Revlon scents that have been long discontinued in my country. Tucked away on a little shelf were about 8 bottles of this, not the Max Factor or Dana edition, and not the new flower shaped bottle by Eden perfumes - mine is strangely by 'health and Beauty Focus' the box is straight out of the 90s, as was the price tag and it is sun faded. They had a tester but it was long dried up and had turned but I could smell civet and powdery florals so took a chance it was only $19 for 30ml cheap as chips. I remember the D'Amor version of this by Max Factor from childhood and have always wanted to track this one down. First spritz is definitely reminiscent of Elnett (Aquanet) hairspray, intensely green and full of aldehydes - for a few seconds there is something almost ammonia/urine like but it quickly fades into civet and becomes a musky cold-cream aroma, and develops into a wonderful soft powdery green floral scent with a soft powdery sweetness which reminds me of honey and tobacco that wears close to the skin. I get a hint of something minty and herbal which reminds me of Halston and I can definitely smell tarragon at the start, once it warms a little it becomes a little like Anais without the screechy notes and leather also a wee bit like my long lost Valentino Vendetta - a powdery dusty floral which holds close to the skin and quite a lot like Vanderbilt, but less screechy antispetic floral and more skanky powdery floral one could say. Almost a poor man's version of Beautiful, green, floral and more florals. The carnation and ylang ylang meld together beautifully on my skin once it warms up. I well may go buy the lot of them as I can see myself wearing this often. My bottle is the classic shape of the Max factor but has a slightly wider/narrower cap and the design is different - reminiscent of the classic foil decal on the original but is just a pink printed and very pixelated version of the original floral design with the same frosted glass with 3 stylised what appears to be stems raised on the glass bottle beneath the lid. The box is silver grey with the original stylised typeface 'Le Jardin' and a cross between the original packet and the new one perhaps? Obviously a reformulation of the old classic bought out by another company but I really quite like it. Hmm I don't think my partner likes this one. Such a shame as I am really liking it..

I am on a hunt for perfumes my mom might have worn in the 90s to see if I can find a scent that reminds me of her. In my search I ran into a photo of this perfume and I was immediately taken back to my childhood. I had a bottle of this that I kept among my special things. I think I rarely sprayed it but would hold it and feel special. Once I remembered this perfume existed I had to get a vintage bottle. It’s lovely. It starts minty and sweet. Then the florals come in and it starts to smell soapy. I associate it with a clean smell but I can see people disliking it. Then the sandlewood comes in and it’s so beautiful. There is something really comforting about it though that might just be my association with it. This is my first perfume, truly the blueprint for my preferences, and it will always have a special place in my heart.

Now I recall different versions from this scent. The bottle as shown on top I've never seen. The other bottle(s) I have. But another mistery came to my attention. I've also had a Le Jardin en rose / fleur de rose, which I recall to be a little bit sassier / more sour, although the current bottle is the same as the old bottle. But the fragrances don't match. Next to this I've come to find the current fragrance has a drydown, which is a lot like 5th avenue from Elisabeth Arden + Zara Rose. Update: The bottles being sold now, with the plastic cap, writen above, with the cheap flowers is the same bottle as in the 80-ies. But... I managed to find a new box with the name Le Jardin Le fleur, which is not in this data base. And the fragrance from the old bottle is now in this new bottle!!! How confusing.

They don't make 'em like this any more, but I wish they did. This is a fresh, green, slightly soapy floral, with a hint of powder in the drydown. I really like this. I can smell only florals and soft green notes, nothing aggressive. I don't smell any civet or tuberose, two notes that are potential dealbreakers for me. Although it's a drugstore scent from the 80's, it doesn't smell dated or cheap to me. This is an elegant soft floral and is a very welcome change from the currently popular sweet vanillas. After reading these reviews I see that it has been reformulated. I shouldn't be surprised. I have no idea which version I have, but it smells wonderful! As Misenchanted said, its a moodlifter. I agree. Edit: About 4 hours later, a bit of civet is coming through.

The vintage Le Jardin is quite nice. It's a non sweet floral scent and long lasting. I don't get any mint from it but there is a slightly herbal astringency in the top note. LJ resembles Anais Anais, but isn't nearly as sharp and chilly. There seems to be a fair bit of musk in LJ, but the pyramid shows that note at the bottom. The perfume dries down nicely and becomes more floral. Le Jardin isn't girly, but it's not grandmotherly or dated either. It's a well made mature floral and very wearable. I was impressed by this inexpensive scent and will continue to wear it.

I remember having a tiny bottle of this when I was very young, maybe 5 or 6 (1989). I kept it in my bag of precious things, along with a single pearlised button, a pink plastic ring from a cracker and my kaleidoscope. It was just a dabber bottle. I'd take the plastic top on and off to smell it, the bottle seemed perfectly shaped for my little hands. I'd love to try this again, I remember it being a gentle, comforting light floral. I'm tempted to buy one of the new Eden classics bottles; a 50ml tester bottle is available in the UK for only £3.99!

I bought two sets containing this as well as d'Amour for myself and my mom. I liked this one more and she liked d'Amour more, so we switched :) This is a nice, soft, powdery floral fragrance, which reminds me of something I used to have many years ago (for all I know, this is what I had). I remember my grandmother having a bottle of the d'Amour (the old bottle with the flowers on the cap) though.

Le Jardin is the 1990s in a bottle. It’s the smell of the revlon lady coming to your door trying to sell you stuff. It’s not offensive, but it feels really aged. It’s very soapy, a cheap thick cloud of musk and floral. It’s old, that’s a unanimous opinion, but not old in a way that makes one nostalgic which is it’s downfall. It’s not terrible, but it’s my grandmother’s perfume hands down. 5/10

Go for the vintage Max Factor version and nothing else! The Incurably Romantic floral! The quintessential 80s 'toothpaste floral' minty mentholated herbaceous green florals on a powdery earthy orris base. I love the touch of powdered fruits over the tarragon. The smell of gel hairspray, herbal shampoo, powder and every beauty product in your bathroom mixed together in the best possible way.

Somehow that ad really made 13 year old me yearn for the perfume. My parents commented in disgust that it was just advertising, but got it for me for a Christmas present. I had the old bottle on the side pictures here of course. My very first perfume. Luckily I liked the pretty scent, fresh and clean. It really was lucky that I actually liked the fragrance.

'The Garden' Received this as a Christmas gift when I was 10 or 11 years old. Part of a sample pack of minitures to try. It was the first to be used up. Agree with Angel10, it's a fresh, natural and innocent scent (without being saccharine) that takes me back to childhood.

I wore Le jardin in my childhood -in the late eighties. It was my first perfume and my beloved great-uncle used to buy it for me -several times a year because I doused with it. I haven't smelled this for ages, but remember its soft and floral aroma.

Extremely nostalgic. An old lady handed me ten different perfumes from her youth and surprisingly reminds me of the kind of soap my grandma used on countertops. I can't put my finger on it. Dove? Or some generic soap. Idk. Soap

This was what I wore in high school. I love it. Very floral. I have not smelled the reformulated version, however. The original formula in the 80's was very floral and pretty. I'm sad they changed such a nice scent.

There's not much "green" in this one. I wore it quite a bit when it came out and it is "the garden". All flowers, all the time. since I'm a floral person, it works for me. Definate daytime/office frag. No diva here.

remeber it slightly from the early eighties. It was a lovely floral,i remeber , sutiable for both young and old flowerlovers. A little like anais anais shy little sister.

One of the perfumes of my youth, a beautiful dainty floral...I used to like it then, but then drifted to orientals. But this one would always be memorable for me.

Had it a couple of time as a child and teenager. I guess in the 80's, it was the bomb! :D Remembered as very flowery, feminine...it made me feel grown up.

My very first. I feel nostalgic.

Used to be a nice floral, with just enough complexity to make it interesting. Tried the latest reformulation yesterday. Thank goodness it was only $3. This is almost pathetic. Almost nasty, in a really bad way. But even more shocking is the fact that its STILL more interesting than a lot of the popular fragrances that are out now. I know every generation winds up saying the same old cliche, and now its my turn..... I really miss the Good Old Days!

The bottle I got looks exactly like the one on the main picture (current version), made in China perfume,says on the box. Purchased from Walmart online (blind buy), smells very average,non-expensive. Some flowery and some powdery... usually I love powdery fragrances,but this one kinda smells cheap...so,no do not like it...will give it away...maybe someone will enjoy it more...

I can only smell a very strong civet, that smells exactly like stale urine. I was hoping for a powdery soft scent, but no. This scent does NOT match the look of the bottle. Thankfully this didn`t cost much. BTW, my bottle was the new reformulated one from "Eden Classics".

I purchased a tiny sample of this perfume(see second picture). It opens with jasmines and quickly settles down to mossy-civet. The civet found in this is similar to the one found in shalimar. Kind of makes you smell vintage.

Swedish girl, I agree! I got the Eden, too, and it's awful. Aquanet and civet...nasty, nothing flowery or anything about it. It's going into my goodwill bag tonight. At least it was under $5

This is the most horrible fragrance I have. Bought a bottle a few weeks ago. Something about it makes me really nauseous and turns my stomach. Scrubbed it off after less than half hour. Giving it away as I’ll never wear it again.

Such a powerful , heavy 80s scent ! I use to wear this in my early twenties and don’t recognise this version at all. This is heavier and so powdery - borderline grandma-ish. Another blind buy mishap . It’s rather revolting

The Garden With A Furry Pet Notes In Max Factor's Le Jardin Head Notes: Mint Green Notes Tarragon Fruity Notes Bergamot Heart Notes: Cyclamen Magnolia Tuberose Orris Root Jasmine Ylang-ylang Lily-of-the-valley Rose Base Notes: Sandalwood Amber Musk Civet Oakmoss Cedar "Because if you want romance to come on strong, you've gotta come on soft"....... This perfume is really good as a transition fragrance for young girls leaving behind their Disney Princess perfumes or teenage/young adults who are just starting to get into the world of adult fragrances. This never sold to teen girls in the 80's and was actually an adult perfume. Hollywood actress Jane Seymour, who appeared in the TV commercial in 1982, actually wore this fragrance herself and loved it. But for some reason, this was the signature scent of high school girls throughout the 80's. I've rediscovered Le Jardin and fell in love with it all over again. I wore it myself between the ages of 17 and 19. At heart, it has the same makeup as Chanel No. 5! Le Jardin and No. 5 are 2 frags you'd hardly equate with each other, but they're basically the same in their composition of flowers, woodsy notes and civet. Both frags have that animalic note of civet. Max Factor, the famous make up artist for Hollywood stars, would logically create a classic formula perfume with real civet. When I wore Le Jardin again after so many years I found that it has been reformulated. The civet is gone. They did the same thing with the new Chanel No. 5 Eau de Cologne and Parfum. No more civet! Civets are most likely extinct because they were used up so many times during the Golden Age of Perfume. The civet in the original Le Jardin was not heavy. It was like a furry little pet that you found in the garden! The floral scent is still present in the new version but it's less green and less realistic than the original which used actual flowers. In the vintage Jardin the magnolia was dominant, and it was followed by tuberose and rose, ylangylang and jasmine. It starts off with some abstract fruit notes which are not as strong as the green notes. The flowers blossom on your nose as you walk through the garden. This is a rather woodsy fragrance as well and the oak moss and cedar are heavy. Soft sandalwood and warm amber give those flowers a nice support. I remember this fragrance as being like a real garden. It was like Quelques Fleurs which thank God has never been reformulated. Le Jardin was romantic, soft, beautiful and classically feminine. It never dries down into anything unpleasant. It's a woodsy amber dry down that feels nothing like powder or soap. This was a real perfume with a magic glow but the new version is only a faint ghost scent of the original. It's not bad though. I just wish that perfumers and noses who re-release and reformulate a classic fragrance could honor the original by keeping the same formula. I recommend Le Jardin for young girls and adult women who are romantic, for women who have enjoyed fragrances that are practically in the same category: Lancome's Poeme, Nina Ricci's L'air du Temps and Houbigant's Quelques Fleurs. This is a gorgeous floral chypre and if you're lucky enough to have the original you also get the cute little civet.

I am speechless. How can a perfume (actually eau de toilette) so ridiculously cheap (I dare not even tell you!) smell so good, so lovely? Oh, I have a guess, that Le Jardin had the same fate as for example Cabotine: once expensive and appreciated, now only appreciated by such a small group of people, that companies can't afford to loose even those with a heavy pricetag - there is so much competition in these days... I have a bottle looking like number 3 from the top. What I get first, is a greenish waft with flowers and coconut. Yes, coconut, which is not listed here at all. This coconutty-thing, whatever it is (I have a feeling that it could be musk combined with a mystical ingredient I don't recognize), goes along with flowers which are pink and light blue and pale yellow and also white - but this time not severe white as they can sometimes be. "Coconut" makes this scent so soft and also so contemporary, that it is very difficult to think how old Le Jardin actually is - from those loud years of 80's. Le Jardin itself is not loud, it is sweet and intoxicating like ummm... a garden, beautifully soft and innocent, as so many previous writers have said. No dirty feeling here even if civet is listed; perhaps it only gives complexity to entirety. But this softness is not weakness, oh no! The air of the perfume follows you like a fairy who wants to make friends with you, insistently and happily, sometimes vanishing in the garden for a moment but popping up from some bush with a flower in her hand... Little by little flowers start to evaporate and musk (now in it's recognizable form) and some wood and a hint of oakmoss join in. They are as considerate as they should be in this company. Charming. The metamorphosis takes it's time. Le Jardin lingers on skin (at least on my skin) for many many hours. If making a good add-campaign of this lovely acquaintance with a fresh but known face (as Jane Seymour was in her time) maybe a new generation would find it. What a pity that only a handful of people is familiar with it! Le Jardin is for those who still have dreams and who still believe in beautiful things in life... No strong contrasts here, no sharpness. Just pure, even shy joy. Edit: Now I am rather convinced that this "coconut" is actually musk with something else. All you musk-lovers, here is another gem to your collection!

When my grandma passed away, I collected all of her perfume bottles and set them aside for myself. She mostly had lots of tiny, gorgeous mini bottles which I treasure dearly. I noticed only a few bigger bottles (maybe 3) and one of them was Le Jardin - an original made by Max Factor with the plastic cap and pastel florals adorning the lid. She never wore perfume around me. My assumption is she probably wore this in the 80's while she was heavy in work being a city counsellor. There was only maybe 10% left in the bottle and I decided to give it a spray on my wrist with some hesitation. Right away a gorgeous bouquet of florals came bursting up. Jasmine, Tuberose, Lily of the Valley, Rose... I couldn't believe a perfume from the 80's could smell so fresh and lovely. It truly was romantic like the original ad campaign portrayed it to be. It lasts about 6+ hours on me, it is quite hefty but in a good way. I feel like a trail of sensual flowers follows me wherever I go and I have received compliments when in public. Clearly this is a perfume - the original by Max Factor - that may have some life left in it for today. I wish they would bring it back. Sometimes I drift off to sleep wearing it and to me - it is oddly comforting. I truly adore it and I am so glad I have a scent - something sensory - to remember my grandma with. I have since bought 2 vintage bottles off eBay - with both of them being fresh and still in great condition!

I first got interested in this perfume by reading a small blurb about the advertisement on Yesterday's Perfume blog. I was going through a real vintage cheapie craze at the time, and would regularly scour eBay to find what was being sold for auction under $10, even sometimes under $5. I picked up a half full 22 mL bottle of Le Jardin for a good price, immediately loved it. What I love the most about this fragrance is the herbal, minty fresh greenness of it. It was the first time I had consciously noticed mint in a fragrance, and I found it so unique - most women's fresh fragrances in the modern day do not contain mint or other herbs (like tarragon here), but I feel they would greatly benefit from these herbal green notes. It adds an earthiness without smelling too much like dirt. The animalic note is definitely present here, giving it a definite vintage vibe. This smells from its time, it doesn't translate completely to the modern age. It's not skanky and off putting, but smells like the warm underbelly of a soft clean squirrel, scampering around in a dew filled forest. With plenty of sweet jasmine, don't forget the florals - I smell rose, lily of the valley, and jasmine. The woman wearing this? She loves her gardens, her flowers, her hikes in nature - but she also always uses hairspray ;)

This is one that I wore as a 14-15 year old, and have been revisiting it lately. My bottle is by Max Factor, and I have not tried the versions from the companies who owned it after. It’s a floral fragrance that came out in 1982, and is very much of its era. You can tell it’s of the same era as Revlon Jontue and Anais Anais, but I don’t think it’s the same as either of those, and don’t find it to be a cheap version of Anais Anais. Some drugstore scents back then could give pricier perfumes a run for their money, and this was one of them; an intensely sunny floral scent that went well with floral dresses and pastel colors. Unfortunately my bottle seems to have gone off a bit, and smells similar to a gone off bottle of Jontue that I had. It lost some of the floral notes, and has a powdery blandness to it. The last Max Factor bottle I had smelled fine, so it’s hard to know what you’ll get when buying a bottle.

My love for nostalgic perfumes has continued with a small bottle of Le Jardin de Max Factor. The commercial drew me in, seeing a young, beautiful Jane Seymour wearing a pink fairy tale dress emerging from an enchanted flower garden. Her lines "They say romance is back in style, I say it never went out. Le Jardin says it too. It says it subtly, it says it softly, because if you want romance to come on strong, you have to come on soft." leave a trail of beauty and femininity that is as potent as this perfume. I found it for dirt cheap in a tiny bottle on Ebay. It smells very floral, very soapy, and very green with a slight woody undertone. This perfume is powdery and dry, not like a garden after a fresh rain, but in full spring bloom. It definitely has an old lady like quality, but alas it is a perfume from the early 80's. Not bad though, because romance is timeless.