Le Parfum

This is a luxuriously boxed set of 14 "scents" represented in scenes from the movie PERFUME: The Story of a Murderer, and one that represents the fruit of the protagonist's quest to "preserve scent" through the craft of perfumery. Extremely rare and VERY expensive...this is what my research has yielded: #1: Jasmine Absolu-jasmine was (along with lavender and tuberose) one of the most valuable flowers grown in Grasse (where Grenouille learned his craft). A soliflore jasmine...very dry #2: Amor&Psyche-one of the most popular scents worn in 16th century Paris society. Citrus, florals, light spice and some woody notes (Good, but common) #3: Atelier Grimal-sold from an orphanage Grenouille was a virtual slave to Grimal-the leather tanner. This is a leather scent that is the smell of a tannery without the harsh chemicals involved in that process #4: Aura: The superlative scent created by Grenouille from the essences of 13 virgins in the movie, using lard soaked linen strips-he wrapped them up then reduced the scent saturated lard into "notes" he used to combine and make the heavenly Aura #5: Baby: The scent of a clean and sweet baby. Hints of carmel, cream and powder #6: Boutique Baldini: The scent of a Paris perfume shop/laboratory where Grenouille first learned his craft, before moving to Grasse #7: Ermite: For seven years Grenouille lived in a cave in the hills between Paris and Grasse...here he realised all things had a scent-except himself. An earthy, slightly woody scent with hints of rain and musk #8: Human Existence: The scent of "the great unwashed"...the author of the book at the beginning talks about how awful not only the streets of 1738 Paris smelled but the people. A heavy musky, very "dirty" scent #9: Noblesse: A very elegant and refined scent #10: Nuit Napolitane: The scent of a night in Naples (?). Found next to nothing on this one... #11: Orgle: While under the spell of Grenouille's perfume AURA, the mob who had convened to see him executed for his heinous murders, become very aroused and an orgy of immense proportions ensues. The listed notes are-bergamot, carmel, black chocolate, pheremones, helonial molecule and 'sperm' note. A very sensual scent, sharp at first then sweeter and gourmand #12: Paris 1738: If Human Existence is the scent of the people-this is the scent of the streets in the largest city in the world (and they had NO indoor plumbing or electricity). Quite the horrific funk #13: Salon Rouge: A floral scent reminiscient of the studies of enfleurage ( a way to preserve flowers by soaking in vats then rarifying) #14: Sea: a salty and watery scent reminiscient of the ocean, shore and breezes in the south of France #15: Virgin Number 1: A waif selling mirabelle plums is spied (and her scent caught) by Grenouille while still in Paris, and her scent transfixes him. Unable to speak (struck dumb by the sheer beauty of her scent) he freaks her out and when she tries to cry out, he puts his hand over her mouth and when he removes it...she is dead, and he sniffs her longingly in an attempt to remember her already fading scent. This inspires him to begin a quest for scent and how to make it last, she is the elusive perfect "aura" he is attempting to create. A hint of yellow plums, clean sweat and cool essences Jean-Baptiste Grenouille was the person who had the most accute sense of smell ever and could smell your perfume when you went by and instinctively would know how to create it from raw materials-having NO experience at perfumery at all. He knew ALL scents and felt a need to create the perfect perfume...no matter what the cost!! Perhaps this set was meant for blending one's own signature scent, or just to add to the experience of the movie and/or novel; one thing is for sure: I WANT THIS BADLY!! Another reviewer on a different site claims some are for wearing and some are for reference...but thay are all superlative and well-made. This IS the art of LE PARFUM (the good, the bad and the unusual...in essence form) and my own personal Fragrance Ark of the Covenant...

I remember getting a sample set of this when it came out. It was quite an interesting ride to smell them all. Definitely olfactory art (with some wearable ones thrown in). Thanks to one of the reviews below for listing the individual scents by name, the ordering of which I've used. My memories of these are quite old! I only have the truly repugnant ones still (Human Existene and Paris) because I both couldn't bear to wear them or throw them away: #1: Jasmine Absolu-a nice jasmine. Good balance between pleasant and indolic. #2: Amor&Psyche-Citrus cologne that is "gussied up" with floral and woody notes. #3: Atelier Grimal-Leathery, meaty, weird but not entirely unpleasant. #4: Aura: An interesting scent that feels floral, milky, musky, ambery. I can see the "skin but better" sense of this. It also "glows" a bit with a hedione-like freshness. #5: Baby: I remember a slight milky-muskiness. #6: Boutique Baldini: Don't remember this one, unfortunately. #7: Ermite: This really does have a wet-stone like quality to it. It is reminiscent of Terre D'Hermes. While "Terre" feels like a proper perfume, Ermite is more atmospheric. #8: Human Existence: Definitely a greasy, oily, dirty hair scent. Hard to justify putting on your skin to wear, but interesting and compelling to smell. #9: Noblesse: I don't remember much of this except that it was a musky, animalic floral amber, I think. #10: Nuit Napolitane: Definitely does feel like Amor and Psyche was tinkered with to become a more luxurious perfume. Kind of makes me think of the early perfume "rivalries" where houses would one-up and riff off one another (i.e. Coty's Chypre refined into Mitsouko and Emeraude smoothed out and made into the sumptuous spicy leather vanilla of Shalimar). #11: Orgie: I don't get many other notes except for the ammonia/bleach scent of sperm. It's not sharp--there is a musky/skinscent quality, but the sperm note is most prominent. #12: Paris 1738: Pretty gross! Human existence plus a definitely cheese and grimy dirt note. Again, fascinating olfactory art. #13: Salon Rouge: This is a warm floral, but the most interesting note to me is this artificial but compelling top note that smells like dust burning on a heater. Such a strange note that smells very specific but is quite well-rendered here! #14: Sea: Saltwater, straight up. Not particularly intriguing, but literally well done. #15: Virgin Number 1: This smells closest to "aura" for me--milky, musky, floral--but with a definitely fruity peachy note.

I am OBSESSED with Virgin N 1!! I have never been this way about a fragrance but I just cannot get enough! I actually put the cotton swab I used to apply it (5 days ago!!) on my pillow when I went to sleep. I wish these were listed individually but since they are not I'll give you a brief history on it. They used a technology called "headspace" to capture the scent of an actual virgin's navel!! Brilliant! "Intent: The scent of innocence, born with scent molecules of fresh milk, white rice and yellow plum Schnapps. Premise: A thirteen or fourteen year old girl is sitting at a table cleaning yellow plums. The sweat from her armpits smell as fresh as the sea breeze, the oils of her hair is a sweet as nut oil. Her skin like apricot blossoms; her private parts like a bouquet of water lilies. It was pure beauty. (Taken from Basenotes)" Now for my review... This is going to sound odd, but VN1 smells FUZZY!!! It is a familiar scent yet foreign at the same time, and at the grocery store I actually found myself sniffing peaches because of the likeness. This is very sweet and natural smelling but not juicy, it's as if it's the smell of the skin itself that tempts you to bite in. It does have a slight milky quality which seems to soften the edges. My fascination with this scent has stumped me as I normally like very loud in your face Mugler's but this might just be his best creation to date!! The sillage is freaking amazing, I can still smell it on my hand after a shower, 15 hours after application of only a few dabs with the stopper. Walking around with it I am constantly getting whiffs, I can only imagineeeee how potent this would be if it were in a spray form. I have never smelled anything like this, the seller described it as smelling like a combination of Tresor and Sublime but I've never smelled them to compare. This is a simple, linear sillage bomb that is oddly comforting, and has gotten me more compliments from men in the 1 week of wearing it than almost any other perfume! It's unoffensive yet powerful, innocent yet seductive, and overall I'd give it a 10/10. This may just become my new signature scent, I will have to hold onto my 13 bottles for as long as possible!

This is my 100th review and I am so happy that by complete chance it would be for this set - not an actual review to be honest, it is more of a kudos to Mugler and movie marketing. I read the novel "The Perfume" while I was doing my army service and a few months later I watched the movie... the movie was panned by the critics and I really can't understand the reason why. I think it is a brilliant movie with great score and it captures the aesthetics of the book so accurately - ok maybe the voice over was not the best choice but still I loved it. I was haunted by that story and the way perfumes and smells may doom someone's life. I had no idea that this set was ever released, I found out about it recently. It is extremely rare to find one, it was an limited release but I am still so curious about it. The idea was indeed brilliant, yet a bit scary and vile, especially if you have ever seen the movie or read the book, I won't spoil anything but the method Grenouille was making those perfumes was primitive and macabre. It is profound that these are synthetic perfumes of course, but the parallels are there whatsoever. Unfortunately I am still hunting for that set and the experience to smell all those creations - still not sure if those are really wearable, the idea of "orgy" - a perfume smelling flesh and sperm - blows my mind.

so happy and lucky to own this treasure - unique compositions from Les Christophes. would want to see a few (if not all) as single compositions - so so human - so great - so brilliant - even the more odd ones carry the this animalic secret.... even after a few years now the single compositions develop in a nice direction (kept cold and in the dark) - me too - i would sell bodyparts for ERMITE! a brilliant book, a great film and a piece of art, the whole concept. whenever one has the chance to get this great coffret just go for it - dont hesitate - its a dream

THIS DOES EXIST! I was just offered one for 800 euros ($1,054.28!!!). I am waiting for an email with pictures and info! It is impossible to find BECAUSE there were ONLY 300 made when it came out and back then they were going for 600.00 US dollars! *crosses fingers* I HOPE this is on the up and up! Will keep my fellow Fragranticans "in the loop"!

Hello All, I am in search of either an entire set or individual scents from this collection. I have several empty bottles and would love to refill them. If anyone has information please email or message me. Thank you so much

Hello ....I once again am in search of this coffret. I missed the Mercari listing in 2021 and was heartbroken. If anyone out there has one or knows of one I would be so appreciative of a message. Thank you [email protected]

Hello everyone, I’m selling my Aura fragrance 15ml. If interested, DM me for price, details and photos. Thanks!

There’s one of these up on eBay right now... don’t see that every day!

to everyone saying they would sell body parts for this... YALL ARE BABIES!! if we are looking at this, and longing for it... arent we fragrance freaks?? hunters of perfect perfumes ?? ratty little thrill seekers?? me personally for a set, i’d give my whole body to grenouille for enfleurage, just cause i’d like to know what it feels like to be covered and uncovered in greased up linen strips for days on end. and i am also curious to find out what i actually smell of. clearly whatever it is i’m overspraying it everyday and i have long been noseblind... i think that would be even sexier than getting my nose on this holy relic, my 2 cents.

Update on aura- wearing some of my precious decant whilst reading the novel. For a start, the novel is remarkable- the writing style so interesting that you stop to digest the words rather than rush with suspense toward the ending. And Aura is a true work of art..completely unobtrusive yet I can smell it through my robe. The subtlest powder, hint of jasmine, a scent of clean skin and so many accords so gracefully, seamlessly blended that one cannot be separated from another. I really need to get this but a larger size is probably not available. So joyful, so gorgeous it breaks your heart.

Here's a rough translation into English of toyoutoyou's review: The box contains fourteen olfactory compositions. The fifteenth fragrance, "Aura", offers an imaginary interpretation of the bewitching spell of the "virtuous and awful smell of Grenouille", the protagonist-murderer in Perfume [originally published in German as Das Parfum, by German writer Patrick Süskind]. It is composed of 84 ingredients, but the secret of its formula remains well guarded. Perfumeurs: Laudamiel Christophe and Christophe Hornetz.

El estuche contiene catorce composiciones olfativas La décimo quinta fragancia, “Aura’” brinda una interpretación imaginaria, sortilegio hechizante del “perfume virtuoso y espantoso de Grenouille”, el protagonista asesino de El perfume. La componen 84 ingredientes, pero el secreto de su fórmula permanece bien guardado. Perfumistas: Christophe Laudamiel y Christophe Hornetz.

Hi there, I have a completely unopened box set, purchased in 2006 (to mark the arrival of my baby). I was a fragrance student from ISIPCA, Versailles, France but reside in Australia. I have never opened any of the bottles. I can send full proof of purchase and photos. Please contact me if you are interested in knowing more! Much fragrance love, Nicole

I got a decant of Aura and it is absolutely fascinating..incredibly pleasant and not awful at all! Of course it's hard to discern individual notes (jasmine?) it is this lovely, clean, nondescript floral fragrance that kept wafting up and putting a grin on my face. It is quality- so impressed with its creativity

what on earth is this? i've just read a great review on bois de jasmin and i'm not so sure that any of these scents were intended for wearing. only thierry mugler could be behind such shockingly vile, yet painfully desireable creation. i feel slighly haunted now.

Hmm. Well this is def not what I thought. The only one that, actually smells REALLY really good is nuit napolitaine. Human existence and Paris 1738 smell like an outhouse. It's a cool looking prop bit other than that.....ehhh. I'd probably sell it.

I want this set so bad... It's been 10 yrs since the movie (which is one of my all-time favorites) and I still can't get over it :'( I'm mostly intrigued about Orgle and Aura; please contact me if those are not your favorites!

Is this a mistake of some sort? The name is for one oriental floral perfume yet the picture is of a set of many ?different little perfumes? Presumably such a set would not contain all oriental florals?