L'Air du Temps Eau de Parfum

L'air du Temps, in its beautiful egg-shaped glass bottle with kissing doves atop, was my very first perfume. It was gifted to me as a preteen by my Grandmother in the 1980s, and all these years later, I still cherish it completely. From the artistry of the bottle, to the dreamy scent and enchanting legacy, L'air du Temps has earned its place among history's most iconic fragrances as one of the best-selling perfumes at its time. In 1999 the L'Air du Temps flacon was named "perfume bottle of the century". Launched in 1948 after global depression and the ravages of World War II, L'Air du Temps was conceived to represent peace, hope, restoration, and a return to femininity. This powerful yet romantic floral became the favorite scent of actress Ingrid Bergman who portrayed steadfast beauty during the French Resistance in the 1942 movie Casablanca. L'Air du Temps proved the perfect embodiment of its name, which refers to a French expression meaning “the spirit of the times.” The perfumer stated, “When I create a fragrance, I begin by ‘sensing’ it in my mind. I have a very clear sense of the fragrance I want to smell on the shoulders of the woman I love. I created L’Air du Temps for a very feminine woman, perhaps for somebody just seen or met, but certainly dreamed of and idealised. For me, a fragrance is an act of love, whether experienced or imaginary. I am a romantic, and I cannot conceive of life without dreams.” With its sparkling burst of aldehydes and rich bouquet of florals including powdery iris and violet, rose, jasmine, spicy carnation and cloves, L'air du Temps is masterfully constructed and smells just as lovely today as I remember from childhood. (I do recommend the EDP for ideal longevity and silage.) This is a true classic. A work of art. A piece of history. In its original production, the perfume was contained in a bottle designed by René Lalique. Current bottles retain the style of this exceptional artistry, making an exquisite addition to any dressing table. Today, for just around $55 you can purchase a 3.4 oz EDP and experience the continued promise of sunny optimism and feminine elegance L'air du Temps timelessly represents.

L'air Du Temps - A long term relationship 💜 The first adult perfume I ever owned. The scent trail of my wedding day. A beautiful scent which to me, really does evoke feelings of hope, joy and happiness. Yes, it was indeed created decades ago - a symbol of peace and of women's hopes for a better future. Still relevant today? I certainly think so! Opens with a gorgeous spicy hit of carnation, warms into a gorgeous, rich bouquet which is wonderfully balanced by the deep, lasting sandalwood base. Smells clean and unique. Never over powering - you cannot 'taste' this perfume - but it's there - all day, developing and changing. Becomes a glorious, clean, skin scent after around 6.5 hours on skin, lingers for days on fabric. Subtle wafts when moving around to remind you that it's still there, enveloping you in its' warm bubble of eternal hope and sunshine. I've had the vintage and the current formula - yes... There's very subtle differences but I'd say that the latest Edp version is still beautiful and very, very close to the OG that I remember my mum wearing when I was a child and which I myself have chosen to wear at pivitol points on my life journey. Light and breezy on the top, floating on an air of hope but solidly grounded underneath it all with the strength of the gentle but resilient sandalwood. Given IFRA's decimation of many of the classics - this one, in my humble opinion has fayred remarkably well. I really enjoy this perfume and will never be without a bottle. It's just perfect 💜.

This perfume is hard for me to define. At first, it is fresh, floral and powdery. Then after 15-30 minutes it becomes spicy and dirty. Then it becomes floral, mossy and slightly musky. Then it becomes spicy and dirty again. That's how it is on my skin. Frequently changing. On clothing however, it is mostly floral and green with little notes of spice. The notes I got at the first 15-30 minutes were Iris, Lily, Bergamot and maybe Moss. After this, Lily, Carnation, Moss, Vetiver and maybe Musk and bit of Ylang-Ylang. Then the 'spicy and dirty' scent comes which I mostly detect the Spicy Notes, Vetiver, Moss and something indolic or fecal. I'm guessing that's the Ambergris. I am not familiar with Ambergris so I don't know what it smells like. I really love the Lily note. It makes the scent relaxing. When the dirty spicy scent comes, I become a bit confused by how different it is. I don't hate it but it's different from the earlier scent so I become confused. This perfume made me confuse as to how I should react. This is my first time coming across a perfume like this. I do find myself loving the scent. And I did enjoy wearing it. But I am having a hard time figuring out what occasion this scent is suitable to wear. I don't think this perfume is ideal for the office. I can see myself wearing this as a daily wear if I am wearing a dress that is elegant and classy or at a wedding or an event. Anyway, longevity is 4 hours on my skin, on clothing it lasted over 7 hours.

When I first smelled this fragrance I thought to myself I have smelled this before but like a long time ago. Back in the 70s. On a teacher, or someone in church. I was a child back then and I usually didn't go around asking adults what perfume they were wearing. Back then children were expected to be seen and not heard. Anyway, I am a sucker for carnation much to my husband frustration lol. I just love it as a note and I'm surprised at myself for not testing this perfume sooner. L'air du Temps is the smell of the best carnation soap. It reminds me a bit of Worths Dans la Nuit which I own but that has quite a lot of vanilla sweetness in the base L'AIR du Temps doesn't. This is sharp old fashioned carnation but not the masculine type. This carnation is supported by powdery iris and tropical yellow floral ylang. The more I smell this the more I know it is FB worthy. I know it is dated but I have lots of dated perfumes that I absolutely love. This one is no exception. If you love vintage and carnations like I do this one is a beauty.

For several weeks I sampled the current EDP and EDT in department stores. The EDT doesn't interest me. It's certainly doesn't cut through the distractions of being out and about in town. The EDP is great so I bought a new tester bottle and was delighted it shipped as a complete new bottle with cap and no tester markings. So, the current formation of EDP that anyone can buy in a shop today smells like this: The New England Confectionery Company - (Necco) - after World War II, decides to celebrate the French liberation and world peace by contracting the best nose in Paris to construct a lovely French perfume inspired by the combined fruity, SPICY, dry and POWDERY aroma of a very fresh pack of NECCO candy wafers. The flowers, and the good taste of the French soupçon of skank, are something extra blended to NECCO aromas. It's a delicious perfume. Then it all dries down to leave a permanent soap smell on clothes. That is L'Air du Temps Eau de Parfum in 2021.

Finally found a vintage version of this, a miniature bottle. Upon comparing the vintage to the modern, wow. When you first apply the modern one, its a wave of carnation, filled with the smell of clean soap. As it settles, it smells soapy, a little sweet, and a twinge powdery. To me, I find it a little repulsive as it makes my head turn. I find the modern perfume can only be worn during the day, and not to very special events. Maybe to shop around. When I applied the vintage one, the smell was almost the same. However, there was a deeper note. More spice, so much stronger. This perfume can be worn during the evening. It is so much... sexier. More alluring. As it settles onto your skin, it smells floral with the subtle scent of soap, but so much more sensual. The mossy and woody notes truly stand out with the florals, creating such a good perfume. Overall, try to find a vintage bottle. It is so sexy without being vulgar. I love it

I have a miniature bottle of this, purchased from an antique shop via eBay. It's very clean, soapy, and almost aldehydic (even though aldehydes aren't listed). Similar to Chanel no. 5, but softer. As others have mentioned, it really does smell like high-end bath products, in the best way! On me, the peach only comes through hours into the wear; when I say hours, I mean 7 or 8. Basically, after everything else fades away I get peach, and it's a beautiful, pristine, sparkling peach. This is one of my favorite perfumes; it makes me feel so classy and put-together. And, as a history buff, I of course love the symbolism of the bottle. My fiance, however, isn't a fan - I think he's smelled it before on old people, so in his opinion it doesn't suit me. All the same, I'm going to keep it around just for myself. Such a gorgeous, classy scent for all seasons!

A very powdery, clean yet spicy fragrance. It does smell like a fancy soap, but with an ethereal feel to it that makes you feel very put together as well as comforted. On myself the carnation is really strong, and a few hours later I can definitely smell a woody kind of note lingering. I love it! EDIT: after a few months of wearing it, I can definitely say that this is best worn in spring or summer. It's quite sharp and nauseating during the winter days, however it turns into a beautiful powdery cloud of carnation when spring comes around. This is sooo soft and pretty, very cosmetic like to me! LOVE.

Vintage bottle review: A complex, smooth fragrance with a classic character and a certain ethereality. There’s a lightness, a fleeting quality to it, perhaps due to its long-lasting yet intimate projection. Recently, I compared the vintage Amarige to a woman you wish to be embraced by, to feel at ease. L'Air du Temps, on the other hand, is the impression left by a woman who held you moments ago and has now departed, leaving behind a melancholic trace.

Timeless, solid yet transparent, rich yet light, so approachable and comforting. It's a time machine, one of those fragrances that will take you to the past immediately after the first sniff. An old-fangled gem. It smells soapy, spicy, supported by diverse floral notes, and warmed by amber and benzoin. The drydown is woody, peachy, a bit powdery, and still soapy.

Spicy aldehydic carnation opening veers into a warm ylang-forward floral bouquet. Sandalwood with soapy affects mark the base. Perfect for transitioning weather, I think the temps are the perfect balance to maximize enjoyment. Feels very nostalgic too, like a warm hug from a cherished maternal figure. Medium projection, no more than arms length.

A true masterpiece of perfumery. Powdery clean soapiness that lingers beautifully. I feel it’s totally unisex and gives the wearer an aura of smelling interesting and unique with a historical pedigree. Elegant, nostalgic, one of the greatest perfumes ever created. ❤️

I just tried the latest version at the store. Mmm... there is something captivating in it! A very creamy floral - lily and spices stood out to me the most. It has that pleasantly bitter note from cloves and carnation, as well as the greenness as if you were cutting the stems of the lilies. Just one spray wrapped me in a dreamy scent bubble.. It's nice & uplifting & gives a feeling of being "well put together". Very fitting fragrance during these times... Edit: One spray is enough + better worn outdoors, as it needs air & wind & preferably worn in cooler weather.

Current version is not what it was. The spicy notes and clear florals are lacking. The soapy woody base remains and while that is pleasant it saddens me that this great fragrance has been gutted. I must search out near vintage and young vintage bottles. This was beautiful up to the very early 2000s. That version was perhaps the most beautiful scent ever imo.

smells like something in between a handcrafted soap bar and a mix of aromatherapy oils in a very fancy spa. a bit spicy and bitter, but also kinda milky. sweeter once dried

Soapy well-blended goodness. Smells clean, a little soapy. Powdery florals and almost etheral aldehydes. Natural smelling boquet, giving off a 90’s vibe. Yum!

Got complimented wearing this perfume by a random man in a Walmart, said I smelled nice and laughed at me. I'll take that as it is 1/10.

My fave during the 90’s kept a bottle for memories

I’m not sure if this has been reformulated, but I really can’t smell a vast majority of the notes described on here. Woody? Spicy? All I get with L’air du Temps are white floral, soapy, aldehydic notes. They’re very sharp upon first spray, but settle down. Admittedly, this perfume does have a good longevity, and once it’s been on the skin for quite a few hours a pleasant musk emerges. However, considering I purchased this because it was mentioned in a Joan Didion essay, I was expecting something a little more revolutionary. It’s pleasant, and would be an appropriate springtime perfume. However, the modern iteration is far too generic, and I can’t see myself using it too often. Worth by Je Reviens is similar, and does it far better.

I bought this solely because my mother used to wear it years ago and I just wanted it in my collection. It's not something that I will reach for on a regular basis. It's a little sharp for my tastes. Perhaps that's the carnation? Even though it won't get regular wear, I'm happy to own it and I love the bottle. Those caps were made of frosted glass back in the day. Now, of course, they're plastic. But if I just look at it and don't touch it...

smells like the bedding in a hamster cage :( edit: now that it’s been a few hours I can say that...it smells like nothing. Maybe a hint of a spicy floral scent but I may be hallucinating that lol

Today I wore L’Air du Temps in the EDP version (the only one I own), and out of curiosity, I came here to peek at its Fragrantica page. 300-something people claim to have it, versus over 3000 for the EDT! I knew the EDP was less popular and more elusive, but I didn’t expect this level of under-the-radar. Now, I’ll admit I haven’t tried the EDT myself, but from what I’ve read, it should be airier, less cozy and enveloping than the EDP. Still, not knowing it firsthand, I won’t dwell on that. This fragrance is a bouquet from another time. I don’t associate it with postwar hope or the late ’40s/’50s, or any of the historical context it’s normally tied to. To me, this is the scent a young Italian country girl would wear in the late ’60s or early-mid ’70s—one shy spray before Sunday mass, three or four before an afternoon stroll through the fields with her boyfriend. Long skirt, a single unbuttoned top button on her blouse... still modest, but subtly showing the world she’s becoming a woman. A quiet, almost invisible kind of femininity, one we’d barely notice today. If you’re not Italian, this feeling, this sound, even, that LDT evokes in me might not be immediately familiar. But I’ll try to share it anyway, and maybe spark some curiosity. There’s an old Italian singer-songwriter, a giant of emotion, called Lucio Battisti. This perfume, to me smells like the woman he sings about in his song ‘Comunque Bella’, in every phase of her emotional journey. From youthful innocence: “tu vestita di fiori e di fari in città, con la nebbia o i colori, cogliere le rose a piedi nudi e poi... con la sciarpa stretta al collo bianca come mai...” To the fire of jealousy: “Quando sotto al tuo seno, l’ira avvelenava il cuore tuo perché, tu vedevi un’altra donna avvicinarsi a me...” To the trembling remorse and broken honesty of betrayal: “Anche quando un mattino tornasti vestita di pioggia, con lo sguardo stravolto da una notte d’amore... ‘Siediti qui, non ti chiedo perdono perché tu sei un uomo’ coi capelli bagnati... ‘so che capirai’... mentre tu mentivi e mi dicevi che ancora più di prima tu amavi me... tu... eri bella. Bella. Comunque bella.” I’m leaving the lyrics in Italian, but I’d love nothing more than for someone out there to be intrigued enough to look him up, maybe even discover some of his other (even more beautiful) songs. (If you dm me I’ll be more than happy to share some gems lol) As for a technical review? That’s not really my strength with this one. At first, it reminds me of the vintage hairsprays my grandma used when I was a child, then the floral-spicy bouquet steps in, full and unabashed. The carnation is soft, not too spicy. The lily feels green, the ylang-ylang is proper and classic. The white musk is glorious. The peach is bright. The rest doesn’t come to me in single notes, it’s a whole composition that needs to be felt. A composition some will call outdated. Others, eternal. A scent for dreamers nostalgic for times they’ve never lived.

I live in Canada and I am dying for spring to properly arrive - we are in the melt-turning to ice part of spring, sharp chilly wind but the birds say it is coming soon - I bought the EDP, I didn't realize fewer people have this than the EDT. It was a pretty reasonable price for 100 ML. I only have a vague memory of this, the bottle makes me think I had some on my dresser when I was younger, but maybe it was my sister who had it. Or I had been given a small sample-type bottle for Christmas by an old boss or something. I bought this primarily because of that untraceable echo from my past, and also because I find the bottle quite pretty. Then I heard a vlogger whom I enjoy speak of it in a bit of a rhapsody, then read reviews here, and so I pretty much "influenced" blind bought it. First impression of half a spray on my hand, an hour ago - massive banger of a flower bouquet when first applied, almost just too much - then smells like lots of fresh, clean floral soap - then a fresh lemony kind of scent, almost - then the carnation steps forward, which I kind of like. It has a dryer, more restrained tone to it, which I enjoy. (I really love carnations in a vase, so beautiful!) I bought this hoping I would find it spring and summer appropriate, and I think a small spray of it then would be just right, and not overwhelming. One would smell clean and fresh. Too much, and one would be just too too girly! This is more for a woman who leans into being very lacy-feminine, which I don't, being more of a unisex kind of person, (though I do have my moments haha!) but having said that, I think it's nice. I like it. I will wear it when I feel like just smelling soapy and fresh.

The history behind the making of this iconic fragrance needs to be known so here is an extract from an article. Doves being the symbol of peace. After World War II, the world was in need of optimism, joy and reassuring promises, especially women who had worked in munitions and related wartime factories. They wanted their former femininity and were seeking to bring back romance into their lives. At that time, perfumes had heady, dense, heavy scents, becoming too strict and formal, reflecting the war atmosphere. The need for lightness, happiness and hope was felt because just because the war along with all it's oppression and fear was over. People were allowed to smile and walk freely.

As worn by Queen Sofia of Spain and Ingrid Bergman. This is a really lovely, low key, classic French, and much underrated, fragrance. You can usually pick up a bottle of this somewhere quite inexpensively if you shop around. It's quite often on offer somewhere or other. If you like gardenia, rose, jasmine and sandalwood you'll like L'Air du Temps. This settles after an hour or so, from its initial blast into something quite lovely, so bear that in mind before deciding whether you do/don't like it. Created in 1948 by iconic Master Perfumer Francis Fabron (Le Dix, L'Interdit, Monsieur de Givenchy) so it has excellent pedigree.

A lovely, giftable bottle at a very decent price. Good if you like classic florals with aldehydes. Soapy but also powdery sweet. Surprisingly sweet, in fact! I truly need to sample again, but my impression was that L'Air du Temps is slightly similar to both Lady Stetson (also soapy sweet but more creamy) and Jontue. Jontue is less soapy and not overtly creamy. All are classic and ladylike creations that combine cleanliness with spring florals. Recommended, if not a love.

On an 80’s Christmas Day my dad bought this perfume to my mum and it was the first time I had smelled actual genuine perfume. Never had I smelled anything as beautiful as this. I was in love with this fragrance. Actually I think I’m going to go and buy one for myself. I bet it’s going to bring back beautiful Christmas memories.

I got a 75ml Limited Edition EDP in a beautiful golden metal bottle about 15 years ago and then it was at least 3 years old. I got it for my mother, but she didn't care about it. I would trade it for any fragrance on my 'want' list but only within Canada.

Found this Clarice Starling classic at the rich people Goodwill for $5 😱 It's lovely. I get the impression Bambini Soap by Villa Erbatium is inspired by it. One of my favorite scents to spritz on after a bath but right before bed.

Please Tell Us What The Differences Are Between L' Air Du Temps EDP & L' Air Du Temps EDT. Are They Really Like Comparing Chanel #5 EDT & Guy Laroche Fidji EDT To Each Other As Depicted In The This Fragrance Reminds Me Of Area?

once the blast of fancy soap dries down, you’re left with a warm, delicious carnation glow which you can still smell on your pillow the next morning. worth it. /current edp

its beatiful classic european perfume and bottle is gorgeous,,,,,Its like Idylle by Guerlain I mean it smells similar in some notes, pretty vintage soap which I adore