Pure Grace

Maybe I have strange body chemistry, but I’m always on the lookout for a fragrance that doesn’t dry down to, and linger on my skin, as its most readily identifiable, one-dimensional base note (e.g. tonka bean, patchouli, sandalwood, tuberose, musk, etc.). For that reason, most fragrances, no matter how cheap or expensive, wind up falling into one of about a dozen familiar, tired old cloying base scents that come across to me (and others in my proximity, I fear) as something of an headache and/or allergy-triggering olfactory assault instead of an enhancement. Philosophy Pure Grace has been a rare exception in my case. As such, it’s remained my go-to fragrance for almost 2 decades. For me, it’s pretty linear (which is more of a plus than a minus imho) once it dries down into a uniquely bright and fresh (while not venturing over into sharp territory) yet sensuous, not-too-sweet blend of florals and musk. On my skin it wears as a so-called skin scent, which is exactly what I want: a scent that works and blends with my body chemistry as a subtle enhancement, as if it becomes integrated with my natural scent, rather something sitting on top of my skin and unrelated to it, as if it were a piece of ill-fitting clothing. Pure Grace gets a bad rap for its limited sillage and longevity for good reason, but in my experience it draws regular compliments from people who enter or come close to my space bubble long after I cease to perceive it. I even have a handful of friends and loved ones who go out of their way to greet me with a hug just to get a whiff of my collarbone (my go-to application spot), even after I’ve spritzed it on 6 or 8 hours prior. I like the idea that people don’t smell me (read: my loud perfume) when I simply walk into a room. 😬 Pure Grace remains my gold standard for personal fragrance. It smells on me like nothing else, in the most sensuous, subtle, complex, and mysterious of ways. On top of that, it seems to have better staying power on me than I perceive myself, and it quite literally draws people closer in to me. As such, it’s one of my best-kept secrets. ;) And bonus points for its relatively affordable price point.

IF SUNBLOCK WAS A PERFUME: I was probably 4 or 5 years old, at my auntie's cottage in St-Côme QC, when I smelled my first water lily. We were cruising on a pedalo by the shore, when my dad decided we'd take a little break on the water, under the shade of a weeping willow (my favorite tree!). We were looking at the frogs and toads, then papa said that I could bend over the boat and grab a lilypad, that he'd hold my feet so I wouldn't trip overboard. But when i pulled on a pad, a whole tread of roots and more pads came along, including a precious flower. Back then, my parents always smothered me in sunscreen (the Ombrelle brand, t'was considered a bit fancy back then). I remember going 😲 the flower smells like sunblock! And Pure Grace, well, only smells like Water Lily. I don't get any other note. Or perhaps, it smells like Ombrelle, and maybe that product shares the exact same notes. So fitting for casual summer days in uppity east coast north america! When you're lucky enough to drive your Mercedes CLA from the summer lakehouse to 'town' for a bit of shopping ( it's all on one short strip; a dozen boutiques or so, a frenchish café, pet groomer and a yoga studio), you wear birkenstocks, linen trousers, an oversized husband shirt, with luxury sunglasses on top of your perfectly flawless head of hair, you carry a big leather fourre-tout and sport about 12 sprays of this.

First time smelling this was on a friend. I asked what laundry detergent she used. I would have sworn it was detergent, her shampoo, dryer sheets, something so it made sense finding out it was a 'soap' scent. It's more of a delicatly sweet powdery musk. it has strength enough to smell at a distance but similar to a sweet shampoo, it could never be overpowering or sickeningly sweet. I didn't think soap though when i first smelled it although i now know by association what that's meant to mean, and I didn't like any of the other philosophy fragrances that were out at that time. Bc of its mild freshness it's hard for me to imagine anybody disliking the fragrance, but I've recognized that it's missing a little something. I've tried to find other perfumes I like as much as or more than but when I compare it to others they never match up-other than egyptian musk which does have all the good of this and a little something else except i've become utterly nose blind from using it as a signature for years. I think i first smelled this around 19/20 and I'm 35 now so that's a little depressing that I haven't found much else outside of the commodity personal series I like anywhere close tbh lol. side note-if anyone can recommend me a great powdery musky woody scent similar but more complex than this please do msg me any suggestions.

If you don't like scents that smell really clean, soapy, or like laundry, or sunscreen, this isn't for you. However, I personally DO love these scents. I don't like strong perfumey scents. I get headaches from those. This just makes you smell good. Like you just took a shower. I may be biased because my aunt has worn Amazing Grace for years, since I was a child. I always thought it was her laundry detergent because my cousin and their home would smell like Amazing Grace, too. This is similar to Amazing Grace, just soapier. I also personally love the smell of sunscreen. This smells divine mixed with Givenchy Ange ou Demon Le Secret, fyi. I use this or Amazing Grace body wash, lotion, then use the Givenchy perfume over them. When I wake up in the morning I just smell so clean and I love it. But like I said, I love clean scents that are not overwhelming. My aunt us sensitive to migraines fyi, so I totally understand why Amazing grace is her signature scent. I love that one + this. But pure grace is cleaner. Will probably use these scents for long as they last. The shower gels + lotions are superior to the perfume sprays in my opinion. Just pretty, clean, uplifting, but not "in your face" or too strong like some of these mainstream perfumes. ♡♡♡

When I first bought this fragrance, I wore it to our annual family Thanksgiving dinner at my cousins house. My cousin's husband is a career navy man from New York in his late 70's. He's the guy who can make everyone laugh; the center of attention. He's loud, boisterous, and funny, with jokes that can make any navy man blush. This fragrance literally made him speechless when I walked in the door and hugged him. I've never seen anything like it!! He actually closed his eyes and inhaled the smell, then asked what I was wearing. He put his jacket on, grabbed his car keys, and walked out the door. He didn't say where he was going, he just left and we were all confused. It turns out that he went to the mall down the street and bought the entire set for his wife (my cousin) in the middle of our dinner!!!!!! That's how much he loved it. We all still laugh about that at every family gathering since. My cousin, my Mom, and I wear it religiously for all family gatherings. I can't tell you how many people comment on it; but it's certainly a crowd favorite. It makes me feel like an angel. Thank you, Philosophy.

Absolute soap scent. That I absolutely love! The lavender is prominent, so if you don't like lavender, skip this one. The notes I detect in this are water lily, lavender + soft dewy green notes & light musk. Nothing is overpowering, everything is soft like a breeze. 😊 To me, this is comfort in a bottle: cozy, soft, clean. Perfect for soapy fragrance lovers and really ideal for people that need an inoffensive work / daily scent due to the price being less than $90 for all bottle sizes. Not sure why people are upset that this smells like fabric refresher or laundry, when it says right on the bottle, that's pretty much what it's supposed to be like? Anyway, highly recommend for clean scent lovers who are ok with lavender! Sillage is light but longevity is really good for me (5-7 hours), which is impressive considering it's an edt! Scent: 9/10 Longevity: 7.5/10 Sillage: 4/10 Price: 8/10 Perfectly School and Work Friendly! Would recommend a blind buy for those ok with lavender! Yours Truly, Yuzu 🍊

Blind buy based on reviews and the fact that I adore clean/soapy scents. I am glad I bought it. It certainly does smell clean and soapy. It reminds me of my childhood, of sleepovers at grandma's house, where the bed always had fresh sheets. It smells like the closet where she kept her clean linens and towels. I keep a bar of soap inside my linens closet for freshness. When I open the closet door, I get that lovely clean smell each time...this is what Pure Grace smells like. I am sure most of us agree it smells like soap, now the hard part is describing what kind of soap lol. It is not those highly scented Irish Spring type. More like a white bar of soap. It is lovely. If a scent hits an emotional note for me, like this one did, it is surely a winner! I had Clean Warm Cotton before. I loved it, but prefer this one, as it is not as synthetic. There is lavender in Pure Grace, and I adore lavender. Longevity is not great, but it stays longer if sprayed on clothes.

This is my first Philosophy fragrance I own but I sort of had a feel for the brand because one of my friend's favourite scents is a Philosophy scent (I think ballet rose). I have the pen spray and I got it as a gift after expressing curiosity for the brand. When I first opened the bottle I was a little unsure of the scent because I thought it might be too aldehydic and soapy for my personal tastes. I also got a note of metal, which honestly could just be from the mettle sprayer? Either way, the scent grew on me immensely a few seconds after I sprayed it on my skin, it was a pleasant clean scent with clear notes of bergamot (I love love love bergamot!). On my skin, it spends most of its time as a fresh, powdery lavender scent. It's very light and dries down into a beautiful soft white musk. I was so impressed with its performance and I will be treasuring this scent for a while to come.

Pure Grace...perfect name for this fragrance. I must admit that at first this didn't appeal to me because it's unlike any of my perfumes. But slowly and quietly it has become one of my favorites. It's very clean but I find a bit of sweetness in it....just a tiny bit. If I wear it to work I know no one will know it's perfume because it smells much like my clothes smell, fresh out of the dryer. When masks were mandatory sometimes I would spray this in the air and wave my mask through it so I could smell it all day. Sometimes I wear this to bed at night as it's very comforting. The musk note is so soft. On my skin it lasts several hours. It is pretty linear but very nice, soft and refreshing. In winter it makes me feel cozy.

This is what I wish my skin smelled like naturally :-) It says right on the bottle "soap and water clean" and they are not lying. I get no jasmine or citrus, just bar of soap, fresh out of the shower cleanliness. A white, moisturizing bar of soap. Think Dove/Ivory/Nivea. It’s easy going and casual. This isn’t a powerhouse, it's a my skin but better scent. Sort of like a tinted lip balm or a clear coat nail polish of perfumes. If you're not into soapy/clean smells this won't be your jam, but for me it’s a love - simple, practical, and very wearable. If my perfume collection were real women, Pure Grace would be that one reliable friend that never starts any drama.

This fragrance has become one of my most-worn scents. It is likened to "soap-and-water clean," but I don't know if I completely agree--I think that's over simplifying the scent a bit. It's definitely floral, a little green and sharp, and slightly musky. There is an iciness to it as well, kind of like a fresh glass of cold spring water. Even if it's a hot, humid, sticky day, I feel clean and cool if I have this on. If I had to put a visual to it, I would say: crisp new sheets laundered in a beautiful and expensive detergent that were then air-dried in a lavender field. On the clothes it lasts a bit longer than you'd think.

I got this as a Christmas gift and used to wear it circa 2011-12. I'd often wear it straight after my post-workout showers. It would make me feel so relaxed, clean and refreshed; I remember it very fondly. For some reason I didn't buy a replacement - I think I stopped wearing fragrance for a while. I have been tempted to get a bottle and remember how nice it was, but I also know there are other fragrances, of higher quality that give the same clean and refreshing feeling, and I want to try those out. Also I suspect my nose might have changed. I've heard that Prada Infusion d'Iris is one high-end upgrade from this.

This is the fragrance that brought me back to wearing perfume after many years without. And it is the only I can wear when I am feeling sick, and it actually makes me feel a little better and refreshed. I found it looking for an after shower fragrance in my obsession for smelling "clean" which hasn't stopped to this day. Sillage and longevity seriously lacking, but the fragrance is one of a kind. Nevertheless, it has gained me many compliments in the past "omg you smell so goooood!". It will always be a staple in my collection and it has a special place in my heart.

I have a deeply personal connection with this scent (because I’m a crazy person) so I may be biased but I could genuinely take a bath in this. It’s a perfect warm soapy musk which is like all of my favorite things combined. If you don’t like smelling like soap then don’t wear it but luckily for me I LOVE IT and it makes me feel instantly clean whenever I put it on. Best used whenever you feel dirty, any situation where you don’t want to offend people with your perfume, or right after the shower

This perfume really is like a freshly washed cotton drying in the sun, with a touch of that “beach towel” clean that can lean a bit aquatic or ozonic in the heat. It’s got that soapy musk plus crisp floral thing that reads like a high-end bar soap with sunlight and skin warmth, which is why it feels kind of beachy-fresh to me. I like to reserve it for summer as an after shower scent, as it thrives in heat and humidity, giving me that "just-showered" freshness without being too heavy or cloying.

I bought a bottle from shoppers for $25 and it smells like my childhood: sunscreen, chlorine and the sharp plastic smell from inflatable pool toys. This is beautiful and makes me genuinely emotional. This summer I am going on a trip with my mom to where I grew up and we plan on going to water parks and Canada's Wonderland, just like my childhood again. I think I may bring this scent with me to further cement the beauty of the simple things and the nostalgia :,) I am so grateful I found this.

This is a pure, clean fragrance just like the name implies. I smell very little jasmine. I do smell the water lily and it's delicious. It dries down very soft and powdery which is a plus for me...I really like clean, powdery scents. It's very crisp and light overall. This is my favorite scent to layer with other perfumes. It blends well with a lot of Pinrose's fragrances. Right now I'm wearing Treehouse Royal with Pure Grace and it's intoxicating. I keep stopping to smell myself.

I absolutely ADORE this fragrance, such an elegant and delicate daily scent. Probably the most "clean girl" perfume I've ever smelt. Its like getting out of a warm soapy bath then drying off, putting on your favourite lotion and cosying up in a cashmere sweater. My only issue with this fragrance is the longevity but it's perfect for those days where you don't want "too much" just a nice soapy scent. Overall its absolutely gorgeous and perfect for spring or winter.

This has become my everyday scent. I really like the settling in that it does. I even spray it on myself after my bedtime bath because I love waking up and smelling it. It reacts well with my skin and I’ve worked 8 hours in the office and still smelled it lingering. I don’t smell musk, I also don’t get “soap”. The only way I know how to describe it is floral fresh

After reading the reviews I was expecting something very different. But when I first smell this I was very surprised to find this quite unique and I don’t relate to any clothes detergent that people are talking about. I found it so calming and pleasing that I spray before going to bed. The lasting power is quite good as well. It will definitely be a repurchase.