Ciel

Powdery fluffy Vanilla Iris heaven. OH MY GOD, get this! It's soft (in its tone) and good for all ages, but at the same time excellent longevity and actually packs a bit of a punch for a fluffy vanilla/iris scent! Still smells on my arm: one spray from the day before! I'm ordering a back up straight away. It has a similarity to True Love by Elizabeth Arden (which I love too! That one has a little bit more complexity, but not so good longevity), Ciel has better longevity, it stays put. Excellent cheapie and I need a stock before they reformulate this beauty ( there are no signs telling me they will reformulate, but you never know these days). Ciel is the correct name for this fragrance, because it smells like you're in fluffy vanilla clouds in heaven. There is even a tiny smokey ambery whisper every now and then, but ever so slightly far far in the background ( and not all the time). The balance between the vanilla and iris is excellent, they are dancing with each other. Vanilla definitely controls the main picture of this scent, but it needs the iris to be fluffy and a bit powdery. Honestly for the price, I cannot believe how good this smells. Yes it is quite a simple fragrance, but sometimes there's beauty in simplicity. The quality still beats some high end fragrances out there. And it has enough layers to me a huge LOVE for me. Very feminine, addictive scent. I imagine this is good for every season, but I have only tried it in September so far. I'm 37 and I don't like modern scents in general. This frag smells timeless, for everyone (whether you like modern or vintage), at any age (from 12 to 90 years old). My fave fluffy vanilla scent by far. And ladies, this is the kind of scent you would want to wear to a romantic occasion :)

Baby powder in a bottle. It really smells exactly like baby powder to me. It just arrived in the mail, and I sprayed it on a tissue and I can't get over how much it smells just like that. I smell light vanilla, and a trace of rose and iris, and am hoping I can pick up the amber more when I apply it to skin. Today is just too warm for a scent like this. I'll use it after my shower tonight and see if I can get more out of it than just baby powder. But, right off the bat I can tell you that if you are looking for a sophisticated powdery scent, this isn't it. This is a sweet, innocent fragrance. Babies spring to mind. More to come after a full wear. Edit - I put this on after my shower and loved how nice, soft, and refreshed it made me feel. It actually has a tactile powdery feel. Sadly, the silage is really poor, as is the longevity. I got a little more than 2 hours from it and can only smell it by sniffing my wrist, and then it was gone. Now mind, I had just taken a shower and had applied moisturizer, so it wasn't as if my skin sucked up the fragrance. No, this has really bad performance issues. I think when I wear it again I'll try it on clothes and see if it works better then. Overall, I think it's a pretty fragrance with a lovely softness that's really appealing to me. I just wish it performed better.

I adore this fragrance, omg. I put it on almost every night before I go to bed because it's the softest, warmest, cozyest powder scent I've ever tried. The powdery vanilla I think is what makes it so soft and comforting. On first spray, it opens with a blast of a baby powder or cosmetic powder scent, along with the airy, powdery vanilla. When it starts to settle, the iris and rose become slightly more prominent, and the florals come to the forefront. The amber base and the powdery vanilla keep the florals sweet as the perfume wears throughout the day. This scent is so so soft, and never fails to make me feel super comfy, cozy, and girly. I wear it all year round in the evening, but this is the PERFECT fall and winter daytime scent! Not only is it beautiful on its own, but it can be layered with so many other scents to add a powdery facet. It might be a bit too heavy/overpowering in high heat and humid weather, so I don't really wear it during the day in summer. It has great longevity too, with it lasting on my clothes over 10+ hours. Totally worth the price for both the scent and longevity! Can't recommend this one enough :)

Comfort in a bottle! And strangely elegant as well.... I get a faint whiff of Iris and Woods to complement the primary note of rose powder and non sweet vanilla. Yes, there's a distinct baby powder aura, but the scent is in no way straight up talc! That said, those who hate powder should definitely avoid Ciel. Those of us who adore traditional powdery fragrances have found a treasure. Other fragrances in this same general category include Sweet Honesty ( clean and fresh by comparison, with a lemony opening ) and Ombre Rose. Lutece it resembles somewhat, yet lacks the powerhouse, pungent undertone Lutece has. Overall, the closest scent association for me would be Ombre Rose, but YOU decide! On sniffing me, a friend mentioned that Ciel has a YELLOW powder aura. I completely agree! Perhaps a touch of ylang ylang, the listed amber, or the vanilla pudding base mentioned? Whatever it is, the results are clearly understated comfort and elegance. I must complement the nose who created Ciel. How often does one find a bargain basement treat redolent of chic restraint and palpable good taste? Top notch! :D

I love it. It doesn't remind me of vanilla pudding or baby powder. It reminds me of a classic fragance, one that can't go wrong because it's simple and timeless. It's the mixture of woody+powdery+vanille-y+floral what gives it that classic feel. I can imagine this perfume on the dressing table of a lady from 1925. It is powdery but in a nice way, like vintage face powder. And the vanilla isn't nauseating or too sweet as in an Yves Rocher perfume. My mother absolutely, totally, intensely hates anything that smells "eatable" (she used to complain a lot about my teenage fragances and say that they smelled like flavoured yoghurts and candy and that she wouldn't put them on for all the gold in the world). However, she did purchase this perfume. I think that goes to show that it isn't all that sweet! To me, Ciel proves that you don't need to spend lots of dollars on a perfume for it to be nice and elegant. It's not VERY long-lasting (or else I grow used to it after a while), but then again, some expensive perfumes wear off soon too. This one is also very affordable. What can I say. I just love it!

This winter I was wondering WHY I never wore Ciel. The answer? On me, it doesn't smell spectacular in the cold air. Today the air conditioning is trying to keep up and altogether the experience is completely different. No more merely pale talcum powder, now I can smell the florals! The iris and delicate spiciness comes forward, at least at first, and then the vanillic musk arrives. So utterly charming! To me, this is better than many a rushed-after middle eastern niche dupe. It is motherly, comforting, and alluring all at the same time. If you enjoy white musk but need something a touch MORE-ish and also love powder (not an option!), then I highly recommend Ciel. In the west, this may be associated with grandmothers, merely because of our fear of powder. But if you already love powder, this is ageless and has an almost baby-skin type of purity and appeal. Recommended. :D

OK so, i was searching for a everyday fragrance to stop using my Kenzo Amour (wich is now is reserved for evenings or nights out) and reading many reviews and due to its inexpensive price i decided to order Ciel... so it was a total blind buy At first it did smell “vintage” juat bc its an old type of scent, now powder perfumes give that vibe dont they? Let me just say i’ve been using this EVERYDAY for a month to test it and now i absolutely love it. its soft, delicate, clean... for me definitely my everysingle day perfume morning going to work or grocery shopping perfect baby powdery vanilla thats it i wish it had a lil bit more staying power just bc i have reapply around 3 pm but for its price its OK Mind you im 25 but i do feel this perfume its ageless and genderless if you are tender nature this is all soft and round perfect for you

It's with me again. The love of my life (first met and wore in high school). Such a beautiful powdery fragrance with bitterness. Vanilla is fancy here, without sweetness, not confectionery. It sounds much more expensive than its price. The ingredients are selected very competently. Now I see this special cosmetic note here, a little lipstick, a little "mom's", but not retro. Feelings of bliss and relaxation. And for me it's a spring drop in April, it sounds unrealistically inviting in the frosty air during the melting of snow. Although it is compared with many fragrances, and I am familiar with them, but I have not found anything similar to Ciel. It is not to be confused with anything. Quite by chance, I met a similar fragrance, the same vibe - Kenzo Amour!

I have finally the time to review this sadly discontinued (or so it seems to me, because I don't see it in stores anymore) retro beauty. I have absolutely to agree with the most of the fellow fragranticans who have written a review about Ciel, it does smell indeed like vanilla pudding and baby powder. Ciel is so beautiful and femmine, a very pretty comfort scent which reminds me of vintage makeup so much. The sillage is not that overpowering, and it isn't very long lasting, but the perfume itself was very affordable too, and because of that I am happy with it. I would use it sparingly in every occasion, with exception of a torrid summer day.

I’m completely obsessed with this fragrance.. I bathe in it at this point. You have to love the scent of baby powder but if you do it is quite addictive. Yes it is “vintage” but not old vibe. It is clean and sweet. It does not smell like vanilla per se though. I wear it at the gym, at home and before bed ... I also use it as a body spray .. the price is so good that I do not care and just overspray as if my life depends on it ... This perfume is humble and as comforting as a baby hug 🥰 I adore it 😍 it is available is a small supermarket near me and I buy 3 at a time 🥰

Darling fragrance for any age. Its so comforting with a pleasantly sweet powder smell just lightly grounded by a gentle amount of the earthy/boiled carrot of iris. The cozy amber also supports the sweet baby powder. It feels nostalgic & timeless at the same time... like we all feel when all is well & we get out of a nice bath & crawl into bed. I love the colors of the box and the details on the frosted bottle. Even the light blue plastic cap is charming & sweetly simple. Visit me on YouTube, Fragrance Memoir. 💙

Ciel means heaven, heavenly. And indeed this perfume is like it. Dreamy, nostalgic, tender. It is not faint or barely detectable - no, but it is soft. A lot of iris and vanilla. The bottle is not the best quality as is the scent, you can feel just a bit of that cheapness during the first seconds, but it fades, leaving a powdery, baby soft perfume, and longevity is nice for such a cheap perfume, I could feel it for 3-5 hours. It reminds of Ombre Rose and Soavissima. As I own Ombre Rose, I don't need this. +

Sometimes I'm in the right mood to wear fragrances like this, that make me feel calm and relaxed...as I was a child, and used the baby powder after the bath! Cielo is a powdery-but not too powdery fragrance: it has more similarities with Talco delicato by I profumi di firenze than Teint de neige by Villoresi; I can also notice a bit of vanilla and a touch of rose. I find it also somehow similar to Soft musk by Avon, another simple, confortable fragrance that I love!

This is exactly what I'd hope this fragrance would smell like! Very soft and vanilla baby powder. Very heaven-like indeed. It's a soft subtle fragrance, but makes up for it with the scent. The bottle looks vintage (I like it!) but the juice inside could be for any age. Baby powder scent and the comfort it brings will never go out of style :)

True to its name Ciel is like a little, fluffy white cloud in a bright blue sky. It is a delicate, unobtrusive, polite vanilla-dessert-decorated-with- rosebuds scent that can be worn anytime and anywhere and, above all, whenever staying under the radar in order to let someone else shine is called for

As already stated in the comments this one is a mix of vanilla pudding and baby powder. I love powdery vanila fragrances so Ciel is a perfect choice for me. It reminds me of myself when I was in a kindergarten. It really bring back memories of being a kid. Such a nice delicate comfy scent.

Uno de los aromas que me recuerdan a mí infancia, cuando me regalaban la muñeca en Navidad,juro que cuando abría la caja este era el perfume que desprendía, ideal para sentirse bien,un aroma tan hermoso e inocente,con esa violeta empolvada, que realmente huele a cielo.

This is an absolutely unassuming masterpiece. It doesn’t look fancy. It is wildly affordable. If you love a soft, super powdery, non sweet vanilla, with a faint hint of rose (like whisper in the wind), this is worth a try. Ciel should cost way more. It’s stunning.

While I am not a great fan of vanilla scents, this little number is cozy and cute. Even the bottle gives me joy with it ́s baby blue details. Ciel is a perfect bedtime perfume! It surrounds me with some calming aromatherapy.

Makeup bag and baby powder. Strong amber base like Rose Noire. I definitely call this a bedtime scent. I like it. Bottle and box are really pretty, too. I could see this making a cute gift for a new mother.

Ciel et une de ces bonnes surprises que nous réserve la grande distribution. Achetê à 6,90 € sur le site de la marque, je retrouve l'odeur du talc pour bébé. Totalement régressif et le tout sans se ruiner.

Holy smoke... This is one of the best comfort scent I have smelt... It is just plain, simple and beautiful. Beautiful iris with sweet powdery base. Thanks a million to briarthorn for the decant!!!

This stuff is the best FR!! I love wearing this baby powder-vanilla fragrance fresh out of the shower or bath, or to doctor’s appointments. It lasts, too!! Ciel will be a staple in my collection.

When a baby washes her clothes, Ciel is the slightly sweet scent of her fabric softener. It's soft and fluffy without the sharp crisp of grown up fresh linen thanks to the vanilla.

This smells like such a soft femininity to me. Delicious and clean at the same time and so cuddly. I just wish it lasted longer and projected more. Bottle is really cute.

Soft, comforting, creamy and not too sweet. Prototype of a vanilla-powder fragrance. I receive compliments when I wear it and the price is unbeatable.

I had it when I was 16. It's rather beautiful, soft, powdery... It reminds me spring and when snow melts. Love it!

Definitely one of my favourite perfume with Vanille Noire Yves Rocher ᡕ.♡

Smells like a baby (really really good) one of my favourite perfume ever

I just received this today. Never heard of it until last week while perusing Fragrantica. $20 USD, 2 days of impatience & excitement before I got my hands on some. 1st spray: scent memories rushing in. 1) My mom’s armpits circa 1970’s-80’s, & 2) Vintage Avon Soft Vanilla Musk. I am now age 10; soothed as I am imaginarily hugged by my mom. This perfume is so soft & comforting! She must have worn a powder-shower fresh antiperspirant over 4+decades ago. I can’t think of any other scent she had that smelled like this other than powdery Anais-Anais & she was too frugal to wear that while working outside. We lived in a rural area & she used to garden for hours in her bra & cut off jean shorts & this is what she smelled like in the summer heat. I’m detecting a slightly salty note which reminds me of perspiration...musky, damp, healthy, clean sweat that doesn’t stink~like my mom, like a child’s head & hair after playing outside in the sun all day. I sold Avon in late 1980’s & a lot of bottles/coffrets of the popular Soft Musk (& later, 2009-Vanilla Soft Musk) which both smelled incredibly similar. My Grammy wore a lot of Avon scents & this also reminds me of her...Coty face powder, lipstick on, violets, & pearls. This does have a vanilla in the background. I agree it is a non-confectionary vanilla. More like vanilla pods that dried out in a jar to the point of crumbling apart; essence released. So it too smells dry & powdery. The iris is wafting in the background like a shy little cherub w/wings. It peeks out occasionally. It has an energy that is felt-humming. Alive. The slightly sweet tonka like amber is grounding, and thankfully not in an ISO-E type way, which would complicate & detract from the vintage feel that is part of what makes Ciel so mesmerizing. I will wear this in small doses on my lower body to bed when I want to be snuggled in & feel loved, childlike, safe. It could easily be wildly headache inducing if overdone. I have asthma & haven’t had a problem w/ it so far. If you like/d the scent of Suave’s Powder antiperspirant, the Euro or Mexican Nivea Pearl roll on deodorant, Baby Magic Baby Powder, Demeter’s Baby Powder edt, Avon Soft (Vanilla or regular) Musk, Coty Lorigan, Lancome Hypnose, Heaven Scent by Dana, or Ghost by Ghost, you may enjoy Ciel. Blessings on your day! I’m going to go telephone my mom and tell her how wonderful her armpits smelled. 🥰🫶🏻 Edit: My Mom was brainstorming. She said my scent memory may be from-Babe by Faberge, Jean Nate bath splash, Tickle Deodorant, or Ladies Choice Powder Fresh. My husband said it reminded him of his mom as well. It’s so nostalgic it makes my eyes mist up w/love.❤️

On my skin, Ciel immediately turns out to be a beautiful, unisex, talc powder scent, with a detectable note of purple flowers. The balanced sweetness coming from vanilla grows with time and saves Ciel from being a soapy fragrance, but nonetheless the puple floral part blooms into a noticeable but not overpowering violet /iris vibe, that luckily doesn't give any "fabric softener" image. Ciel is soft, clean, powdery, with a hint of yellow deepness that must be the combination with amber and vanilla, the first being almost undetectable. The biggest downside is that, in these hot days of almost summer, the longevity of this fragrance is very poor, as it completely fades away - without leaving any trace, not even a skin scent - in a couple of hours. The scent is at its best just for the first hour, if not less. I'm afraid that this could be even worse with cold, since it tends to mute down many scents. It's a safe blind buy if you want an inoffensive and cheap talc and iris EDT leaning on the sweet side. Office and school friendly.

I bought 3 bottles of this perfume... how it smells: Well, I have a clone perfume after Alien, named Monella Vagabonda Alone. And This Ciel it smells exactly like this clone after Alien, but more powdery. Mabye it would be because of the amber 🤷♀️ I bought this perfume in the hope that I will find something similar to cosmetics smell, based on reviews But that Amber is too much, I can't stand that Amber 🤢. and I bought 3 bottles of this Amber nausea 😅😩 ... if you hate Amber, stay away from this one. its longevity is 3-4 hours.

You want to know what Ciel smells like? Ok here we go: Go to the bathroom and grab a large package of babypowder, now move on to the kitchen and fix some vanilla pudding, pay attantion to go really heavy on the vanilla. Now put the vanilla pudding on your wrist, and dust it really generously with the baby powder, voilá that's Ciel...

Powdery smell with a little bit of sourness. No sweetness to me. It's good after shower, to sleep. An image for this scent : i'm going to bed, my girly queen size bed, in my silky robe, and tomorrow I don't go to work!

I used to wear this perfume as a teenager and I loved it. I bought it again some time ago, I could not stand it. It was so cloying and powdery, somehow innocent. I cannot explain it but I don't like it anymore.

Heads up: "Makeup" dot (several countries) finally restocked yesterday. Waited a year for an online shop in Europe to restock this at the appropriate bargain price. So perfect and charming at under 10 Euro.

Baby powder and vanilla. Nothing more, nothing less. If that's what you're searching for, it definitely delivers. Does it smell cheap ? No. Does it smell like it costs $$$ ? Also no, for a simple reason : I don't think any baby powder smells expensive, period. No matter the brand. It's a pleasant smell, nostalgic for sure, but it doesn't smell cheap or expensive. Moderate performance, 6-8 hours. Not my cup of tea (I love powdery scents, but baby powder is not something I care to smell like). But if vanilla baby powder is what you seek, it doesn't get better than this ! And it is dirt cheap.

I love this scent profile - baby powder, musk, vanilla, iris, cozy, dreamy bedtime type scents - but unfortunately, this isn't the best one. It smells like a lot like Musk Mood by Lattafa, except MM is much stronger. I need at least 7-10 sprays of this before bed and it's still gone pretty quickly. The vintage style bottle this comes in is much cuter than Musk Mood's, but I'll use this up and won't repurchase.

To me this smells like American baby powders, along the lines of Johnson’s Baby Powder. Similar to the scent of Dana Heaven Sent. I don’t think it smells like vanilla. If you are looking for a straight up baby powder scent though, this is a solid choice for that.

So weak it almost has no smell at all!

When I sprayed it on paper, I thought it might be nice . Since it's inexpensive, I bought it. At home and on me I couldn't stand it. It's too cloying, too vanilla, too nauseating - and I think it is a scent only for "old ladies". But actually I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

Ciel (Heaven) by Ulric de Varens is indeed a scent remarkably similar to now-vintage Johnson & Johnson's baby powder. ...I suppose in the eyes of some that would make it a dupe, since J&J released their product in 1894, ...not that theirs was the first vanillic powder fragrance either. Regardless, if one wants to smell very like that historic powder, Ciel is still here for you. ...Or alternately, if one desires a layering ingredient to increase the powderiness of other scents, Ciel might be just the tool you seek. The first few minutes of the opening may seem too strong or cloying to some, as the powder needs to semi-literally dry down and settle. Also, trying to be light and subtle with Ciel may backfire. Such a scent is often best if applied heavily, so that a thick sense of powder can fully dominate and cover, like a metaphorical blanket of sweet snow. Ciel has been around long enough (1993) to give its distinctive bottle some small degree of celebrity. Its frosted, fluted, and four-petal flowered bottle, capped by the palest shade of cool gray-blue has become an unique emblem for the liquid it contains. Indeed, the Ciel flask remains identifiably iconic precisely because its design took an odd route that few others chose to follow. There is a lesson here on how eccentricity and iconicity often intersect.

Baby powder for sure, but it is nice. It is possible to feel some alcoholic initial that dissipates quickly; it could be cloying in the beginning. It feels very innocent may because it reminds me baby powder, diapers, and all those soft baby things. Smells like childhood. Even the colour of the cap reminds baby things - not male, not female, just a clean smiling baby. The bottle is very vintage, very 60s and 70s popular bottles but has its own charm. A luxurious bottle would not fit the scent. Ideal to wear when you feel nostalgic, when you want so calm place to stay. It is a happy scent. For me, as a man in his 40s, it surely is not the smell you would imagine in a man. But I do not care, the memories it gives me - or I should say, the daydream - are good enough to wear it once in a while.

Bought Ciel based on the reviews here and it does not disappoint. It does smell like baby powder and powder deodorant, there is a sort of vintage body product vibe to this which I personally find very clean and comforting. I like to use this right out of the shower before bed. The vanilla isn’t particularly prominent for me, it’s more powder, although this does layer beautifully with more vanilla heavy scents. Longevity is unfortunately pretty poor. Despite this Ciel is probably my favorite inexpensive fragrance. I find it to smell a lot more expensive than what I payed ($20 something dollars on Amazon prime). I think the bottle is really pretty and it serves a purpose of something relaxing and clean to throw on at bedtime. Hidden gem for sure.

When I was looking around on Fragrantica, I came upon this fragrance. The positive reviews and the friendly price made me order a bottle. Yesterday it arrived. The bottle looks a little old-fashioned, but what's hidden inside is a wonderful fragrance! A soft, powderdy perfume. Nothing exciting, but a very lovely vanilla fragrance. I mostly get vanilla and iris, and the rose and amber are also detectable. It's a well-balanced perfume. This is the kind of scent that is always a good choice, regardless of the weather, your outfit, etc. Just a delightful perfume! To my nose it's 25% Kenzo Amour and 75% Guerlain l'instant Magic. I love it! Sillage is soft-moderate and longevity is +/- 4 hours.

Very soft sweet scent, perfect for sleep and daily wear, for some reason at first I mostly smelled alcohol and only a slight vanilla so I thought it might be fake. But after a week something changed, and now it's the perfect soft and clean perfume. Very delicate and elegant baby powder with vanilla, modern and airy, not old fashioned or vintage smelling at all!!! Unless you picture "vintage" as the vibe it gives off, not the actual mustiness many vintage perfumes have. It also gives me a feeling of a cold snowy day, the lack of sweetness in the vanilla and the powdery texture really reminds me of pure white snow

i don't think a lot of people are really interested in this fragrance, so i will permit myself to write down a useless comment: ComfyCat, i know this is not a chatroom but i had to lough so mutch about your review by having lively pictures of what one does in the kitchen alike your description, that i had to tell you how mutch you amused me with your words. hahaha! nononno, don't buy don't buy! screaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam!

If I were able to taste this fragrance, it'd be like biting into a giant marshmallow that had been held high above a small campfire until the outer layer looked like smooth caramel. Ciel Ulric de Varens reminds me of a fluffy-sweet vanilla flavored-soft-warm, toasted marshmallow . My only disappointment is the lack of longevity. The scent is practically gone within 30min:(

Sweet baby powder. I love it!! There is something about it but I wouldn't call it "grandma" I would say "nostalgic" without being retro... A very simple, comforting scent, stays close to skin and pairs very well with powdery deodorants (reason why I got it). You won't turn heads but you'll enjoy it yourself ♡

This is a powdery dream; it is everything the notes say--powdery iris in a sweet rosy musk with a hint of vanilla. It's very similar to Lutece, or like a powdery Marshmallow Mor. Longevity is at least 5 hours in me, sillage moderate to strong but not in an overwhelming way. Very nice.