Paris

A violet that will captivate rose lovers. The name of Paris complements each other. The famous perfumer Sophia Grojsman, known as the "Queen of Roses", used a lot of green materials such as Cassia, Hiacynth, oakmoss to set off the rose of May, giving Paris a slightly moist and transparent texture. However, she didn't actually concoct a bottle of vibe-making perfume for the city of love. Paris is a powerful diffuser that no fragrance can beat. It's an excellent example of "scented first". The core of ionone is supplemented by rose and iris. With the freshness of rose, the creamy oily texture of iris, Paris is clear, crystalline, radiant and utterly delightful for the first three hours. The sourness of roses can control the sweetness, remove the greasy feeling, and smell good. The feature of Paris fat powder is gradually enlarged in the back section, Violet, Orris Root, Mimosa burst out one by one, Heliotrope covers the surface of the white flower fragrance, forming a mellow and fine white film, and the fragrance becomes more and more intense. Flamboyant and bold. That's the YSL I know. Paris has my impression of YSL. I personally think that Paris belongs only to Ingrid Bergman. Ingrid Bergman is known as the "Rose of God", kind of a rose in the world is named after her. If Paris can't match her, how can Paris be in the top three in rose perfume? This perfume, which only represents the capital of flowers, smells very retro. If you travel back to the last century... I saw huge bouquets carefully packaged by hawkers on the streets of Paris. Some can't get rid of tacky, but beautiful. It is suitable for urban women who have worked in the society for a few years, but it is too mature for girls, which is abrupt. This fragrance is a romantic progression from the 80s. At the same time, it is also a declaration of women - that they should live for themselves. The evolution of fragrances, to a certain extent, documents and reflects changes in the consciousness of both sexes. All Sophia Grojsman wants to convey, to all female consumers, is in this bottle of Paris.

I love how Paris is so loudly and unapologetically feminine. It‘s not girly and not mature-womanly, just generally feminine and romantic in a very glamorous, intense and optimistic way. This is not a soft or tender scent. Even though this is from the 80s, I feel like Paris was ahead of its time as it has some aspects that smell more 90s to me. It‘s definitely retro though, but I think it can come across as modern and cool if it‘s worn with a certain confidence. Like the olfactory equivalent of some skirt suit with a shoulder padded blazer with big golden buttons in a bold color like hot pink or neon apricot. It should be worn as a statement in my opinion. If you look at the advertisements at the top of this page, I feel like all those including women/couples and the Eiffel tower match this scent very well, while those with the naked woman in the black jacket are totally wrong for it. Paris is mainly a rose bouquet scent. These roses would be a lighter, but saturated pink, big and very plush. I get the hyazinth and violet, but they don‘t take over the fragrance, so it‘s not soapy or headachey to me (though to be honest, I wouldn‘t be surprised if others felt that way). The other florals are well-blended support notes. This is a little powdery, but not overly dry. I get some syrupy, nectar-like, custardy sweetness underneath the florals, it feels like a peach note to me. I noticed I often get that from Sophia Grojsman‘s creations, even when peach is not listed. Maybe you know what I mean. In the base the perfume warms up and sandalwood is most noticeable besides the florals to me. This review is for the EDT, I have never seen the EDP in any store. In my opinion, Paris is one of those great classics that even those who are not typically into classics should try - but they should at least like roses, obviously. Sorry for the long rambling, some scents are just inspiring to me :)

(Review of the EdT, bottle from 1986) I love you. Three one-syllable words that have the power to start wars or end them, to make a heart swell until it breaks with joy or in absence of them terrible sorrow, to be used flippantly in a greeting or a departure as a reminder, or to be weighed more carefully than the deepest of spiritual postulations before saying it to someone for the first time. Yves Saint Laurent wanted to say I love you to Paris, and so asked Sophia Grojsman to help him make the gesture. I think he succeeded in getting his message across, and he hands his beloved city the most beautiful bouquet of red roses. The simple red rose was not enough though. Every flower known to man was placed into this bouquet in exacting proportions so that what was abstractly achieved, in the grandest gesture possible, was a red rose accord of enormous proportions. Whites, purples, greens, oranges, golds, beiges, and reds are all here and given a generous shawl of powdery aldehydes as if you’re looking upon the love of your life in hazy sunlight. The musky and creamy woody base nestles you like an embrace. For many this is going to smell unforgivably retro and derivative. The inability for some to not compare and contrast a perfume to others as a means to assess, to simply let it take you somewhere, and to not assign a date or an era to it, is unfortunate for them. I, on the other hand.... This perfume does something to me. It’s irrational and inexplicable, totally emotional. Every time I smell it my pulse quickens, my stomach knots, my eyes get misty, I breathe deeper and slower, and I’m transported somewhere. It is my honest opinion that this is the best perfume Grojsman has ever made, and that says a lot. I think it was quite personal for her as well, I don't know how it could not be.

This was my first perfume, it was a Christmas gift given to me as a teen, probably because I was obsessed with the 80's (Still am). Back then, 20 years ago, it was too mature for me, so I only wore it occasionally, probably to get into character, wearing vintage business lady power suits and gaudy faux fur and whatnot lol There's a review by Tania Sanchez about Paris that goes like this, "The great Sophia Grojsman (Trésor, Eternity, etc.) put this one together, and it marks the absolute end of this particular road, the point beyond which it is not possible to make a louder, bigger, more complicated rose. From here on, it is only possible to innovate by taking away, not adding. A brilliant, beautiful monster." She also goes on to call it a Frankenstein rose the size of a cabbage... To me the rose isn't front and center, it's more like a rose dominant wallpaper for the rest of the scent. Although it's the first part you smell in the sillage. The powderiness is there but not baby powdery, powder that has a lively trill, it isn't inert and heavy as powder can sometimes be. That part is almost anise-like, just in the way that it has this quick-receding sweetness like anise. And then there are all these competing florals around the powder, you cant really pick them out individually. And over time you start getting the musk. To classify this as a powdery fragrance I would say is inaccurate, but if you're not used to vintage perfumes, you might become distracted/fixated on that element. Which is a shame, but we can't help what our nose does. Mine gets stuck on oud, I can't smell anything else if there's oud present. But Paris, old & stuffy? Never that. She'll ever be proud, outgoing, and en vogue. A perfect song for her would be Grace Jones' cover of 'La Vie En Rose' 💋

Review for Fleur de Parfum : I had a sample vial of the EDT in the early 90s, which I treasured and sniffed whenever I felt blue. I almost didn't want to buy this perfume again because of the scent memories attached to the early 90s. But after exactly 30 years since first sniffing the EDT, I finally bought a full bottle, in the vintage Fleur de Parfum formulation. I just couldn't buy the new formulation, and I probably never will. I do not know how the new formulations smell, but the Fleur de Parfum is a stronger version of the EDT I remember (from 1992). I cannot believe how full bodied floral perfumes were back then compared to modern ones. The opening is rose dominant, but the ylang ylang really comes through as the fragrance develops on my skin. You definitely pick up hints of other floral notes, but they are all beautifully blended, supporting the rose. There's a powdery undertone in the dry down, which I love. It's a super feminine fragrance, but it packs a strong floral punch, very typical 80s. This sillage.. you don't get this kind of scent trail these days. It's beautiful. I will probably try to hunt down an older version of the EDT as I do not want to run out of this bottle. EDIT : I've tried the new EDT and EDP at YSL. What have they done to the new EDP?!! Sigh. It's a completely different scent! The EDT still retains its original DNA (perhaps a bit diluted). If buying the current formulation, definitely go for the EDT. EDIT : Scored a vintage EDT, and it is definitely a much stronger scent than the current formulation. I can't imagine wearing the vintage EDT in the summer as it is a true beast.

Paris was the harbinger of the famous Grojsman ‘Hug me’ accord. Only Paris does it justice. Many sense it in Vanderbilt; I don’t. I see it as a more typical 80’s high octane Alabama floral. One that’s rich, powdery, honeyed. Impeccably manicured, well dressed even at home and always with a fresh pitcher of peach iced tea and coffee cake ready to serve. Homemade. Paris takes rose and violet primordially, with accompanying green notes (mostly stems and leafs) and sweet intoxicating flowers like hawthorn, lily and orange blossom and infuses the base with clean, cottony musks. So it inevitably shows some synthetic aspects that feel unpolished but that’s the idea. It becomes sweeter as it wears and feels more like a hug. But not a tender hug or a motherly hug. I can sense a perfectly dressed someone, because I can’t see them, with good perfume and expensive jewelry. Powdery, floral, honeyed...a green undercurrent running through. A softly woody base with a noticeable sandalwood of good quality. Fresh in the way you feel after a morning shower when the day is ready to start. Not fresh as in soap. Fresh as in vitality. Tresor took the idea and instead of rose and violet, we got peach. It always smelt to me synthetic and cheap, which is why I never liked it and took me some time to embrace Paris. But once you see the differences and smell the different context, Paris is the clear winner. It blossoms whereas Tresor suffocates. It sweetens and embraces while feeling happy and radiant. Beautiful, huge, and ever expanding! Based on a vintage, early 1984/85 200ml edt.

Oh, Paris is such a lovely fragrance and it indeed makes me think of Paris and the French haute couture, especially a pink and black satin gown by Yves Saint Laurent, replete with matching black gloves and matching black stiletto's. I find this scent very classy, chic, feminine and romantic and it really reminds me of a beautifyl spring day in Paris. The green sap-like notes, powdery and honeyed mimosa, lush and romantic rose, a citric white floral orange blossom and a green-floral hyacinth all bring this home to me in the opening notes. Despite its very sweet, feminine and floral nature, Paris by Yves Saint Laurent lasted a good 13 and a half hours on me I can then smell more rose in the heart notes, followed by a powdery and slightly cosmetic smelling violet, a slightly spicy lily, a sweet and intensely yellow floral linden blossom, buttery amd banana-like ylang ylang, an airy lily of the valley and an earthy and rooty orris root. All smells found in nature! The base is then an equal mixture of sweet and powdery iris and heliotrope and a smooth and woody cedar and sandalwood, with touches of very sensual amber and musk here and there. I'm quite thankful I can't smell the oakmoss of course, since I hate oakmoss with a passion! I'd call Paris by Yves Saint Laurent a spring time perfume for a woman for the who is doing things during the day time, especially a brunch with her best friends! I got 13 and a half hours from this fragrance and a decent sillage of 6 feet from my person. Altogether I'd give Paris by Yves Saint Laurent an excellent 8.5/10!

Have about half of a 50 ml bottle of Paris for good years just sitting in the back of my drawer. Sprayed it on my arm about an hour ago and I can smell it now in all its glory. Flamboyant, unapologetic, dense, intoxicating big bouquet of all sorts of flowers. Spring flowers, yellow flowers, white flowers, purple flowers, tropical flowers, soapy flowers, powdery flowers mixed with woods, some warmth from amber and freshness from the green notes. Gently powdery especially after it dries down, sophisticated and highly addictive somehow...It’s not an easy reach fragrance but I don’t think it’s too challenging either if you’re into complex florals normally. It’s a fragrance that was created decades ago and it has that vintage feel slightly. No, I am not call Paris an old fashioned perfume and I much prefer this classic Paris over Mon Paris launched in the mid 2010’s but it certainly doesn’t smell modern, simplistic and linear. It’s super complex, thick, dense, multi dimensional floral, a through and through beast of a perfume, that takes me back to my childhood. I remember smelling this on my school teachers throughout the years and on the streets, walking around during Sunday strolls. It’s not something that I wear often nowadays, but now experiencing it again, I understand how faint and subdued the current generation of fragrances are by comparison with something so daring, ostentatious and bold as Paris. I can only hope that my old bottle never goes bad so that I can enjoy occasionally the grandeur of such fine French perfumery!

After falling in love with Trésor, another modern classic created by Sophia Grojsman, I have been meaning to try Paris. It is another bombastic powdery rose, but with a violet-iris accord in place of Trésor's peach-vanilla base. Although I almost exclusively choose EDPs, I had to go for the EDT concentration of Paris given its strength. This sweet yet powerful rose scent is compelling from the first spray. The opening is rose-heavy, powdery and intense, bolstered by heady hyacinth and sweet mimosa. The rose is pink and sweet, the stuff of bridal bouquets. Violet notes emerge soon afterwards, nearly matching the rose in strength. While the violet smells synthetic, it somehow suits the boldness of this scent. This is unsurprising, given that Grojsman is a master at handling ionones. White floral accords and a hint of green thanks to the geranium notes round out this scent into a multifaceted floral bouquet. It remains floral and becomes woody as it dries down. This is powdery from initial spray to final fade. Sillage is strong, and longevity very decent. This big 80s scent manages stays on the right side of old-fashioned: classic, not dated. It is still relevant for a modern audience who enjoy rich, rose-heavy floral scents but it does lean mature. I would love to compare this to the vintage version which presumably used real oakmoss. Although elegant, sophisticated and feminine, this is not for everyone. To be used with restraint. 4.5/5.

Lo usava mia mamma nei primi anni 80, se ne inondava, ne aveva due o tre bottiglie che usava contemporaneamente... A me non piaceva,lo sentivo troppo secco e amaro,polveroso,era come se il bouquet fosse costretto a non andare in profondità da qualcosa di astringente,di respingere. Un profumo così femminile che stava meglio su un uomo. Si sembra assurdo ma il suo fondo secco e amaro stava meglio su un uomo. Oggi lo sento con nostalgia,sento la varietà di ingredienti che sono curati fino all'ultimo dettaglio,lo respiri fino alla fine e non c'è niente di trascurato,di fuori posto o di sintetico che sostituisce una parte mancante,come invece fanno oggi ai profumi classici. (parlo della versione anni 80/90) E' un mazzo di fiori raffinati,eleganti,delicati e anche forti,un ricordo di feste di altri tempi,parla di serate romantiche,balli,teatro,vestiti eleganti. Molto lontano dalla volgarità e banalità tossica di oggi. Un ricordo di tempi migliori,più sobri,pacati,intimi e sensibili,i meravigliosi anni 80

Bvlgari has in this moment an add campaign for their high end jewelry line with the slogan “Mai troppo” - “Never too much“. They could have just put a bottle of Paris along in the pictures. Sometimes 3 big diamond rings on the same hand plus a big necklace and some bracelets and all shining snd sparkling and magnificent in themselves is such a beautiful sum of all the parts. Paris in the same. When getting back to it every time there are pink diamonds sparkling everywhere. And at some moments we need over the top sparkling and shining and who cares if the pink diamonds are worn with jeans. I have lots of rose fragrances and despite many being mysterious and deep and jammy and many other things, none, absolutely none by far is remotely so sparkling and shining and “happy” as Paris. And YSL is / was this as well. Over the top presence and colour. There are many niche or independent brands out there which are very very good. But they still have to prove way more to beat some of the classics.

**EdT** Ahhhh, I finally scored an 80s EdT of this. It’s the 200ml size, which some say is diluted. NO ONE blends sandalwood and florals like Grojsman does. It opens with a pure garden rose — the type with big thorns — after the rain. And morphs into same with violet, sandalwood and oakmoss. Sumptuous, decadent and completely transporting. Monster strength. A teeny splash on the wrist is enough for me, for hours. A time machine to the 80s. (If you grow roses, I would say the rose this most reminds me of is “Grandmother’s Hat”) **EdP** 4/18/25 update I recently acquired an EdP bottle. It was a tester, so might be beaten up, but I second @LOST_HORIZON’s opinion that it really should have its own page. Weirdly, I find the EdP is less potent and more wearable. The amber and vanilla are prominent and tamp down the sweetness of the violets. As a result, it reads as more modern than the EdT. The tester bottle lists the notes as: Tete: Violette Coeur: Rose, Mimosa Fond: Vanilla, Vetiver, Ambre

I really love this fragrance and I finally figured out that it's partly because it reminds me so much of my late mom. I didn't immediately remember that she wore this until I blind bought it and started wearing it. So, yes, it's a scent that is full of nostalgia and emotion but also: it smells REALLY good. It's a beautiful, well-blended burst of rose, jasmine and musk on me. It's long-lasting and one or two sprays will do. This really shouldn't be oversprayed. That said, it also layers really well with other fragrances. One of my favorite layering combos is with Lattafa Rose Fakhar. I smell like a sophisticated sweet snack with that combo. But even alone, Paris is a winner. And I feel like my mom is always really nearby when I'm wearing it. I need to buy a backup of this because it seems YSL is always on the verge of discontinuing it. As long as it's available, I'm always going to reach for Paris.

I was unexpectedly gifted the 125ml bottle, surely the widely lamented newest reformulation. Not knowing what to expect, upon first sniff I was confused by the powdery medley of indiscernible flowers, performing poorly during a heat wave. Yet with cooler temperatures (or as a sleep scent) I find this the most charming violet-forward floral. It’s no Quelques Violettes (my true forever love), and I understand it’s only a shadow of its original self. But it’s less cutsie than Goutal’s Violette, less moody than Guerlain’s violet classics (I haven’t tried the Acqua Allegoria for fear of its brevity), and meets my needs better than any other violet in my collection, aside from my QV. Turns out, this is a love!! Projection and longevity leaves something to be desired; without the IFRA restrictions and so on, this surely had more sticking power. In sum: still a gem. So delighted to have been introduced!

Aaaaaaah... Paris, the one and only. I don't recall anyone around me growing up (in the 90s) who wore this particular scent, however, there is something so familiar and comforting about it. It was a blind by for me, but after much research. I finally got my hands on a vintage bottle and OMG. This is delicious. Violets, violets all the way, which I adore–they remind me of those violet candies that are so potent in their scent! This is IT for me, and of course, the roses and the sandalwood, and that je ne sais quoi... A true masterpiece! I wear this whenever I need a mood boost, a pick me up. Upon first spraying—I'm lifted off the ground, even if only for a few seconds. I believe this is a fragrance to welcome spring. I'd say its longevity is moderated, although sometimes a faint echo remains on my skin by the time I get in bed; like a whisper caressing me to sleep. Simply lovely.

I suppose it's no surprise that Paris should smell so familiar to me. I don't think I ever owned a bottle, but I'm sure I smelled it in hundreds of fashion magazines, and I probably rubbed every scent strip on my wrist. This formulation is allegedly inferior to the vintage iteration, but it smelled instantly recognizable to me--and the longevity and sillage are infinitely superior to many other reformulations of much newer fragrances (cough, cough, Prada Candy; cough, cough, YSL Cinéma). This is a complex fragrance, although the rose does dominate (a plus for me because I love rose above all other flowers). I am surprised that aldehydes are not listed as a note, though; I feel quite certain I can smell their presence, especially in the sharp, bergamot-spiked opening. This is very much a Grojsman creation, to my nose, and it reminds me of a smoother, more rose-forward Volupté.

This might be my signature scent. People often think I'm French, which I'm not. I tell you, this fragrance will make you appear Parisian, romantic and classy. It's floral, powdery and green. It's really cool. The rose in this is not sweet, more cold and realistic. It's flirtatious but not obviously so. It's very subtle. This smells like a garden of flowers, hidden by Haussmanian apartment buildings. The sun comes up. It's a spring day just before summer. The air is crisp and cool, but already smells of summer. In the background you hear the city waking up, coming to life, just as the birds. The scent reminds me of films of Rohmer from the 80's. I'm sure some of the actors smelled of Paris by Yves Saint Laurent. Also, get the eau de toilette. I've owned both the EDP and the EDT, and I can tell that they are indifferent. EDT is cheaper and the bottle is prettier I think.

I am an English grower and lover of roses. I absolutely adore the fragrance of roses, so I am naturally a lover of Paris with her deep rose heart, but there is so much more to her. I have many rose fragrances and I love them all, but Paris has some special qualities: The beautiful powdery violets blended with the rose, along with other subtle florals and a musky amber base give a feeling of early 20th Century aristocracy. I can apply a good spritz of Paris and enter somewhere as mundane as my local supermarket and feel like a Princess, and the strange thing is, people really notice it. The fragrance seems to linger and as people catch a whiff of the sillage, the eyes follow along with many smiles and the kind of respect, almost 'hats off' that one might expect if one was really a Princess. A truly beatiful, classy and timeless fragrance.

A dreamy, powder-puff of a rose perfume. A chypre-like rose, with lots of soft violets, sweet mimosa, and powdery iris. Very pretty, and very romantic. In my mind's eye I can envision a beautiful peaches and cream Gibson girl in the 1890s wearing something like this. It definitely has a vintage feel. So, if you love vintages as much as I do, you may enjoy this. One major flaw for me is that the reformulated edt I have a sample of has terrible performance issues. Starts out strong, but within two hours is almost a skin scent. That might not be an issue for you if you love the scent and are willing to reapply several times a day, but it is an issue for me. Though I love the scent and would love to add a fb to my collection, I cannot justify a purchase because of that. I'd run through a bottle in no time. Dang, these damn reformulations!

I have a vintage mini of this beautiful perfume, you can see my photo of it on Fragram. For whatever stupid reason, I decided to open it a few minutes ago (this has not been opened for at least 20 years) and some of the perfume spilled on my hand. This mini is at least 28 years old, my sister and I got it as a free sample in the best perfume shop in the little town in Northern Italy where we grew up. At first, the perfume just smelt of alchol. I was not surprised, thinking it must be off. But after a couple of minutes, the alcohol went and I was left with this beautiful watery but also slightly green, slightly powdery and very rich rose. All of a sudden, it was 30 years ago, back then designers perfume was strong, interesting and truly innovative. And not everyone wanted to smell like a cupcake... Such an elegant perfume 🌹💖