Parfum Sacre Caron for women

My partner called this "elegantly cozy" and I have to agree. A lovely person sent me a sample of this along with many others and I do have to say I am very much so enjoying it.

I love the spice against the Myrhh in this scent, and first impression I got was of prayer incense.

After several hours I smell the vanilla way down in the mix as well as a fleeting amount of rose. Its what I think of as an "occasion" perfume. Quite unusual and I dare say, not one I would want to use everyday.

I agree, gloria.laroche. It took me nearly 2 years to love Parfum Sacré. My hubby loved it instantly, he probably has the better taste, I admit that. I dismissed it, it was too perfumery for me at first.

Now I love it wildly, it's superb dryness, the acquired rose, it's perfume perfection. It's not for everyday, though. It's for those days, when you really want to make a perfume statement. There is no fruit or gourmand spices in there, not a tiny bit of sugar or sweetness at all, this is a pure perfume, like in the good old days.

Parfum Sacre is beautiful! After I ordered it....I tried it on and it was lovely and I thought ...well maybe I'll like this but it didn't really flip me. I kind of ignored it a bit.
I agree with someone else...I enjoy wearing this one to bed. It makes me feel wonderful and feminine. The more I wear it, the more I love it.

Since the Opiums, Baiser de Dragons, and Nuit de Noels are too heavy on me with the incense, Parfum Sacre EDP - probably reformulated from the original heavy scent - is wearable for me. There is really nothing wrong with it, it is rather unassuming. Call it balanced, without any particular notes standing out other than cinnamon and vanilla, although vanilla is not listed. It lingers in a chalky way, not creamy like tuberose for example. It could be named an old lady scent for its non-sweet harshness. And yet, the whole scent is not offensive, it is rather subtle. Nothing great, but better than drug store perfumes which have more edges. This one is streaming along smoothly. I can very well picture incense having been sprayed in a tall cold church.

Wearable therefore in public, at business occasions, not a cuddly scent.

I get powdery myrrh with this and not much else, even after several hours. Maybe a little bit of musk. Even though I generally dislike powdery scents this is a little more complex. I don't find this to be a sexy scent at all. It's rather chaste. Probably depends on your mood. Since I've been alone most of the day that might be what I'm feeling, a sense of solitude and distance. I think that's the "sacre" aspect of this fragrance coming out. Or maybe I'm just gullible. I don't get spicy notes. Just the incense.

So it's the next morning and I can still smell this. I can see I'm going to have a complicated relationship with this scent. We're not going to resolve it in a day or two. It's very soft and sweet but not at all cloying. I usually like fresh scents but this is the opposite. I need to ask a man to sniff this on me. A man I like :)

The world ''balmy'' describes Parfum sacre perfectly. The initial spray is a bitter,very bitter cloud of myrhh. I came across myrrh when I first smelled Czech&Speake Frankincense and Myrrh.I loved it in it but in Parfum Scare it's too ''violent'',too animalic.That's about the start. When it dries down it transforms to a calm powdery myrrh smell,loosing its stiffness. Lasting power is very good,sillage too.Very unique and out of the masses scent.So try before you buy!!

Very balmy,when you just spray this one, it punch your nose with Martini Rosso, excact smell.Then it settles with a hint of honey. It is warm, hugging perfume for autumn. It is o.k. for me to use it once or twice, but I wouldn't have it in my collection, as something is missing according to my preference.

The 1990s began with a hushed brilliance and Parfum Sacre launched the decade of subtle wonders.

The spices are restrained, unlike Opium. The rose behaves gracefully. The sandalwood echoes Samsara and indeed PS is like an exotic holy water.

I tried this at a perfume counter in 1992 and imagine it has been reformulated(corrupted) since. What a shame as Caron was just starting to get noticed in the USA.

To read others’ thoughts on Parfum Sacre there have apparently been various formulations of the perfume. I have the edp bought in 2010. I’ve never tried an earlier iteration or different concentration and can only report on this one. How funny that this is sold a feminine perfume. If this were in the blocky Caron masculine bottle, it would sit perfectly beside 3me Homme and Yatagan. PS is parched dry and potent like Yatagan, and built on a very dark accord like 3me Homme.

What I get from PS is rose, pepper, incense. Yes there are a few other bits and pieces (lemon, cedar, jasmine), but they are for the most part supporting cast and have no spoken lines. Pepper, rose & incense line up in their dryness. There is no sweetness or creaminess to the rose. The darkness of the rose matches it to the pepper, and the incense shares the pepper’s nose-tickling feel. The only vague hint of sweetness comes from the resin of the incense. I’ve read that others get sweetness, fruitiness, vanilla. I get none of these, but don’t miss them. PS’s richness comes from the austere buzz of its 3 elements, not from a fleshed-out fullness. Wears incredibly well in SoCal dry heat.

I bought it unsniffed and I have been wearing it for three days now, but the first impression that still hovers in my mind is that it is such a disappointment. I expected this to be a true (sweetish, flowery, heavy/heady) oriental (like Coco which I truly love)- and I figure it could only because of the excessive presence of spices( especially the black pepper and myrrh).

The flowers in this are really shy and few, thus the coldness, sharpness and harshness of this perfume.The connection to the name is made via the untouchablity feeling it creates - this is a peculiar perfume to be worn by some (I can fully understand why some reviewers mentioned gothic cathedrals, darkness, solitude). It still challenges me to find its beauty. It is similar to Shalimar, but to the point that both share incense - but in Parfum Sacre (on me at least) it is present throughout all the stages, while in Shalimar the vanilla and flowers make it more warm and round. It is a peculiar perfume in which the rose and jasmine are so well used that one can not tell their obvious presence.

I guess it takes some time to fully understand, appreciate and wear it accordingly in contrast to the many modern sugary concoctions. On my skin (which loves Shalimar, Coco, Absolu, Organza, Mitsouko and other true stars) at all stages it smells coldish, harsh in an abrasive sense. The middle notes make way for a powdery feel, while the drydown is a true oriental, but by this time it is really hard to detect on the skin. If it had a longer life then the true oriental would have had a say in this - and in my opinion here is where it loses some ground to other orientals which I prefer much more. I love NU (from Yves Saint Laurent) - which uses many spices, but even that was a lot warmer and it had more spices, so I do not understand.

I have the 3.3 oz/100ml EDP bottle, but this is not as long-lasting as other EDPs (the bottle reads an 87% concentration) which makes this EDP last only 4 maximum 5 hours on my skin (while Absolu lasts for 8 hours in the same edp concentration). This was a surprise too from Caron.

I will surely reconsider buying other Carons, especially unsniffed, despite the sparkling and praising reviews (I was considering Nuit de Noel, Montaigne, Bellodgia and Pour une Femme), but I will rather invest in something else more feminine and less sharp (as the EDPs of other companies last for 6-9 hours while these last only for 4).

Parfum Sacre is one of the best blended modern perfumes in the classic style that I've experienced. It took me several wearings to appreciate it fully, but I ended up very impressed. I simply can't find fault with it...At any stage, it is seamlessly integrated, from first spray to heart to drydown to last lingering traces. There is a subtle trace of something that reminds me of the old classic perfumes---something which keeps me from wearing most of them, although I appreciate them for the art works that they are---but in Sacre, it's transient. Blink and you'll miss it. Yes, it has an incense component, but a very polished and understated one, just a part of this rich, languorous and yet spiritual feeling scent. It's a complex but absolutely smooth perfume for a complex woman, someone at home in her body as well as at home in the spirit. It's not a loud perfume; in fact, my one critique is that I wish it had more oomph and bigger sillage. It lasts fairly well; I could still find it on my wrist in the morning after applying at bedtime, but it was very subtle by then. Overall, quite an extraordinary composition. Definitely planning to keep this in rotation.

A quarter of a 1mL vial of this stuff, so 0.25mL, costs $20. Intrigued by reviews, I had to try it. Verdict: Expensively disappointed. At first the smell is very pleasant, like a good perfume, though not a great one. After 5 minutes or so, though, it begins to smell powdery, with a strong splash of cinammon and a hint of myrrh. It’s not that I don’t like cinnamon, but I could just rub some baby powder and cinnamon on my wrist and smell just about the same. It’s very much an old lady smell. It is inoffensive, but also unremarkable.

This reminds me of Tabac Blond, which is worth more than gold these days, if you can find it. The myrhh and cinnamon notes stand out most to me, and I adore a peppery rose! I find the fragrance of incense in Parfum Sacre to be very calming. This may sound crazy, but I spray some on before I go to bed at night if I've had a hectic day. Caron, please keep your masterpieces coming.

IMO - probably he best parfum of House Caron. I have tested about 6 fragrances from Caron. Full, really rich and lasting the whole evening. Something for young lady. Good for evening, very opulent, fresh.

as im a vanilla fan , this is one of the reason cause me to LOVE this perfume n i wear this for already 3 years !
it wont be irritating even there is a bit smell of pepper .
this is very beautiful , feminine , mystic and i wear it even day and night .
its suits for 4 seasons in year for me . xx

With most fragrances I dislike it simply means that I don't find them good. There are however certain perfumes that I appreciate and don't consider poorly made, but can't wear for the love of me - and Parfum Sacre is one of them. So this is more of an explanation than a review.

See, Parfum Sacre reminds me of my grandma's wardrobe. And I don't mean "a granny's wardrobe", I mean specifically that of my maternal grandmother. Trouble is, I didn't like her that much. She was needy, selfish, overly religious and gifted with the ability to make herself and everyone around miserable. And much as I love resins and incenses, to me, Parfum Sacre just evokes the image of a bitter old woman on her way to church. Too bad. Maybe it will change for me with time.

Not every woman can wear this scent.
It's more than most scents, and in a most sensual way.
It's the inside a gothic cathedral on a cold dark night, with just candles and incense burning. It's a sexy, sultry, figure draped in black velvet lurking in the shaodws.
It's the sultan's harem behind a thousand veils.

Again: Not every woman can wear this scent.
But if you can, you will blow everything away - not ONE single male will walk by without turning his head for a second whiff.

I was very lucky to be gifted a sample of this fragrance in EDP and EDT from a wonderful fragrantica friend. Because of her kindness I found a wonderful fragrance in the EDP (I like them strong) that I am going to purchase! It's a georgous scent with all the notes I'm looking for and a nice deep, dark rose too!

What I find out about Caron house more and more, a lot of their perfumes (at least the ones i own) share the same distinct Caron base, just like Patou fragrances. And while they differ I would never be able to tell one from another on someone else blindly.
When I first sprayed Sacre, I was like, Oh Man, it smells like Montaigne, but after 10-15 minutes you can tell it's different. I don't find Sacre spicy, but it's a very beautiful warm oriental, so perfectly blended like other scents from the house, that I can't guess any separate notes other than rose without looking at the note list. i love the aura of sophistication and luxury that the Caron perfumes give you.
I have a new EDP version, and I noticed that the spray nozzle gives rather stingy squirts, the same with Montaigne and Pour Uno Femme. So I would suggest for the dramatic effect count 2 sprays as one.

I've been trying this out from a sample vial recently and I'm completely smitten! At the moment I think it's the most beautiful scent ever - and that's a very unusual reaction for me to have to a perfume!

This is a very distinctive fragrance, which stands out strongly from the crowd of popular identikit scents. To me, after the first flush of heady florals and spice it's soft, warm and sexy in an understated way. I can really smell the incense base notes, and they smoulder quietly and insistently on my skin without begging for attention in the way that so many modern incense smells do. There's a woody note in there too, but it's not overpowering.

Everything seems perfectly balanced in this fragrance - in fact, if I'd asked Caron to design a perfume to my requirements I think it would have been something like this!!

As you can see, I'm quite delirious about my new love...in fact, I've just been scouring the internet to find a stockist offering it at a reasonable price (my love is deep but my pockets aren't!) I've finally found one, so a bottle is winging its way to me right now!

I was looking forward to trying this one; I was unfortunately disappointed....while it opened as a nice, spicy scent, within minutes all the spiciness was gone and I was left with nothing but a vague, sweet scent...oh, well.

I've never had the chance to try the original version of "Parfum Sacré" that seemed to be very opulent and way much mysterious but I've to say this reformulation is still pleasant and fashinating. A trasparent and peppery incensey rose that would also work perfectly on a man. I get the point when someone says "It seems that what used to be great is now just nice", but PS is absolutely much better than billions of other ultra-rated scents as It still has that special "extra-touch" of first class fragrances. It's unique and intriguing and even if reformulated it has an huuuuge personality. Be careful, this is not for everybody.

Rating: 8.5/10

Current edp is like a dusty library mixed with soap on my skin. Also fades to a skin scent rather quickly. Either my chemistry and this scent aren't a match or it was murdered with the reformulation. Not sure which, but there you have it.
Edit: I'm voting for a chemistry issue. It smells like there is a good perfume struggling to get out but it's being strangled by a layer of musty library. :(

Does this have aldehydes and they're just not listed? The top of this fragrance is very soapy, similar to Ysatis and Chanel 22 which always shouts aldehydes to me.
It is definately a scent in the classic mold of french perfumery.
A little peppery, and lots of rose.
Lalique Amethyst is very similar but with blackcurrent/pine tone which this doesn't have. Alot of the other notes are identical so that would explain it but of course this one came first.
I love the drydown and think I shall go on a search for other myrhh offerings.
I would gladly wear this one if gifted but is a little on the straight-laced and formal side so not for everyday.

The most interesting rose renditions I have ever smelled, it's quite unique and brilliantly complex.
The drydown is a lovely pepper-rose with spicies, a hint of incense and powdery vanilla.

This is not for everyone but it's definitely worth trying if you like complex scents or if you are looking for something really unique. Lasting power is pretty good, rather strong initially but after some hours it becomes a comforting, close to skin scent.

I get nothing dirty from Sacre, no skankaliciousness! (to borrow a word from awesomeness) It opens up as cedar woodshavings for the first few minutes.. I was frankly worried I'd hate it. But it soon develops into a fantastic soft cardamom incense rose, reminding me of Bond#9's Chinatown with its well-integrated, subtle spices. An ever so slight sweetness lurks underneath... So soothing and pretty.

Hi,

I consider Perfume Sacre to be like Holy/ Divine Perfum. Hmm. There is sertainly something mystical in this one. Dark scented night perfum for full moon time ;) Stays hours on my skin. Maby not to everyday wear - so I did not felt in love with Sacre imidiately. This takes some time to get to know them secrets of this scent ;D

@ awesomeness :
"the word Sacre is the French-Canadian noun for profanity having to do with sex & excrement?"
Where did you get that? I'm a French-Canadian. "Un sacre" means : a bad word, "sacrer" means: swearing. Sacré means the real meaning of the word. Sex and excrement?! Ahah, anyways! That was kind of funny :P.

(vintage EDT, splash bottle)

I'm hesitating to review this, to be honest. I bought the vintage EDT, and I don't want to share how good it is so I can keep the bottles available for myself.

This isn't an oriental spicy, it is an oriental woody. Deep, ambery incense with the faintest whisper of floral sweetness. To me this is very similar to Pour Une femme (parfum). Both are smooth, warm and ultra comforting.

Oh who am I kidding. This scent sucks. Don't try it. Don't buy it. Move on to something else. (Until I buy all the bottles i want)

This smells like Nahema went to the gym and forgot to shower! It's a very rich, spicy rose that's quite dirty on my skin. Is there civet? Maybe it's the pepper? I have tried both the vintage and an older reformulation and find very little difference on my skin. The dirty notes are emphasized more in the reformulated while the vintage is much softer in the beginning, and I smell more vanilla. The dry down of both is similar to me. While I do like the vintage better, there's too little difference for me to replace my reformulated version.

The spicy top notes were a bit flat on me but only because my chemistry is not cooperative with cardamom and cinnamon. But as the fragrance began to dry down it became sweeter and more enjoyable. I love what the myrhh does to the fragrance. It plays well with the rose.

I have to agree with Flora55. The stuff on the market now is a mere shadow of its former self. I have recently sourced a bottle in the Black and Gold box, mine is in a gold bottle in the style of the larger picture above ...this is the better version of Parfum Sacre ( pre reformulation ), and it is wonderful !!

Hmmm. Maybe it is the reformulation. but I just don't find this special. Nice, floral, a little spicy, but it heads very quickly to a watery, and somewhat soapy dry down. Parfum sacré should swap names with a more deserving fragrance, one that will do the name justice--how about Nu EDP? Now that stuff is sacred.

An ordinary fragrance, nothing special. Although it could be pleasant to wear sometimes in winter, it is still only a honey water with sugar, nothing more.

I love this so much - perhaps those who find it less than wonderful are trying the reformulated version? Get some of the real thing in the black & gold box! It has no equal.

I actually had this on my wishlist, based purely on the all the glowing review on here! That is until today, when I received a sample of this and was sadly disappointed. The notes are vanilla, myrrh, civet, cedarwood, lemon, pepper, mace, cardamom, orange blossom, rose, jasmine, and rosewood. (according to TPC) I can pretty much smell all of these in here except vanilla, but the opening is a nasty blast of lemon and pepper with some cedarwood, then the lemon disappears and it softens into a powdery rose with some spices but NOT nice golden delicious spices, but more of a cold spice mixture (possibly the myrrh/mace?) Also the pepper never disappears on me, it's there steadily until the end. I am not impressed. The notes sound Divine, but it just didnt do it for me. I was expecting more warmth but I never got it, I couldn't sense any vanilla at all either.

I was intrigued by this fragrance being classified as an 'oriental spicy' many of my favourites come from (Roma, Gloria, Venise) and bought a bottle of it on ebay.com. It came in the polka dot packaging and bottle so this added to my excitement. It promised to be very feminine. And it was. In a classic, woody, insensy, powdery and slightly soapy kind of way.

Parfum Sacre is an exceptional blend which strongly reminds me of Coco (another one from the same family I like). I actually like Coco more, it's fruitier and woodier without the soapiness. Luckily the soapiness disappears after the middle notes (I'm suspecting the mimosa?) and it becomes woody and dark with a hint of powder. I use it for special occasions only and mostly in winter.

An update: I couldn't wait for Christmas! Parfum Sacre is widely available at online discounters, where it is very, very reasonably priced. It's too bad that Caron's standard packaging for the EDP formulation is so plug-ugly... the original bottle (pictured above, still available in the EDT, if you can find it) is lovely.
Ah, well, you can't wear a bottle.

This is just lovely. I'm not usually a fan of scents that feature roses; I picked up a sample because of the spices in the top notes. But it's not really the spices that keep my wrist glued to my nose: it's that smooth, woody rose, followed by myrrh. It is warm, elegant, womanly, and even a little sexy. The warmth of Parfum Sacre' is what makes it a cool-weather scent for me (I prefer fresh florals like freesia and peony, and citrus scents, in the summer) but I'm so glad I tried my sample vial twice. This one is on my Christmas list already, if I can wait that long!

Spicy, but dry and not overpowering or too sweet. Unlike some gourmand scents, you can wear this one when going out to dinner without overwhelming your own (or others) taste buds.

A little heavy, slightly old fashioned and not my style, but still a well-blended scent that just oozes with femininity.

Parfum Sacre is the osmotic equivalent of smooth jazz, a close, dusky scent with a faint hum of spice, and a base line of sultry amber. This is a tune you cannot shake, and do not want to.

This is strong and heavy. Winter perfume and a little goes a long way. I can't detect anything specific in it, there is alot going on. Very pretty and elegant. This could give me a headache if worn to much.. Getting soapy after drydown.. Very floral

This is the most feminine scent I own. It smells of sacred mysteries and incense, much like the inside of an Orthodox church- if that church were being run by Mary Magdalene. This is the one I turn to when I want to love being a woman, and it's equally at home with a little black dress or a tattered, snuggly sweater. It has the wonderful, heady quality of perfumes much, much older than itself. I still have a hard time believing it's less than 20 years old. Of all the scents I own, this is the one that gets noticed and complimented the most.

Exquisitely beautiful and unlike anything else I know. I love it.

Very, very beautiful and mystic smell.
I think that alike Antique Orient smelled. More according notes of Orient then Shalimar. In this perfume is fine, warm, cosy scent of incense. Yet, does it not have literalness and asexuallness as niche, modern incense smells. Sacre is extremely feminine. Vibrates mysterious shines. Sacre is so unusual, so wunderful, that I not it use in usual situations.