Mitsouko Guerlain for women

once i wear it, i don't feel happy..that means it's not for me.

I imagine that some people may still want to know what this legend actually smells like. The current Mitsouko EDT – the version you're most likely to encounter – is, to my nose, bayleaves and a couple of cloves, simmered in peach jam, over a well-constructed but not obtrusive aldehyde base. It's one of the more unusual kitchen-based (not gourmand) scents that smells even slightly mainstream. It has a vegetal musk twang that won't please everyone. It's IMO sufficiently divorced from what's currently considered feminine to be 100% wearable by a sharp-dressed man (cue ZZ Topp...)

At present, I own only a tester size of Mitsouko, though I've rapidly run through a 50ml bottle in the past. I like it very much, but something in me bridles against the adulation it receives. I want to wear it in a situation where no-one will know what it is. It's an odd duck – that's why it's famous. But I would like someone else to like the fact, not that I'm wearing Mitsouko, but that I smell of bayleaves and peach jam, with a pinch of cloves, and that's why I've yet to acquire a second bottle of Mitsouko.

Please file this review under: Pseud's Corner.

My favorite one
I adore this
But one of those that not every one would love or even like
I am glad that not even known much in my country where Irresitable of Givenchy or Lady Million like fragrances are very popular:)

This is one of those rare fragrances that one can wear from morning till night and never tire of it's scent. An uplifting aroma of sweet green fruit with a calming woody centre highlighted with vertiver.Simply Devine!If you have the chance to try - try the Au de Parfum ... reminds me of a Un jardin sur le Nil by Hermes

This review is for the EDT formulation. There isn't much I can add that hasn't been said before, other than to heap more praise on such an unusual and wonderful perfume. Mitsouko and I are still getting aquainted, but this fragrance is akin to the solitary stray cat who turns up unannounced on your doorstep, waiting patiently to be let in, then takes over the most comfortable chair in your house as if she's always been there. You wonder where she has been, what she has seen and what brought her to you. "Mitsouko". The mystery is how you lived without her for so long.

★★★★★
After first smelling the scent, I immediately fell in love with it. I can't resist. The smoothness and tenderness of the peach-oakmoss-combination is incredibly beautiful. I bought it that day. I love it, it's definitely my first choice of all perfumes I have collected. Thank you, Guerlain!

TONY'S BIG BAD MITSOUKO REVIEW EXTRAVAGANZA!

Yes, folks, I know I've reviewed Mitsouko on here twice before, but now I'm ready to give it one last review for the foreseeable future. This will cover every concentration of Mitsouko I've smelled, and discuss which ones I prefer. Enjoy!

An introduction:

Mitsouko was the first chypre after 1917's Chypre de Coty. I have smelled some vintage Chypre from the 1950's, and I'd say it's a lot greener, animalic, and more "untamed" than Mitsouko. Don't get me wrong, Chypre is an awesome fragrance, but Mitsouko is a lot more accessible. Mitsouko also introduced perhaps the most recognizable and well-known subgenre of chypres - the fruity chypre. This is thanks to Mitsouko's iconic peach note that adds character and a healthy blush. The signature chypre "smell" of Mitsouko is essentially a starchy, peachy, creamy smell with an orange/cream color and a bit of sparkle. The older stuff (as well as the parfum, in some respects) adds about of dark, green mossiness. Due to reformulations, Mitsouko certainly doesn't smell *EXACTLY* like it used to, so I'll handle every concentration and formulation I have smelled. Read on.

Eau de Cologne:

Sadly discontinued, Mitsouko Eau de Cologne is my all-time favorite version. The citrus and neroli are all right there, and last a while. They perfectly compliment the chypre smell, and there's actually some spicy notes in there too! I get a whiff of incense as well as a strage lettuce-like smell (common with many old chypres) that overall gives Mitsouko Eau de Cologne a unique yet lovable character that lasts a long time. If you're a fan of Mitsouko or chypres in general, I highly recommend getting some of the Eau de Cologne.

Eau de Toilette:

The "standard issue" concentration of Mitsouko. This is the one that I recommend trying first just to see if you can handle Mitsouko. While this version is most definitely Mitsouko, I'd say it lacks the character of the other concentrations. It's whiter, starchier, and a tad bit more floral. It's a lot quieter and more conserved than the Eau de Cologne or Eau de Parfum, that's why I'd consider trying this one first because it's not offensive or intrusive at all. However, that being said, while the EDT isn't a bad fragrance by any means, it's kinda bland and lacking in character, and doesn't last as long as the other versions.

Eau de Parfum/Parfum de Toilette:

My other favorite version of Mitsouko, tied with the Eau de Cologne. Mitsouko Eau de Parfum began in the 80's as Parfum de Toilette, in a beautiful Creed-like bottle with an awesome sprayer. It was amped up to the newly coined "Parfum de Toilette" concentration to compete with the strong, bombastic fragrances of the 1980's. The Parfum de Toilette was spicy, mossy, and fruity all at once, but it smelled well-done and enjoyable, with excellent raw materials and precise fine tuning, almost like putting Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band in full stereo surround sound. The Parfum de Toilette is gone now, sadly, but it lives on in the Eau de Parfum. While the Eau de Parfum doesn't have quite the kick that the Parfum de Toilette had, it still does a great job. It's sparkly and fruity, sharing some of the "sparkle" that Habit Rouge has. There's no oakmoss in Mitsouko anymore, but for once, the tree moss works as a decent substitute. The current Eau de Parfum has insane projection and longevity - I put on six sprays and people could smell it on me from three feet away, 12 hours later! If you want the best modern version of Mitsouko, I'd go for the Eau de Parfum.

Note: The Eau de Parfum is also probably the version that people are drawing the "peanut oil" comparisons from, as there is a slight plasticky sort of smell, but it's not intrusive and doesn't last long on me. The Eau de Parfum is also probably the "peachiest" concentration of Mitsouko, opening with a luscious peach and an orange creamsicle-kind of note.

Parfum:

Perhaps the most coveted concentration of them all, Mitsouko parfum certainly does smell high quality, but it's a tad too "perfumey" on me. I feel weighed down by it. It's definitely mossier, but it doesn't project as well or last as long. It is most certainly high quality, but out of all of the current concentrations, the Eau de Parfum is my favorite.

Conclusion:

No matter what, Mitsouko will always be my favorite feminine fragrance. It has a unique smell that cannot be rivaled, and always hits the spot. Thanks to all the concentrations, there are many different ways to wear and discover Mitsouko, and if you're into perfume at all, it's totally worth it. Mitsouko is awesome and she deserves all the praise she gets. Mitsouko has seen a lot of the world, but it's easy to make her your signature fragrance, as she's lovable and adaptable to almost any situation.

Like most good chypres, Mitsouko is universally wearable, whether you're a man or a woman. It's timeless, and Guerlain has done a great job of preserving it, especially in this paranoid IFRA-driven world we live in today. The future is always uncertain, so I'd pick up some Mitsouko in case they really do screw it up one day!

Just try Mitsouko already, for fuck's sake.

Last October, I took it upon myself to discover Guerlain’s more renowned fragrances. Having already fallen in love with Shalimar in its beautiful Eau de Parfum form, I began with L’Heure Bleue and Mitsouko in this concentration as well. As it turns out, I am glad I chose these, and it has been a highly interesting olfactory experience testing both of these over the last few months.

First impressions hit quickly when trying a new fragrance, and they are not easily dispelled. My personal theory is that scent associations can block our empirical sense of smell – when we smell something that reminds us of a scent we disliked in childhood, or something that belongs to a scent group that we associate with perfumes favoured by the elderly, we sometimes cannot help but peg the new fragrance, without diving into the notes. The first sniff is often confusing. It’s a little scary; we want to know what it’s all about and we want to figure it out quick. That’s when scent associations come in during this first impression.

When I first tried Mitsouko, the strong scent hit me and I cringed at how powerful it was. I was struck by the musty mossiness of it, by its old dusty rose and its overwhelming spices. As I got past my first impressions however, I was slowly drawn back into this scent, and it is very special once you get the chance to interpret the notes without the original shock. It has a depth and clarity that I did not notice when I was focussed on the spice and the moss. Mitsouko opens up to you, if given the chance, and the parts that were once scary end up being oddly sweet.

A new fragrance is a vulnerable thing. It’s there, and it is judged harshly, quickly, and some are scrubbed before they have the opportunity to properly unfold. I see the artistry in Mitsouko, and I’ve grown somewhat fond of this odd little creature. The fresh zing of cinnamon after ten minutes or so against a background of damp herbal notes is a welcome discovery. The quiet rose resides in harmony with the rest of the cast, as mellow as an autumn sunrise. This is something I wear for personal pleasure, because I enjoy the differences in every stage of its development. It may not be something one wears to please others, but sometimes it’s nice to dab something on, just because I like it – the way I like Mitsouko.

I recently figured out that I really don't like harsh spices. Unfortunately I'd already placed an order for Mitsouko EDP. I've tried wearing it, and it's just not right for me. Coco Chanel said, "Women are not flowers. Why should they want to smell like flowers?" Fair enough. But should women smell like dusty library books and sour peaches?

Mitsouko is like the bastard child of Tresor and Opium EDT. The first spritz of heavy spices smothered in an unforgiving blanket of oakmoss made me gag. So many people say this is a "green" perfume; it most certainly is not! I never expected something so harsh to come out of that beautiful bottle. After 10-15 minutes, the spices chilled out a bit and I finally detected the peach that everyone talks about, but much to my dismay, it's a sour peach.

Mitsouko really is a master at mutation--one minute old and dusty, the next minute bergamot and unripe peach, the next minute lilacs...but at no point can I honestly say I like it.

To start with - I am not a big fan of bergamot, or peach in perfumes..Mitsouko seems to have lots of those two in the opening and middle notes...if not for the two of them it would have been quite pleasant to me..
The dry down is cinamoney and powdery at the same time...reminds me of a smell of rooibos vanilla chai for some reason..
I do however understand why it could be a classic, it smells different on everyone..

I really liked the opening on this. There was a LOT of true, bright bergamot, which I love. It was great up to the 45 minute mark. It's not horrible now, at all, but there's a flat, thick something that crept in there that keeps Mitsouko from being a "love" for me. I get a spicy, unsweet cinnamon, plenty of oakmoss, and heavy woods. All over Guerlainade, which - lucky me - I am learning and coming to love.
I thought Mitsouko would feel melancholy to me, since it's supposed to, and I'm inclined to melancholy anyway. But I'm not feeling it. It is weird and a little startling, but not bad at all. I love the idea and the story behind it, at least.

Edit: Oh! Also - to me there is a similarity to Rochas Femme. Replace the flat thick note in Mitsouko with something indolic, naughty, and animalic, and there Femme is revealed.

There's a little interesting story about this perfume. I bought 5ml EDT recently from eBay of Mitsouko. I was very excited to test it- having heard so much high praise for this Guerlain creation. When it arrived and went through my nose, it threw me into an utter disgust and disbelief. Can something so uncharacteristic a smell be so much legendary? I admire Chanel's No.5, and I can tell why it should be so famous, but, I cannot digest the idea why Mitsouko must have the name it has. There are two possible reasons, no.1, My nose does not register the notes it is iconic for , or no.2, it's like Mona Lisa----famous for no particular reason, but just because everyone talks about its greatness, so it is perceived to be. Nevertheless, I returned the sample back thinking it was fake to eBay seller, only to find 2 days back at the Boots that - indeed it was the real stuff, and it was disgusting to the worst degree anyway.

Coming to notes (if there are noteworthy !!) It is pretty linear fragrance to my nose. It opens as if it is actually a base note of some light vinegar based oil mixed with 3rd grade jasmine oil. It is very reminiscence of cheap hair oils with dumbest accords to it. I can only smell hint of rose petals as if someone has picked thick ones from big red rose and crushed mercilessly between palms of hands. But that's only pleasant note I can discover , but to just tiny fraction.

Dear basenoters- my humble opinion is - this scent is utter waste of money - do not spent a single penny on this nonsense.

"...I can almost see a quiet, submissive, old-fashioned, almost asexual Asian woman here"

I found this comment from Syracusa very curious and interesting. It just shows how we perceive perfumes in a different way.
Mitsouko for me is not an overly sexual fragrance, maybe not even excessively sensual, but I'm sure I feel a deep, much deeper sexiness in it. Not unveiled, not displayed, but rather a deep and secure one.
I see the image of such a described lady. Most of the ladies of this style that I met in my life were wild cats disguised as quiet and even submissive. Then you look them in their eyes and you know that they know what they want. They just take it in a different way.

It starts out nice and fresh smelling, but it turns into a bit of a spice market on me. Still pretty, but perhaps not my cup of tea.

12/11/2011- Mitsouko: (Rare) blind buy (EdP), based upon reviews. (I'm in my 40's, late to fine perfume exploration). I followed the sage advice of several writers here, who instructed that upon initial test-drive, to apply sparingly- And resist the urge to inhale your wrist for at least a half-hour. So, I spritzed, picked up my child at school, stopped to buy milk, picked up the mail @ PO Box, arrived home, and unlocked the door/rushed into the house juggling 2 armloads full of keys, mail, heavy milk plastic bag handles (twisted around my wrist, cutting off circulation), child's heavy backpack, lunchbag, my own travel coffee cup, w/ everything about to crash to the floor... As I tried to (quickly) set items down on the table- without stopping- (umhh, I was urgently en-route to my bathroom!)- My H20 bottle almost toppled over. So, without thinking, I momentarily took a split-second 1/4 step back to stabilize my water bottle, & then continued rushing back into my own "wake" (of surrounding air)... BAM-A-WHAM-A! I was STUNNED by this breathtakingly beautiful, delicate, ethereal fragrance. It literally STOPPED me in my tracks. Momentarily, I was so stunned & disoriented by the beauty of the scent, I completely forgot myself- Had no idea what the incredible scent source was- Could only marvel in it's luxuriant indulgence... Then it suddenly dawned on my foggy brain, that it was me, wearing Mitsouko! (Sr. moment, I guess!)


From there, life got only better, over the next 18 hours-ish. This fragrance, I thought, is indeed one of God's wonder's- Magic & Majestic! I know that fine perfumes are **supposed to** reveal their notes, overlapping & consecutively, during wear- But I've never experienced such an indescribably gorgeous fragrance emergence :) Each stage (? not sure of correct terminology?) transitioned seamlessly, yielding ever-more-stunning scent-sation. At 5am next morning, during the instant/moment bordering sleep/wake, my 1st dream/wake sensation was a GORGEOUS aura of scent, delicate, but omni-present- This dry-down is like nothing I've ever experienced. Words cannot describe. Likewise, the entire duration of Mitsy was magically mysterious, absolutely riveting.


Needless to say, Mitsy Parfum is at the top of my Christmas wish-list! More costly than any fragrance I've ever had the priviledge to wear, but all I need is a small application, & will layer the EdP w/ Parfum. Other reviewers are so much more concise & articulate than I- One commented that the warm, sun-ripened, (almost over-ripe), luscious peach note is somewhere "far, far away"- Exactly! This is not my teen daughter's fruity gourmand fragrance (Miss Dior Cherie, Viva la Juicy, Aqualina Pink Sugar, Victor & Rolf Flowerbomb, etc.) Finally, I've arrived -
Classic fragrance w/ a whisper (Thx, caribou55313) of treasured fruit preserve / dried fruit, done right.


For reference, after 3 decades of #5 (after Love's Baby Soft/teen years), my other "discoveries" thus far: Miss Dior, Dioressence, Chanel #19 (sadly, just reformulated to "Poudre"- Summer 2011), Diorissimo, Patou Joy, L'anvin Arpege (never heard of it 'till recently), Gucci Envy (also d/c'd), Guerlain Vol de Nuit (barely sniffed it), Caron Alpona (d/c'd). I find I'm unable to tolerate too much Vanilla in any frag. (Thus, cannot tolerate Shalimar). Have tried/dismissed Caron Fleurs de Rocaille & Bellodgia (nice on others, just not for me). Hope to find samples of Guerlain L'heure Blue, Vol de Nuit, & Apres L'Ondee, (I've sampled/dismissed L'Instant- Waaay too intense powder scent)- I also hope to sample some more Caron's, & hoping someday to find a wide sampling of Serge Lutens (I don't reside near a major city, and travel to a major city isn't realistic for me). I can maybe afford 6-8 or so small samples from TPC, but would like to be discriminate w/ choices. Seeking suggestions? Thx for reading this Novel :) Happy Holidays!

A long time ago I ran across a new word in a book by Starhawk. It was "poemagogic"...referring to a slippery,shapeshifting, dreamlike quality that eludes the minds attempt to conceptualize something.

Mitsouko is like that...because she is a poem in fragrance. She opens with bittersweet green spice and cool reserve, then mellows to reveal warmth and peach notes mixed with soft floral. She doesn't devolve into something linear...there is always that sense of layers and depth, and new possibilities to be revealed. She seems soft, and yet clings with tenacity, never confusing gentleness with weakness.

Not easy to get to know but never boring, Mitsouko suggests an intelligent and artistic persona.

I have used "she"...but I might like to smell this one on a man, too.

This deserves to be known as one of the great fragrances...truly excellent and very satisfying.

This was EDP.

Misouko is one of the few classic fragrances that I fell in love with at first sniff. It is a contemplative fragrance, and makes me think of fall, dark velvet, and rainy days spent in old libraries. The powdery peach softens and balances the spices and moss, and the whole is so much more than the sum of its parts. If the reformulation is this good, I can only imagine how beautiful the original was.

I wouldn't call this one old fashioned at all. I would call it timeless. It has a yearning, poignant, golden, smoky autumn day feel about it. It doesn't have the overpowering headache/nausea inducing fist of so many modern perfumes. Instead it unwinds around the wearer like a delicate pale golden ribbon. It has pure class and timeless subtlety. It's my perfume of choice to take me anywhere.

Mitsouko is a perfume that comes up definitively as one of the perfumes that is a must sniff for every budding perfumista. So I dutifully ordered my parfum samples of all the Guerlain classics. While Shalimar was easier for me to understand, Mitsouko took some time but when I got it...I was rendered speechless. That peach is to die for!!! And I find myself drawn to want a full bottle of it more so than Shalimar.
In a world with a common vocabulary of OMG, LOL, IDK, SMH, TMI, people will refer to this as old lady, as derogatory as that is...because they have no other reference. It really is not their fault, being fed a constant diet of sugar, super clean, and/or fresh, instant gratification, the tendency to overshare, and quick and easy.
It's my wish we lived in a world where refined, classic values, mystery, introspection, and deep thought were more normal. I've read reviews that this reminds people of libraries and old books. One of my favorite places to be are bookstores which could be why Mitsouko speaks to me.
I know others will look at me funny when I wear this. I don't care. I know that the WTF look is due to lack of exposure not because it isn't devine. I'll just LMAO:) but I would wear Mitsouko with pride. Maybe one day they'll get it too. Maybe one day this style of fragrance will be more normal. Maybe...one day.

Syracusa, yes but sometimes even Monica Belluci likes to wear the not so erotic perfumes from time to time, lol

As a perfume lover who could actually live in a Samsara bottle (and Shalimar too) I was a bit disappointed with Mitsouko. Too soft, too understated, too devoid of glory and personality...I guess yes...I can almost see a quiet, submissive, old-fashioned, almost asexual Asian woman here. In Samsara...I see Monica Belucci or some other God's Gift to Men.
This one is just too quiet and washed out for me.

EDP Review--New Bottle

I'm not trying to tell anyone what to do, but this is the way to wear this perfume: Give ONE good spray to the wrist, distribute to skin appropriately, and stand back. Do not wrist-sniff in the first hour. Just let it all settle. If you do get really close, you will smell strange things indeed, some good, some not so good, but these things add to the mystery and are a general undercurrent of the whole perfume.

MITSOUKO will bloom all around you, it smells sweet and slightly spicy, and it gets fresher as it wears. The peach itself ripens pleasantly as it wears on your skin.

That's all I'm going to say about the notes. What is important about this fragrance is what it does.
It wears for 12+ hours with one spray.
It lets itself be known, it is not shy or discreet. It really, really changes throughout all stages of wear, instead of petering out to some base skin scent in 2 hours.
It cannot be confused with anything else.

So basically MITSOUKO is yeah, old fashioned. It is so well composed that it fairly slaps modern perfume conventions in the face. That's why I love it.

I made a blind purchase as I bought an eau de parfum bottle from internet without smelling it first. I was convinced to like it. So, I did!! It is musky, warm to my skin, and not fruity. I'm trying to discover peach or citruses, but I can't. Nevertheless, I like it's bitterness, chypre character, and it's woody notes. It is a perfum for anyone, but definately, is for me!

mitsouko is a mystery to me. i don't get peach or rose, or anything distinct, really. i guess i'm with takemyhusband. i want to understand why so many people think this is such a masterpiece. what am i missing?

I love this of all perfumes- it has been part of my life. It is the perfume my mother wore, and it is my most frequently worn perfume-sadly the new formulation doesn''t evoke quite the same feelings for me (although I still love it) I can't be too analytical about this because I am so used to it-other reviewers have described it wonderfully. I have it in every formulation but I would say EDP would be the best representation if you were having to choose. My favourite combination is EDP topped with the perfume (but leave it for 30 minutes before it settles - and at least an hour if you are going to eat- it is a bit overwhelming at first but settles beautifully)

Weird beyond belief. I love its uniqueness, as I haven't encountered another one to smell like it. It's green, sour, bitter, pungent, almost repulsive, yet there is something of a hidden beauty and mystery inside that bottle that makes me love it. I cannot explain.
It almost falls into the same category as Bandit, which I love with all my heart, but I cannot wear often. Still, Mitsouko is a bit more approachable, feminine. The bottle is so gorgeous and nostalgic! Silage and lasting power are amazing on me, I have the edp.
For some reason, it goes well with black clothes, smoke, and red lipstick. Possibly with a glass of cognac too, or a whole bottle...oh, and of course, a very handsome and manly man nearby...
Or one can just spray it hopelessly all over anything else, and imagine the whole scene :)

I expected a lot of Mitsouko, maybe more than reasonable, but it gets rave reviews. So I thought that it would be an exciting perfume.
It's uniquely mysterious with a sourish fruity tone. At first its striking, but soon the sourness turns dreary and depressing. It certainly has a power of its own. But a masterpiece?
It's striking and perhaps a work of art, but exciting it ain't. It's sulky and negative. I'm missing the buzz I get from perfumes such as Womanity and Bandit and L'Heure Bleue. Even when they are melancholy they have an air of vivacity and allure.

Mitsouko is the only perfume I've ever owned that communicates with me. I will smell whiffs of it when I'm not wearing it or near anything or anyone that could have come in contact with it. Although I can conjure up the smell of any number of perfumes in my head, Mitsouko is the only fragrance that will spontaneously come to me out of the blue, with no thought on my part. Usually, this happens when I haven't worn it in a while, as if it's reminding me of what I've been missing.

IMO, apart from Coty's Chypre, this is the standard for chypre perfumes in general. I love it, and like Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez, will (hopefully) always have some with me. Like others, I lament the compositional changes to it - but I'm also glad it's still around and hasn't fallen to such drastic lows as other reformulations from other houses (i.e., Cabochard, Tabu, Opium, etc.). It still, more or less, is good old Mitsouko - and the extrait version still has some of the magic it once had in the past. The EDP is also very good - although I do admit to tampering with it occasionally and adding a couple tiny touches of real oakmoss and aldehyde C14 to decanted portions. It's one of those fragrances that seem to be appropriate for any occasion and any mood or season.

To address Abyss1001 and the analogy of wine turning to vinegar - yes, Mitsouko is a rather temperamental scent and if not stored properly (and sometimes even IF it's stored properly) the top notes can become rather distorted and sometimes even rancid or "off" smelling. So, when buying vintage examples of Mitsouko, it's best to know your sources and to make sure THEY know the history of what they're selling. I have several beautiful bottles that look gorgeous, but smell rather weird - but have found that a careful "airing out" can help dissipate some of the funky notes and bring out some of the former glory. Additionally, a tiny touch of diluted aldehyde C14 (the peach note - from Perfumers Apprentice) can breathe some life back into these older bottles.

For those who think that the extrait and EDP are too strong, I would suggest finding a well-kept bottle of the EDC - it has a much livelier peach and "church floor wax" accord and the oakmossy drydown is just perfect and has a perfect sillage & lifespan too.

I originally owned this scent about 5 years ago, when I got the vintage EDP for £9! I didn't like it back then and gave it to my mum who gladly used it up.
Bored in Liverpool St station the other night, I decided to pop into Boots and have a 'sniff'. Well, I tried Mitsouko in the EDT and absolutely loved it, it's everything I wanted it to be first time round. It's like a thoughtful version of Rochas Femme, I think maybe as I've bought Shalimar and L'Heure Bleue since I gave Mitsouko away, that I've started to 'get' Guerlain. One way or another, Mitsouko is now firmly back on my want list along with Vol De Nuit. Long live these wonderful time capsules.

Is it possible for this fragrance (or any, for that matter...) to spoil..much like wine can turn to vinegar? I ask because after hearing all these wonderful things about Mitsouko a few years back, I purchased a bottle and upon first spray, just felt totally sick and repulsed. I love Guerlain...and this really threw me. It smelled like a moldy, musty basement. I never detected the peach (which I love) or anything else positive about it... I re-sold the bottle on Ebay. I am wondering if anyone else has ever had this experience or is it just me...haha... I adore most perfumes and am quite adventuresome in trying them...but this was an unpleasant shocker.... Sad.

Dear White, sorry to know Mitsouko doesn't works well on your skin or nose. Different nose smells different, so no need to be upset. To me it smell like high quality aloewood. It might not suits my taste other people may like it, that's why it can stands for decades in the market. Hope you find your ideal perfume soon.

Dear White, so you don't like Mitsouko, other people do. perfume is subjective, there's no need to be insulting towards people who DO like things you don't. surely there is room for all opinions?

Yes, I like it. Yes, I own it. No, I am not making my opinion based solely on a picture without trying it, what would be the point of that?

Bought a small sample of this. It smells very nice, bitter and green in a nice way. Im having trouble convincing myself to buy a bottle though seeing as the sample was only detectable on my skin for a few minutes and i find myself putting something else on ten later. I think the problem is that this is a scent that needs to be sprayed to aerate properly and be detectable. Mine was just a small splash vial :-( anyone have any insider info as to whether it would get better as a spray?

Mitsouko Eau De Parfum

Mitsouko is a bold fragrance. It is very noticeable, overflowing with personality, flamboyantly quirky. I don’t know about the eerie deathly vibe that some people mention, I suppose that the first few seconds of my first try I might have understood why people say that, but I never felt that way about Mitsouko again after I got past it on that first try. To the contrary, it is quite lively. There’s this spicy sweetness that wafts stronger and stronger, I’ve never known a fragrance that actually gained strength after the opening before I tried Mitsouko. Because it is so strong, it might be hard to make friends with Mitsouko, but by virtue of being interesting and different, it is something that one might be tempted to try more than once. No one has to love it on their first try.

The thing that characterizes Mitsouko the most for me is Cinnamon. Maybe it’s stronger in this concentration, I couldn’t say, but it pervades the entire fragrance, mingling with the scent of spicy roses and the oak moss that adds an air of damp earth to the experience. The floral notes are not typical here, I must say. It’s more like a potpourri scent, dried flowers... But I don’t equate this scent with death or decay, because even dried flowers can smell lovely. It’s not so much deathly as it is a stillness, something that escapes that darker realm and sticks around to grace us longer still with tendrils of spice and rose.

Mitsouko maintains this firmly medium strength scent for hours and hours, at least four or five, and it is lovely. Overall, to me this doesn’t feel innocent like some people say, it feels a bit nostalgic, like it is displaced in time. This is likely why it is a hard one to understand for many. It conjures the image of dried leaves spinning around on the grass, caught in a circular gust of cold wind in late October. Life playing with something of the past. The flowers may have perished, the scent of fruit maybe be elusive, but Cinnamon breathes warmth and depth into an otherwise still scene. This is beautiful for Autumn and Winter, it’s a gorgeous way of counterbalancing that cold, sometimes dull time of year. It might be a little musty, strangely spicy, but it certainly has enough character to capture the imagination.

I have this parfume in my closet 4 some time,but lately i gone back to it.My problem with parfums is that i can't seem to find my singnature frag...but now i seem to find it...is Mitsouko...this one is exaclty like me:playfull,elegant,misterios,sharp,independent...i don't think it's just 4 special ocassions only..although it is very strong...love 4 ever

Mitsouko is synonimous of chic simplicity. An abstract scent for a dreamy and artistic lady. Mitsouko putted a spell on me since first sniff.
Like Shalimar Mitsouko is totally modern but classic at the same time, wearable in all seasons I believe, but I think its perfect for a rainy day in spring. Mitsouko reminds me of a river, I dont know why. I think its because its such a calm perfume, sad in a way, pale, but very very beautifull.
The oakmoss note is beautifull and it reminds me the oakmoss of Femme Rochas, but when Femme is drowned in syrupy plums (its also a favourite for me but very hard to use it) Mitsouko its fresh, herbal and vibrant in every way. The story above does relates with the scent, Mitsouko is the scent of a women waiting for her loved one.
In the first hour Mitsouko is very loud on me but after that, it calms down to a very pretty, somewhat laudry/soapy peach smell thats is extremely feminine.
Like Shalimar, another great, wearable and REAL perfume that is a burst of beauty in this plastic world.

9.5/10

EDP
No other perfume has such a Jekyll and Hyde character as this. It seems to be completely different and unique to everybody so sampling on your own skin is a MUST. It’s like the mood ring of fragrance, a complete chameleon! Some days she’s kinda off and sour, on others she’s sweet and kicking.

Mitsuoko opens with sweet candied peach, yum! I very much this side to her, so modern and bright, followed by soft spices and a rose-jasmine accord. As the base draws closer, smoky moss makes its presence known, a total 180 effect when you smell fresh from the cap, if you like your scents linear, forget this one!
It is upbeat, bohemian yet sophisticated, befitting the fresh NEW mood, emancipation and energy of post ww1 flappers. M’ definitely personifies the Fruity-Chypre category and is a ‘cool’ scent best used as a signature. The whole thing is just so wearable for anybody of any age or gender, but to me it smells quite young and fruity and would fit a young, very fashionable woman who’s moving on from Miss Dior C’/Coco M’, yet still hasn’t lost her sweet tooth. Can a guy wear this? Yes! It opens girly, optimistic and sweet, but closes Smokey and masculine.

M’ may well be nearing 100 (I wonder what, if anything Guerlain has planned?) but feels modern and contemporary. After years of butchery, M’ was reformulated in 2007 and the current juice is the closest to the original scent, so sample it now!

*My review is for the EDP, the EDT is greener, lighter and a little sour, ‘bug spray’ it is not, but the EDP is light years better.

I tried a sample of the EDT and within minutes it went for a sourish peach to zero! How sad! Maybe I will have the chance to try the EDP and know what a lovely scent this really is?

I love it I love it I LOVE IT! At first I thought "Wow, it smells like something my mom used to wear in the 60's" (either "My Sin" or "Evening in Paris". Can't recall which) It is NOT what I expected (thought it would be spicier). I just CAN'T stop sniffing my wrist.....

I found my "signature" scent........

On a whim more than anything I bought a sample of the EDP thinking, "I probably won't like it; it will be too heavy for me." I was 100% wrong. This is wonderful stuff and I think I may have found my replacement for Detchema, the scent I've worn for at least 30 years and still love -- but find it nearly impossible to find and the reformulated version lacks the magic of the "old" Detchema of the 50s and 60s.

I wore Mitsouko when I attended an international meeting for the very first time. The meeting brought in over 60 people from all over the world, most of them being long-time experts in their fields. And there I was - 24 at the time - sitting around the negotiating table and helping organize the event. While the people were very polite, I could feel the stares and the questioning looks in my direction. Every time I got a whiff of Mitsouko though, it gave me such peace and calm confidence. The chypre encourages you to throw your shoulders back and give a withering look to anyone in your path. The peach softens the fierce 80s shoulder pads and entices you to languidly sit back, with an eyebrow arched. To me, this fragrance is the epitome of strength with a touch of classy arrogance. I can only wish to grow into the woman that is Mitsouko.

I am not going to bother going over what it is or trying to capture it in words, it is all said by others. I will say what it is for me.
I wear this on quiet 'doing nothing else' days, for my own personal pleasure only. 'Wear' is the wrong word, I experience it, I savour the revelations, the richness, the autumn colours it portrays. Mitsouko is a story, I sit and contemplate each facet as it reveals itself.
Apologies for the poetic arty nonsense, but this is art!

I had to adjust my old review because a strange thing has happened. I have fallen in love! Head over heels in crazy, can't-do-without-each-other love. I suppose it just took time for Mitsouko and be to really understand each other. I put on some of the parfum yesterday, and it all became clear: The peach skin, the incense, the jasmine heart, the mossy base. They all come together to create a golden, protective aura. Mitsouko is an autumn day that starts with a cold rain and ends in a glorious sunset. I will never be without it again!

Don't believe anyone who tells you Mitsouko is an old lady.
Mitsouko (the EdT) is a seventeen year old running barefoot through the sun drenched woods of waning summer, her green chiffon dress clinging to the graceful willowy body still wet from a dip in the soon to turn cold water of the forest lake. One moment she is full of joie de vivre, looking forward to all the wonderful things that are going to happen with her, anxious to shed the last remnants of adolescence and step into womanhood. The next she is pensive and brooding like overcast skies. And later yet, she's soft, quiet, perfectly poised and confident.

It amazes me, almost scares, that someone was able to capture this elusive essence of ever changing femininity in fragrance.

This is more than a perfume.

after about twenty minutes, I could not smell anything. I am not sure what happened, maybe my sample was not very good. However until it all faded,I did like it.

Mitsouko (Parfum) starts with a really typical pre-1950s charm which is quite medicine-y-rooty-patchoulli-y sweet with a twist of chypre sweetness (which I also find in Miss Dior).
Then it gets sweeter, in a gourmand, peach-jerky fashion. Somehow it makes me think of the smell of some dim Asian spicy and grocery shops in Chinatown back in the 90s. This is not my usual taste, but it does give me a weird yet comforting déjà vu.


As the perfume gets warmed up, it gets sweeter jerky-peachy in a winey sweet fashion plus a bit deep dry wood background.

Towards the final dry down, I can smell a bit floral hint, mixed well with the above patchouli-rooty-sweet and jerky-peach smell.

Even though I don’t think I have any occasions I would be able to pull this Parfum off, I still admire how it smells so beautiful and confidently melancholy and nostalgic.



Mitsouko(EDT) is nearly a totally different story. in comparison with the Parfum version, EDT is much much thinner and sharper; as if one is a winter coat while the other is a chiffon dress for summer.
The EDT starts quite watery, dried, slightly sour jerky peach-y, with a jerky-peach-pit woody undertone surrounded by even fainter dusty floral scent(which is quite similar to what the incensy smokey smell Original Zen by Shiseido smells like).


Later on, the EDT gets dry-sour peachy and woodier, with a really Anais Anais/Original Zen kinda floral swirl. However the dried peachy woody scent is so solid which feels as if I was inhaling old wood particles at some stage (not bad tho, but…it feels physically not that smooth). And finally it dries to a smoother version of the above, with the peach comes and goes.



Tried Parfum and EDT, I personally like the Parfum more, it’s grand, bold, yet has the elegant lady-like charm, even tho the beginning might make the Parfum version a bit too strong and medicine-y, just wait and see, you might be intrigued by the beautiful body and dry out.
While EDT is seemingly easier to wear, it feels thin and lacks of the ease, the confidence and the big personality. Maybe inappropriate, but…if the Parfum was Angelina Jolie on red carpet, with somehow seemingly effortless glamour; then EDT is like Megan Fox having a great magazine cover photo taken.
Although like them both, I would always go for the former.

Worth trying (even if it’s not really your thing because it smells really classic)!

This isn't a review because I haven't smelled it yet (???) but this perfume has brought me back into the world of scents! I stumbled across a vintage bottle for sale on-line (I had never heard of it) and when I looked for information on it, I read the reviews on here and simply HAD to try it! I can't WAIT to get it! It just sounds so intriguing! Strangely enough, AFTER reading everything, it seems to have a lot of notes in common with other scents I USED to wear (haven't worn scent in literally 20 years! I think I am a "super sniffer" and I gave up on wearing anything) I'll repost when I get it!

Fingers crossed I fall in love!!!!

The Eau De Parfum is the true Mitsouko that reveals all it's deep secrets - it leaves a long trail.

The extract(pure concentrate)needs literally just drops on selected pulse points to unveil it's story throughout the day - strong enough to be enjoyed yet never dowsed on skin as to over power those around the wearer.

The extract is the truest version of the original Mitsouko that was created.

@Grottola, very well said.

IMO Mitsouko is not for the casual perfume wearer looking for something pleasant and sweet, but rather for the serious perfume connoisseur. For me, it's something that is interesting to smell, but not a scent I want to wear to express myself. It is challenging rather than soothing, thought-provoking rather than comforting. A work of art in a bottle to be respected like all classic works of art.

Don't worry about the various reformulations or concentrations.

Bottom line is, Mitsouko still smells like Mitsouko. There are many descriptions I could give it, but really it's a fragrance that you'll have to smell for yourself and see how you react to it.

I know this much - it's the first thing I think of when I hear the word "chypre" or think about that "chypre" smell. If you like fragrances, then smell Mitsouko. No matter how old you are, whether you're male or female.

Get to know it now, because one day we may not have these quality fragrances anymore.

A very daring scent. Love it!

Decaying leaves
Whispers
White paste makeup
The fuzzy skin of an early peach
An autumn breeze
The powder of a moth's wing
Demure eroticism
A woman's unwashed hair
Faded letters
Peach candies
A hidden rose


Its a very "personal" scent, even a bit creepy, like spraying someone's else's body scent on your own skin. After about 25-30 minutes the ghost came to life! I could smell peach candy at one point and then silky, pale, living flesh! Unnerving! Then everything faded back into decay; a bittersweet memory. A work of art, but for me not wearable due to its fusty aura.

I believe this was the 2nd true chypre, The class is rather simple originating in classical legend. The base for every chypre to follow was vetiver, patcholi and oakmoss. Mitsouko takes a few hours to reveal itself, which made it so special. Then comes the redolent heart of lilac, ylang-rose and jasmine. It would last for hours! The peach had a dried quality to it. You noticed the skin, pulp and pit at times.

That was the mystery of Mitsouko. It was launched in 1919 to celebrate the end of the War. It helped the 1920s roar. It inspired a few others within the class. The original is now sadly lost...

A friend gave me a bottle of Mitsouko for Christmas some time ago, and I loved it. I purchased a second bottle, but somehow it didn't do the same for me as the first one. It conjures up feelings of melancholy - it's not a happy or vibrant fragrance. I know I'm in the minority who aren't in love with Mitsouko. Sorry, I'm no longer a huge fan.

A potent, refined and elegant scent, this is a little too mature for my skin chemistry but I'll certainly be revisiting Mitsouko in the future.

I get notes of powdery woods and nuts, ginger, opium, and dark citrus. On me, it never quite gels and remains dissonant. I find Caron Nuit de Noel similar in its creamy woods, but more unified.

When I smelled Mitsouko the first time I was a teenager and fond of sweet fruity scents. This Guerlain classic was not for me back then. I hated the scent.
Now, many many years after my teenage years I re-discovered Mitsouko and I love the stuff. Mysterious and dark but at the same time a bit playful and flirtatious. What a mixture !
You need to like chypres, of course, if you wear this scent. This wonderful concoction is not for floral-lovers or for the aquatic girls.
M. is woody, slightly floral and ambery-musky. Creamy soft but noticeable.
It is a warm and welcoming, embracing fragrance. This Japanese perfume lady waited for me - and I waited for her. She was more than worth the wait.

I got this bottle mainly because of the difference in reviews. Actually, I was a bit afraid to buy it and even to put it on...

But, wow, what a scent.
First I got this soapy scent, which I enjoyed but there was this odd thing I noticed.

After a while I knew what it was: clove!
Actually, I hate clove in my cheese (yes, in Holland there is clove-cheese) or any food, but into a scent... it's divine!

I have a new ''love''-it on my shelve.

Nice enough, but over-hyped. Fresh, zingy and fruity over a woody, powdery base. I have nothing against it but there's nothing about it that makes me want to wear it either.

As many other reviewers have already said, this is one of those fragrances that lulls you into a false sense of security and then hits you between the eyes. At first, it smells innocent and shy but there is already an edge that promises more to come.

My ex-partner bought me this one summer when we were down in Brighton, and I remember thinking I didn't like it all that much when I first put it on. I didn't think it would last long but once you get over a certain harshness immediately after application, it melts into your skin and leaves a sultry, sexy and very intoxicating scent that, to me anyway, always seems hard to pin down. It's one of those oriental fragrances that seem to slip round the corner just eluding your grasp, but leave a lingering, heady feeling that you're in the middle of something exotic and slightly dangerous. Essence of sophistication in a bottle.

I won't try to repeat what's already been said, but I can describe my own experience with this.

I ordered a sample among many from the Perfumed Court after reading Perfume: The Guide. The first sniff was about halfway between "eh" and "wtf" for me. I put it down for a while and smelled other things, but kept coming back for a sniff here and there, sometimes just from reading the hype, sometimes for no reason at all, noticing different notes, sometimes catching a lot of lemon custard.

I used up the 1ml sample, and without really liking it so much as being intrigued, ordered a decant. Tried wearing it a couple of times, still feeling like I'm not getting it.

One day a ylang-oakmoss accord in another scent reminded me of Mitsouko, so I went to try it on again...suddenly, LOVE happened. Quickly followed by addiction. This is the first time I ever looked forward to getting home from work just to put on a perfume. I end up sniffing my wrist again and again, to fall into that bottomless velvet cream plush. Remembering the initial eh/wtf reaction, I would feel funny wearing this to work but maybe I'll get over it.

This is love on the level where I'm angsting over the idea of wearing it too much and burning out the pleasure circuits, yet at the same time feeling like nothing else can stand up to this. I want to take a bath in this stuff. So I guess you can sign me up for the lifetime supply of Kool-Aid now.

I hope this doesn't count as spam, but god bless The Perfumed Court, because there's no other way I could have had this experience. I've never seen a tester or a mini of this, even in Neiman's.

This review is for the EDP, not the EDT. The two are very different.

This review is of the vintage Mitsouko Eau de Cologne.

Mitsouko opens with a blast of peach, bergamot, rose, and spices with a weird lettuce-esque smell underneath it all. Once it settles down after a few seconds, a fuzzy peach, some peppery spicy notes, and a faint hint of indolic jasmine over a woody oakmoss base are what I smell. After about half an hour, the peach fades away gradually and the spices, woods, indolic notes, and oakmoss remain, slowly but surely. It has a very full, "plush" feel to it. This stage lasts for hours, a surprise for an Eau de Cologne. It is also at this point that I am somewhat reminded of Patou Pour Homme (also in the opening with the peppery notes), but quite faintly.

Mitsouko is a fragrant masterpiece, and now in my top 5. It truly is beyond gender, and just smells freakin' delish. It's not the kind of fragrance you would have to adapt to - it will adapt to you, and you can make it YOUR fragrance. Beyond gender, beyond season, beyond age, beyond time, and beyond great.

This seems to be a love/hate one. I hate it. Horribly sharp and then seemed to just become powdery. I have read it has been reformulated, which never bodes well. I liked the bottle but the stuff in it is just weird.

I expected a lot from this fragrance with its history and the laudatory reviews from L. Turin and C. Burr. At first sniff I was intrigued. It didn't smell too dated--but had a more classic air about it (dated and classic can be sooo different). While I was expecting a lot, I wasn't sure that it would be something I loved. I decided to first spritz it on a sticky note before I attemped to smell it on my skin. It smelled good on paper so I decided to take the plunge, fearing that if I didn't like it, it would be strong and difficult to scrub. Five minutes in I liked it, but after that I had a terrible reaction to it. I couldn't stop coughing--hacking, really, and deciding the perfume was the culprit, I tried to scrub it off. My hacking continued and then finally subsided. Afterward I decided to investigate what might've caused my strong reaction and I believe it is the oakmoss. I don't know if it really has oakmoss extract/oil or whatnot, but there is a lot of literature detailing sensitivities to oakmoss. I will never put it on again, and I'm sad that I couldn't enjoy this classic.

This is quite an intense fragrance, you need to ensure you don't overuse as it could be a little too strong. It is the fragrance that I wear when I am going out to something special. Charlie Chaplin used to wear this all the time apparently.

My first impression in the store was one of uncompromising irksomeness. Why would anyone want to smell of pungent grass? I wondered. But after some study of the perfume (the movie star Ingrid Bergman apparently wore it), I went and bought it, wanting an everyday perfume that was not too sweetly floral.

Well that morning all through work I walked with a lovely, lovely lady from the 1940s - strong enough not to have to depend on beguiling men, yet exquisitely feminine. The mixture of spices and woods add a kind of fresh air and outdoors evocation of hay and grasses substance to the perfume - like a woman in overalls rolling up her sleeves and getting to work. Yet the beautiful combination of citrus, peach, jasmine and rose shine through after a while like clear glassy sunshine.

I wore Mitsouko everyday on a recent holiday in the country and it blended in perfectly without screaming 'I'm here!' the way certain modern chypres do. In fact it could go anywhere - for casual as well as more glam occasions. Though when going casual, be sure to wear beautiful lingerie underneath and Mitsouko will treat you with the respect you deserve.

Regardless of what you may read elsewhere, MITSOUKO was created for Serge Diaghilev, impresario of the Russian Ballet, who died in 1927 and is buried on the Isle of the Dead in Venice. Stravinsky is buried beside him.

If you can't wear MITSOUKO because your friends recoil, it's because you've no idea of how to apply MITSOUKO - and I will guarantee that you won't be able to wear FRACAS either. These great scents require an experimental, delicate and distant hand if they are to be appreciated - a squirt will never, never do...

I'm not familiar with the history of Mitsouko, but after reading fragrantica reviews I decided to buy a small sample bottle. I purchased the EDT. The first thing I noticed was that there was no immediate aldehyde smack in the face when wafted directly from the bottle. The opening sent was similar to talc and this transferred directly onto my skin- soft, gentle talc. After about fifteen minutes, the talc gave way to vetiver, and I was reminded immediately of the ex-patriot women I met in Papua New Guinea. Images of strict and hardened women- ancient nurses who stayed behind after the war to serve and heal the communities who supported them. The dry down is quite nostalgic- vetiver settles, talc revives and creamy, musky amber steps forward. Mitsouko is a beautiful, inoffensive sent... for someone else, in another time and place.

Mitsouko is a classic, most definitely. I can't and will not even attempt to top some of the wonderful reviews below, but I will add a little something on how I feel about this fragrance.

Mitsouko is green leaves with a light coating of dry cinnamon, jasmine coming in soon after, based with oakmoss and vetiver. There are other notes listed, but these are the one's I pick up.

I am a huge fan of "The Lord Of The Rings", and Mitsouko reminds me of that movie for some reason. The fragrance is quite dark and housed with mystery, much like those movies. Something Frodo would have worn on his many adventures and long journey. 1919 has been sometime ago, yet Mitsouko remains on the market. That didn't happen because they needed to fill shelf space, it happened because this perfume is and will always be a true classic.

Fact: Mitsouko was artist, Niki De Saint Phalle's signature perfume, and in the spring of 1982, she would go on to release what has become an 80's cult classic, "Niki De Saint Phalle", in honor of her beloved Mitsouko. Two of my favorite fragrances ever, both wonderful and much loved green floral chypres.

There's not much that I can write that hasn't been written here already about Mitsouko. Timeless, ageless, classic. I own a bottle of the current EDP and a micro mini of the vintage parfum, both beautiful although they differ a little from each other. The current EDP is slightly sharper, the vintage parfum is creamy and soft without only a bit of sharpness. The EDT is the sharpest of them all. I don't recommend the EDT. They all possess the aroma of fresh peach and flowers upon a luxurious bed of moss and vetiver.

Whenever I wear Mitsouko I feel like a queen, even if I'm wearing jeans and sneakers and just running errands, it makes me feel elegant and dressed up no matter what.

One of these days I'm going to get my hands on a bottle of the vintage parfum, my little micro mini isn't going to last forever-even though a drop or two is enough at a time. Until then I have the EDP to carry me over.

Ick. I'm one of the ones who "doesn't get it". I tried this on, and co-workers actually recoiled and leaned backward when I tried to talk to them. Don’t do that to your friends, family and co-workers! If you're going to wear this scent, make sure other people have the opportunity to get away from you.

Mitsouko is IT!! Almost any other perfume is merely passing the time.

Sometimes things just don't work for you and a frangrance. Probably I am a member of l'Heure Bleu Party (and surely the Jicky one). Still, I prefer when it doesn't work with creations like Mitsouko than when it works perfectly with an easy-to-bear crap!
Some relationships, even if unhappy, leave you wiser and richer and make you remember forever.
Take the risk and at least try Mitsouko.

I love you Mitsouko!!! ;) il migliore!!!

I tried, I really did, multiple times. A thing does not become a classic for no reason so I wanted to see the beauty that everyone else sees in this. I can't. I just can't. Maybe someday I'll get a chance to smell it on someone for whom it works and discover the beauty that way, but on me I get foam rubber, old, stale, cheap perfume, and something...burnt, or maybe it's the foam rubber, left in the sun so long that it's starting to crumble. >sigh

I believe Mitsouko is the epitomy of the genteel nature of a classic Japanese woman--deep, reflective, reticent, considerate, almost to the point of betraying her own heart.

The way this perfume continuously transforms gives this story a certain underlying restlessness, full of character all on its own.

On meeting Mitsouko, I'm greeted with a gentle smile--bright yet with a little austerity.

Then she softens and glows with peach, ylang-ylang and roses in the forefront. Then there's a noticeable scent of patchouli that surfaces as Mitsouko retreats to the shadows.

At this point I'm reminded of Hermes 24, Faubourg. But where 24 flutters away with Botticelli angels, Mitsouko digs her heels firmly into the ground.

Velvety, yet bittersweet is the dry down. Rich oakmoss and dry, earthy vetiver with a pinch of cinnamon that offers a feeling of empathy.

Not entirely my style, but I feel honored to have met this legendary lady.

Mitsouko is my signature fragrance. Before I found Mitsouko I had never had a signature, only a collection of 'perfumes I liked' and a couple I would buy again. I can wear Mitsouko in any situation, in any season. Mitsouko changes and adapts just like I do.

I love many of the Guerlains, especially the older ones but Mitsouko is why I consider Guerlain to be my favourite perfume house. Have you ever been in a mossy forest at night when it rains? Eaten peaches during a thunderstorm? I would throw out the rest of my perfume collection for a tiny bottle of the pure perfume oil. I would cagefight the brilliant Dr. Luca Turin for the last bottle on Earth in the event of an Apocalypse (Read Perfumes the Guide btw, Dr. Turin's review of Mitsouko is excellent).

This scent seems to have no time, it is old and young. I imagine a timetraveller could wear Mitsouko in any age. I am glad that my man loves Mitsouko too, because I would never give it up for anyone *^_^*

I got a bottle of the Mitsouko EDT in a Guerlain miniature collection that I bought in 2000. I loved it and always wanted a vintage bottle of Mitsouko pure perfume before the re-formulation. I found one and paid a small fortune for it. Today I wore it. It smells like cheap bath soap to me and makes me feel really old -- which is hard to do since I am pretty old -- but not this old. Maybe the bottle I bought has turned or wasn't stored properly. Later this week I will wear the EDT from the miniature collection and do a comparison review. Right now I'm stuck with a very expensive bottle of perfume I will never wear again.

Mitsouko- The Queen of Chypres. Don't overlook the vintage Eau de Cologne formulations of this, or any Guerlain,really. They are not insipid and have much character.

I finally made myself courage to say few words about this one.

Mitsouko seems to be one of the most appreciated perfumes by the people that has good taste and knows something about the history of perfumery and about their evolution.
I find Mitsouko a pleasant fragrance that doesn’t scream “I’m here and I’m filling the room with me”.
I really appreciate the uniqueness of this scent and the fact that is a quite equilibrated chypre.

I don’t love perfumes for only being nice smelling, cause even detergent smells beautiful, but I love a perfume if it is unique and has the capacity to melt something in my heart.
I appreciate as well that Mitsouko is still on the market after so many years and that people still wear this, but honestly I think that they are other perfumes that are even better than Mitsouko and that are divine as well.

I know that many of you will say, “oh, look at this peasant, he doesn’t know anything about perfumes, Mitsouko is a sort of Gioconda of perfumes”, but I am not planning to be one of the many people that makes an “elogium” of Mitsouko without serious reasons.
Yes, I appreciate it, yes I like to smell it (not to wear it), but no, I really don’t find it to be THE perfume, to be the alpha and omega of chypres or fragrances in general.
Actually I think L’Heure bleu is better even though it is not a chypre.

The story behind it implied an oriental theme, so I was expecting something like Opium, Misuki, Shalimar, Poison, even a soft oriental like Ombre Rose. It is nothing like that. I do not think it smells like an oriental bouquet at all. I find this perfume to be soft and a little citric, I can definitely smell the fruit in it. I have the older, original version of it, but I'm guessing it's still the same? Anyway, it comes out kind of strong, but that leaves quickly, and I need to use a lot of it; although there are citris notes, it does open up to sharp woodys scent, but that dies down pretty quickly. For me, it doesn't last long on the skin. It is pretty and soft, but not something I love or can't wait to wear. Nothing magical about it. Definitely for a younger woman and day use. And I know this will sound strange, but on me it smells like when you get a fragrance sample in a magazine, they way the paper smells. I know that makes no sense at all, but that's actually what it smells like on me. Anyway, the bottle is nice.

A day in Mitsouko EDP
(Notes from the sample and chat thread)

Yesterday I dabbed on a little Mitsouko EDP from a sample. I didn't have much in the vial, so I wore very little, and very close to the skin.

Chypre isn't my genre. Most of them smell too musty for me. (Jean-Louis Scherrer is the exception--it is a bright chypre--something unusual)

When I first applied Mitsouko, I had my usual reaction: I felt as if I were wearing a classic perfume with a signature that was not my own. As if I had raided a friend's perfume stash. My house guest (HG ) pronounced it "not bad, but old fashioned," then dabbed a little on her wrist to play along.

I registered the peach and rose over that classic mossy base with a "meh" shrug, bundled up in my winter coat, and promptly forgot I was wearing Mitsouko.

Sometime during the first half hour of the film "The King's Speech," HG leaned over and whispered "Smell your wrist. That perfume we tried is getting better."

She was right.
I smelled a gentle dose of patchouli that I'd not noticed before (I'm not sure I'm supposed to smell patchouli, but I do!), a soft amber accord, and far more vetiver than oak moss.The rose and peach had become gentle and almost creamy. The overall effect: soft, rich, elegant.

I still don't think Mitsouko is quite right for me, but I understand why so many people treasure this fragrance. I thought I preferred Chamade--but no longer.

I think of Mitsouko as having clarity and precision, without sharp edges.

[The parfum bottle design is stunning).

It is... perfect. I am in love, no specific note really stands out in this historical perfume that has been around nearly a century. I have not tried the edp but I got a 1oz edt on amazon for 20 dollars and cant wait for it to arrive! Till then my very large sample will have to do (amazon has a set of the "classics" and this along with samsara, shalimar, insolence and l'instant- I love every single one, but this one is special, very wearable and unique. I love fruity chrypes and guerlain hit the nail on the head for what this 21 year old would be perfectly happy to smell this around and on me at all times, it is interesting, not tiring. I would have never bought it if not for guerlains samples, the notes didnt really intrigue me too much but now I find myself a little obsessed with this one. Much more wearable than shalimar, but still has a classic yet modern feel. Timeless and gorgeous, I think I smell some violet, this fragrance is driving me nuts with adoration.

I usually stay away from Guerlain fragrances but was really curious to try Mistouko. Thanks to one of Fragrantica members (thank you, Fruitcake!) I have a chance to indulge in it...
Mitsouko is not an easy fragrance, so to speak, partly because the notes do not seem to do it justice - from the notes you may have an impression of a fruity marmelade, but the whole projection of Mitsouko takes you through the unforgettable journey...
Its projection will get you down on your knees, Mitsouko feels like hundred-dimentional fragrance, it develops on your skin in so many ways!!! Every 10 minutes I sniffed my wrist it smelled different. It felt like a flowerbud reaching the full bloom stage in one day...
Mitsouko has the same personality all day long but seems to make faces and change its moods several times as you wear it all day...
Incredible one, unique one, truly one of the kind.
I expected to possibly like it and wear it every now and then but what I got in return is a feminine ecstasy, a feeling Mitsouko belongs to me...and another great thing???? No women from my work or personal environment wear it. You will not get lost in the crowd wearing the same fragrance...
Me and Mitsouko - till death do us part :-)

Just the perfect fragrance in the world! Luca Turin was right! Thank you Jacques Guerlain! (EDT). Finally I found my perfume!

I was excited to try Mitsouko, considering the high praise it garners. I was also prepared to be disappointed. Few things can live up to so much hype!

Freshly applied, it seemed Mitsouko (I tried the current EDP) was just out of my league. It smelled like an abandoned library: ancient tomes on wooden shelves, dried flowers, and a dusty window looking out into a rainy evening. Strange and evocative, but it's the later stages of this scent that really bowled me over. I'm so used to trying front-loaded fragrances that the slow bloom of Mitsouko caught me off guard. The bergamot does appear before long: a ray of light in the dusty, storybook library, ushering in the unmistakable elegance of a classic chypre. What on earth can I say about this that hasn't been said? Mitsouko really is a masterpiece. The cool breath of lilac adds a chill breeze, the jasmine and rose meld with the austerity of a mossy vetiver and darkly woody drydown. And through it all, the warm, sensual glow of peach. Incredible. The fruitiness is so restrained... not at all like the aggressive fruit notes that plague so many new perfumes. Here the effect of peach adds a beautiful soft hint of juicy sweetness like a candle flame, just barely enough to turn Mitsouko from a chill, untouchable goddess into a woman you can't help but fall in love with... and Mitsouko will love you back, eventually revealing a warm, spicy, sensual resinous embrace that lasts for ages.

I wouldn't say it's timeless, exactly... Mitsouko definitely feels like it is of another age, to me. It also feels really elegant and mature. For the first few hours of wear, I thought that my college student existence just wasn't a match for this perfume, but the longer the scent lingered and warmed up on my skin, the more desperately I loved it. I absolutely need more of this kind of magic in my life.

Mitsouko (current EDP) smells like a dusty library for the first twenty minutes, but after that it smells like a cross between Tresor and Chanel No 19, but better. Peach, spice, green, rose, DEEP. I have the sense of a warm summer day with friends and a cold winter day reading a book by myself- simultaneously.

(Review Edp 2010)


I was prepared to smell something unique, or feel something that I've never felt before, because everybody talks about Mitsouko and It's Magic.

When I first opened the bottle and took a sniff, I had a rare experience when this reminds me in a big way of Rochas 'Femme'. I know Mitsouko and Femme are in the same group of Chipre Fruity Fragrance, but i feel a little disappointed, because I didn't expect both scents were so closely related.

But there's a difference, because Femme smell more like Woody and leathery, and Mitsouko is much less aggressive, and there is certainly a strong presence of jazmin and Rose notes, accompanied by spices. So I feel Mitsouko is more easy to wear than Femme.

When this fragrance slowly start to fade (after 8 hours), i smelt another surprise, my nose Began to detect some similarities between Mitsouko and Miss Dior (vintage)(another Chypre Legend). So I came to the conclusion that Mitsouko should be considered as one of the most imitated perfume of its generation.


Anyway this fragrance is Still the Best Chypre in the world. It has great sillage, strength, and longevity.

Hi.

MITSOUKO is one of the best NIGHT scents.A heavenly feminine elegant scent that evokes wonderful memories as it is a unique part of your personality.It have a timeless appeal which transcends time.Mysterious,Classy,Warm,Heavy, Exquisite,Classic,Generous,Traditional and Unforgettable.

It has Floral-Fruity top notes that reveal Citruses,Peach with a soft spicy touch these lead to the Warm and Mossy base notes ruled by Amber,Okamoss and Vetiver as it has a lot of hidden undertones that seems to come out at different times of Night.It smell makes precious effluvium and transport it to Everyone.

It is strong but not overpowering or obnoxious.Regardless MISSOUKO is a must try,this classic scents possess a charisma that nowaday perfumes are lack it.no doubt it appropriate for COLD EVENINGS and i recommend it to a High Class and Dignified Lady in SPECIAL occasions.Heaven in a Bottle.

Sillage?Great.

Longevity?Magnificent on my skin.

8/10

Thanks to Cereza I tested yesterday the EDT version. And I'm in love, this is faboulous fragrance. My wishlist becomes longer and longer and Mitsuoko is on the top now. It blends with my skin so well. Mitsuoko is sophisticated, subtle and elegant, it made me so happy.

I'm surprised of how much I love this. I put this on my wrist and got intense, sharp scent coming I dislake'd at the first moment. But then when it settled down and started to do it's job - by this I mean working with my skin chemistry - I fell in love. It's very green and a tiny bit sharp, but the flowers and peach together are mixed with sucha a creamy delight, that the "sharp" greeness works only to give some fresh feeling, mostly it's just creamy and comforting fantasy. On me it's very feminine and very french. I can see a dark haired woman, with high heels and little black dress on, with pearls around her neck, cigarette in her mouth, little bit cold look, but very alluring and seductive. The kind of "I know what I want and I always get what I want". This is no gentle, girly perfume, I find this to be a WOMAN perfume, strong, powerful, seductive, loving herself deeply and not caring much what others think.

It's magical.

I'm very happy about the fact that I'm trying this today, because this made my day beautiful. I tested L'Heure Bleu some time ago and it did not work well, but Mitsouko does. It works perfect with my chemistry and I feel very connected to this perfume and I know that at the point when I'll get my hands on the bottle I'll feel very pleased and "myself" wearing this.

I'm still not sure which version I'm sampling, so I'll update this review after Sissi replays what kind of sample did I receive.

UPDATE: Review was for reformulated EDT.

After Dior stopped making Diorama, I moved to Guerlain's Mitsouko EDT and wore it every day for about 15 years and thought I would never need another perfume. Then it seemed to change so I stopped wearing it. I tried the EDT again 2 or 3 years ago, and it was just no good. I probably need to try the EDP or Perfume as Doc Elly and others suggest.

I have never smelled anything like this.
I wanted to love this, as it's Mitsouko, a classic, but somehow I didn't. But I didn't dislike it either. It is so distinctive that it really stays with you.
To me this is the epitome of 'chypre'. I very much smell the oakmoss and ylang ylang and a bit of the peach too. It's dusky and powdery and seems to me to be the 20s distilled and put in a bottle.
I just don't think I'm ready to wear this yet. I look forward to trying this again in about 25 years!

My first impression of Mitsouko was not a good one. It was a blind buy and until the end of the day I wanted it out of the house.
Eight months later I got a sample after a swap and decided to give Mitsouko one more try. It was an EdT version, like the one I had tried before.
The crystal clear vetiver was the first to make an entrance, followed by sweet peach and soft moss, and it was divine!
The perfection took my breath away and I cannot help wondering why on earth had I such a negative reaction the first time!
Mitsouko is a masterpiece and I am so happy to have tested it for the second time! This is a love at second sniff, but oh, how madly in love I am with this fragrance right now!
My point is, if you don't like it at first, try this fragrance again a few months later, give it one more chance to show its beauty, because it is superb.
Now I am a proud owner (again)of the above mentioned EdT.
My husband and my eleven year old son love it and commented how tender and harmonious it was.
I am getting the pure perfume for Christmas.

I am so saddened by the fact that after receiving Mitsouko this past weekend for a wedding, this fragrance is definitely not for me. I don't understand it. I love Guerlain's fragrances...I always have; yet, this definitely did not agree with my chemistry...rather "musty" smelling, nothing "blossomed"...it was just rather flat and musty. I'm sorry to say, it's going back.

Mitsouko is a beautiful perfume. Her history, her Frenchness and above all her smell. I don't know much about all the notes but I do know that on me, she smells gorgeous: subtle, old money associations, cool at the start, warm in the end. Cinnamon and cloves are spices that I love in perfumes and are very prominent in Mitsouko. Over all I find it an unique scent, perfect for the fall with a touch of sadness in it.

I still have a lot to learn about chypres, so it made perfect sense to try one of the world's most famous chypres, Mitsouko.

'Perfumes: The Guide' uses Mitsouko as their chypre reference, hailing it as one of Guerlain's best masterpieces. I'm young, not really a big fan of chypres, however I do agree wholeheartedly on that definition.

Mitsouko is warm, slighty spicy, mossy, citrusy and dry. This fragrance tends to be so complex that it is difficult to pinpoint any particular note at any given time.

While this fragrance may be classic and extremely well-known, there is a sense of timelessness in this fragrance. It doesn't age as it makes an easy transition into a new century.

The classic Guerlain's continue to amaze me. Mitsouko is just as worthy of praise as those very distinguished Shalimar and L'Heure Bleue bottles. It is a pity that Guerlain now produces fragrances that don't live up to its renowned name.

While mostly green, crisp and earthy to my nose, (a scent that I'd also recommend to men), I feel a sense of velvety softness, something that settles on my skin like a harmony of silky florals and creamy goodness. This contradictory experience both confuses me and allures me at the same time.

Perhaps the reason why this fragrance is such a masterpiece is because it can evoke so many different feelings and opinions. Mitsouko is not something I can imagine myself wearing, however it is something that I could have the desire to smell every few seconds if I had the opportunity.

(EDP review)
Since this is described so well below me I’m reviewing how it makes me feel.

Happy.

Danes, they say, are the happiest people in the world. I’m part Danish, and Mitsouko, more than any other scnet, makes me happy. So I tried to determine why.

When I sit and experience Mitsouko, an image floats to mind: springtime in Minnesota, where I grew up.

I remember that I always went trick or treating in a snowmobile suit, because it always snowed before Halloween. It retreated in April, and I’ll save you the math: that’s six months of snow.

As the snowmelt raced for the gutters the grass shoots rushed in the fill the void and the springtime flowers began pushing their way out of the ground.

Sometimes I would run into the retreating snow piles, barefoot and in shorts, and release six months of cooped up frustration: “HA!!! IS THAT THE BEST YOU CAN DO???”

Mitsouko is the best perfumery can do

I have had the EdT version for quite a while and, although I liked it I can’t say that I was blown away, or even particularly impressed. However, I recently got a decant of the EdP and - Wow! What a difference. It makes me wonder if the EdT version that I have is a reformulated one and the EdP an older one. The notes are similar, but the EdP is wonderfully strong and unique. It starts out as a blast of citrus, spices, and flowers, quickly developing a soft peach note that makes it all work together as an incredibly sensual whole. The sharp green notes play against the soft, warm peach and oakmoss in a counterpoint that is absolutely delightful. As soon as I sniffed the EdP I understood why this scent has endured for nearly a century and been praised so highly. Mitsouko is the ultimate chypre, a must-try for every perfumista.

I could not make my mind up about this fragrance, I found it strange unlike any perfume I ever worn. I could smell fruits, spices, woods and a very delicate rose. I stopped smelling my wrists and let this perfume take me on its journey of pure mystery. A strange and very beautiful perfume that will take you on journey that you will never forget. An outstanding classic.

This is my second review on Mitsouko
(the EDT by the way) because now that we're moving on to fall, I took a more 'serious' spritz today.

And wearing it now, Mitsouko is telling me exactly why classic perfumes do distinquish themselves from the modern frags (note the difference: I'd never DARE to call Mitsouko a 'frag' while I don't hesitate to call the modern scents 'frags'...-;)!)

A classic scent like Mitsouko tells me stories and puts images into my head..images of old libraries for instance, of books and of turning pages - Mitsouko makes me smell why I like to look things up in books rather than to surf the Internet...I LOVE the smell of books and I LOVE the time and attention it takes to look things up...asif it does more justice to my curiosity

So to me the difference in wearing a classic scent like Mitsouko or wearing a modern frag, is like taking serious interest in things instead of just googling a bit...

Don't know how to put it otherwise, but the real classic scent-lovers will understand....

tried this one again yesterday and I have to say, as much as I think I should like it, I do not. There is a note of decay in it that makes it a depressing composition to wear. I love the lactonic element which it shares with Rochas' Femme (my favorite) but somehow Mitsouko comes out like Femmes miserable little sister - there is no joy in wearing this - not on me, anyway though usually Chypres' bloom well on me. (this review is for a pre reformulated bottle)

The strangest perfume i have ever come across. I just cannot work out if it is beautiful or repulsive.

Bizarre.

This is a beautiful classic, but unfortunately it just doesn't work for me. Perhaps its the younger generation's slow movement away from chypres that has shaped my fragrance preferences, but Mitsouko just doesn't do it for me.

It starts out rather loud and like hairspray- a classic chemical smell that is the very definition of all chypres, morphs into an old fashion bath powder smell, and then dries down as a beautiful and soft floral that is really unfortunately overshadowed by that hairspray smell.

I won't deny that a part of me just loves this; its classic and sophisticated and elegant. Like a quiet love story softly blossoming across the skin. It's downfall for me was the chypre; no matter how beautiful the floral is, it is just too drowned out beneath the chypre ingredients and I cannot forgive that hairspray smell.

If there were a version of Mitsouko with no chypres, I can see it doing very very well on the market today among the younger generation. As it is, I suppose this will remain appreciated among a few select classic fragrance appreciators, as well as on my shelf for the occasional sniff and dream of what might have been. Oh Mitsouko, how I wish we were meant to be.

An epic tale in minimalistic detail with
clean sinuous lines reminiscent of Art
nouveau made from an Occidental point of view of an Shinto temples of the island
of Japan and an austere elegance.

the note of Oakmoss predominates much of
this scent drying in the sun with a gentil breeze dries to a suble orange note and with sweet peach that is not cloy to your
senses.

Next Delicate white roses blooms in a
simplistic Garden pathway where a Geisha
with her modest aura plucks an rose and
smells it gentily when the night falls
the scent of night jasmine roams the nocturnal sky and the nuances of Ginger
spices and cinnamon make this complete.
every fragrance tells a story or conjoures feelings or images

For me Mitsouko conjoures feeling of wistfulness and melancholia like star-crossed lovers from two different worlds
ala Sayonara with Marlon Brando a romance between an american air force
Major and an Japanese entertainer forbidden by both sides with tragic results Madame Butterfly with an american admiral and his Japanese Paramour or an small shrine silhouetted
in the center of an island on the Rising
sun dedicated to Amaterasu Goddess of the sun and the smoke of sandalwood incense dances to the heavens.

Mitsouko can be spiritual wistful calm
simple distant aristocratic distant and
Melancholy.

This is such an unusual fragrance. I can't even place what the top notes are. It's a scent that is mysterious; it seems familiar...yet not. I can't say that I like the top notes, however the comment about letting Mitsouko "find" you is on the money.

I think what really amazes me about this one is depending how close you are, you can get different distinct aspects of this complex potion. At a distance I can smell light powder (a note I normally detest but this one serves to comfort you and lure you in, almost deceptively). Move a little closer and I get more of the floral which is powerful yet delicate. Closer still and you get the spices. It's a perfume with a multifaceted personality depending on how far in you dare to go.

To sum it up, from afar it is regal but distant. Come in for a second look (or sniff) and you are drawn in to delicate fullness of the floral heart. Lastly, once you are allowed all the way in, the passion is reflected in the intensity of the soul. In this case spice with a warm sensual ambery base. Exotic, intoxicating, mesmerizing, but never overdone. The elements are torn between one another, at odds with each other, yet in perfect synchronicity.

Extraordinary.

I really cant decide if i like this or hate it. Its so weird.

Either way, i can appreciate it. Ill just never wear it. Or want to smell it on someone. It smells musty and stuffy, like a damp old attic, with one or two dead rotting crows in it.

Strangely beautiful and atmospheric though.

This is like the weirdest perfume that I own. I never know if I like it or hate it. People come up to me and smell me. All kinds of weird notes.

PS I do wear it often - it goes well with my artistic tendencies!

Mitsouko is THE perfume, but it’s not for me and not now.
I had a chance to smell almost all formulations since 25 years ago. It changed, yes, but the concept is still there.
It’s a difficult scent for me to wear. A haunting mysterious beauty that definitely needs the right wearer or end up in a disaster.
I’m not talking about age. It’s more about a certain personal energy that you might have at 20 or 80, even if it doesn’t happen very often for a girl aged 20 to have that energy.
It can be perceived as a granny scent and this is just normal for a perfume that has been around for so long time. My grandmother didn’t wear Mitsouko but I smelled this on so many aged women that it more or less it became a perfume related to older women for me. Anyway it changes according to body chemistry and as mainly all Guerlains is an alive creature. Mitsouko is a creature of the darkest greenest wet forest and it’s female. Smell of a woman. Introvert, deep with lively up tones of ripe peach and vaguely fish smelling.
At the moment I know only one lady who wears it, not a young one but a very extravagant one for sure! I much prefer other Guerlains on me, but Mitsouko is a weird and familiar smell that makes me confortable.
EdT is also very nice.

What you should not do, wearing Mitsouko, is to try and find it, sniffing it, breathing it...making sure it's still there and making sure you're pleased with that fact.
No, you should just 'do your thing' and Mitsouko will find you, surprising you, pleasing you, teasing you...
That's what Mitsouko is about...

very nice perfume. I had it some jears ago. it smells on me powdery and soft. I still like it.

I loved the powdery background which to me smells like rice and I expected it to be the same on my skin.

But this scent blends so perfectly well with my skin chemistry that the powder is gone in a matter of minutes...

I would still buy it without hesitation! A true classic, dignified & proud. I'd just spray it on a scarf to get a more powdery sillage :)

At first sniff from the vial it's a green park by the bakery.
Then on my skin a car pulls up, parking down front of the bakery with engine running.
Thankfully a lady appears and stops for a minute by the bakery.
She is not young, her up-tied hair and pencil skirt is drab, her silk blouse is faded, emanating the memory of a vintage floral perfume.
But it seems that the gas-fume bothers her and she disappears.
I have to go too, this is too urban for me here.

i think this is by far the only perfume with the strangest middle notes i have ever smelled.

starts with wet moss, then the moss dries up and it reveals mix of strange incense-woods-resinous mix. very very strange on my nose, but a friend who sniffed it on me, think it smells nice. the drydown was gorgeous resinous woody mix. very dry but elegant smelling drydown. i'm lovin' it.

understand if most people will shy away from this one. total opposite of mainstream fragrances nowadays.

I was listening to BBC Radio 4 one afternoon and on the show that I was listening to, they were discussing perfume with a young 'nose', new to the business, and an older expert, a gentleman who has worked for a number of the great perfume houses and he was an acknowledged expert in the field.

At the end of the programme, the host of the show asked him which, of all the perfumes he had ever known, was the most perfect, and he answered, MITSOUKO!!!

I was so pleased, as I had at that point been wearing it for about 10 years, off and on, and truly feel it is one of the greats.

It oozes sophistication and elegance,and even tho' I am not wearing it now (I am wearing La Perla)I can smell it just by thinking about it.

Superb!!!

@ vioversilver - I declare I could not agree with you more I love it - I went back to study at University where most of my class mates are of "Daughter" age to me - fun time at college - when my class mates THERE - kept wanting to hug me and needed to know the perfumes name - then wanted a "splash" and declared it was "Ooh not me" at College - I was Grandma! to the whole class - maybe it is a Mature Woman's perfume

Зашла сегодня в парфюмерный магазин, и была невероятно удивлена, увидев на полочке Mitsouko! Ушла. Потом вернулась. Брызнула немного на запястье - и в ужасе отшатнулась! Так пахла моя бабушка, мудрый, старинный и аристократичный запах. Через некоторое время, выйдя на улицу и погуляв, я почувствовала невероятный, сказочный аромат... так близко. Пахнет от меня! Оказалось, это Mitsouko! Ещю немного - и я почувствовала упоительный аромат - Mitsouko всё раскрывался и раскрывался.. Боже мой, сколько же у него граней! Таинственный аромат, способный удивлять.

I tried this perfume at Guerlain's counter yersterday. The picture that I get after smelling it will be somthing like moss on wet tree, wet green forest, cloudy weather,rainy season. Citrus and spice scents tht well blend with all that green scent. A very fine layer of flower, jasmin, rose and a hint of peachy. The scent makes me feel comfortable, like windy and cool atmosphere. One thing that makes me like House of Guerlain's is bcoz the weight of the scent.They breath slowly
Will update my review later.

Help the reformulation smells like sherbert lemon sweets from a pick&mix . It is nothing like the wonderful scent that hit my nose when going to my G.Ps . She has retired or I'd ask her opinion.

Glad i'm not alone here- do not care for the guerlanade base- smells like old talcum powder. Really tried because these are historic, landmark perfumes..but the dry down of Mitsouko is too old fashioned for my taste. I do, however, love the far dry down of Shalimar and L'heure Bleue (lovely vanilla) so I may give it another go..

Must agree with pimentosugars here.
No matter how many people rave about Guerlain it is just not for me.
Spent a while at a Guerlain counter today, talking to a lovely woman who told me all about the inspiration for this fragrance. I took some on a piece of card in my bag.
Had a sniff of it on the way home and it made my stomach turn!
Smelling it now, I get impressions of a deserted small old church, it has been raining heavily, wet mould and moss all around.
There is just an element to this that means I couldn't possibly wear it.
I similarly don't 'get' Shalimar either which I tried on for a second time today.
Was very impressed to hear that Guerlain
only use natural ingredients, no synthetics at all, but with a slight exception for Samsara which I almost like, I just wouldn't want to wear anything that I smelled today. And this is from someone who loves the 'old lady' perfumes more than most and shuns most modernity in fragrance!
Sorry Guerlain!

Well, I did it again. I let myself be tempted by Guerlain again. The soft dim topnotes of lilac were subtle enough to fool me again, lead me into covering myself with Guerlainjuice again, and coming out smelling like a boiled sweet again. Given time, out comes that barbaric joke, Frankenstein's Jasmine coupled with some strange fuzzy underthing that I find in every single Guerlain perfume! And it lasts forever!

Ghastly. Me and Guerlain, we are not meant to be. If I should die, and my corpse is found sprinkled with this stuff, treat it as a sign of foul play. Only vendetta could explain it.

i got interested in this fragrance very recently, so i got my self a small edt for testing. Mitsouko opened with sharp medicinal/spicy notes on me and i got frightened at first. I waited till drydown - the sharpness began to disappear and it gave way to a nice oriental and a mysterious scent: i got spices, oak moss, bergamot, vetiver and ylang-ylang. there wasn't much sweetness, more of a herbal scent, unusual but at the same time very familiar.

I have to confess: i didn't like it from the first time, it took me a while to adjust to it and i tested the fragrance twice. But i appreciated its uniqueness and depth)

Update: towards drydown i get more cinnamon and something else..perhaps lilacs?...interesting and spicy.

Mitsoukou is one that I'd like to re-try. When I bought it originally about 5 years ago I must say I wasn't keen on it. I found it too melancholy though I respect the composition. I find it's a bit like Aromatics Elixir in its medicinal quality and I'm afraid, though I like to smell it on other people, it's not really for me.

I was very excited to try this fragrance on me. I was dissapointed. I really didn't understand what the rave was about! It reminded me of an old fragrance my mother used to wear and that I hated. I told her it smelled like a zoo. It does have a botanical smell to it, the staying power is great. It is very strong and does become somewhat powdery afte a few hours. For some reason it resembled Chanel No. 22?? Maybe because it was created soon after this one, the birth of the chypres.

There is something both blatantly sexy and profoundly sad about this scent. Beautiful and dark

(EDP new) I am intrigued by green chypres and slightly worried about them. I am afraid that the smell would be strong and harsh on my skin. Mitsouko opened with a strong green blast which just kept me worrying. The initial blast (and mind me, I used a touch!) was aldehydic, green, and strong. But then it really tamed, like a hot tempered woman who blew a fuse but didn't really mean it and was ready to calm down as soon as she took it out of her chest. Then the smell became sweeter, I couldn't smell any lilac, alas, the elusive lilac, but I could certainly smell peach. During the first hour my arm actually smelled slightly sweet, but not in a foody fruity way. It was not even a pure essence of peach. It was more like a platonic idea of a peach.

During the next two+ hours drydown was also very close to skin and spicy. Someone said in the forum that they prefer to smell like florist shop or a spice rack rather than a confection, and this is what the drydown smelled like on me -- the spice rack somewhere in the distance. I have no idea on what planet can I find the kitchen this spice rack belongs to.

Mitsouko is the dark-haired beauty with the intense eyes who drowned herself in the well when her lover was unfaithful to her with a younger laughing woman. Mitsouko did not have any friends, except for the elderly man who keeps her gardens. He visits the well everyday, where the lilac branches occaisionally pay homage to her with a brush of pale petals over the surface of the still waters. Otherwise, history passes Mitsouko by, leaving her alone to her profound solitude.

I cannot do justice to this fragrance by trying to describe its unusual, intense beauty , but I will try my best.
Mitsouko started out on my skin with a sharp medicinal blast which flourished into a dark enchanted garden- jasmine, lilac, mossy, spicy, with the coolness of marble present the whole time.
I say Mitsouko is the mother of all perfumes dark & beautiful- melancholic to say the least.
There is something that evokes ancient times in this perfume, but that is not to say decayed & decrepit (old lady smell, whatever that means for some) no, this is almost a vampiric beauty , very special indeed, & I totally agree that this is NOT a everyday fragrance, but then again it is so comfortable for me to wear, so very beautiful & mysterious.

I got this in the EDP version, in a sample vial , as soon as I can I will be investing in a full size bottle - Mitsouko has captivated me completely.

Mitsouko is very strange...sweet, sour, oily scent !!!! I don't like it !!! sorry ;(

Guerlain's MITSOUKO is a genuine masterpiece, rivaled by few perfumes in existence and proof positive that great creations are timeless.

To my nose, MITSOUKO is more of an oriental chypre, for the spices mingle together with the oakmoss and vetiver in a far more noticeable way than the citrus and peach, which are rather faint.

I love this intoxicating fragrance. I love to just sit and breath it in. It's like an aura of heaven on earth in which I can nestle on winter nights. This evening I'm wearing it to herald the new year!

Interesting how moody this scent can be. For me, it is not only a scent, but a physical response that is unexpected and delightful. I "taste' this scent. It is a richly aged chardonnay wine, sprinkled with apple and mace. The oak becomes more pronounced once the glass emptied...

EDP (reformulated): This perfume is pure melancholy in the bottle. Like all chypres it's about dusk, but in this one even peach doesn't cast any light on it, only dim grim candle glow. Beautifully creepy. A masterpiece of its own kind. One whiff and I'm instantly reminded that I live right across the property once known as a glorious "Coconut Grove", hotel Ambassador - the decadent heart of the old Hollywood, now destroyed forever. Too many destinies crossed in the eerie labyrinths of its gloomily lit bungalows with dusty old Arabian carpets and worn-out art-deco furniture, too many lost souls are still haunting its grounds. Was it the wind? Or the ghost of Jean Harlow? I remember it was her favorite perfume and surely she was a frequent visitor at CG among too many other icons. I had to swap it, every time I sprayed Mitsouko it would give me creeps. Maybe I'll have the courage to try it again sometime later...and definitely in pure parfum.

It is not my favorite fragrance. Even more: I should say I hate this. It smells like old fur coat. I'm sorry...no offence.

It is not a creation of JPG (Jean-Paul Guerlain) but from Jacques Guerlain, the most creative nose of the family. An innovative dreamer inspired by art. Jacques Guerlain is one of the greatest noses and Mitsouko is just one of his masterpieces. One thing I know for sure, Thierry Wasser will do everything to get Mitsouko back in shape as close as possible to the original formula and scent.

one of my favourites from the House of Guerlain. Love the story of the Name, love the extraordinary scent of this creation of JPG.

Charming. Sweet yet dry, soft yet dramatic, spicy yet calming. 'Nuf said.

Sharp peach aldehyde over oakmoss and woods. hmmm...don't really like this.

There's been a hesitation for me to write about this amazing chameleon - as others have posted here, there's something about Misouko that can not easily be defined.

Peaches? Oakmoss? Those are both reportedly in Calvin Klein Obsession, and that frag has always made me smile - but I couldn't even begin to guess that they appear in Mitsuoko. There is a weightiness here; this is a heavy, amazingly complex fragrance, and more than any other I've encountered, is something entirely unique to each one who samples it.

If pressed, I'd say that on me, this is almond toasts - the most expensive ones you can possibly import, and herbal distillations rendered by a turn-of-the-century pharmacist ... and a base of ... oh my, I just can't say.

Leather? perhaps - and sueded leather at that. But only perhaps. Gueralinade? Not the guerlainade that has become familiar to me in the drydown of Shalimar, Spiritulese Double Vanille, and Samsara. However, there is some rich base here in the drydown.

Too many memories are being conjured up by this frag, I suppose. I never knew the name of it at the time, but I'm certain now that this is what aroma surrounded my grandfather's second wife - a brash, energetic woman who wore colorful clothes, big hair, and bright red nail polish - much to the horror of the rest of my family, all fading into obscurity in their tasteful beige and navy and unobtrusive toiletries. Ah, but Emily (she insisted that she was too young to be called "grandma" and she was right) - Emily always stood out. Sometimes jarring, quite synthetic, but in the end, affable, outgoing and unapologetic.

Hrm... I think I just found the right descriptors for Mitsouko.

At least for today it is. I'll wear it again next week, and undoubtedly my mind will change again.

I read about Mitsouko, but in my country, Chile, was almost unavailable. My mother bought me a bottle along with another of "L'heure bleu" , al Guerlain.
Was as wonderful as I always dreamed.
Matches perfectly my skin and goes with my way of living.
Not too strong, not too sweet. Completely away from modern fragarnces.
It deserves to be considered a classic!!!

This is one of the most discussed fragranced of Guerlain. That time "Russian Dance evenings" where very popular in Paris. Gabriële Chanel did the costumes and Guerlain the Fragrance to scent the room. This fragrance was Mitsouko. A wonderful period that must have been.
Mitsouko is certainly unisex. When Mitsouko was launched there was no difference in male of female fragrances. Mouchoir de Monsieur and Voilette de Madame were maybe the few that were designed for specific men and women, but it all did not matter, men applied Voilette D.M. and women Mouchoir D.M. .
Mitsouko's composition is very natural and rare. it is just impossible to produce a Chypre like that now these days. Natural ingredients are not the same any more due to climate changes and regulations. Reformulations is the key to survive. Not any natural fragrance can survive a century without doing this. Guerlain will take Mitsouko out of collection if it is not possible any more to repair the fragrance without completely damaging it.
A 'vintage' Mitsouko will always smell different, because the contents changes during the years. It can be in an excellent condition, it will always be.
I agree that is is pitty that fragrances have to be reformulated, and Mitsouko is THE fragrance where people are the most sceptic about but the IFRA has very strict regulations... .
You survive and go on and keep creating, or you die. Imaging Guerlain would have stopped creating after Shalimar... . It would have been be such a loss! A fragrance like Mitsouko you must wear in Eau de Parfum or Pure Perfume. Using both is a fantastic experience, still today!

n.b. It is not the European Union neither the European Comission that makes this regulations. It is the IFRA thats in charge of the regulations. Reagulations are needed, in all industries, but where does it end...

It all started with the disgust I had when I smelled Mitsouko for the first time. I was intrigued by the myth around it and found it impossible spiced and bitter, an olfactive joke about cloves, pepper and gingerbread. But in the course of improving my scent taste and knowledge, one day I put Mitsouko on me again and realised that this fragrance was like a Rolls Roys next to an ordinary car, like a Stradivarius violin next to an Yamaha violin. The quality and beauty that is superior to everything else that struggle to be beautiful. The quality that overwhelms instantly, without effort. I was looking for a wonderful scent and none succeeded to rise to my top, because I couldn't love any of them deeply - apart Coco by Chanel. Only Mitsouko gave me that feeling of meeting your soulmate, after a long search and many lukewarm love-affairs.

Unfortunatelly, the EDp version is not aviable in my country, so I tried the edt. Well, it smelled on me like a soft unisex cologne, but a little bit more masculine than feminine. On the other hand everybody says the edp version to be ultra feminine, rosy, and beautiful. It's a shame that the better things aren't available (just like Shalimar edp instead of edt)

mitsouko smothers me with warmth allowing me to glow with my strengths of feeling confident and free and sexy this is complimented by the oaks, cinnamon plus a wee sprinkle of sweet, makes me feel happy im a women...

I smell it to a friend, he is old and find out .I what surprised me was the aroma, which has developed great on my skin.е I feel warm; I felt comfortable and stay as long on me that I can hardly forget. I want it!

My favorite of all times! For me its just the best fragrance ever made, an incomparable scent, such a shame it was dramatically reformulated and lost a bit of its supremacy.

Through a wonderful Fragrantica member I got me a sample of a vintage Mitsouko.
It is so very different.
There is a soft oily note that goes through the entire perfume life cycle - Id say it`s a trademark of many Guerlains that disappeared in reformulations.
Orange is more prominent, so is ylang and the great mossy vetiver base. It is overall much more feminine and soft, like a gentle sepia portrait.
A pity not to have this old version around anymore - though I really like the re-done EDP. I`d say that the new version is more sharp and haughty...the old one is the true royalty.

I`m afraid that it is not so simple as *guys at the European commission are worried about our health*. People who recommend those steps to EU commission are people from Givaudan, Firmenich... They produce expensive replacement chemicals for moss and all other forbidden natural materials. So it is not just *alergy* reason, but business and profit, and that makes me even more angry. I don`t buy reformulations at all.

I adored the original version, but only like the reformulation. Strange, mysterious, eastern, sophisticated - all of those things and more.

yummy!! i so love this. although i have to admit that initially i didn't find it particularly wonderful but after sometime, i fell in love with it. i just love the whiffs i get all day when i wear this. very sweet, all season perfume!

Owww... what a stunning great scent is Mitsouko! I first encounter this beauty whebn I was very young, around 15, that's more than 20 years ago (sic!) and I was one of the few teenagers interested in these kind of scent.
I always had EdT samples and a bottle, so that's my main experience with Mitsouko. I've heard that the parfum version is much better. Well, the EdT is very nice too! Better... "nice" is a very generic word for this scent.
This is not an easy smell. It needs time and contemplative attention to truly enjoy every step. The start is very green, but not the kind of fresh green you find everywhere. It's almost a sharp sultry green that reminds me of dark pond plants. Then comes the softiest of fruit note, a very deep and creamy peach. I would say a "grown-up" peach, if it makes sense, haha! Then flowers. Never smelled flowers like this in any other scent. They smell like an ancient melancholic mysterious garden in the shadow. I love their older ads for Mitsouko, too. No vulgarity, only poetry to express the soul of the scent. It matches my skin chemistry quite finely, yet people around me keep on saying "mmm... old lady fragrance!"
It's not old at all! It's just different and very long-living! Created almost one century ago and still kicking! There mus be a reason for that!
I would say that Mitsouko is a dark kind of fragrance, but what that really means? I don't mean dark as "black and naughty". The darkness in Mitsouko is an echo of mistery of the woman, the depth of hidden things and at the same time it is the scent of freedom.
I see the wearer of Mitsouko as an independent free spirit that crosses the world and makes an impression on its face without being corrupted by the wordly things. I see some loneliness, knowing and spiritual strenght.
The oakmoss base is simply touching and express all the beauty in Mitsouko.
All the notes are perfectly entwined together, a true masterpiece of blending. I will always have at least a few samples of Mitsouko with me to smell Beauty itself.

This fragrance is stunning! It is the best of all worlds. It whispers, it sings, but it never shouts. Very Japanese in its composition.
Much like L'Heure Bleue (though not in fragrance), I find this scent to be very quiet and meditative.
The peach note is lovely as I dont like overly fruity scents, but this is understated and elegant.
The drydown is my favourite. Heavenly!
One spray beneath my shirt and I get wafts of this gorgeous mossy, shadowy, haunting chypre scent for literally hours.
It has in its depths the faint scent of powder and woods, reminiscent of the sun dappled fragrant ground of a forest glade, faintly sweet with dusky moss and fragrant woods, and a slightly hay-like grassy undergrowth.
Inspired by the heroine in a novel based on an impossible love between a British officer and the wife of a Japanese admiral, this scent is apparently a best seller in Japan, owing to the fact it is very light and not highly "perfumy". The Japanese seem to favour fragrances which are not cloying or strong, and this is no exception.
Even though this is not an overpowing or strong scent, the longevity is really good on me.
Soft yet longwearing, elegant, melancholy and very nostalgic.
Highly recommended!

i love mitsouko!! it is an "old" smell, have heard it described as containing a hint of burnt peaches, which i agree with. i have the edt and edp, find the edp is warmer and with more depth. it has something a little poignant and melancholy, i found a lot of comfort in it when a close friendship i had came to an end. it does have something a little sour and sharp to begin with but soon settles into something warmer on me. it will remain a firm favourite of mine.

I finally smelled this fragrance yesterday, and it was love at first sight. Unfortunately, I can't say the same thing about the smell. After all of the suggestions to try it, I was a bit disappointed that I didn't like it as much as I would have liked to. My husband told me that it smelled like the same perfume that his boss's wife wears (which apparently, is not a good thing). It was very strong, and I only sprayed it once. My husband was not pleased so I wiped it off at once. I understand that Guerlain's fragrances might take some time to get used to, so I intend to give it another shot the next time I'm back in that town. I tried Shalimar and I kind of liked it better than Mitsouko. I must admit that the story and the bottle intrigued me, but that was it. I will update later.

When I first smelled Mitsouko, the first thing that came to my head was who in their right mind would wear this??? The opening notes from the get go was sharp and dizzyingly piquant.

Peach is supposedly incorporated in this, but I can barely detect it embedded within all that spicy carnation and powdery rose. Woody-musky nuances of oakmoss with the ever present accord of spices and vetiver. And finally, you catch the wonderful accord of Guerlinade.

Very complex, bold, sensual, spicy with powdery nuances. You can't help but smell the melancholy tone of this scent. This is a masterpiece. Its creation blindingly beautiful. You will not smell such artistry as this in modern perfumes of today...NEVER. It makes newer perfumes look unfinished, naked, and threadbare. The serious perfumista yearns and sadly mourns for this era of perfumery to emerge once again.

i'm having a hard time deciding how i feel about this one. at first it felt a little aquanet to me. when i shoved it near my husbands nose he cringed a little. now that it is settling in, i can tell that it is well made. there is a nice earthiness to it and definitely a warm sun feeling that is not overdone. it makes me think of a natural beauty sort of woman.

"Mitsouko" does not love me!

This is the sad truth I have to live with…(for now at least).
I have bought a bottle (EdP) of this truly beautiful and classic fragrance almost a year ago and since then, we both try to get acquainted together. Although, for me it was love at first sniff….there is no love coming back to me from "Mitsouko"!

I am painfully aware that "Mitsouko" is hard to get – the fragrance is choosing its mistress and does not make friends easily and lightly.

On my skin "Mitsouko" is very harsh, green and extremely masculine….and it stays this way, without even thinking to change a bit, the whole day!

I am deeply envy does who can wear "Mitsouko" and are able to enjoy this enchanting, classic fragrance.

But I am not giving up…I will be waiting for "Mitsouko" to change her mind…maybe one day "Mitsouko" will bloom on my skin too!

Until then……I will be heartbroken, but still waiting with open arms for "Mitsouko" to finally grant me my wish!

I'm so glad I tried this before buying. This went on very Floral and strong, Jasmine maybe. The drydown is really impressive though, I can see why this is a mystery. Not sure If I will purchase this one. I'm not used to a perfume that has so much depth and personality, sneeking up on me, right when I think I hate it, I love it... The end result is so much different than the beginning. Mitsouko could possibly be Bi-Polar...

I love this purfume, I cant quite describe the smell of it, but I feel all warm and fuzzy when I wear it. Maybe it is the combination of peach and rose, Tresor which I also love contains this note. It also smells romantic, but different from all the floral and oriental purfumes that I seem to smell on other women. As you can see I like being different.

This is a classic - I always own a bottle and return to it again and again. Its so well balanced in every respect and so timeless. I dont really go for many Guerlain fragrances except this one.

I agree with Mr. White on the wine and cheese analogy. Mitsouko is hard for many, as it was for me. Half of the problem was my young age when I first smelled it, and the other half was the formulation-the EdT really doesn't flatter the notes or illustrate the harmony in this perfume. I have a decade old pure parfum that I am mad for. The bergamot really comes through and the peach is ripe, subdued, and balanced with the spices. I highly suggest getting one of the little 2ml pure parfums on eBay before making any assumptions about this complex and somewhat archaic scent.

I wish that I could smell the original formulation...but I love it all the same. I can get ambergris absolute, and am thinking of adding some to a sample of Mitsouko as an experiment. (If anybody else wants to try this go to The Perfumer's Apprentice website; they sell pure perfumery notes and kits) This is definitely a grown up scent, and I can understand why younger gals would be grossed out by this, because the strong traditional Chypres are not exactly "Nice" smelling. They are complex and take some study and analysis to appreciate...it's like learning to like stinky cheese or a great Sauternes...when most people first try a Sauternes, they have trouble getting past the heavy, sweet, nature of the wine and find it sickly. But believe me, acquired tastes, the ones that take some time to develop, are the ones that last a lifetime. You won't be using that nice smelling new fragrance ten years from now, I bet, but you will be using Mitsouko. My late lamented sweetheart thought this smelled great on me, by the way.

The original oriental. From 1919, this is a much-contested perfume, either love it or hate it. As much as I wanted to love this historical scent, I just can't wear it. It is overly-woody and dusty on me, like I've been laying in the bottom of an old trunk faintly perfumed by clothes from another century. Now if only there weren't cobwebs in my hair, too.

I don't like Mitsouko and Mitsouko doesn't like me. I've tried several times. But when I am wearing Mitsouko, I feel as I am cooking in the kitchen. I feel spices, but not my favourite spices.

I was told by a spokeswoman for Amouage that the ambergris (vomited up by whales) was removed from the formula.I sprayed a little on my wrist and I thought it lacked something. To be fair I had strips with sprays of other Guerlain perfumes around me.

I fell in love with mitsouko, when i got older .My mom wore mitsouko .I love the amber on the basenote and a faint smell of lime in the opening notes .
I wear it for a night out and it smells delectable on my skin .

Chypresse, I agree. I wrote to Guerlain, protesting about the change, and they gave me some silly, pc excuse like the one you cite. Honestly, this is nothing short of a crime, IMHO. If you want the old formulation, you can get it on EBay ... if you are willing to pay up to $200 for a small bottle, that is. Sorry, old boy. Welcome to the new world of micromanaging busybodies.

I so often agree with takemyhusband's reviews and this is yet another example! I, too, had to 'work' to get to know this fragrance. It is not one of my favorites necesarily. However, I have come to respect (for lack of a better word) the complexity of it.

It's not sweet by any means. In some ways it is a very earnest, almost somber perfume..not uplifting or happy to my nose. For example, the way it smells on my skin, I cannot imagine even thinking about putting this perfume on in summer. The way it smells on me just doesn't fit with sunshine and heat. To me it fits more with winter which is a darker and more contemplative season. Not exactly a feel good perfume but one that is sophisticated, deep, and not at all citrusy or light on my skin. Another one to try if for no other reason than to sample a complex perfume that really is a classic--even if it isn't a go-to scent from day to day.

classic classy fragrance...

One of my favorites. Mossy, woodsy, and yet very feminine.I feel dried peaches, eastern wooden jewelry boxes, roses starting to fade.It is also one of the smells mostly loved by my husband! The dry down has some strange notes in it since the formula was changed - almost like a home made soap, it feels so weird that you want to smell it again and again...I was lucky to have the old version too.Old one was definitely more interesting, but I still love it, even now.

The changes in these classic fragrances have come about because, in a misguided effort at regulation/protection, the European Union has outlawed certain ingredients that cause an allergic reaction in some users. Many classic chypre scents have had to be re-formulated because of this, b/c oakmoss is one of the newly regulated ingredients.

Mitsouko? When i smell it i see a hot summer day, long dusty road surrounded by steppes, travelling far by the old convertible American car...can even feel the taste of road dust in my mouth and feel the wind playing in my hair...Amazing fragrance!

Mitsouko is beautiful, but way too strong even on eau de toilette version. It's so heavy and smoky, that it sadly make's me cough and feel dizzy. I so hoped to be able to handle this, but no.

Guerlain Vol de Nuit Evasion has quite same feeling and type, but it's more subtle and warmer, without the suffocating effect Mitsouko gives me. So Vol de Nuit Evasion is winner of these two on me.

And probably, I should evaluate these perfume:). Mitsouko is magic, heavy, herbal. I feel spicy distinctly cinnamon with delicate fruits - peach and beragamote. Mitsuko is strong but very feminine. Parfum Mitsouko is as woman without mask and dress.

Can someone advice me whether bottle thast I have is of the original or the re-formulated version.

I got my hands on the re-fillable version that is housed in their meteorite like gold colored canister with mesh like holes around it.

With all due respect to Mr. Turin, I'm afraid he's talking off the top of his head. This is strictly a woman's perfume. If men want to wear this, by all means, please yourselves. But don't call it unisex (rolleyes).

Unfortunately, this has been reformulated. And it broke my heart. Why would a company want to reformulate a scent that has been consistently successful since 1918? It makes NO sense. I still have about an inch of the old formula and I treasure it like gold. On one of my trips back from Europe, I smelled the new formula at a duty free shop and I wanted to weep. Gone are all the elements (whatever they were) that made this perfume unique. What was left was a generic, run-of-the-mill, department-store concoction with a weak suggestion of what it used to be. I'm sorry if I sound too harsh, but I wore the original Mitsouko for many years. It used to be my signature fragrance. And the new one is NOTHING like the original. Guerlain should be sued. :(

Considered by the author Luca Turin as very unisex.

Only one other person smells "peanuts" in this perfume. I don't know whether it's just my skin chemistry, or not, but that's the overwhelming first note that I get when I spray this on myself -- PEANUTS. After that, it just smells musty and old, like bookshelves of Peanuts cartoon-books that no one publishes anymore. . . . I don't smell the peach at all.

I've had this twice and each time, I've actually tried to force myself to like it. Wearing a perfume should'nt be a chore! So, I swapped away my last bottle. It is a nice Chypre, but it never really blossoms on my skin. Not for my chemistry.

A superb chypre that can be so misunderstood by the young generation (in love with the sweet scents fashionable nowadays). A great classic scent that starts a little harsh (I have the EDT), however dries down in a mysterious and superb powdery smell.

Mitsouko's whisper of peach over oakmoss and woods: such a strange and beautiful harmony.

Powdery roses. Warm and pretty.