Frederic Malle Perfumes

What Does Frédéric Malle Portrait of a Lady Smell Like?

There are many scents out there that will contain rose. You can smell it in floral fragrances, as well as oriental ones. Portrait of a Lady Eau de Parfum by Frédéric Malle contains rose, but it's nothing like you've smelled before.

Made by Dominique Ropion, this scent was released in 2010 and contains Turkish rose. It also contains notes of blackcurrant, raspberry, clove, patchouli, sandalwood and frankincense.

So there are quite a few notes going on in this fragrance. The blackcurrant and raspberry will give it a dark, fruity smell.

With cloves being added, it will have a bit of spice to it. Patchouli and frankincense will add to the earthy smell.

So you get all of this surrounding the rose note, giving you a darker smell than just smelling fresh roses. If you're a fan of rose fragrances but feel like they smell too feminine, try out Portrait of a Lady.

Just because the fragrance has a feminine name doesn't mean only females can wear it.

Carnal Flower by Frédéric Malle

Another fragrance that Dominique Ropion created was Carnal Flower. It was released in 2005, and the main note is tuberose, which is a type of white flower.

You can smell it as being creamy and sweet in some fragrances. Frédéric Malle Carnal Flower Eau de Parfum contains notes of melon, tuberose, white musk and creamy notes.

It will also smell fresh with hints of eucalyptus. So the tuberose will smell floral. But you will also smell fresh notes and creamy notes, making it a very different fragrance to Portrait of a Lady.

They both smell floral but are very different. One has rose in it with notes of dark fruits and incense, while Carnal Flower focuses more on tuberose and fresh notes.

So when shopping for one of these two fragrances, ask yourself if you like the smell of roses or tuberose.

Musc Ravageur by Frédéric Malle

There are many floral scents in this perfume house. But there are some that don't smell floral at all.

Musc Ravageur Eau de Parfum contains bergamot, mandarin and lavender, as well as amber, vanilla, sandalwood and musk. You won't smell a floral bouquet from this fragrance.

There's freshness from the citrus notes. Lavender can smell fresh as well. Then you have the warmer notes of vanilla, sandalwood and musk, which will make the fragrance smell warm and sweet.

It's not your typical fresh citrus cologne. Or vanilla that smells like a dessert. It has a musky smell with warm notes of amber and wood. Try this out if you like sweet fragrances that aren't too heavy on fruit.

Is Musc Ravageur a musk or vanilla fragrance?

It could be described as both. It contains musk as one of the main notes. But it does smell sweet with notes of vanilla.

If you enjoy sweet vanilla fragrances, then this could be a good choice for you. Just remember that it contains notes of amber and sandalwood if you're looking for a white musk that smells clean and fresh.

What Does En Passant Smell Like?

If you've ever walked past a lilac tree on a nice day, you know how it smells. Fresh lilac flowers with green leaves around them. That's what En Passant tries to smell like. Frédéric Malle En Passant Eau de Parfum contains lilac as one of its main notes.

There is a reason why the scent of lilacs can't be bottled. There isn't a way to extract natural oil from lilac that will give you that familiar lilac flower smell.

So perfumers have to use different notes to smell like lilac. En Passant also contains notes of cucumber, cedarwood and white musk. The cucumber will add freshness to the fragrance, along with cedar for some woody notes.

This will smell much lighter than some of the other fragrances we mentioned above. No notes of vanilla or dark incense will be found in this fragrance. Try it out if you enjoy light floral fragrances.

Or if you like florals but don't want them to be too sweet, the notes of cucumber will help.

L'Eau d'Hiver by Frédéric Malle

As the name would lead you to believe, this fragrance smells wintry. But there's no pine or cinnamon in this fragrance.

Instead, this fragrance, created by Jean-Claude Ellena, has notes of bergamot, hedione, heliotrope, hawthorn and iris.

You'll get freshness from bergamot and a light floral smell from hedione. Then you have heliotrope, which can smell powdery and sweet, with hints of sweet almond, honey and hay.

It's a very interesting combination. If you like light fragrances, this is one to try out. It can smell similar to an eau de cologne but has those powdery floral notes, which give it a cosy feeling.

Don't write off Eaux de Toilette just because they're not Eaux de Parfum. It could still be your favourite scent.

What Does French Lover Smell Like?

Created by Pierre Bourdon, French Lover is one to try out. It may sound like it would smell sweet. But it's actually composed of aromatic and woody notes.

One of the main notes is angelica, which can smell green and earthy. Other notes include pimiento, juniper, galbanum, cedar, vetiver, patchouli and frankincense.

So you'll get freshness from juniper. Aromatic notes from galbanum. And earthy wood from vetiver and frankincense.

If you're more of an aromatic fragrance fan, then this could be a good choice for you. Unlike Musc Ravageur, which contains sweet notes of vanilla and amber.

Vetiver Extraordinaire

You will find vetiver in many men's fragrances. But what does it actually smell like? Well, it can smell earthy and woody.

It's actually a type of grass, and the roots are used in fragrances. Frédéric Malle Vetiver Extraordinaire Eau de Parfum contains vetiver as one of its main notes. Other notes include bergamot, bitter orange and pink pepper.

Cashmeran, cedar, sandalwood, oakmoss and musk. You'll get freshness from the citrus notes, as well as some spiciness from the pink pepper.

Vetiver will smell woody and dry, while sandalwood will be smoother and oakmoss will smell mossy. Try it out if you enjoy woody fragrances and want to learn more about what vetiver smells like.

It will be similar to French Lover but focus more on the vetiver note.

Choosing a Frédéric Malle Perfume

Because there are so many fragrances to choose from, it can be difficult to pick one out.

Especially since you can't smell them online. Looking at the notes of each fragrance will help you decide which one to buy. If you like the smell of rose, then look at Portrait of a Lady.

Or try Carnal Flower for a creamy tuberose scent. Musc Ravageur will smell musky with sweet notes of vanilla, while En Passant will smell fresh with notes of lilac and cucumber.

Each of these fragrances has its own unique smell.

Are Frédéric Malle Perfumes for Men or Women?

There are many fragrances that will be marketed towards men or women. With Frédéric Malle, there are fragrances that fall under both categories, as well as some unisex scents.

French Lover and Vetiver Extraordinaire would be considered men's fragrances, while Portrait of a Lady is more feminine.

But you can shop these fragrances regardless of gender. If you like the smell of roses, try Portrait of a Lady.

Or if you enjoy woody fragrances, look at French Lover. There are notes that you can focus on when shopping for a fragrance.

Shop for Frédéric Malle Perfume

As you can see, there are many options when it comes to this perfume house. Since they allow the perfumers to create their own fragrances, you get a wide variety.

From sweet to woody and everything in between. You can shop for all of these fragrances online at ScentRepublic.

Make sure to check the notes of each fragrance before you purchase one, so you know what you're buying and what it will smell like once you've opened it up.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who created the Frédéric Malle perfumes?

Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle allows many perfumers to create their fragrances, such as Dominique Ropion, who created Portrait of a Lady and Carnal Flower. Maurice Roucel created Musc Ravageur, and Olivia Giacobetti created En Passant.

What does Portrait of a Lady by Frédéric Malle smell like?

Portrait of a Lady will smell like roses with notes of blackcurrant, raspberry, clove, patchouli, sandalwood and frankincense.

Is Carnal Flower a rose scent?

No, Carnal Flower contains notes of tuberose, which is a white flower that can smell creamy. If you're looking for a rose scent, then Portrait of a Lady is the one to try out.

Does Musc Ravageur smell sweet?

Yes, it contains notes of vanilla and amber, so it will smell warm and sweet. But there are also notes of sandalwood and musk that balance it out.

Why is there cucumber in En Passant?

The cucumber note helps give the fragrance a fresh smell. Along with the lilac note, it will remind you of fresh flowers.

Is L'Eau d'Hiver an Eau de Parfum?

No, it's an Eau de Toilette. It contains notes of bergamot and heliotrope, which will smell powdery and floral.

What's the difference between French Lover and Vetiver Extraordinaire?

Both fragrances contain vetiver, but French Lover also has notes of angelica, juniper, pimiento, galbanum and frankincense, while Vetiver Extraordinaire will focus more on the vetiver note with bergamot, cedar and sandalwood.

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