Our take
What does Balenciaga Paris smell like?
Balenciaga Paris arrived in 2010 as the house's first perfume since Cristobal in 1998, and the first of the Nicolas Ghesquière era. Coty produced it under licence. Olivier Polge composed it, with Charlotte Gainsbourg as the face. Violet leaf opens alongside pink pepper. It smells green, a little damp and almost vegetal. The violet flower comes next with a slightly spicy carnation. Polge wanted to dodge the powdery side people expect from violet. So he set it on a chypre structure of patchouli, cedar and vetiver with a touch of oakmoss. On that base the leaf turns almost leathery. The result is dry and cerebral, far from the sugary florals of the time. Next to Guerlain's Insolence, a sweet and loud violet, it reads sober and nearly austere.
When to wear it
An ideal office scent for autumn and spring, quiet and clean. Spray it on a sweater, where the violet lasts longer than on skin.
It belongs to the Floral, Chypre family. Balenciaga Paris is one of 3 creations by Balenciaga in our encyclopedia.
