Mitsouko 1919 Eau de Toilette

Mitsouko (Eau de Toilette) by Guerlain
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8.3 / 10 264 Ratings
Mitsouko (Eau de Toilette) is a popular perfume by Guerlain for women and was released in 1919. The scent is chypreartig-spicy. It is still in production.
Pronunciation
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Main accords

Chypre
Spicy
Floral
Fruity
Woody

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
BergamotBergamot Citrus fruitsCitrus fruits JasmineJasmine RoseRose
Heart Notes Heart Notes
PeachPeach Ylang-ylangYlang-ylang LilacLilac
Base Notes Base Notes
OakmossOakmoss SpicesSpices AmbergrisAmbergris VetiverVetiver CinnamonCinnamon

Perfumer

Ratings
Scent
8.3264 Ratings
Longevity
7.7228 Ratings
Sillage
7.1232 Ratings
Bottle
8.7225 Ratings
Value for money
8.160 Ratings
Submitted by BelAmi, last update on 16.04.2024.
Variant of the fragrance concentration
This is a variant of the perfume Mitsouko (Eau de Parfum) by Guerlain, which differs in concentration.

Reviews

10 in-depth fragrance descriptions
10
Scent
MariellaMmmh

12 Reviews
Translated Show original Show translation
MariellaMmmh
MariellaMmmh
Top Review 92  
My angel
It's striking that we keep talking about scents and memories. Whether it's on the forum, in comments, or wonderful blog posts, it does seem to be on everyone's mind, especially right now. No wonder, given what's going on. I guess when times are tough, it's automatic to want to reminisce. Especially nice ones.
Salva's wonderful comment drew my attention to this fragrance. Oops, I thought, how come I've never come across this one before? Chivalrously, a sample was sent to me in a flash. I will be eternally grateful because this scent has been a companion for years without me knowing it. The statement "Nanu, how is it that I have never met him?" I must therefore withdraw.
The attentive perfume reader now suspects that this will be a personal comment. Who does not like that, I wish you from the bottom of my heart a magical day and refer to the Kommi below me (which you should have read anyway).

I've already done a bit of past history here and so one or the other knows that I came with my family from Poland to Germany at the end of 1989. That was a tough time, even though we didn't have to flee a war zone out of fear for our lives. Still, it meant leaving everything behind, everything you had and everyone you loved. That took a lot out of me.
My parents always worked hard and rebuilt everything from scratch again. I am so grateful to them for everything they did and still do. In the initial months filled with language barriers, financial disasters, hostility, fears, as well as the constant feeling of being completely out of place, my parents tried hard to offer security and support. But they couldn't. How could they? Because they were also uprooted, had no basis and struggled through.
When I then went to school, something like everyday life returned. But I didn't understand a word and had to really fight. And now it comes to the greatest happiness I was allowed to experience during this time:
Mrs. L.
She was my class teacher and an angel. Without a doubt. Without her I would have gone a different way. She welcomed me with open arms. She had the gift to look into your soul. She saw what was wrong with me. She gave me the support I needed. Literally, when I wasn't feeling well, she took me tightly in her arms, hugged me to her chest and gave me comfort. She believed in me, she helped me to learn the foreign language, she helped my parents by giving them furniture, filling out applications, and and and.
I have never experienced so much love, so much devotion, care and kindness from a stranger. That was a long time ago now, but to this day I know what she smelled like. Because she always smelled the same. I loved that scent and literally inhaled it. A scent full of warmth, flowers, love, delicately fruity, soft, very mellow, homey. Everything I was longing for.
Just recently I was talking to my mum about that time and about Mrs L. My parents were and are also grateful to her for everything. I told my mama that when I close my eyes, I can smell her. Still do. I so wish I knew what that perfume was!

And now I'm testing Mitsouko yesterday. Bull's-eye! Mrs.L.
Mari is sitting there teary-eyed but happy, reminiscing.
I will see this fragrance for me as a whole, as my Mrs. L. and not break it down into components. It is for me one of the most beautiful fragrances in this world. Forever.

I called her a few years ago because I wanted to thank her for everything she's done for me. I was nervous because an eternity had passed. Teachers get to know so many kids over the years, you can't remember everyone. Still, I felt the need.
With shaky hands and a pounding heart, I dialed the number. After only a few breaths, someone answered on the other end of the line. I beamed. It was her warm, sweet voice.
I said "Hello, I don't know if you will remember me. I came to her then 3rd grade class in early 1990 and didn't know a word of German. ..."
"Mari?"
I can't tell you how hard I cried. I thanked her for everything and we talked and talked. She told me a lot about herself and that she was a grandma by now. Her every word flowed through me and enveloped me in a warm cloud. And all the while in my nose, unknowingly at the time, the scent of Guerlain's Mitsouko. But for me, the scent of Mrs. L. Forever.
38 Comments
10
Bottle
6
Sillage
7
Longevity
9
Scent
Salva

71 Reviews
Translated Show original Show translation
Salva
Salva
Top Review 61  
I am the way I am...
Who says I'm old?
Who says I'm outdated?
Who says I am unpopular?

I am a child of the aftermath of WW1, I survived WW2, I witnessed the first moon landing, I witnessed Germany's reunification...

And I'm still alive!

Mitsouko is my name. Yes, Mitsouko, a bit unusual and also vllt difficult to pronounce, I know...
I am Japanese, a mystery, as is the meaning of my name. Beautiful I am; I know that, no one needs to tell me...
You realize I'm confident, very confident; no one needs to fool me. I know what I can do, and what I can't do.

I'm a Guerlain through and through!
If you don't get it, move on!
[...]

I received the Mitsouko EdT as a bottling in a ladies classic package the other day. Up front, I think it's exceptional, and exceptionally beautiful.

Jacques Guerlain had the idea to create a chypre fragrance with a fruity peach note to give this genre a certain "modernity". And mMn this is him brilliantly succeeded.

Typically for a fragrance of this kind, the Mitsouko EdT also opens with a tangy citrus accord, which comes across slightly tart and sour for my nose here. However, this fresh citrusy start is immediately enveloped by clean, pure floral notes that I can make out in the background. As very elegant and fine I feel the opening.

After a while, the peach makes its presence felt. He replaces the initial citrus note and takes over his part, so to speak. But so extremely fruity I feel the fragrance not necessarily, because still flowers are also perceived here, which give him this clean and pure aura.

Towards the base, this slightly fruity nuance leaves the stage and makes way for the first spicy notes, but not as dominant and surrounded by earthy-woody oak moss. I even find the scent a bit sweet-balsamic towards the end, which is otherwise rather unusual for Chypres. Here, the mossy doesn't play too much of a leading role, as I've been used to from other scents of this genre. This minimally touched sweetness I attribute in particular to the amber and also to the cinnamon.
[...]

In my opinion, the fragrance fits very well in the interseasons, that is, in spring and autumn. On the one hand, it is made by the floral notes as for mild and pleasantly warm temperatures, and on the other hand by the slightly balsamic base just as for somewhat cooler days.

The durability I find with about 6h on my skin more than decent (for me personally 5-7h are usually always quite enough anyway). A larger scent cloud he leaves only in the first 1-2h, before he is then still a few more hours skin close to perceive.
Conclusion:
That this fragrance is classified for women, will probably surprise many (vllt. something more practiced) people who will test it for the first time. Because I think you will quickly find that he is totally unisex and just as wearable for men; at least for my opinion.

I thank the Parfuma Alliage for the great package, whereby I got to know, among other things, this noble beautiful and elegant Chypre fragrance.

I like it extremely well, because it is for my nose a not too typical scratchy-brushy Chypre, but mMn a little out of line, if you will. But in a positive sense.

An exceptionally pretty and unpretentious cultivated Chypre.
[...]
Thank you for reading!
34 Comments
9
Bottle
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
9.5
Scent
SchatzSucher

107 Reviews
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SchatzSucher
SchatzSucher
Top Review 37  
Happy 100th.
Why shouldn't I dedicate my 50th comment to a fragrance that celebrates its 100th anniversary this year in our beloved fragrance world?
1919, a year full of history.
The troubled period after the First World War, Paris Peace Conference, the proclamation of the Weimar Republic, which was to stand on very shaky ground, the assassination of Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, foundation of the Arbeiterwohlfahrt, Marie Juchacz was the first woman to give a speech in a German parliament, foundation of the world's first scheduled airline, Gropius' Bauhaus was founded, foundation of Bavaria Film, just to mention a few points.

And in the midst of all this confusion and confusion, Jacques Guerlain created Mitsouko, after a Japanese women's name "Mitsouko", which translates as mystery. A more fitting name could not have been more appropriate. The interest in the Far East had awakened and Monsieur Guerlain wanted to pay homage with this fragrance to the heroine from the then bestseller "La Bataille" by Claude Farrère, a beautiful and married woman who secretly loved a British officer.

This unique fragrance is also said to have been the favourite scent of Charlie Chaplin, Ingrid Bergman and Jean Harlow (one of my favourite actresses).
And as different as the people who appreciated the fragrance were, as diverse and mysterious the fragrance itself seems to me.
I really had to work on Mitsouko, because at the very first meeting I did not like the scent at all.

The fragrance is described as classic chypre with fruity notes. And yes, a peach can be easily recognized. But this peach is anything but sweet and sweet Already the prelude is harsh, rough and brittle. The citrus fruits, which are actually bright and sunny, and the flowers, which are usually friendly and cheerful, are really barking at me, they are moody and stern I flinch back, quite intimidated by the bitchiness of the scent. And bitchy it goes on, because when the peach makes its presence felt, the spices snap at once and take every sweetness from the peach (which is surely already a bit dry). Cinnamon is there, vetiver is also edgy and hot, oakmoss anyway, dust-dry and pinched. The appearance of individual flower chords, however, also mitigates this, even if only a little.

That did not reach me at all when I first met him. I didn't want to have such a scratchy beast as a fragrance But wait, I know it's a Guerlain. You have to be patient. Many of the classic Guerlains have to be worked on bit by bit and you have to pay a lot of attention to them. Then they open up little by little and show you how beautiful they are at heart.

It was the same here. Some years passed and the scratch brush Mitsouko fell into my hands as an eau de toilette and that at a price I just couldn't say no to.
And so we met again and immediately the contact was more friendly. The brittle stubbornness is still there, but it has been tamed and softened a bit. The scent is no longer as biting as I remembered it.
Yet Mitsouko continues to puzzle me. Originally designed as a women's fragrance (but I don't care anyway), one minute I find it to be classically feminine, the next minute I'm thinking "No, that's a men's fragrance". And then again not.
A Janus-faced scent then. And the brusqueness of its essence. On the one hand, the fragrance pretends to be a cantankerous and bearish old bag, only to appear as the cultivated and well-behaved gentleman again the next moment. Only to then show a different face again and so on and so forth.

But in the meantime I like to get involved in this interplay. Our kind is not in the same mood every day Now the dear 0815abc Mitsouko in the "Parfum de Toilette" version has given me the chance to get to know it for a while and I could compare a little bit. For this I say thank you very much!
This version is much harsher and drier than the EdT, the oak moss is flying around my ears, it is almost dusty. Flowery notes are present but more dimmed than in the EdT and the spices are more strongly dosed and it seems a bit smoky to me.
The durability is already very good for an eau de toilette with approx. 8 hours, but the Parfum de Toilette lasts easily for 12 hours with initially very strong projection.
I certainly don't have to say anything about the flacons, timeless beauties in Asian style. As simple as they are ingenious.

Conclusion:

Mitsouko is a fragrance that you should definitely get to know, even if it does not become a friendship.
A great classic, which has been available for 100 years and has been able to compete with many others on the market.
And I've grown very fond of the quirky bear-biting old hag, who at the bottom of her heart is friendly after all.
I congratulate you with all my heart, you sprightly, mysterious, scratchy and oh so wonderful Mitsouko! To the next hundred!
26 Comments
8
Pricing
9
Bottle
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
9.5
Scent
Toppine

8 Reviews
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Toppine
Toppine
Top Review 33  
Mitsouko - an approach
Guerlain and I, it doesn't seem right But there's Mitsouko..............

The scents from more recent times are all much too sweet for me (except Bois D'Armenie) But there is Mitsouko................

Unfortunately, the guerlinade in Shalimar and Samsara makes me nauseous. I console myself:
There is Mitsouko...................

I don't even dare to touch the other classics. It doesn't matter, because:
Mitsouko...............

Mitsouko, Mitsouko, Mitsouko - a magic word

Many fragrance lovers describe the fragrance as "sad". Hmm, there is nothing sad, at least not in the eau de toilette. A sparkling, citrusy opening. The opening is not sharp or tart, but sparkling, almost like a glass of champagne. Creamy peach and the lilac alternate with the flowers, the peach shines through again and again and combines with cinnamon and other spices.
The chypre base is balsamic softened, so that the otherwise often strict character of the oak moss does not dominate everything. Vetiver gives a little kick
The most beautiful thing about Mitsouko is its transparency. It is not a cloudy fragrance that suffocates me, it is clear, pure and flowing. Nevertheless, it remains mysterious and difficult to see through with its delicacy. And Mitsouko is already a little bitchy.......

And yes, there's a Japanese flavor to it. The gentle flow of the blossoms and the peach, the harmony of the defused oakmoss make me think of a silk kimono, peach-coloured of course.

Guerlain and I, it'll be difficult. But Mitsouko was and remains my support, forever and ever!
22 Comments
9
Bottle
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
9.5
Scent
Siebenkäs

35 Reviews
Translated Show original Show translation
Siebenkäs
Siebenkäs
Top Review 29  
Departure.
Strange how different the Rue du Thouron seemed that morning
seemed.
Now that she had decided to
put all that behind her leave behind, the trusted paths suddenly looked so different.
The whole town seemed even smaller to her than usual.
The Boulevard du Jeu de Ballon she crossed quickly and
a little way below the school at which she was to start in only a few
Weeks.
But it would not come to that, she had her own
Plans. And that didn't include following in her father's footsteps her father's footsteps. Or getting caught up in the town's age-old traditions ...by the town's ancient traditions She wanted to be free. To have her own experiences and to make up
the world, or just a little bit of it, blowing around her nose
With her nose, she had always loved
to discover the world discovered. As a little girl with her mother in the lavender
fields or in the hills of Tanneron, when the mimosas
were in bloom, in her grandmother's kitchen baking, in the
Streets and shops, in cellars and churches, on clothes,
Books, crayons, on flowers and trees as on furniture,
and also in her father's study.
Who knows - maybe she would even become a musician? First of all
to Paris, then on to London, where so
much was happening at the moment where punk was becoming new wave Her backpack didn't seem heavy, she had only packed the
Necessary packed and in addition her entire savings with it.
Relaxed, she put her hands in her pockets - and felt
something small and round that felt somehow familiar.
She pulled it out and held it on the flat of her hand in the
Morning light. A small perfume tube, on which was written in
fine letters "Mitsouko".
Of course, that told her something. But, although she knew many perfumes
she wasn't sure if she had ever smelled
this one before smelled this one before. How on earth had it got into her bag?
Alain, perhaps? Yes, that could be it, he had
he had talked to her a lot lately, and besides.. suited him quite well And it suited her desire for new things, her euphoric
Mood.
With a loose hand, she sprayed something right and left
on her neck.
A slightly citrusy, a little fruity and somehow
tingling scent rose to her nose and combined perfectly
with her joyful excitement.
She was now standing at the bus stop - for she had
opted for the cheaper option - it took
longer, but the train to Paris cost twice as much.
A slight astringency was now making itself felt in the scent
noticeable, also something rough-floral and vegetable-spicy,
which harmonized strangely with the slight wistfulness that
rose in her as she waited for the bus that was to take her
far away from all that was familiar to her.

She sat by the window, at the very back of the bus, which was now passing through the
mountainous landscape, glazed over by the morning sun.
Was her decision the right one? The question surfaced within her,
without her wanting it to. Paris she knew but little of and
London not at all. Both cities were infinitely
larger than her dreamy little hometown.
An almost austere spiciness now mingled with the flowers,
which she guessed to be lilacs, plus jasmine, some wild
Rose, too.
Generally there was a beautiful disorder in the fragrance, for the
Fruitiness had soon turned out to be peach or peach-
compote with cinnamon.
And that mixed with the untamed flowers.
The spiciness, reminiscent of dry herbs, soon relegated
soon put the florality in its place, so that the scent
now seemed almost masculine No, there was nothing sweetly conciliatory, no "All right,
you know what's best for me..."
Of course, her decision was the right one. She would go her
her own way. And not dutifully go to this school just
because her father was already at Roure and everyone
seemed to know what was good for her All at once the peach announced itself back.
Almost balmy it seemed now, the flowers and spices seemed
less severe, less authoritarian, more open.
"You've got this under control yourself," they seemed to
say, "you can do it, you'll show them."

Eventually she had dozed off, the steady rocking
and the more powerful sun had done its work
done.

When she opened her eyes again, she neither knew
where she was or how long she had been asleep Then she spotted a sign: Paris 625km. No indication of
the next town, but the exact distance to the capital.
As if all roads knew only one destination.
She felt more rested now, more alert.
And the scent seemed even more perky to her, too.
There was something about it that she so
in a perfume. It was like something alive, a tension
that came from contrasts.
You couldn't control it, the perfume seemed to do that
itself.
There was the almost harsh-lordly austerity, tart-spicy, rough,
untamed. And a balsamic softness, sometimes mossy,
sometimes vanilla-woody, also candied-fruity, cuddly
depth Depth, before which roughness and severity relativized.
Sometimes one, sometimes the other seemed to dominate.
Although the balmy-soft side was the dearer to her,
she found Mitsouko incredible. She felt that the scent
perhaps not quite captured her heart, but 100%
her head. And she was aware that many might have
Might have difficulty.
She, however, was able to look over the whole thing and thus appreciate the
artful, refined quality of the composition effortlessly
recognize.
They were approaching Montélimar. Like the perfume, the
Landscape had lovely and rugged sides.
Didn't it apply to so many things?
That a perfume could express such a thing was new to her.
It played with light and dark - which did not mean good and bad.
Both were equal, like day and night.
Had there ever been a scent like this before?
She might not have known enough perfumes to know.
But she felt a great desire to try new scent ways herself
to try them out. Didn't too many perfumes, mostly thought up by
Men, always went the same way?
Couldn't one try to create a fragrance,
that veered even more to the dark side - not evil,
but playful with soft, enveloping depth,
as some vetivers or woods could, dark,
but also shining, like night on a lake or
iridescent black ink. And weren't there more
Possibilities? Sensitive fragrances, with a life of their own, fragrances
that played on stereotypes of feminine and masculine...
She reached for the small bottle and sprayed herself again
something on. Gently, the scent rose to her, almost saucy,
tingling, but harmlessly pretending.
Mitsouko seemed to be singing softly to herself,
"I know there's more to me..."
In Montèlimar, the bus rolled into a side bay of the Avenue
Jean Jaurès, where it had a stop. On the same side
there was a small shop where one could get provisions.
Most of the passengers got off, she too rose
from her seat and stepped out into the warm,
southern French afternoon sun.
She had taken the backpack with her.
She glanced briefly at the shop from which the first
Passengers were emerging with baguettes.
Then, with a flourish, she threw her backpack over her
Shoulder, crossed the Avenue Jean Jaurès and walked
down towards Rue de Grèzes, where the stop of the
Counter bus was, which was going back to Grasse,
back to her future.
19 Comments
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Statements

7 short views on the fragrance
KathrynA66KathrynA66 11 months ago
6
Bottle
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
10
Scent
Wearing this is like wearing a painting by Monet or Pissarro. Gorgeous, timeless perfection.
0 Comments
KuraiKurai 2 years ago
7
Bottle
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
8
Scent
Mitsy EdP is great already, but the balance between florals, fruit and spice plus the subtlety makes the EdT an absolute winner!
1 Comment
JFP26JFP26 3 years ago
10
Bottle
9
Sillage
9
Longevity
10
Scent
My oh my, this is the chypre! Has a citric opening and then evolves into a beautiful dry peach mixed with spices. Totally unisex. A-MA-ZING!
1 Comment
BertolucciKBertolucciK 3 years ago
9
Bottle
7
Sillage
7
Longevity
8.5
Scent
Beautiful chypre, smooth, elegant. Typical J Guerlain opening with bergamot, jasmine, rose. Then a perfect blend o peach, oakmoss and spices
0 Comments
PallidusPallidus 2 years ago
8
Bottle
8
Sillage
8
Longevity
5.5
Scent
Unfortunately the peach wasn’t revealed to my nose. I got a violet chypre with an old-school spicy musk.
Respectful yet unwearable for me.
1 Comment
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ChapeauClack in Perfumes & Brands
Gold: It's sooo tellling the man is named "Wasser" = water in German. "Watering down" fragrances is his task,...

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