Our take
What does Mitsouko smell like?
Jacques Guerlain created Mitsouko in 1919, just after the First World War, naming it after the heroine of a Claude Farrère novel and building on the chypre structure made famous two years earlier. Its bold stroke was to lay a lactonic, slightly overripe peach over the bitterness of oakmoss. Bergamot and lemon open alongside that downy fruit, then rose and jasmine settle in, muted and almost dusty rather than bright. The drydown slips into a forest-floor base where vetiver and amber stretch the moss into a damp, shaded warmth. Nothing here is sweet or showy. Mitsouko holds itself back, dignified and private, revealing its depth over hours.
When to wear it
Best on mild, overcast days, equally at home in the office or at the opera. It speaks to lovers of the classics and to anyone who prefers intrigue over the obvious.
It belongs to the Chypre family. Mitsouko is one of 10 creations by Guerlain in our encyclopedia.
