Our take
What does Vol de Nuit smell like?
Jacques Guerlain created Vol de Nuit in 1933 as a tribute to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s novel published two years earlier. The perfume translates the adventure of early aviation into a green, bitter opening led by galbanum, a resin that smells of crushed leaves, softened by bergamot and orange. The heart is more melancholy: jasmine, violet and iris form a powdery, slightly cool bouquet, like thin air at altitude. Then the base reveals the full Guerlain craft: velvety vanilla, creamy sandalwood and resinous benzoin slowly warming the skin. The contrast between the green start and the ambery finish gives it a moving depth typical of the great interwar creations.
When to wear it
An evening scent for cold weather, ideally with tailored clothes; it speaks to lovers of vintage, powdery, nuanced perfumes.
It belongs to the Oriental / Amber family. Vol de Nuit is one of 10 creations by Guerlain in our encyclopedia.
