CAROLINA HERRERA
Flore EDP

1994

PERFUMER
Carlos Benaim
Rosendo Mateu

Aldehydes
Green Notes
Fruity Notes
Bergamot

lily-of-the-valley
Jasmine
Lilac
Iris
Rose

Woody Notes
Sandalwood
musk

I almost forgot I had a (stunning looking) miniature of this. Definitely not my go to styling of a floral scent, but here it goes.

To appreciate Flore, you have to like aldehydes, (white) musk and most of all, lily-of-the-valley. This fragrance screams white and light green hues. It’s somewhat refreshing and it does contain the slightest hint of indols from the white florals. However, for the most part, this opens sharp and clean (and that’s from a vintage, so presumably some of the sharpness has worn off already).

A little bit too clean perhaps. Veering into cleaning product and laundry detergent territory a little bit in the opening.

The drydown is more forgiving, when more warmth and smoothness is introduced. Actually, there is something a bit off for me in the way it introduces this fruity sweetness. Picture an apple-citrus sweetness, but the type you get from a room spray; not quite natural smelling.

Definitely a fragrance that feels like a blast from the past and will likely only appeal to people that knew what they were looking for when they picked it up.

That being said, it’s a nice, well-crafted perfume that is fun to sample at least once (especially in decent to warm weather). It’s pretty, although not as pretty as its bottle and not the type of fragrance that I feel my collection will ever be in need of.