Nina Ricci
L’Air Du Temps EDT

1948

PERFUMER
Francis Fabron

alouchi
aldehydes
rose absolute
spicy notes
bergamot
neroli
rosewood
peach
carnation

sweet pea
lily-of-the-valley
lily
orchid
sichuan pepper
rose de mai absolute
violet
ylang-ylang
gardenia
jasmine absolute
orris
carnation absolute
clove
rosemary

almond
aloeswood
patchouli
tonkin musk
cedarwood
mysore sandalwood
amber
vetiver
oakmoss
iris
benzoin
opoponax
ambergris

‘Created by perfumer Francis Fabron, when the world wanted a breath of fresh air after the ravaged years of the war. Women who had worked in munitions and related wartime factories wanted to regain their femininity and were seeking to bring back romance into their lives. Their answer was to come in the form of precious perfume. L’Air du Temps is a French idiom, difficult to pin down as to its specific meaning. “L’Air du Temps” has been defined, literally, as “the air of time,” and idiomatically as “timelessness,” “in the air,” or “of the moment.’ – Nina Ricci Perfumes (Blogger)

‘L’Air Du Temps is an ode to peace, love and freedom. This essence of absolute femininity celebrates eternal youth. Inspired by the pure elation and optimism felt after the war, L’Air du Temps symbolizes positivity and represents an eternally hopeful mood of the times. As the very first spicy-floral fragrance in the history of perfume, this timeless scent has become a veritable olfactive icon. Representing peace and love, two doves are tenderly interlaced on the stopper. It has come to symbolise optimism and new-found peace.The iconic design was named “Perfume Bottle of the Century” in 2000, a fitting tribute for this timeless creation.’ – Ninna Ricci

‘I imagined the perfume I would like to smell on the shoulders of the woman I love… a floral, spicy fragrance.’ – Francis Fabron

Vintage

This review is for a 4ml sample, that I can’t find much information for, and I have no clear indication of its release year. Underneath this review is another review for a modern EDT.

It was my first time smelling the popular L’Air Du Temps DNA and I was pleasantly surprised. I was expecting a ‘luxury soap’ scent, as it’s been described by many, and I got to that eventually, but I enjoyed the journey to it as much.

My L’Air Du Temps opens very sweet and spicy. The vanillic backbone hits straight away, which I didn’t expect. I assume a lot of the top notes from my miniature have faded, as I don’t get much of the brighter tones and especially not much of an aldehydic sensation. Instead, the spicy, creamy and sweet carnation is very prominent.

It’s like a dense gust of spicy wind, with a cinnamon-esque tinge and a hint of tickling oakmoss underneath. There’s a custard-like vanilla, which instead of overtaking it, seems to get overtaken by that ‘luxury soap’ vibe in the drydown.

The drydown reminded me more of a sweeter, less daring take on something akin to Nicolai New York Intense or recent releases by Francesca Bianchi. It’s more sophisticated, soapy, a bit greener and less vanillic (although still there) than the spicier opening.

The texture bounces between creamy and powdery; I feel like the iris becomes quite prominent during the mid of the wear on my first impression.

Overall a joyful and surprisingly sweet experience; not as soapy or bright as any reviews of current versions I’ve read, so I presume my miniature had aged quite a bit (judging by the vial I’m guessing it’s neither recent, nor very vintage, but there had also been a lot of air in it already). I would like to compare it to different versions or bottles of L’Air Du Temps at some point, because the scent-profile is interesting.

Modern

L’Air Du Temps is one the greats in the history of perfumery and (depending on which version you get) it’s one of the more fun picks that is still being produced today. It’s one of the few things that you will find in a Sephora anno 2024 that smells like it was created in a different era.

That’s not to say that it’s ‘timeless’ by any metric… like the scent; when you pick up a current L’Air Du Temps, it definitely feels old-school with its powdery, sort of aldehydic, floral vanilla. You won’t be mistaking this for a new release and it will likely be misaligned with a lot of younger audience’s tastes, but I do like that it’s not been modernized into something unrecognizable (yet).

That doesn’t mean that it’s not been heavily reformulated and ingredients have changed over time. I have two different vintage samples, which were a lot thicker and had grown more vanillic over time; one of the more vanillic vintages I’ve come across. The version I have is a much more modern EDT, albeit a bottle that’s definitely been around for some years as well. And to be clear; the version that I have isn’t nearly as good.

It’s a lot thinner. The L’Air Du Temps here has the powdery, make-up bag iris and semi-sweet vanilla. But also quite a lot of citrussy florals, which can come across a bit like a cleaning product. Texture-wise it’s somehow oily and dry at the same time; the vanilla in particular goes dry and powdery and it comes across rather cheap smelling. Yet, somehow the combination of cheap smelling vanilla and cleaning product citrus is hard to hate on in a fragrances like this.

When I tried L’Air Du Temps in store before buying it, the (quite old) tester bottle felt more vintage-y, more mossy perhaps, like the older versions I’d smelled, whereas the bottle I ended up with is more clinical and less dense. Ideally; get a bottle that you’ve smelled before buying.