Best Louis Vuitton Perfume Guide: A Famous Range

• About
• Latest Posts

Caroline Lambert

Are you looking for someone that’s going to be open and honest with you about the scents that are and aren’t going to work for you? Caroline isn’t here to play games when it comes to the world of perfumes. She loves breaking down every note of perfume and explaining how a perfume will work with your personal preferences. Plus, she loves learning about new scents, so she’s always on the hunt to find the best and latest perfumes on the market.

Latest posts by Caroline Lambert (see all)

• Good Chemistry Perfumes Guide for Clean Living - December 2, 2023
• Burberry Her Perfume Guide: European Flair for Urbane Women - December 2, 2023
• Best Tommy Bahama Perfumes Guide - December 2, 2023

What comes to mind when you think of a refined, luxury brand? Louis Vuitton perfume checks every opulent box and more. The brand is phenomenally exceptional, striking the right balance between elegance and wow! This guide is about to tickle every fancy you’ve had about the brand.

From choosing your signature perfume to knowing the secrets of why the perfume costs so much, you’re about to dive into the world of lavish scents produced by artistic minds and noses. Louis Vuitton perfume isn’t for everyone. The prices alone can make some people second-guess the famed brand worn by celebrities.

If you could survive gold dust running through your veins, Louis Vuitton would make it. Wearing the brand that manufactures perfume through carefully guarded techniques is like blinging yourself without looking like a pimp. The scent should advocate for you. You don’t need gold teeth and diamond earrings.

You’re about to be introduced to luxury on another level! Louis Vuitton manufactures a range of suave perfumes for men and women, each with a wow factor. Some perfumes even have rare ingredients, making them invaluable.

Stardom Starts Somewhere…

Louis Vuitton can be called a brand of antiquity as it began in the mid-1800s. Fame is normally reached by those who set their minds on success from a young age. Louis Vuitton was no different. He was only 16 when he passionately chose to change the future for himself and generations to come.

Today, the brand famously known for handbags, shoes, and perfume started when Louis arrived in Paris on foot in 1837. He became an apprentice to legendary Monsieur Maréchal, a Frenchman already famed for being the best packer and trunkmaker. The main modes of transport at the time were trains, carriages, and ships.

Packing and what we call luggage today were huge businesses. Louis worked under Maréchal for 17 years, learning to customize, beautify, and glamorize trunks for travel. Moreover, the quality of his work was exceptional, which became one reason for his later fame. Louis was a true craftsman.

By 1854, Louis opened his own shop in Asnières, near Place Vendome, which became an iconic site by 1859. He started with 20 employees but expanded to 225 by 1914. The Vuitton family residence was built on the site and is now a museum. The workshop still functions today, making luggage tough enough to survive airport staff.

Louis Vuitton and his son George revolutionized a lock system for the trunks in 1886, and they even challenged Harry Houdini to attempt cracking it open, which failed. By the early 1920s, Louis Vuitton began manufacturing perfume to add to the gorgeous collection of designer goods.

Sadly, tragedy struck the factory. It burned to the ground, and all the formulas and perfume samples were lost. After numerous calls for Vuitton perfume to return to the market, the company brought Jacques Cavallier Belletrud onboard to design secretive formulas and an entirely new range from 2,500 different notes.

The world craved Louis Vuitton perfume for 70 years before a new batch was released on September 1, 2016. Seven fragrances embraced the world, and the rest is history!

Understanding the Secrets

Louis Vuitton fragrance isn’t the cheapest brand. I also once thought it was reserved for celebrities and people who could afford yachts. However, it was only when I learned the secrets behind the brand that I realized how precious it is and why it costs so much. It changed my mind about testing the perfume.

Secret 1: Exclusivity

Why are diamonds so expensive? Two reasons come to mind, namely the rarity of the gem, and more importantly, the limited supply of flawless diamonds available. It’s all about the color, clarity, carat, and cut. Louis Vuitton perfumes are the four C’s of fragrances. The brand uses ingredients as rare as diamonds.

One ingredient is called oud or agarwood. Mainly found in the Philippines, agarwood is running short due to its value. The infected wood is sought by perfumers willing to pay millions of dollars to make beautiful fragrances. The liquid is worth more than its weight in gold. This is just one rare ingredient used.

Secret 2: Belletrud

French perfumer, Jacques Cavallier Belletrud, is a poet of fragrances because he has a nose others could only wish to have. Jacques Cavallier seeks out the rarest, finest, and most tempting ingredients from around the globe to design perfumes that turn heads and make hearts skip a beat.

Other perfumes designed by Belletrud include:

• Dior Addict
• Jean-Paul Gaultier Classique
• Stella by Stella McCartney

Belltrud’s nose knows best about luxurious perfumes, but he doesn’t come at the price of unknown perfumers.

Secret 3: Cutting-Edge Technology

Louis Vuitton’s Belletrud is a craftsman-like no other. Instead of using the same perfuming technique most brands use, he chose not to boil the ingredients until the notes were barely recognizable. Most manufacturers use the boiling technique to bring the ingredient notes to the surface.

Louis Vuitton uses a technique called CO2 Extraction. This process is widely used to make decaffeinated coffee, but Belletrud uses it to duplicate the true floral notes of fresh flowers, as fresh as you can smell in their raw forms. The extraction turns the floral notes into a liquid, but the process is expensive.

Sure, there are more reasons for the price of Louis Vuitton perfumes, but these three secrets revealed how the fragrance matches the brand’s quality, expectations, and absolute enchantment. I was sold and purchased my first bottle; Heures D’Absence. I have no regrets!

Louis Vuitton Perfume Guide for Women

France is one of the countries where many gorgeous perfumes are made. The names of Louis Vuitton’s female range grips the same emotional attachment with the deep French pronunciations. Louis Vuitton doesn’t disappoint. The brand stands for superb quality, which is also evident in some of the names.

1. Spell on You

A new addition to the LV perfume range is Spell on You. Hypnotic, passionate, sensual, complicit, mischievous, and romantic describe this 2021 perfume. The key ingredient is iris pallida from Florence, Italy. The accords combine floral, powdery, green, and violet essences.

Base Notes: acacia, peach, and white musk

Heart Notes: Chinese jasmine, rose, and Tuscan Iris

Top Notes: Tuscan iris, violet, and green notes

Pros

• It’s an intense perfume for women to exude mischievous natures blended with love and romance
• It’s a seductive feminine perfume

Cons

• It costs $265 per 100 ml bottle

2. Heures D’Absence

Translating to “hours of absence,” Heures D’Absence is about getting lost in an attention-grabbing aroma for hours. It has white and yellow floral accents with a fruity, sweet, and woody undertone. This perfume encourages you to lose yourself and sense of time in a place that seems timeless; Grasse, France.

Base Notes: vanilla, sandalwood, and musk

Heart Notes: raspberry, mimosa, and pitosporum

Top Notes: rose de mai and sambac jasmine

Pros

• The key ingredient is rose de mai, which looks like a gorgeous rose embellished in a peony
• The fragrance is majestic, luminous, and enchanting, making you feel like you’re in a fairytale realm

Cons

• It costs $265 per 100 ml bottle (It’s totally worth it if you ask me!)

Etoile Filante

Etoile Filante translates to “shooting star,” which represents a shining light in the darkened night. This perfume is for women who aim to shine bright. It’s about using the raw osmanthus key ingredient to invite a message of hope and manifest your dreams and desires while remaining graceful as a woman should.

Base Notes: white musk

Heart Notes: osmanthus, magnolia, and jasmine

Top Notes: strawberry

Pros

• The sweetness of the accords come through as fruity, floral, musky, and citrusy
• The scent is almost innocent but not quite
• The perfume exudes beauty, joy, and hope in one

Cons

• It costs $265 per 100 ml bottle
• It might smell too fruity for some women (always test it on your skin before buying it)

3. Coeur Battant

Couer Battant translates directly to “beating heart.” This perfume gets the heart beating at a new rhythm. Its key ingredients are white flowers and fresh pear. The accords strike aquatic, fruity, floral, sweet, woody fragrance, and earthy accents, allowing women to become the flirtatious beasts they intend to be.

Base Notes: patchouli and moss

Heart Notes: Egyptian jasmine, ylang-ylang, and narcissus

Top Notes: cascalone, ambrette, and pear

Pros

• The fragrance has a sweeping effect on the nose and heart
• It’s a passionate, instinctive, and luscious perfume with an exotic touch

Cons

• I should stop complaining about the price at this point (they’re all worth it)
• The fragrance is a little more feminine than some contemporary women love

4. Matière Noire

Matière Noire translates to “black matter” directly, but it’s better suited to “dark matter,” a mysterious universal particle that stumps scientists due to its unpredictable behavior. The luxury accords include fruity, amber, oud, spicy, woody, and smoky. Moreover, this perfume contains the invaluable agarwood ingredient.

Base Notes: patchouli, benzoin, agarwood, and incense

Heart Notes: cyclamen, rose, jasmine, and narcissus

Top Notes: watery notes and blackcurrant syrup

Pros

• The mysterious aura of the perfume allows women to be anyone they desire when they wear it
• It’s an adventurous, fantasy-fueled fragrance
• It works best at night as its “dark nature” encourages

Cons

• The scent may be confusing for women who lack confidence
• It evolves to a suede-type smell on some womens’ skin

Apogée

Apogée is an unapologetic fragrance that translates to “epicenter” or “climax.” Are you at the pinnacle of your life? This fragrance exudes just that with the floral, citrus, woody, and green undertones. It’s a cool perfume that reconnects you with your pinnacle or the climax of who you are and what you can achieve.

Base Notes: Guaiac wood, sandalwood, and white musk

Heart Notes: magnolia, rose, jasmine, and lily of the valley

Top Notes: orange and tangerine

Pros

• The key ingredient is the lily of the valley, but it’s extracted for its fullest essence
• It’s a seemingly innocent perfume that carries strong floral notes to boost confidence
• The fragrance seems universally aligning in a renaissance-style feel

Cons

• The fragrance doesn’t have a strong wake or sillage
• The carefully extracted notes better suit confident women (but it’s not magic to turn you confident if you’re not)

Millex Feux

Millex Feux translates to “thousand lights,” suggesting that this perfume radiates a woman’s inner lights to make her shine her brightest. The accords strike a strong leather undertone again, but they include fruity, sweet, spicy, iris, powdery, and earthy accents to make it more feminine than the last option.

Base Notes: sandalwood, moss, leather, patchouli, and orris root

Heart Notes: rose, jasmine, iris, saffron, and osmanthus

Top Notes: bergamot and raspberry

Pros

• The fragrance denotes what a young woman should smell like when she wants to make an intimate statement
• It’s an incandescent blend of leather and sweet raspberry
• The scent creates an emotional aura around a woman (the good kind)

Cons

• The animalistic nature of the perfume may be overwhelming for some women

Contre Moi

Contre Moi translates to “against me,” and it’s the perfect perfume for rebellious women who love showing their inner beast. The perfume blends aromatic with sweet perfectly to create a sensual flair. Other undertones include vanilla, citrus, floral, cacao, spicy, and green accents.

Base Notes: cacao, ambrette, Madagascan vanilla, and Tahitian vanilla

Heart Notes: rose, pear, magnolia, and orange blossom

Top Notes: bergamot, lemon, and herbal notes

Pros

• This perfume makes me think of a lioness stalking her prey, ready to pounce at any moment
• The two exotic kinds of vanilla pods are the main ingredients
• It’s a fragrance made to surface positive emotions so two unique people can connect

Cons

• The fragrance smells overwhelmingly alluring if you’re not looking to be seductive

Louis Vuitton makes many designer, luxury, rare-ingredient perfumes for women. Others include:

• Turbulences (even more pricy, yikes!)
• Dans La Peau (means under the skin)
• Rose Des Vents (means compass)
• Attrape Rêves (means dream catcher)
• Les Jour Se Lève (means the beginning of the day)

Louis Vuitton makes beautiful perfume for women of any personality or intention. Testing them at the Louis Vuitton stores by spraying them on your skin and leaving them to wake for a few hours is the best way to find your preferred one.

Louis Vuitton Perfume Guide for Men

Gents and I truly mean gents, Louis Vuitton brings you a men’s range of extravagant fragrances that ignite all the right cords in your wake. The fragrances are elaborate but sophisticated, powerful but gentle enough to be alluring, bewitching but romantic. You also have a choice of cologne, depending on your ambitions.

Orage

Orage translates to “thunderstorm,” leaving the impression that you’ll disturb everyone in your wake, but in a good way. The accords include woody, earthy, citrus, spicy, aromatic, and powdery. The key ingredients are patchouli and iris, creating a blue essence for men. This cologne certainly leaves a mark.

Base Notes: java vetiver, white musk, iso E super, and patchouli

Heart Notes: pepper, iris, and hedione

Top Notes: grapefruit and bergamot

Pros

• The cologne exudes a masculine, empowering, and no-bull attitude
• It creates a sense of being one with the earth like a storm connects through lightning
• It’s an untamed smell that leaves people wanting more

Cons

• Some men don’t like floral key ingredients, but this still smells manly in every way
• The men’s range also starts at $265 per 100 ml bottle

Nouveau Monde

Nouveau Monde translates to “new world,” and it encumbers the fragrances of the contemporary man in every essence. The key ingredients are the invaluable agarwood combined with cocoa to radiate manliness. The accords include spicy, leather, oud, cacao, amber, animalistic, and caramel.

Base Notes: agarwood, leather, and amber wood

Heart Notes: saffron, vanilla, rose, and caramel

Top Notes: cocoa and olibanum

Pros

• The rare ingredient makes this a sure-winner for men
• The smell is like something from a fantasy where a whirlwind of scents collide in a handsome but unexpected way
• It’s a modern venture for men

Cons

• The smell can seem like it originates in African planes, which is somewhat true as it was inspired by Pierre Savorgnan, who traveled through Africa

L’Immensité

L’Immensité translates to “immensity” or “greatness.” What man doesn’t want to feel immense in the crowd of modern-day masculinity? Standing out is one benefit of this cologne, with its key ingredients being amber, grapefruit, and ginger. The accords include aromatic, amber, spicy, aquatic, fresh, and woody.

Base Notes: labdanum, amber, and ambroxan

Heart Notes: rosemary, geranium, and sage

Top Notes: bergamot, ginger, and grapefruit

Pros

• This cologne is made for urban men who want to make a statement
• It smells like an invigorating ode to freshness
• It’s a liberating scent that encourages men to step outside the norms

Cons

• Experimental fragrances don’t work well if you’re a traditional man

Au Hasard

Au Hasard translates to “random,” but there’s nothing random about this exotic, oriental-styled cologne. The key ingredients include Northern sandalwood, ambrette seed, and cardamom. The accords include musky, leather, woody, spicy, animalistic, and citrus. Oriental, spicy fragrances are trending, as their notes express well.

Base Notes: ambrette, sandalwood, musk, leather, and cashmere wood

Heart Notes: green notes, neroli, freesia, pear, and cardamom

Top Notes: lemon, bergamot, and aldehydes

Pros

• This fragrance takes you on an unforeseen and unpredictable journey through your senses
• The ambrette note comes through strongly to create a pear accent before a disarming woody undertone overtakes the manly embodiment

Cons

• The spicy notes aren’t as noticeable as other oriental colognes, which some men prefer when they begin the exotic journey

Météore

Météore translates to “meteor,” making this cologne match the universal and driving force of Matière Noire, but for men. The key ingredients are Sicilian mandarin and a trio of peppers to create a force of epic adventures. The accords include citrus, spicy, aromatic, sweet, and woody. Yes, men can smell sweet!

Base Notes: java vetiver

Heart Notes: Tunisian neroli, Indonesian nutmeg, pink pepper, pepper, and Guatemalan cardamom

Top Notes: Calabrian bergamot and Sicilian orange

Pros

• Imagine a meteor rushing to earth, creating a blast of light through clouds, and you’ve got this cologne down
• It’s a powerful fragrance that leaves people deeply fascinated
• It smells like a peppery infusion with the sky elements

Cons

• This is a contemporary fragrance best suited to younger or middle-aged men
• It’s a cool fragrance that doesn’t wear well in warmer months

Sur La Route

Sur La Route is an adventure waiting inside a bottle, and it translates to “on the road.” The striking ingredients are Calabrian citrus and Peruvian balsam, which surprisingly evolve differently on people’s skin. This cologne is about finding and expressing your true self. The accords include citrus, fresh, spicy, woody, green, and leather.

Base Notes: patchouli, Peruvian balsam, cedar, leather, and Iso E super

Heart Notes: cardamom, nutmeg, grass, and hedione (middle notes)

Top Notes: citrus, Calabrian bergamot, and pink pepper

Pros

• This fragrance suits men who want to pursue their wildest dreams
• It smells like country roads in Europe with the wind brushing your skin and clean water splashing in your face
• It can get the heart working at a new rhythm

Cons

• This fragrance might not suit urban men well

Keep in mind that Belletrud is a unique man who produces otherworldy scents with rare and precious ingredients. Louis Vuitton colognes certainly smell unique, but they can leave deeply engraved impressions with everyone in your wake.

Louis Vuitton Perfume Alternatives to Consider

Not everyone can afford to wear Louis Vuitton as a signature perfume, but fear not, there are some alternatives that smell incredible! Comparing the accords of the Louis Vuitton range, consider these alternatives for men and women.

Victoria’s Secret Pink Perfume

Victoria’s Secret Pink Perfume is a great alternative to Apogée as it’s also subtle but gorgeously alluring. Many perfumes from Victoria’s Secret would make you think they’re striking and unapologetically seductive, but they’re the perfect balance of elegance and beauty.

Guess Belle Vita EDP

Guess Belle Vita EDP is a bewitching alternative to Heures D’Absence, my favorite. Ironically, they’re my favorites from both brands, but that makes sense because my nose follows the same road. Both perfumes have a sweet, woody, and fruity accent, allowing you and others to lose yourself in the scent.

Guess Bella Vita | FragranceNet

The uplifting fragrance of Bella Vita is a delectable scent for women. Launched in 2020, this scent comes from the design house of Guess.

Check Price Buy at Amazon

We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

Bleu de Chanel

Bleu de Chanel compares to Météore, as both colognes have a powerful driving force to make bold statements. Additionally, they both dry down to spicy, aromatic, and woody undertones from a powerfully citrus scent. If you’re looking for an alternative that makes you evolve and grow, this is a great option.

Bleu De Chanel Paris Cologne | Amazon

$108.00 ($31.76 / Fl Oz)

An invigorating freshness opens, lingering on the warm fullness of cedar and New Caledonian sandalwood that sweeps throughout the intense, aromatic-woody accord, leaving a captivating trail.

Buy at Amazon

We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

12/01/2023 08:54 pm GMT

Azzaro Pour Homme

Comparing Louis Vuitton to a classic like Azarro might seem experimental, but Azzaro Pour Homme is as close to L’Immensité as any man can come. The accords dry down similar in both colognes, starting from an aromatic and woody scent that dries down to a fresh and spicy undertone. Classic legends often stand their ground.

Azzaro Pour Homme Eau de Toilette | Amazon

$90.00 ($13.43 / Fl Oz)

Fashioned by Italian elegance and refinement, reflecting its creator Loris Azzaro, this sleek fragrance with its lively, powerful sillage combines natural sensuality and instinctive elegance.

Buy at Amazon

We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

12/02/2023 03:48 am GMT

Tips for Using a Luxury Perfume or Cologne

Using luxury perfume as a signature fragrance can become costly, especially if you’re not using it the way pros do. I cringe when I see someone spraying themselves wildly in a department store. I laugh when I see people do the spray walkthrough. Perfume is precious and pricy, so use these tips to make it work better:

1. Always shower or bath before putting luxury perfume on moisturized skin. Using a base on your skin will help it stay longer. Never rub it into the skin. Spray twice and let it evolve slowly. Allow your skin to dry naturally before covering it with clothes.
2. Don’t leave luxury perfume in a humid space like the bathroom. It changes the consistency of the notes. Keep the bottle in a Louis Vuitton case found on their website to ensure a longer-lasting relationship with the gorgeous fragrance. Keep the decorative and temperature-controlled case in a wardrobe.
3. Don’t purchase a new bottle each time you need a refill. All Louis Vuitton stores with a perfume fountain top the bottles up again for $150 to $300, depending on the perfume.
4. Louis Vuitton fragrances are potent enough due to the extraction process, but they don’t work exceptionally well in extreme heat. Reserve the perfumes for cooler or in-between weather. Otherwise, wear it on your clothes if it’s too hot outside.
5. Make the scent last longer by spraying it onto your hot spots, which are simply the pulse points. Anywhere you can count your pulse is a hot spot. You can also spray it on your hair as it’s maintained longer on your locks.

How to Choose Your Louis Vuitton Perfume

Louis Vuitton fragrances are trusted as the brand has never failed us. However, I considered three factors before choosing Heures D’Absence as my Louis Vuitton addition.

1. Convenience

Where do you live? Sure, the perfumes can be ordered online and delivered, but you can refill them at the nearest Louis Vuitton store when they finish. Do some research to see whether you have a perfume fountain close enough to cut the extreme costs using the refill feature.

2. Testing, Testing

I struggle to choose perfumes without knowing how they evolve on my skin. Everyone’s skin type evolves perfume differently. Visit a Louis Vuitton store to spray the perfume directly onto your skin. Don’t walk through a cloud as it doesn’t evolve that way. Leave it for two hours to see how the notes change on your skin.

3. Lifestyle

The notes of each perfume are the tell-tale signs of what you can expect. The accords will interchange as you wear the perfume. Consider your lifestyle, what you want to smell like, and how you want to impress people’s memories before choosing your perfume. An urban man won’t want to smell like a countryman.

FAQs

Louis Vuitton Perfume Guide: Final Thoughts

From trunks that allowed travelers to forgo their worries about their luggage to perfumes that hit notes previously undiscovered, the Louis Vuitton brand is something from another world. Celebrities love it. I love it. And let’s face it, the brand wouldn’t be where it is unless the masses loved it.

The consumer is who builds a brand to what they become, and Louis Vuitton earned his recognition. So did Belletrud. I recommend Heures D’Absence for women who want to lose themselves in a world so indescribably beautiful and sensual that time stands still.

When it comes to the manly colognes, my favorite worn by my partner is certainly Météore. Sure, it will be expensive to buy the first one, but the refills make it easier to wear Louis Vuitton as a signature fragrance. Don’t miss out on luxury beyond realism. Visit a store today, and purchase your favorite Louis Vuitton perfume!

For more reading:

• Dossier Perfume Guide: Which Are The Perfect Notes For You? – Scent Chasers
• Versace Perfume Guide: The Best Picks For Men And Women – Scent Chasers
• Guess Perfume Guide: Our Favorite Picks For Men And Women – Scent Chasers