Folavril (1981)
by Annick Goutal

Folavril does indeed smell like tomato stems and mangoe. It is a very vegetal "cologne" and not my style, though the ingredients do smell of high quality. This one is unusual - I seriously advise testing first. It would be a really interesting masculine.

This one has gotten such great press - not to mention great wear - from several esteemed basenoters. I ended up buying a bottle blindly, and don't regret it one bit! Having read somewhere that Folavril was Goutals' first creation, I wish I would have tried it years ago. It is soapy and fresh. Not sweet, but not dry or bitter either. Delicate, yet has quite good sillage & longevity, particularly for it's genre. Folavril reminds me of the childrens' bubble blowing liquid that comes in a plastic bottle with the circle wand. Pucker up, blow, and giggle with delight at the array of fairy like bubbles floating around! Uplifting and light hearted, I cannot imagine this fragrance being worn without a smile as an accompaniment!

It's also somehow sugary, and like new plastic dolls.

I'm somewhat confused by Folavril, since (to my nose) it smells almost identical to Eau de Charlotte. Don't get me wrong, I like Eau de Charlotte... but I was expecting something, well, different. If I were to toy with the idea that I'm actually smelling different notes, I might suggest that Folavril is a bit more "soapy" than EdC. To me, EdC falls in that category of "oddly pleasant"-- somewhat similar to liquid fingernail polish remover and somewhat similar to a citrusy floral. Folavril, on the other hand, is fingernail polish remover with a hint of Ivory. Since I have a mini of EdC, I can't see any reason to invest in the Folavril... yet, my nose tends to go through its "awakenings." We'll see.

I agree with both reviews. I tend to like soapy perfumes and this fits the bill. It is slightly wet and also a bit fruity but not in a teeny bopper way.

"Folavril" is French for "April Fool", It is my first fragrance from the Annick Goutal's range. It is light happy soapy fragrance that can be worn to work and during weekends on a summer day. Here are the notes from the Annick Goutal site. It is a composition of mango,jasmine, Boronia flower, and spicy tomato leaf. Folavril reminds me the naughtiness in myself.