Reviews of White Linen (1978)
by Estée Lauder

Smells good from the bottle and immediately when trying it, but the scent fades on my skin almost immediately.

Yuk!...this is awful. Like old granny style soap left in a drawer for 20 years. Not sexy...not anything...except a revolting brew of nastiness.Sickeningly bad!

With its hair singeing blast of soapy aldehydes, White Linen has got to be one of the world’s most instantly recognizable perfumes. (Others include Angel, Fracas, Mitsouko, and Chanel No. 5.) It’s also one of the most aptly named. It’s so thoroughly bleached and laundered that no hint of dirt, color, or organic matter clings to it. Hence White Linen is the ultimate in anti-sex, a chemical chastity belt of impenetrable strength. I myself have always found it harsh and vinegary, and can never quite disassociate it from women of a certain age. On the other hand, it is unique, and in its soft, powdery tonka bean and sandalwood drydown, even beautiful. Ironically, were colored blue and labeled “_______ Sport” I could imagine it appealing to the same men who try to obscure every trace of mammalian masculinity from their skin by wearing scents like Dolce & Gabbana’s Light Blue or Acqua di Gio.

WL is horrid on me-- all aldehydes and soap. It took 2 1/2 hours for it to settle down into something I don't want to scrub off, and even after four hours I just plain don't like it. I'm pretty sure I over-applied, but even with that consideration this is not something I would ever enjoy.

Cheap and phony, like it's trying to be clean laundry or something, but didn't quite make it. Very strong and chemical like. This would make a great bug repellent. Really. It's quite potent. It dries down, but it just stinks awful. There's nothing clean about this.

I never wore this when it first came out; I didn't care for it then, but I thought I would try it again. White Linen smells like an old-fashioned aldyhydic floral minus the florals--soapy, cean, bright, and high-pitched. If I had to name any notes, I would say there is some nose-tickling carnation and dry cedar, but none of it smells natural to me. It smells like a chemical designed to nullify the scent of anything it touches. I concede that it does have the aroma of freshly laundered sheets, which is a good thing, but I prefer that aroma on fabric instead of skin.

A pleasant, fresh fragrance, but somewhat "single-minded" and dries down to a pure soapy finish on me - uninteresting.