Reviews of L'Air du Temps (1948)
by Nina Ricci

This is a nice, light inoffensive floral...not as terrible as "The Guide" states but not very inspiring, either. The new formula lacks some of the more subtle fragrance notes that I could never quite define but were obviously important. Those notes made a "little" fragrance much more interesting. Another problem...this fragrance does not last! It seems to evaporate before any kind of drydown. If you are looking for a nice, light floral, save your money and buy Tommy Girl instead.

This was a scent of my great-grandmother's. When I was a child, I thought it was stinky skunk oil, though I was always captivated by the dove stopper. I revisited this recently, and I was pleasantly surprised. To my adult nose, it smelled fresh and romantic, with just a touch of earthiness in the rose notes. This could be effective as either a day scent or a night scent. I want to purchase a bottle and see if it will live up to the ultimate test- will it last more than an hour on my skin? If it does, this might become one of my five-star scents.

Top note is rose to my nose. It as like old rossy baby powders, and like rose smell on old clothes rested decades in the attic or the sealed with a puff card found in an old novel. it is vintage soft but not the way i would like to smell.
Middle note is carnations and jasmine. I really apreciate that part. These to are balanced so well that i can hardly tell them; they make a nice happy accord together, which is original and unique after fifty years. may be gardenia plays a role in that accord but i do not have a straong gardenia smell image in my olifactory lobe so it is hard to comment.
Base note is iris; powdery and rich. I do not get spices in it. But expect nothing fresh either. I cannot wear it because of the top note but can say that it is a nice vintage.

Many years ago I remember being instantly captivated when I first smpled L'Air du Temps in a store. "Unfortunately, Monsieur le Baron," said the assistant with a smirk, "this is a scent for women." Being young and impressionable at the time concerning such arbitrary social conventions, I blushed and left it on the shelf. Latterly, however, I have renewed my acquaintance with this remarkable fragrance and reaffirmed my first impressions. A sweet heart of carnation surrounded by a clean, fresh breath of joy. Masculine? Feminine? I would rather call it Angelic. (de Charlus).

I recently bought this on a whim, untested. I found it disappointingly harsh and unappealing; it has the feel of musty old clothes stored in a chest.

Whew-wee! This joins that barf inducer list along with Giorgio and other stinky, bug spray chemical toxic wastes! Boy, this really stinks bad! My sis wore this and that other stinky Giorgio in the 80's. I wonder, did anyone ever tell her she stank? Who the hell am I to laugh? I wore the Red and Tabu! TABU! OMG, the poor choices we had in the 80's! And it hasn't gotten much better! But this is a very strong and sharp scent that doesn't tone itself down at all. Very distinctive and not in a good way at all. It stings the eyes and snot begins to run from your nose on application. Very potent stuff! This is the stuff chemical weapons are made from! It's got to be! This would be perfect for a chemical weapon because it clears the whole room out! Seriously, this is rancid stuff! Every finger down on this stench!

There is something nostalgic about this one.Reminds me of a sunny day having a picnic with friends ,under a tree , drinking red wine and relaxing,with nothing to worry about or to fear.Days of happiness wearing long white dresses and hats, laughing,reading,closing your eyes smelling the beautiful flowers while your imagination flies..

I am one of those few people for whom L'Air du Temps fails to work its magic. I have tried it repeatedly through the years. On me, the carnation stands out, and it is a cool, spicy note which does not blend smoothly with my skin. (Even the venerable Caron Bellodgia is difficult for me to wear sometimes. Etro Dianthus has probably been the best carnation on me because of its warm, sunny, orange undertones.) L'Air du Temps has a breezy, light floral quality that doesn't project on me. I can completely understand its charm, though. For myself, I need more strength, warmth, and woodiness.

This smells so nice and soft and clean and feminine. It gives off this happy, romantic auror that screams "The war is over! the Allies have won victory!"

Apparently, this was commissioned to herald the peace concluding WW2. Hence the doves on the stopper.

The fragrance itself smells soft, powdery, soapy, clean, musky, feminine and old-fashioned, but never old lady-ish. This is my Nanna's everyday perfume, which she has been wearing for the last 40 years. But I have never felt this was an old lady's perfume...Just classy, refined and happy.

Although my Nanna has many, many other beautiful perfumes that she wears very well, this perfume will always remind me of my Nanna, who lives a 1000 kms away from my family, and who I miss very much.

P.S. I know lots of girls my age that wear this very well, so its definitely not just some stuffy old granny's perfume...

This scent used to be better than it is right now. Somewhere along the line, Nina Ricci changed SOMETHING...where the flowers come from? The water? Different alcohol? Oil? Slightly different mixture? Something is different. It is just not the same. Over the last 25 years or so, they changed something or cut corners to save money and this fragrance has not been the same since the 70s. Even so, given all the above, for me, it still conjurs up the first warm spring day, when the air softly blows across your face...which is exactly what its name means.

According to an online source, here are the notes of L'Air du Temps. Ensoleille was inquiring, so I searched and found this. L'Air is quite a remarkable fragrance. I have always loved it. Believe it or not, it bears a remarkable resemblance to Wind Song. Many of the same notes present,but in my opinion L'Air du Temps is a much finer fragrance.

Top Notes: Bergmot, peach, rosewood, neroli
Heart Notes: Gardenia, carnation, jasmine, May rose, ylang-ylang, orchid, lily, clove, orris
Base Notes: Ambergris, musk, vetiver, benzoin, cedarwood, moss, sandalwood, spices

A totally unexpected charmer.
I say "unexpected" because I would never have thought that a sweet and powdery perfume could be SO appealing - and so original. Amidst all the sweetness, reminiscent of some heavenly meadows in bloom, there's a a surprising split-second of poignancy - a citrusy whiff of almost-melancholy, of nostalgia.

Indeed, men notice it..;)
But, more importantly, a woman always feels SO warmly feminine and appealing while wearing it, regardless of her age.
(I started wearing it at age twenty-two!)

"L'Air du Temps" is definitely a keeper - one for the ages. An ever-young classic.

I have worn this fragrence for years, since I was in college, in fact. For some reason, men notice me when I wear this perfume. Not old and "grandma-ish" at all! A lovely, soft, though assertive, floral that never looses its appeal. My husband's all-time favorite - he even bought me the beautiful perfume with the doves!

Never got the point of this one - for me it had something too synthetic about it, which reminded me of the smell of musty old nylon "net curtains"...

I have a large bottle of L'air du temps with those beautiful doves on top. I can see why it is a classic because it is truly a very special ever so slightly spiced floral. I am an oriental perfume lover and rarely wear florals, but when I do, this is one of them. It is so well blended with gardenia, musk, rose, carnation and sandalwood. It is so light, and yet it lasts for a surprisingly long time. I can not imagine someone into florals who would not absolutely love this perfume.

I love this cologne. I don't wear it often enough. Very feminine, but not cloying or overly floral. I wish the notes were available. I would love to know what they are!

Many years ago I wore L'air du Temps pretty much exclusively, in all of its formulations. It was my signature scent - before I became this fragrance lunatic that had to experience multitudinous fragrances. I received compliments on L'air du Temps just about everywhere I went. It suited my chemistry to a "T" and dried down soft, lovely, slightly musky, spicy and floral. Can't quite describe the scent but it was haunting. I understand the formula has been tweaked, so I'm afraid to revisit my old love. I'd rather have fond memories than see another old love ruined for me.

I can't really wear this, too many elderly women I know wear it and it just makes me feel like a grandma. However, the interesting thing about the powder in this is the salty aspect. Many powders are sugar-sweet or floral-sweet, but the powder here is not sweet at all. It's almost...mineral. The florals maintain their own character separate from the powder, rather than playing second-fiddle to it. It's almost like two separate melodies playing at once, complimentary and cooperative but independent. I'm holding onto my bottle for a decade or so...perhaps I will have grown into it by then, or perhaps my mindset will have changed enough to allow me to feel good in it. It's certainly a beautiful fragrance, despite the cultural insinuations.

A very beautiful, powdery floral fragrance. Timeless and elegant.

Great bottle. Is this a good scent? YES! I guess it's cause it remids me of my mother and of a perfect weather in a spring afternoon in a valley of flowers. Light? nop it's not very light and the logevity is good too. It's very much a classic and hasn't lost the allure it draws on some people.It might be a bit heady for some too. But I just love it. Unmistakable fragrance.

I love this fragrance. To me it smells really sophisticated and fresh. On me the drydown is incredibly soft and sweet.

Very time I wear this I received compliments of how nice I smell. My husband asks me to wear this; it is his favorite of all my collection.

Smells ok on others, but in contact with my skin it transforms to a sickening chemical mix of soap and hair-spray.

Apparently the good Baron de Charlus finds L'Air du Temps angelic. Well if this is the aroma of angels, then please send me to hell right away! If anyone wants to describe that nasty smell of old ladies OD-ing on their perfume - just remember the name of this atrocity. This is really terrible and should be forbidden ASAP. Powder overload with ghastly florals, get it away from me!

A timeless masterpiece. One of my first perfumes and it's surely a good beginning. Starts with the notes of jasmin, develops with rose and carnation, ends with iris, chrysanthemum, sandalwood and musk.

Another classic, very romantic. Still one of my favorites!

A CLASSIC FLORAL THAT WILL FOREVER STAY TIMELESS. REMINDS ME OF MY GRAN BUT IN A NICE WAY. BEAUTIFUL BOTTLE.