Iris Noir Secrets D'Essences by Yves Rocher, 2007

I get the iris top note, but it doesn't last. Smells like patchouli at the end. Agree this could be a unisex fragrance. I wear it now and then. Love the pretty purple color and the bottle design.

I have to agree with others that don't find much iris in this Iris Noir, maybe just a hint of powder in the heart. But, instead, it's a happy, fruity and sweet little thing. The sweetness of berries, at first just a tad tart, carries almost throughout, where the sweetness of tonka takes over. Neither are objectionable, maybe just not what I was expecting. This one is easy to wear, but you must enjoy sweet fragrances. It veered just a tad too far for me personally, but that's just a matter of each to their own taste.

I can't find any iris at all. A huge blast of purple berry, drying down to Tonka, which I love. It's not particularly feminine either and would wear just as well on a man. I'm on my second bottle.

I own this by accident. It hasn't any Iris quality to my nose. The first blast is a very simple synthetic black berry, the "noir". Kind of lollipop. O/k, then it squeezes something I don't really get. A bit of a sharp, perfumey hint on powdery iris root (orris). Later on, the room is filled with that black berry smell, and just that. I can't imagine to wear this. I can't imagine a woman to wear this, except fishing for compliments. This attempt is made here with no effort in quality, refinement, surprise. It's just loud. Sorry, no way.

Very nice, and for me, definitely unisex. This doesn't come across to me as anything specifically (others mentioned patchouli, but at most there is a hint of it, relative to a fragrance like Michael for Men), though it evokes an abstraction of blueberries. I avoid top notes so I can't speak to that, but the drydown is fairly quick, and then it's rather linear, though it has nice dynamism in its abstract way. As Luca Turin said, it has an herbal/aromatic quality, but the tonka/sweet qualities are quite strong, so it's not the kind of herbal fragrance I'm used to. It took me a while to enjoy it, because at first I didn't want to smell blueberries for several hours, but after wearing it a few times, I was able to appreciate it beyond that aspect. Sillage and longevity seem moderate to good.

I'm impressed. After an initial blast of hairspray (bergamot), a slightly sweet herbal (sage, maybe lavender) iris accord follows. The drydown is a dry, musty powder. This is L'Heure Bleue on a budget or Lolita Lempicka on a diet. It is truly a unisex fragrance. It has decent longevity and sillage. Will it become part of my regular rotation of fragrances? Probably not, but it does deserve at least 3.5 stars. And I know that I will finish the bottle...

This heady perfume, of the 'purple patchouli' persuasion, is excellent! I love the sparkling manner in which bergamot opens this stunner! Given it's name, the main flower here should be iris...but my nose keeps getting rose instead? Not a bother though, this rose is extremely pretty. A dry, almost peppery-chypre-ish rose...if that's possible! Love the rich basenotes too, patchouli, tonka and styrax. Perfect for the cool fall days right around the corner. Oh yeah, this one won't break your budget either. A winner in every way.

Of late, "purple patchouli" fragrances have been shining brightly on my radar. Indult Isvaraya is the Godzilla amongst them--love the drydown ... at a distance. Iris Noir is a much tamer candidate. Its sweetness is blackberry-like. I'll hold on to my Rocher mini and continue sniffing for the ultimate in this category--sweet, but not too, with a cultured patchouli presence. Next on the list to try: Tom Ford Purple Patchouli and Trish McEvoy Sexy #9.

This iris scent makes use of fruity rose and earthy patchouli notes as counterpoints to the powdery, rooty, coolness of the iris. These notes cause Iris Noir to resemble another fragrances in this series--YL Rose Absolu, one of my favorites. However, Iris Noir veers away from the spicy sweetness of Rose Absolue and moves toward the powdery coolness of iris. It pleasant, wearable, and a nice compromise for those who find the iris note a bit challenging.