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Must de Cartier Cartier 1981 Parfum

8.7 / 10 264 Ratings

A popular perfume by Cartier for women, released in 1981. The scent is spicy-oriental. Projection and longevity are above-average. It is still in production.
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Main accords

Spicy

Oriental

Floral

Powdery

Animal

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Galbanum

Mandarin orange Neroli

Neroli

Heart Notes

Jasmine

Narcissus

Rose

Base Notes

Musk

Vanilla

Vetiver

Perfumer

Jean-Jacques Diener

Ratings

Scent

8.7264 Ratings

Longevity

8.8236 Ratings

Sillage

8.3239 Ratings

Bottle

8.0217 Ratings

Value for money

8.070 Ratings

Submitted by Sniffer, last update on 10/13/2025.

Variant of the fragrance concentration

This is a variant of the perfume Must de Cartier (Eau de Toilette) by Cartier, which differs in concentration.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Must de Cartier Eau de Toilette

Venise (1986) / Venice (Eau de Parfum) by Yves Rocher

Venise (1986) Eau de Parfum

Krazy Krizia Eau de Toilette

Obsession Eau de Parfum

Verité

2022 Generation Woman

Reviews

15 in-depth fragrance descriptions

01/04/2023

7Scent 9Longevity 9Sillage

Andrezinho8
2 Reviews

Andrezinho8

3

Must de Cartier

I have 25ml bootle of 2001.

The opening… its not for everyone. Powerful, spicy with old vibes.
I personally don't like the first hour.
In my home, the ladies dont like the smell.
But the drydown is amazing. Green, floral, and still a little bit spicy.
In my skin, its a beast.
24h later, i can smell perfectly, and the sillage still intense.

Its a masterpiece.

02/24/2019

9.5Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

Cumulnimbus
119 Reviews

Cumulnimbus

4

Unquestionable elegance

Must is a deep love of mine since I was a small girl and I could smell it around on elegant grown up ladies. It is quite unique having several shades in itself, green gabanum, bitter fruits, a dense flower bouquet heart, addictive leather, and a sweet warm base blend of amber, tonka and vanilla. The perfume version is just absolutely perfect but the standard edt is great for day wear. A must try for vintage lovers. Perfectly unisex.

07/31/2017

Germanblonde
85 Reviews

Germanblonde

1

A total stunner

It is wonderful. Just wonderful. I do get the comparison to Obsession. Of course these two fragrances don't smell totally alike, but I see them being in the same vicinity, almost like distant cousins, with noticeable familiarity. Must is not so loud, sweet and smoky, but there is a vibe to it that is very similar to Obsession, in a classier, more settled and refined way. And yes, it does smell oriental on me. I think it is a matter of how it reacts with your skin, nothing bitter here for me, but the most heavenly balsamic smoky sweetness. I think if you like one, you will like the other. Must is stunning. Definitely a scent that will stay in my collection.

11/10/2019

10Scent 10Longevity 10Sillage

Can777
257 Reviews

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Can777

Top Review 82

The Bitch

Many women probably thought something like this when a woman entered the room wearing Must de Cartier. This was either meant out of jealousy and envy or intended as a compliment in a figurative sense. I know very few perfumes that manage to cause massive collateral damage to other fragrances in a room, no matter how large, as Must de Cartier does. Unless one of the ladies was also wearing Opium by Yves Saint Laurent or Knowing by Estée Lauder, even in pure perfume form. In that case, there was still an equal opponent in play regarding the enormous presence and aura. One can rightly say that Must de Cartier was a titan when it came to opulence, elegance, and charisma. What made Must de Cartier so special? Let's take a look!

Must de Cartier
One cannot really say that Must de Cartier is heavy in its aura, in the sense of being oppressive, overwhelming, or lush. If Must de Cartier were a fabric, I would compare it to the finest cashmere ever woven. Its delicate notes are incredibly warm, soft, and silky spun. Upon first contact with the skin, it appears fresh and fruity with a delicate and juicy mandarin note. However, this does not last. The other notes quickly join in. Cinnamon, which is not listed here at all, comes in warm-spicy waves and intertwines with the soft, resinous-smoky galbanum throughout the perfume. Floral notes sneak in, but they are not really identifiable or classifiable. They are more like gentle accords and more to be sensed than pinpointed. At this stage, Must de Cartier smells as if one were to spice oranges for Christmas and then gently heat them with their peel. But that's not all! A freshly scraped, spicy vanilla pod paired with an incredibly fluffy, cloud-like, and buttery soft musk and amber makes Must de Cartier seem to float. A touch of civet and tonka crowns the perfume and makes it pulsate on the wearer and around her. Must de Cartier radiates a very mature, sensual, warm-spicy, creamy, and softly smoky elegance and grace like rarely experienced. Pure perfection paired with sensual decadence!

Conclusion
Must de Cartier has a unique signature that is very impressive and powerful. I know very few perfumes that so charmingly and simultaneously dominantly say, "I am here!!!". A perfume that truly makes the air burn and hardly tolerates other fragrances in the room. It may sound terrible, but it is not! Must de Cartier is indeed very strong in its sillage and longevity, but it is by no means overwhelming. Must de Cartier is comparable to a meter-long cashmere scarf that looks ton-heavy but actually doesn't weigh much at all. Or a protective, soft cashmere blanket that gives a warm, fluffy, sensual, and delicate skin feel on bare skin. Must de Cartier is preferably worn in autumn and winter because its high content of cinnamon and mandarin notes evokes very Christmassy associations. It is not a perfume one should apply carelessly with the awareness that one would not stand out. It definitely does! And a minimal dose is completely sufficient for that. Must de Cartier is probably one of the most beautiful and elegant walls against which a man can run, in my opinion. Whether this is also true for some other lady who runs against it, I strongly doubt? Unless she herself wears it precisely for that reason!

Evil is he who thinks evil!

12/06/2020

9.5Scent 9Longevity 8Sillage

Gandix
180 Reviews

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Gandix

Top Review 45

The Alpha She-Wolf

Vintage

Like a diva, she descends the stairs,
in her red dress.
She exudes a balsamic scent,
no, not a scent,
an aura...
awe-inspiring,
captivating,
erotic.
She is used to staging herself.
The crowd is silent,
turns to her.
The eyes of the women narrow to slits,
the men are speechless.
Her galbanum-green cat eyes sparkle into the crowd.

In a wolf pack, she would be the alpha she-wolf.
The one whom the pack leader
would even allow to interject.
She radiates a natural authority.
Her balsamic, slightly vanilla scent
is irresistible.

People lay flowers at her feet,
mainly dark red roses,
a bit of jasmine,
set in vetiver grass.

This scent cannot be described more closely.
It is, as mentioned, an aura,
made to captivate an entire room full of people.
I wear this scent only for myself,
so much attention in public would be uncomfortable for me.

More reviews

Statements

74 short views on the fragrance

BertolucciK

5 months ago

8.5Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

3

Green, earthy and velvety galbanum sparks the start, wrapped in florals at heart, fading to sensual animalic musk and powdery vanilla.

Matux

4 years ago

1

Denser, full body-er blend than the EdT, still as enjoyable as this last one.

KimJong

6 years ago

10Scent 9Longevity 9Sillage

1

Just perfect, no drawbacks. It only collected the most beautiful memories of the 80s.

ElAttarine

1 year ago

9.5Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

47

79

Magic powder explosion
resinous galbanum
under the vanilla moon
dark lucky cocoa powder
warm cinnamon sparkle
in daffodil fur
the night awaits...

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Pinseltown

2 years ago

10Scent 9Longevity 9Sillage

41

35

Laughter on sunny days
A hug in tough times
Your floral powdery veil of the Orient
Wrapped us lovingly
Angel flying too close to the ground

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JonasP1

4 years ago

9Scent 9Longevity 8Sillage

35

31

Vintage
Red Moonlight
Above the balsamic river
Galbanum reflects
In the shadow of the night
Bitter-sweet voices
Sing in the autumn wind

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Licorice

4 years ago

8.5Scent

31

27

Dreamily beautiful
sweet-warm-powdery,
oriental
floral bouquet
on the softest vetiver.

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Can777

6 years ago

10Scent 10Longevity 10Sillage

32

14

Women don't dress up for something chic, but against something. This applies to perfume too! A slap in the face for many other perfumes. Pure decadence!

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