Cristobal Balenciaga 1998

Version from 1998

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8.2 / 10 175 Ratings

A popular perfume by Balenciaga for women, released in 1998. The scent is floral-sweet. The production was apparently discontinued.
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Main accords

Floral

Sweet

Powdery

Spicy

Oriental

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Carnation

Fig leaf

Bergamot

Heart Notes

Freesia

Jasmine

Peony

Base Notes

Vanilla

Sandalwood

Patchouli

Perfumer

Olivier Gillotin

Ratings

Scent

8.2175 Ratings

Longevity

7.8131 Ratings

Sillage

7.5125 Ratings

Bottle

8.4135 Ratings

Value for money

7.325 Ratings

Submitted by Seglein, last update on 09/10/2025.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Cristobal Eau de Cristobal

Le Bain Eau de Parfum

Larissa

Shalimar Philtre de Parfum

Princess Grace

Allegro con Brio

Reviews

3 in-depth fragrance descriptions

08/14/2023

6
Pricing 9
Bottle 7
Sillage 7
Longevity 5
Scent

MrsGuerlain
485 Reviews

MrsGuerlain

5

I do not quite understand…

This is a really strange fragrance… in an interesting way. I have had it for many years now. I spray it from time to time and it always leaves me with the idea, that I am missing something; that I simply do not get it.
Let me get this straight: this is NOT a bad fragrance. I simply just do not dig the final result. To me it is really strong at first and very masculine. I can not work out why, because I know and love all the top and heart notes. So where does this rough and a bit uncomfortably strong impression come from?! The scent takes a long time to settle well on my skin. When it finally does I get jasmine, patchouli and sandalwood in a nice combination - but there is always this odd note hanging in the background. And it is not the scent gone bad. I know because a fellow ‘fragnatic’ let me try hers. They smell the same. She loves it, btw.
The bottle is gorgeous. Frosted glass on the back, abstract pattern on the front and a beautiful golden top - and the matching golden juice inside.
Conclusion must be that no matter how old and anosmic I get, I will never understand this. I am therefore happy to see that so many of you here at Parfumo really like it.
34/365

01/08/2013

7.5
Sillage 7.5
Longevity 7
Scent

Sherapop
1239 Reviews

Sherapop

Helpful Review 4

Smooth Resinous Oriental

I had never encountered Balenciaga CRISTOBAL before, whether in person or online, but Guusjes was kind enough to send me a sample of this now discontinued perfume. (Thank you!)

CRISTOBAL is a smooth and resinous, lightly spicy oriental perfume. Everything is blended together beautifully, and my first reaction upon donning this creation was: "It's a perfume." There is definitely a density here which I have found lacking in many recent launches, both mainstream and niche. Something has changed in the approach to perfume making, it seems.

This particular composition reminds me of several others in a vague way, although I would not say that it's a knock-off of anything else, or vice versa. Basically, CRISTOBAL offers a homogeneous layer of slightly sweet, vanilla and sandalwood-scented clean musk with far more base than flowers or spice. It's a pleasant scent and probably better made than some of the recent Balenciaga perfumes, which seem a bit synthetic by comparison.

I wish that I understood the logic behind the house of Balenciaga better. Why did they hand over RUMBA to Ted Lapidus? Why did they discontinue LE DIX? Sometimes business and perfumery seem to be very much at odds, though they are and can only be partners in this enterprise.

05/20/2012

Abitvintage
28 Reviews

Abitvintage

Very helpful Review 8

Warm, creamy sweetness, verging on cloying.

Warm, creamy, sweetness. The carnation is ever so softly present, especially in the beginning, and gives it a gentle spice kick. I can definitely smell patchouli, sandalwood and vanilla, the white flowers too, although I can't identify them individually. I feel like I detect something else sweet and resinous along with the vanilla. Cristobal becomes very sweet on me after the dry-down, maybe even cloying. But, I find it yummy and lovely in the cooler weather. I think that I would not tolerate this well in warmer temps, it works best for me on a cool, crisp fall day, preferably in the evening.

This does remind me of Sahlini La Femme, but spicier and sweeter.