Ma Griffe 1946 Eau de Toilette

Version from 1946
Ma Griffe (1946) (Eau de Toilette) by Carven
Bottle Design:
Jacques Bocquet (1946)
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7.6 / 10 179 Ratings
A popular perfume by Carven for women, released in 1946. The scent is chypreartig-floral. The production was apparently discontinued.
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Main accords

Chypre
Floral
Green
Spicy
Fresh

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
AldehydesAldehydes Green notesGreen notes Citrus fruitsCitrus fruits Clary sageClary sage AsafoetidaAsafoetida GardeniaGardenia
Heart Notes Heart Notes
IrisIris JasmineJasmine Lily of the valleyLily of the valley Orange blossomOrange blossom Orris rootOrris root RoseRose SandalwoodSandalwood Ylang-ylangYlang-ylang
Base Notes Base Notes
OakmossOakmoss BenzoinBenzoin CinnamonCinnamon LabdanumLabdanum MuskMusk StyraxStyrax Tonka beanTonka bean VetiverVetiver

Perfumer

Ratings
Scent
7.6179 Ratings
Longevity
7.6124 Ratings
Sillage
6.7110 Ratings
Bottle
7.0108 Ratings
Value for money
8.216 Ratings
Submitted by Kankuro, last update on 06/05/2025.
Interesting Facts
The scent was re-released in 2013.

The perfumer Jean Carles lost his sense of smell while he was still actively producing fragrances. It appears he hid the fact that he was completely anosmic in order to continue working, multiple sources report this due to personal conversations with him. His odour memory and imagination were good enough to continue to create great perfumes - like Beethoven who continued to compose music despite deafness. Ma Griffe is the fragrance most notably affected by Jean Carles' anosmia, though in 1947 he went on to work with Serge Heftler Louiche and Paul Vacher on the original Miss Dior.
Furthermore rumour has it that Ma Griffe was introduced to Parisians in 1946 by hundreds or even thousands of tiny, white and green parachutes, each containing a sample of the scent, that were dropped all over Paris. As a result, for the next few days the smell of Ma Griffe lingered through the entire city.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to
Ma Griffe (1946) (Parfum de Toilette) by Carven
Ma Griffe (1946) Parfum de Toilette
Ma Griffe (1946) (Parfum) by Carven
Ma Griffe (1946) Parfum
Ma Griffe (Eau de Cologne) by Carven
Ma Griffe Eau de Cologne
Ma Griffe (2013) by Carven
Ma Griffe (2013)
Jean-Louis Scherrer (Eau de Toilette) by Jean-Louis Scherrer
Jean-Louis Scherrer Eau de Toilette
Climat (1967) (Eau de Toilette) by Lancôme
Climat (1967) Eau de Toilette

Reviews

11 in-depth fragrance descriptions
5
Bottle
7.5
Sillage
7.5
Longevity
8
Scent
Sherapop

1239 Reviews
Sherapop
Sherapop
Top Review 4  
Freshly Cut Grass Clippings Under a Bright Blue Sky
Carven MA GRIFFE is an exciting perfume. I am grateful to all of the perfumistas who praised this worthy creation to the high heavens, since on their recommendation I bought a gift set online and was thoroughly delighted!

MA GRIFFE is totally green and utterly unique. MA GRIFFE is a huge pile of freshly cut grass clippings under a bright blue sky. MA GRIFFE is a vast expanse of glistening green rice paddies in rural Japan with not another soul anywhere in sight.

This may be what I wanted CABOTINE to be, though unfortunately it never measured up to my dream: clean, green, briskly aldehydic, white floral pristine perfection...and also chypre!

MA GRIFFE effects an immediate change in perspective but without numbing the mind. To spritz on MA GRIFFE is to step outside of Plato's Cave and stare directly at the incandescent sun. I may sound like some sort of religious zealot, but MA GRIFFE simply further confirms my longstanding belief in survival of the fittest when it comes to matters of value.

There's a reason why this extraordinary creation still exists and has no even close competitors. In the perfume jungle red in tooth and claw, MA GRIFFE has managed to hold her own, to retain the claim she staked so long ago.
2 Comments
5
Bottle
5
Sillage
7.5
Longevity
9
Scent
Callas

54 Reviews
Callas
Callas
Helpful Review 4  
Sun, grass and flowers
Ma Griffe and I have immediately got on.
Aldehydes with a splash lemon introduce themselves. The flatteries then begin. It gets gentle, powdered and quite soft.
The flower notes greet and swirl about me breezily but not sweetishly. The spell is broken.
The base with oakmoss, musk and sandelwood rounds off wonderfully.
Ma Griffe is holding back and relaxing.
A close friendship has begun. This green dream easily and breezily walks into my shopping basket.
0 Comments
5
Bottle
5
Sillage
7.5
Longevity
4
Scent
Lola82

361 Reviews
Lola82
Lola82
Very helpful Review 2  
a Rousseau Jungle
Ma Griffe opens crisp and lush of Green Notes caresses
your senses of different shades though light and dark
swirls vibrantly like an Rousseau painting primal and
instinctive from the surface the opening gives an impression of innocence and the green notes adds that
metaphor as we walk further into the Ma Griffe Greenhouse the air becomes thicker and the floral becomes deeper The note of Peach steeps though the
air like a sensual Verita; Rose adds an velvety touch
to this dualistic scent Orris brings the earthy side
and nocturnal jasmine closes the middle with an green
herbal smell; The drydown turn Ma Griffe uninhibited
and Primal; Labdanum with a mixture of Civet adds a
Animalistic spirit Cinnamon brings depth and a bit of an edge; Watered musk dilutes the volume but noticible.

Ma Griffe dries to a dark and esoteric finish of
styrax and dry sandalwood,This scent is a Chameleon
crisp and green at the opening deep and reseinous
drydown, i would love this if it wasn't a bit cloying
but still a nice perfume
0 Comments
10
Pricing
7
Bottle
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
7.5
Scent
SwabGames

86 Reviews
SwabGames
SwabGames
2  
The fragrance that became a cult feminine symbol of the 40s
At the beginning, as soon as I applied the perfume to my hand, I felt freshness, seasoned with a certain tarragon. As the alcohol dissipated, an even more beautiful aroma of gardenia, clary sage, aldehydes and green notes emerged. Floral with a spicy aftertaste. And somewhere in the distance you can still feel the note of black pepper (seasoning), I don’t know where from, honestly. In the middle, rose, jasmine, lily of the valley and a little bit of orange blossom and ylang-ylang open up. A very pleasant floral aroma, while the rose smells like Turkish delight. At the end it starts to smell like tonka bean, moss, vetiver, a little bit of cinnamon and labdanum. Very cool, spicy, sometimes sweet, very beautifully chosen.
0 Comments
9
Pricing
5
Bottle
4
Sillage
5
Longevity
7
Scent
Noturfave

91 Reviews
Noturfave
Noturfave
2  
Landmark green-aldehydic chypre.
Pissy-citrus aldehydic opening, a LOT like the opening of Cabochard (1959) Eau de Toilette but with more citrus. Morphs into powdery floral sweetness, while a little bit of tartness remains. Under it lies a bitter, slightly powdery and slightly sweet oakmoss-labdanum base that, in combination with the now toned-down aldehydes, is much like the champagne-powder center of Miss Dior (1947) Eau de Toilette.

Good fragrance by Jean Carles. Later green-aldehydic chypres reference this one, but this was one of the first.

Is it my personal favorite? No, I have never been able to stand strong aldehydes.
0 Comments
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