L'Eau d'Hiver by Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle
Bottle Design Frederic Malle
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7.8 / 10 590 Ratings
A popular perfume by Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle for women and men, released in 2003. The scent is powdery-floral. It is being marketed by Estēe Lauder Companies.
Pronunciation
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Main accords

Powdery
Floral
Fresh
Sweet
Spicy

Fragrance Notes

HeliotropeHeliotrope IrisIris BergamotBergamot HawthornHawthorn HedioneHedione

Perfumer

Ratings
Scent
7.8590 Ratings
Longevity
6.7477 Ratings
Sillage
5.5472 Ratings
Bottle
7.6427 Ratings
Value for money
6.1140 Ratings
Submitted by DonVanVliet, last update on 02/06/2025.
Interesting Facts
Jean Claude Ellena reported that analysis and conceptual redesign of Après L'ondée" inspired him to compose "L'Eau d'Hiver". He adopted the interplay of anisic aldehyde, almond- an vanille-like smelling heliotropine and orris which he transferred to present age by adding transparency and airiness.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to
The Ritual of Jing - Relax by Rituals
The Ritual of Jing - Relax
L'Eau de Liesse by Courrèges
L'Eau de Liesse
Infusion d'Amande by Prada
Infusion d'Amande
Après L'Ondée (Eau de Toilette) by Guerlain
Après L'Ondée Eau de Toilette
Juniper Jazz by Molton Brown
Juniper Jazz
Émotion de Frédéric by Judith Williams
Émotion de Frédéric

Reviews

18 in-depth fragrance descriptions
5
Bottle
5
Sillage
10
Longevity
10
Scent
PBullFriend

308 Reviews
PBullFriend
PBullFriend
Very helpful Review 7  
luminescent almond
This delicate yet powerful scent is not the type of thing I usually like. I'm not particularly an iris fan and only rarely like something powdery. But this has a complex beauty that has totally won me over.

I recently tested it side by side with Hilde Soliani Iris, which I had been considering buying. This made me admire L'eau d'Hiver even more. LDH started powdery and a bit raspy, like mimosa, with a sugared-almond background. At 3 hours, it was somewhat leathery with a hint of bell pepper over the same gentle Jordan almonds. My one spray of it was still noticeable up close after 17 hours! (This was long after the petals had come off of HS Iris.)

A great review by Tom at "Perfume-Smellin' Things" referred to LDH as being like "...sitting in a freshly painted white room looking out a picture window at a field of snow, perhaps with a television set in the background that's set to a station that's only static while wearing a white suit." To my nose, that's true, but it's not as sterile as it sounds. My white room has a calmness and a light sweetness to it that makes it a wonderful place to live. Some day, I'm going to need a full bottle of this one.
0 Comments
7.5
Bottle
5
Sillage
5
Longevity
8
Scent
Sherapop

1239 Reviews
Sherapop
Sherapop
Very helpful Review 5  
My Favorite Angelica From This House
Frédéric Malle L'EAU D'HIVER is my third angelica and second J.C. Ellena perfume from this house, and it is my favorite in both categories! The angelica here is fragile and light and sweetened by equally delicate purple flowers, heliotrope and iris. This composition is right up my alley: powdery, floral, slightly sweet with a dash of green, and the overall extremely well-blended final effect seems 100% natural to my nose.

L'EAU D'HIVER seems more feminine than masculine to me, and I have to say that I find it somewhat closer to Prada INFUSION D'IRIS than to Guerlain APRES L'ONDEE, given the relative strengths of the iris note. Whatever its ultimate source of inspiration may have been, this perfume is a beauty!
0 Comments
Olfactics

4 Reviews
Olfactics
Olfactics
Helpful Review 4  
L'Eau d'Hiver by Jean-Claude Ellena
In perfume, the theme of water and ‘watery’ perfumes has always interested me. Firstly, one must grasp the concept of water and its thematic odour profile. Water fragrances are fresh on the skin, and equally refreshing on the nose. These fragrances, typified by the likes of Polo Blue by Ralph Lauren and Escape from Calvin Klein are soft fragrances, pillowed with deep aromatic hums and lifted with contrapuntal additions of spice and zing. These capture the idea of a cascading waterfall, dense air during a thunderstorm, or even the salty and vegetal facets of the sea.

The smell of something ‘salty’ intrigues me. Salt doesn’t have a smell but I nevertheless effortlessly state, for example, that Épice Marine by Hermès is a salty fragrance. It is the smell of the ocean, containing oceanic connotations of seaweed, spice, driftwood, and the like. The same runs true for L’Eau D’Hiver. A contradiction between hot meets cold; where density equalises sparsity.

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L’Eau D’Hiver is a viscose cologne, syncopated firmly against tranquility. It begins unlike the typical cologne, calling to mind a fresh cleanliness that is simple and inexcessive. I am reminded of the understated nature of clean white bedsheets: simple, yet elegant. White because of its purity, and willowy bedsheets because of its calm comfort. This fragrance is airy and thin, attuned with a concentrated accuracy that is in turn warmed (but not heated) on the skin, with slippery honey, heliotrope and iris.

L’Eau D’Hiver is actually classified as a Woody Oriental under Michael Edwards’ Fragrances of the World, and whilst that alone doesn’t surprise me, the fact that it is in the same category as Chanel’s Égoïste does. Considering this, I explored the concept, sniffing harder trying to uncover L’Eau D’Hiver’s complexities. As a rush of anise opens, I am reminded of Guerlain’s Apres L’Ondee due to the pale almond note and the heliotrope. In comparison, this is a contemporary Apres L’Ondee, hosting a languid richness from the musk and honey notes, emphasising a delicious marmalade accord found exclusively in the coveted parfum version of Apres L’Ondee. The honey illuminates the composition, joining together its gossamer transitions and yet also adding space in-between the frigid florals.

As the opening radiates a viscous marmalade accord and a piercing anise top note, a hovering citrus note of bergamot is redolent of much of Ellena’s other works, giving his trademark steadiness through freshness. Here, the name L’Eau D’Hiver (Winter Water) is realised. Comfort can be achieved without having to emphasise oriental keynotes, which can often feature an intrusive thickness. Before the fragrance can evolve into a cloying state, peppy angelica cuts the marmalade inflection with a detectable assertiveness. It has properties like snow, romantically thin but still posing a danger in the right contexts.

On multiple wearings with much consideration, L’Eau D’Hiver showcases Ellena’s perfumery style with a cheeky ease. Chandler Burr simplified his mantra marvellously during a presentation, and stated that with an Ellena perfume, people shouldn’t go: “Your perfume smells amazing…” but rather, “…you smell amazing”. This is a dense cologne, but a spare oriental; deceptively delicate yet thick like warm milk embraced with honey, marmalade and awakened with a fresh sappy jasmine.

The balance here is pivotal, and contains many elements of a typical cologne style. I enjoy this for its second skin appeal – a ‘your skin but better’ scent. This is earthly and natural at times but then entirely abstract. Clean and somewhat soapy; obscure minimalism.
0 Comments
7.5
Bottle
2.5
Sillage
5
Longevity
6
Scent
Drseid

821 Reviews
Drseid
Drseid
Helpful Review 4  
Powdery, But Still Relatively Good...
L'eau d'Hiver opens with a mild citric bergamot that lasts longer than I would have expected. It then does a near disappearing act after about 15-20 minutes that had me wondering if that was it... Sure enough though, it reappears a few minutes later and the very powdery iris and heliotrope combo take over in full force. When I say "full force," I guess this is in relative terms, as the scent never is loud or attention grabbing in *that* way... It just acts as a powdery skin scent that is light, subtle, minimalist and well composed. The base is primarily white musk, mixed with the remnants of the iris and heliotrope that remain through the end.

My biggest gripe with L'eau d'Hiver really has nothing to do with the composition by Jean-Claude Ellena... I just dislike iris as a note and dislike most powdery scents in general. As such, L'eau d'Hiver is definitely not for me, and I don't really care for it much after the opening (which I did like), but still to powdery scent fans this is definitely worth a look, and setting my anti-powder bias aside, I will give it a tepid thumbs up. 3 stars out of 5.
0 Comments
8
Bottle
5
Sillage
7
Longevity
9.5
Scent
KingPin

16 Reviews
KingPin
KingPin
Helpful Review 2  
Purity!
This is the cleanest scent ever produced! It never goes into sharp, synthetic or "cleaning products” as is often the case with “clean” scents, this is clean as in purity. It’s like walking into a spotless room in a Mediterranean villa, high ceiling, light wooden floors, white walls and white linen curtains gently moving from a silent warm wind coming from the open windows. The only pice of furniture is a bed, made with newly washed linen. Harmony, silence, relaxation.

It is a heliotrope accompanied by an iris without the earthy tones and musk without the animalistic notes, and the coldness of these notes balanced with honey. No notes are allowed to break the almost transparent purity.

I find it quite linear, the first hours are followed by a slight increase in the musk note, but not by much.

This is what happens when Ellena takes a step back from the spice rack - a masterpiece! This is not at all like the overpeppered Voyage d’Hermes or Terre d'Hermes.

I’d say this is predominantly a woman’s scent, so I will give it to my wife so that I can steal it. Because have it I must!
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Statements

12 short views on the fragrance
Ch03npCh03np 9 months ago
Some days it hits me with its anisic bite, begging to be heard. Other days it lingers like water on clay, a crisp and cooling density. Love.
0 Comments
LillibetLillibet 7 years ago
8
Bottle
6
Sillage
7
Longevity
8.5
Scent
Powdery yet somehow translucent and water-like almond-iris florals open into a honeyed-heart over a softer powdery floral-musk.
0 Comments
KuraiKurai 1 year ago
4
Sillage
6
Longevity
7
Scent
More a contemporary bergamot-iris than a vintage powdery heliotrope. Featherlight and delicate. Lovely!
0 Comments
IrisEllaIrisElla 4 months ago
6
Bottle
7
Sillage
10
Longevity
9.5
Scent
Very well composed. It smells like melting snow and soft new blooms.
0 Comments
UrnottuesdayUrnottuesday 7 months ago
6
Bottle
6
Sillage
4
Longevity
9
Scent
This smells like the transition between winter and spring. Fresh flowers popping out of the final snow dusting of the year
0 Comments
NinamariahNinamariah 12 days ago
9
Bottle
6
Sillage
7
Longevity
8.5
Scent
Pretty Heliotrope, cocooning+dreamy, this makes me think soft, pure feathers and fresh water that has melted from pure snow in the mountain.
0 Comments
LoverseyeLoverseye 11 days ago
8
Bottle
6
Sillage
7
Longevity
10
Scent
Light and soft. Starts out powdery, like spring flowers peeking through snow. Turns into an almondy skin scent, comforting and special.
0 Comments
NoureddineNoureddine 15 days ago
L’Eau d’Hiver by Frédéric Malle is a delicate, ethereal blend of heliotrope, iris, and white musk, evoking a soft, warm winter embrace.
0 Comments
SiyahBeyazSiyahBeyaz 4 months ago
Außergewöhnliches Parfum. Die Frische& Süße sind wunderbar kombiniert mit zartem Puder. Man merkt die Inspiration war geschmolzener Schnee!
0 Comments
MyrtillajusMyrtillajus 6 months ago
8
Bottle
7
Sillage
7
Longevity
8.5
Scent
Eau d'Hiver is enveloping, almost as if it were a warm scarf that protects us from the cold winter weather, wet with drops of dew
0 Comments
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