Bottle Design:
Léonore Fini

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Shocking Elsa Schiaparelli 1937 Parfum

8.2 / 10 141 Ratings

A popular perfume by Elsa Schiaparelli for women, released in 1937. The scent is floral-animal. Projection and longevity are above-average. The production was apparently discontinued.
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Main accords

Floral

Animal

Spicy

Oriental

Sweet

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Aldehydes

Tarragon

Bergamot

Heart Notes

Honey

Narcissus

Ylang-ylang Jasmine

Jasmine

Rose

Base Notes

Civet

Musk

Amber

Carnation

Patchouli

Sandalwood

Perfumer

Jean Carles

Ratings

Scent

8.2141 Ratings

Longevity

8.8121 Ratings

Sillage

8.1109 Ratings

Bottle

7.8123 Ratings

Submitted by DonVanVliet · last update on 12/15/2025.

Source-backed & verified

Interesting Facts

The fragrance is said to have been reformulated for the first time in 1979 by the perfumer Martin Gras and revised by him again in 1997. The shape of the bottle is based on a dressmaker's dummy modeled on Mae West's body.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Diva Eau de Parfum

Red Door Eau de Toilette

Woman Two

Panthère de Cartier Eau de Toilette

Tabu Eau de Cologne

Fils de joie

Reviews

23 in-depth fragrance descriptions

08/03/2012

8Scent

Coutureguru
237 Reviews

Coutureguru

Very helpful Review 10

Timeless

For a fragrance released in 1937, Elsa Shiaparelli's Shocking is surprisingly 'nouveau' to my nose, but definitely brings with it all of that 'Golden Years' charm and grace.
One could imagine the Baroness in The Sound of Music wearing this ... it's beauty is regal!

The use of a heavy Civet note often dates a fragrance (Patou's Joy and Desprez' Bal a Versailles immediately spring to mind) and if not carefully used illicits the response of "ugh, cat pee" from many a nose. Civet is, however, used very successfully in combination with my favorite floral note Tuberose ... imho at least :). I can't see it's exclusion, for example, from something like Versace's Blonde doing that fragrance any favors.
In Shocking, the Civet is beautifully toned by the addition of Honey creating a gorgeous platform for the florals to intermingle and project. If I had to describe Shocking in a single word it would be 'smooth'. The Aldehydes sparkle all the way through this beauty, doing their job of lifting and invigorating. It's a prime example of the art of superlative blending! None of the notes here gets a chance at being in the spotlight ... rather they all swirl together creating the effect of a piece of olfactory silk, rippling in the breeze. This is definitely something that all parfumistas should have in their collections ... even just a 1ml sample to refer to every now and then. Not for the meek and mild ... if your preference leans toward lighter frags avoid this one completely. This fragrance demands confidence from it's wearer and will reward with heaps of attention!

Shocking is undeniably glamorous ... as at home in the glittering salons of pre WW2 Vienna as it would be at an Oscar's Ball in 2012.

01/24/2016

9.5Scent 9Longevity 8Sillage

ScentFan
336 Reviews

ScentFan

Very helpful Review 5

Vintage Naughtiness

The above-posted image of Can-Can dancers with their legs flung high couldn't be more descriptive of this scent. Even without seeing that, one whiff and it's clear why they named it Shocking. The honey and civet, amber, musk and bergamot in particular combine to create a scent normally only encountered between sheets in the bedroom WHILE making love. Fair enough. Men and woman are usually very different in this respect. Testosterone is the culprit in both cases. Men carry around 300-1000 ng/dl of it in their bloodstreams at all times. The female range? 15-70 ng/dl (explains a lot, huh?). However, once a month when females of our species ovulate, our testosterone level peaks, compelling us to seek fertilization of the precious egg. A good design, if you ask me. No doubt it's those few days for which Shocking was designed because any guy smelling this on a woman knows immediately that his services are required. Nothing wrong with a little help for mother nature. I have the 1937 vintage and in addition to being effective, it's captivatingly beautiful, due to subtly mesmerizing florals wafting up through the sultry stank. I'm wearing it. Too bad hubby's out of town.

07/07/2012

9Scent 10Longevity 10Sillage

LadyRogue
166 Reviews

LadyRogue

Helpful Review 5

Heavy Lover

It's Shocking how much I adore this perfume! It's like a lover that your mother warns you of "he's trouble!". Of course the more trouble she makes him out to be, the more you feel attracted to him. This perfume has that daring and so-over-the-top wonderful effect too.
It's a civet in a honey bomb! Now, don't walk away and be fooled by "too sweet" "too animalistic". No, no, no! It's all part of this perfumes plan to shock you! And when you dare to come closer, you'll fall for it! I guarantee that if you get acquainted with this smell, you won't listen anymore to your mother telling you it's Shocking. No, you'll be too busy enjoying the reward of the florals that hide deep within its powdery embrace. However! This perfume is not for everyone! It's a strong character and needs a woman that won't be afraid of it. Are you ready to be Shocked? ; )

11/18/2012

9Scent 10Longevity

Digindirt
47 Reviews

Digindirt

Helpful Review 6

Power and Elegance

Strong just the way I like it, tested from a vintage mini I obtained in a swap. Gorgeous right from the beginning. I believe it's the warm honey that is making me love this but it could also be the soft jasmine. I don't really smell spice but this fragrance is warm and floral, not fruity to my nose. The Amber and Sandalwood makes it all buttery smooth but this fragrance has a bite to it. This fragrance should be worn by a "lady" with the confidence to show the world who's the boss!

01/31/2015

Sorceress
216 Reviews

Sorceress

Helpful Review 3

Animalistic Perfume From Days Gone By

I recently came across a vintage sample of Shocking Schiaparelli by Elsa Schiaparelli, a fragrance developed in 1937. I have no idea what year my sample vial is from, but it is older. Here are my thoughts on Shocking.
Initially, I believed this to be a beautiful perfume. After wearing it for hours, I still believe it would be considered beautiful by some, but others would have a problem with a fragrance such as this. Let me explain. It’s thick, rich and grand without a doubt. Civet comes to the forefront with a heavy dose of musk.
Skanky? Yes. Shocking? Nah. Just in the sense of smelling of well, not necessarily sexy, but sexed. And there is a difference in those words. Some use the word “naughty” in their description, but that just sounds so tame to me. Shocking is an animalistic perfume that serves its purpose for certain occasions and those personalities that can pull it off.
It’s strong, a little goes a long way. I can only imagine how too much would clear a room. This is a perfume that needs to only be dabbed. It’s not an office perfume.
Shocking continues on a linear road for me, never really riding any waves or changing mid-course. I can see its’ appeal for vintage lovers and it’s a definite try for history perfume buffs. I’m happy for the opportunity to have sampled this perfume.

More reviews

Statements

25 short views on the fragrance

Melipone

2 years ago

2

Stunning and absolutely unisex IMO! I think I can detect that Givenchy Gentleman Eau de Toilette uses a similar construction.

Axiomatic

2 years ago

8Scent 9Longevity 9Sillage

44

34

Great-grandma so virtuous in pictures.
So beautifully masked by the indolic jasmine.
Her smile mischievously dusted.
The true flowers of evil.*

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Eggi37

2 years ago

8Scent 9Longevity 9Sillage

43

48

80s Vintage
The opulent lady of Kouros
Indolic pheromones
Smears honey around his mouth
Chihuahua named Civet
lifts leg
That's taboo

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JonasP1

3 years ago

8Scent 10Longevity 8Sillage

42

39

In the dense honey wind
Luxuriant flowers sway
Spreading their dark timbre
Deep golden rays
Fall softly
Into blooming night spice

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Mourant

2 years ago

7.5Scent

19

21

Animaldehyde in Cyprus
A punch of cat pee
Wet clothes:
Eroticism or washing machine explosion?
Whatever, strip off & roll in fruity blossoms!

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Susan

5 years ago

8.5Scent

14

7

Thick-flowing floral honey, waxy aldehydes, little animal....lush, voluptuous, warm and enveloping....beautiful :-)

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Rosaviola

8 years ago

10Scent 9Longevity 8Sillage

14

3

Vintage extrait from the seventies: aldehydic opening with tarragon, lots of honey, flowers, and finally civet, patchouli, musk. A dream!

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Azahar

8 years ago

13

9

Terrible soapy water
in which a kitten swims
It frees itself, onto the flower meadow
and has many kittens
(from 1 to 8 in 8 hrs)

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Fabistinkt

6 years ago

9.5Scent 10Longevity 8Sillage

11

1

A bit spicy, floral-powdery + honey. Deep, velvety. Thick texture like airy cake batter. Missing the tarragon from before - good thing. Amazing scent.

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