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L'Heure Bleue Guerlain 1912 Extrait

9.0 / 10 162 Ratings

A popular perfume by Guerlain for women, released in 1912. The scent is floral-powdery. The longevity is above-average. It is being marketed by LVMH.
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Main accords

Floral

Powdery

Spicy

Sweet

Creamy

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Aniseed

Bergamot

Heart Notes

Carnation

Neroli

Base Notes

Iris

Benzoin

Vanilla

Tonka bean Violet

Violet

Perfumer

Jacques Guerlain

Ratings

Scent

9.0162 Ratings

Longevity

8.6148 Ratings

Sillage

7.6143 Ratings

Bottle

9.2143 Ratings

Value for money

7.853 Ratings

Submitted by Nibelung, last update on 06/14/2025.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

L'Heure Bleue Eau de Parfum

L'Heure Bleue Eau de Cologne

L'Heure Bleue Eau de Toilette

Shem-el-Nessim Perfume

Shem-el-Nessim Eau de Parfum

Krasnaya Moskva

Reviews

8 in-depth fragrance descriptions

10/10/2021

9.5Scent 9Longevity 8Sillage

FumeHeaven
25 Reviews

FumeHeaven

1

109 years later, this majestic beauty is still winning hearts!

L’Heure Bleue (LHB) proved to be my favorite perfume among the Guerlain classics from nearly a century ago (I have also tested Jicky, Après L'Ondée, Mitsouko and Shalimar). My review is based on a fairly recent bottle of the Extrait.

The modern version of this iconic fragrance can be described as spicy, floral and powdery with some gourmand-like qualities. It opens with spicy, dry and herbal presence of anise, which is a note I don’t usually get along with, but luckily I don’t feel its presence on my skin after 10-15 minutes. The fragrance then transitions into floral and powdery elements thanks to the iris and violet, with cloves/carnation providing a slightly spicy vibe in the background. Towards the dry down, it has a pastry-like quality (like freshly baked almond croissant) with iris still in the mix as well.

I am blessed to own one of the most iconic fragrances of all-time, and it is a showstopper from its stunning scent profile, to good performance and exquisite bottle/presentation. It leans ever so slightly feminine, bordering on unisex. I find it ideal for the spring and fall seasons. LHB Extrait is one for the record books.

12/30/2023

10Scent 9Longevity 7Sillage

Eggi37
1 Review

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Eggi37

Top Review 84

Moment of Silence, Warmth, and Security During the Blue Hour.

What does the blue hour mean?
It is the time (about 1 hour) of twilight, when the sky is still slightly illuminated and shines blue. Thus, it is just before sunset and just after sunrise, the phases before and after darkness.

What does master perfumer Jacques Guerlain say about the scent: "as Jacques Guerlain expressed, L'Heure Bleue represents the meeting of two kindred souls destined to do nothing but unite in a flash of eternity."

My interpretation or effect of the scent on me:
This fragrance has a touch of melancholy, meaning a bit of darkness. But it is not so sad and downcast as to truly speak of pure night, because at the beginning and end of the night or tunnel, blue light is visible, thus hope and confidence. So it is not a scent that makes one sad, but rather gives strength.
One comes from the blue light and suddenly darkness sets in, only to stand again in the blue light afterwards. A moment in life that surely everyone knows. For some, a case of mourning, and for others perhaps just a parking ticket. A moment when one feels lonely and lost. A state of reflection and introspection hits. One begins to ponder and reflect. But one is not lonely and lost, for blue light is visible on both sides of the tunnel. There is confidence and hope. Warm hands reach out from the light and want to pull one into the light. One just has to feel them and reach for them. A feeling of familiarity and security from old days.
To maintain this feeling, one must now gently close their eyes. A moment of silence. The scent pauses time to give attention solely to it. It is the blueprint, like for yoga practitioners. One must become one with their soul and recognize the vibrations of love. When one allows this, they feel the warmth and sensuality that the scent exudes. One can hear the heartbeat of the fragrance. A scent that conveys security and calm amidst darkness, like when one lays in their mother's arms as a child and closes their eyes. This scent speaks to you and says: "Everything is fine, you are safe here." Perhaps this is what Jacques Guerlain wanted to describe with "kindred souls" and "uniting eternity." This is also how I imagine an opium high, where one should feel as if cradled in the womb. However, upon waking from the blueprint, one unfortunately experiences the blue Ambroxan wonder of modernity, which for me stands more for the darkness of perfume history.
There is much love within it, which one only recognizes if they want to understand it and allow themselves to engage with it. As if Guerlain has laid magic over the fragrance and there is a healing energy within it for the souls of people. Perfectly suited for moments in life when one wants to escape modern and stressful everyday life and longs for the nostalgia of good old childhood days and old love. With this, one finds themselves again and comes to rest or silence. Thus, a way to leave the darkness behind with confidence and look forward strengthened. Our whole life is a play of light and darkness. One just has to find the rhythm and the point of calm. L'Heure Bleue does this for me.
About the scent:
Citrusy, herb-green and floral freshness transitions into powdery-vanilla and amber warmth.
With blue-violet violet and iris powder, they have captured the blue tone. Anise is typically sweet-spicy here, but not like licorice. It complements well with the garden carnation and transitions finely-spicy from the top notes to the heart notes. The garden carnation accord, with its peppery-cinnamony spice and its enchanting floral aroma, brings melancholy and nostalgia. Herb-green neroli brings a floral freshness and integrates into the herb-sweet base. Meanwhile, the dry vanilla melt in the base stands for depth and sensuality.
Hardly anyone can make vanilla more elegantly than Guerlain. It is their signature. Not overly sweet or gourmand. They describe it on their homepage as sensual. Indeed, they manage to touch the senses with their vanilla, see Shalimar.
Is the scent contemporary, a compliment magnet, or a crowd-pleaser? No, but it shouldn't be. It is not a scent with which I would want to introduce myself to someone. It is a scent to enjoy and be silent with, thus for oneself. As profound as a soul can be.
Even the employer would understand taking a break during the blue hour :-)

Thank you very much for reading my officially tested fragrance number 2000 (actually, it’s even more) and my first review.
I wish all dear perfume lovers a happy New Year, but above all a fragrant 2024! :-D

01/26/2017

8Scent 8Longevity 6Sillage

loewenherz
917 Reviews

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loewenherz

Top Review 25

Here's to the ones who dream

It will probably never be definitively and finally resolved - the (never really formulated) question of which among the great forebears of the venerable house at 68 Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris is ultimately the greatest and first among them. Is it Jicky? Shalimar? Sous le Vent? Or perhaps it is L'Heure Bleue, Guerlain's tribute to the precious blue hour between day and night - the time when anything is possible?

Here is a timeless and completely ageless fragrance. It has an infinite amount to tell and still wants to experience so much more. It has the pulse of a winter fire, is hot-blooded and ecstatically orchestrated in an oriental way - and then again it appears powdery for seconds, then soapy, then once more floral-opulent. And yet it is never loud, never restless, never pushy or exhausting, but rather lively, curious and - despite its good hundred years: hungry.

Here is a fragrance for dreamers, perhaps for escapists. Its heart and essence are a floral whirlwind like a psychedelic intoxication, melancholic and untamed yet feather-light at the same time. A fragrance for poets and muses, for reality deniers and eternal youths, for people - not just women - full of passion and fervor. Those who exclude nothing, want everything - and are fully ready to embrace whatever may come.

Nominated for an epic fourteen Academy Awards - only two other films have achieved this so far: 'All About Eve' in 1950 (which won six of them) and 'Titanic' in 1997 (which won eleven, making it the current record holder along with 'Ben Hur' in 1960 and 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' in 2003) - Damien Chazelle's La La Land is already THE cinematic event of the year. Relatively early on, there is this wonderful scene where Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, in that very blue hour over the sea of lights in Los Angeles and under an evening sky like shimmering jewels on inky velvet, dare to share a serenade and a nearly weightless dance together (the truly weightless dance comes a bit later). And although they both vehemently deny it, this blue hour is also a moment full of future and delicate magic - one in which anything is possible.

In conclusion, in the words of perhaps La La Land's most beautiful song:
'Here's to the ones who dream -
foolish as they may seem.
Here's to the hearts that ache -
here's to the mess we make.'

03/31/2021

10Scent 10Longevity 10Sillage

Favea
44 Reviews

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Favea

Top Review 28

The moon has risen, the golden stars are shining...

Before me stands the most expensive bottle of perfume that I own so far. Through a wonderful sharing, I acquired 130ml of this exquisite extrait of the blue hour. I regret nothing, but this bottle (rather the price) will forever remain my secret - just like all the things that can occasionally happen in the blue hour, sometimes remaining a mystery.

The scent is a dream fragrance. It starts with floral carnation and sweet violet and spicy anise. But they smell in the twilight, after a hot day, when the moist vapors rise from the ground. This beautiful scent is then immediately enveloped in the powdery iris, creating a gentle rising mist, or rather, softening it. Almost no light remains now, the full moon rises, and the balsamic night blooms release their enticing fragrances. Here, vanilla and tonka take over this part, giving the night its enchanting softness. And this night lasts long, and is infinitely beautiful, gentle yet so strong.
The sillage and longevity are perfectly balanced. I can bask in the blue hour for an entire day - and that with just 3 dabs or small sprays.
For me, this masterpiece is a feminine fragrance, very complex yet as gentle as the melody of “The moon has risen...”
I would classify it as wearable all year round - always stylish and special.
A dream fragrance or also a fragrance to dream.

05/03/2021

10Scent 10Longevity 9Sillage

Chanelle
752 Reviews

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Chanelle

Top Review 34

The Lilac-Blue Dream Hour

L'heure bleue, or simply LHB, has crossed my path many times in my long Guerlain life. As a young Guerlain enthusiast, it seemed too pompous, too grandmotherly to me. I was foolish and had no idea what was good.
As I slowly matured into a Guerlain woman, I found myself increasingly drawn to it. I would use, depending on the outfit, the mood, and/or the occasion, either the Eau de Toilette or the deodorant in the glass bottle, which unfortunately no longer exists today, as it was pure luxury.
I didn’t dare to try the Extrait, also for cost reasons.
In recent years (I’m approaching 60), I have increasingly turned to perfumes - partly because the bottles are so pretty, partly because they are simply pampering to the highest degree. Not to forget, the royal class of any fragrance.
Some time ago, I had the pleasure of testing a pure perfume of LHB that is at least 20 years old.
I was what one might call shockingly in love.
It took me a while to finally decide to buy a current Extrait that can certainly hold its own against the vintage variant, although it still needs a little time to mature, alongside and with me.
The top note is hard to put into words, and I’m not entirely clear about it myself. I smell animalic, leathery influences over the fresh notes. Strong tobacco, not shy and definitely not ladylike. But wonderful. I immediately think of scenes from the dressing rooms of the Moulin Rouge in Paris, around 1920. Old makeup, absinthe, and the underworld. I love it.
Gradually, the associations fade, as the scent becomes more powdery and increasingly turns into a floral bomb (no resemblance to Flowerbomb!), with a dragée-like, spicy sweetness. This sweetness can also be found in Fol Arôme, which, in my eyes, is a morphed LHB.
I could go on for hours about the transformations LHB undergoes; sometimes I smell more violet, then neroli comes through again, making way for the most powdery powder... but you should experience that for yourself.
Why?
It is a dream, a dive into the past; more beautiful than it could ever have been.

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