L'Instant de Guerlain pour Homme Guerlain 2005 Eau de Parfum

L'Instant de Guerlain pour Homme (Eau de Parfum) by Guerlain

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Ranked 49 in Men's Perfume

8.3 / 10 1703 Ratings

A popular perfume by Guerlain for men, released in 2005. The scent is spicy-gourmand. The longevity is above-average. It is being marketed by LVMH.
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Main accords

Spicy

Gourmand

Sweet

Woody

Oriental

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Star anise

Citrus notes

Elemi resin

Heart Notes

Patchouli blossom Jasmine

Jasmine

Neroli

Base Notes

Patchouli

Cocoa

Cedar

Sandalwood

Hibiscus seed Tea

Tea

Perfumer

Béatrice Piquet

Ratings

Scent

8.31703 Ratings

Longevity

8.51328 Ratings

Sillage

7.71293 Ratings

Bottle

7.71272 Ratings

Value for money

8.1492 Ratings

Submitted by Kankuro, last update on 07/20/2025.

Interesting Facts

The previous addition "Eau Extrême" is omitted since 2016, following the alteration of the bottle.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

L'Instant de Guerlain pour Homme Eau de Toilette

L'Instant de Guerlain pour Homme Cristaux d'Agrumes

Pardon Extrait de Parfum

Kokorico Eau de Toilette

Tempo

Nasheet

Reviews

34 in-depth fragrance descriptions

01/15/2016

ColinM
516 Reviews

ColinM

Top Review 9

A must!

L’Instant pour Homme by Guerlain is one of my favourite fragrances ever, and together with Dior Homme and a very limited few others, surely well represents the highest peak of recent contemporary perfumery for me (any perfumery, niche included). That kind of perfection which would make any flanker of it smell fantastic as wel, obviously provided the bone-structure remains the same. And in fact, this Extreme version is just as great as the original, to any extent. I neglected this for long thinking that it was only a more concentrated version of the original L’Instant, but now that I tried it, I realised it’s more than that (I know I’m ridicolously late on the party... better late than never, right?). It’s 95% L’Instant with the brightness knob turned down a little bit, and a 5% of anisic-cocoa boost. So it smells kind of darker, rounder, also woodier (especially on sandalwood) and a tad sweeter, shortly a bit more gourmand-ish than the original version, with a sort of younger feel all over. And it also feels bolder and understandably more powerful on skin. Sweeter and more powerful – now I see why this seems more popular among younger fans, if compared to classic L’Instant with its slightly more mature, musky, ephemeral and distinguished green-citrus vibe. But for once, dudes and bros are nailing it – this is some phenomenal scent as well. Different enough from classic L’Instant not to be redundant, great enough to make you want to own both. Brilliant.

8,5-9/10

04/25/2013

10
Bottle 10
Sillage 10
Longevity 10
Scent

Mojtaba
5 Reviews

Mojtaba

Very helpful Review 9

The real fun

I was really surprised when I first got this perfume test.I love it
A unique fragrance that smells to me like nothing else does.Strong aroma of Patchouli blossom fragrances that might be a bit annoying.
But this is not the end...
After 2 hours,in Base Notes,You will encounter a mysterious fragrance.Tea, cocoa,cedar and Sandalwood aromas balanced, and have created a pleasant fragrance.Dark&sweet and spicy

07/02/2014

10
Bottle 7.5
Sillage 7.5
Longevity 10
Scent

MasterLi
375 Reviews

MasterLi

Top Review 7

Dreamy cocoa-covered sandalwood...

This fragrance is deep, it's rich, and it's intoxicating. I can't stop smelling my wrist when I try it out! I get the resins, anise and hibiscus, and jasmine and patchoulli... followed by a strong base of rich, dark bitter cacao. It's wonderful to smell, very addictive!

I'm a huge Guerlain fan and I love the house very much. L'Instant de Guerlain pour Homme Eau Extrême is a fascinating one. There is a lot going on and it does smell extremely smooth, almost intoxicating.

Describing this one is interesting... It is supposedly inspired by the food of North Africa and the Middle East, with the honeyed, caramel chocolate and the strong anise liqueur vibe, hibiscus flower, and strong tea aroma. It is definitely interesting. As always I do love the 'Guerlainade' (Guerlain's signature) dry-down of Rose, Jasmine, Orris Root, Tonka Bean and Resins. It's still very appealing and I certainly give Guerlain the credit for it.

The quality is fantastic here and I love what the late Béatrice Piquet has done with this creation(it won an international award after all!). I read that she tried to evoke an impression of 'cold light' or 'luminescence', and I totally get that from the combination of bright citrus and the creamy sandalwood/cocoa. I do both appreciate and understand the concept, and respect her for doing that. I also really think this could almost be like a modern, updated 'Habit Rouge' for the 21st Century, as I definitely think it pays homage to that creation. I must also say that I really enjoy the bottle, with it's Art Deco style. Very nice touch.

Overall, although I highly commend Guerlain for this interesting creation... I actually like this Eau de Parfum version much more than the EdT. I believe that everything Guerlain does is both enjoyable and exquisite!

01/30/2017

RhythmnHues
42 Reviews

RhythmnHues

Very helpful Review 5

Absolutely Stunning!

Even though I was already in love with the EDT, the first time I tried this EDP version I was stunned! It was a decant from a 'new' bottle. Absolutely warm and beautifully sweet with a hint of citrus, cocao, and anise. Truly glorious interpretation for a flanker.

As soon as I finished my 10ml decant, I went around looking for this so called "holy-grail vintage bottle with black border" thing. And to be honest I've always been lucky in that department - finding discontinued stuff. I didn't even have to look much, I found a vintage tester for less than a current edition price. The first time I wore that one it was some other experience altogether. The anise and cocoa combination was very prominent in the beginning and there's a brilliant sandalwood accord-very deep and almost meditative, like the ones used for religious ceremonies in India. Doesn't smell like the new Sandalwood they use in perfumes these days. Then there's the beautiful neroli-tea-hibiscus-patchouli-jasmine accord - just like in the EDT probably a little rounder - on a warm, creamy, almost gourmand base of something ambery/resins, bitter-ish dry cocao and woods. Nothing in this perfume smells generic to me. It's extremely well crafted and made with top-notch ingredients. Performance is magnificent too. Even if you have the EDT this is totally worth having, in my opinion. Absolutely stunning!

I just totally love these old French perfume houses, like Guerlain. They just know their schitt! Respect.

10/10

p.s: After a couple of wears the vintage bottle smells just the same as the new bottle. So for those unable to find the vintage stuff - don't stress, it's the same juice.

01/03/2012

10
Scent

Thatsmr2usir
67 Reviews

Thatsmr2usir

Very helpful Review 8

Class & distinction in a bottle

I own the EDP & have tested the EDT! I much prefer the EDP! & here is why. The EDT is a nice offering from Guerlain which opens with a nice citrus burst, a tad of cocoa & woods. In the EDT version the citrus is the more dominant player. While it is nice, it does not last very long for me to get a full bottle! 4-5 hours max is what I get out of the EDT.

Now for the EDP! The first initial blast of this concentration is a heavy, yet sharp dry, bitter cocoa accord with a hint of citrus & woods. This concentration the dry, cocoa is the main player. It last @ least 10 hours on me & is indeed lovely! It leaves a nice lingering aroma for people to follow & its just awesome! Pure class here! For fans looking for a sweet cocoa note, THIS IS NOT YOUR FRAGRANCE! The only sweetness I may get from this is when the citrus & cocoa note collide.

I Would not really call the EDP a straight gourmand, because clearly it is not, but its more so a mixture between a gourmand/oriental if that makes any sense. Not for the faint of heart, or who is looking for something sicking sweet! The EDP is more mature than the EDT & for the $$$ its a better option to go with including the fact that the EDT has longevity issues compared to this! Kudos to Guerlain for this masterpiece!

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