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Les Légendaires

Mitsouko Guerlain 1919 Eau de Toilette

Ranked 217 in Women's Perfume

8.3 / 10 329 Ratings

A popular perfume by Guerlain for women, released in 1919. The scent is chypreartig-spicy. It is still in production.
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Main accords

Chypre

Spicy

Floral

Fruity

Woody

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Bergamot

Citrus fruits Jasmine

Jasmine

Rose

Heart Notes

Peach

Ylang-ylang Lilac

Lilac

Base Notes

Oakmoss

Spices

Vetiver

Ambergris

Cinnamon

Perfumer

Jacques Guerlain

Ratings

Scent

8.3329 Ratings

Longevity

7.7276 Ratings

Sillage

7.1276 Ratings

Bottle

8.7270 Ratings

Value for money

8.097 Ratings

Submitted by BelAmi · last update on 01/30/2026.

Source-backed & verified

Interesting Facts

The fragrance is part of the Les Légendaires collection.

Variant of the fragrance concentration

This is a variant of the perfume Mitsouko (Eau de Parfum) by Guerlain, which differs in concentration.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Mitsouko Eau de Parfum

Mitsouko Extrait

Mitsouko Eau de Cologne

Diaghilev Parfum

Femme (1989) Eau de Toilette

Golden Chypre

Reviews

23 in-depth fragrance descriptions

02/20/2016

9Scent 8Longevity 5Sillage

MasterLi
376 Reviews

MasterLi

Very helpful Review 6

Queen of Chypres

There isn't much more to add to what has been said. We know it's significance. It has it's place in history of perfume, it's been called the best of all time etc.

It's oakmoss and peach and rose and many other things, it's like a secluded garden in a forest full of flowers, with the smell of rain still in the air. Jacques Guerlain wanted to evoke with this "the smell of a womans skin". I understand what he was trying to do.

I also don't see how anyone would not like this. It's floral, fruity, but so deep and earthly and rich and very hard to describe. I find it very unique. A wonderful mossy, beautiful fragrance, and a wonderful experience to smell. I really think everyone should try this. I don't think "old lady" or other labels. It really doesn't smell like much else and it was the inspiration (like Jicky and Shalimar), for not just many other classics, but also much of what we have today in the world of perfume.

I think this should be preserved forever as something really special. It has no gender, time or place. It should stand as something for all and everyone, and for all time. Real art in a bottle. Wonderful stuff!

03/13/2016

1.5Scent 8Longevity 5Sillage

Isabelle1
47 Reviews

Isabelle1

Helpful Review 2

Grandfather??

IT is the third time I wear mitsouko, and now I am rather sure it is nothing for me, the first two times, I had the impression it reminded me of something, something I didn't like but I wanted to give it a chance, a very distant memory of a smell, and today it hit me....it reminds me of my grandfather, he smelled like this. And as much as I loved my grandfather I really loved him so much, I did not like his "aftershave" that's what he named it. Well that's the smell I get from mitsouko, and the one I have is a vintage, I will keep it in my collection, the bottle is nice. But I won't wear it anymore, for me it is to masculin and I guess I am a to feminine person in smells....I am gonna scrub it off, really don't like it.

11/24/2022

10Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

Mmachaira
2 Reviews

Mmachaira

5

Experiencing Awe

Mitsouko and minimalism are incompatible concepts. Rich and allusive like the soul of a woman, it invites you to a journey of knowing. It needs several tests. The more you wear it, in different seasons and phases, the more you think about it.
Although it was first made in the early 20th century, it fits the romanticism of the 19th century like a glove. A gothic heroine, a cursed poet, Mary Selley (and her Frankenstein) could easily wear it.
I think that Mitsouko manages to capture a vital moment in the break between the void we call existence: The absolute despair, the climax of erotic desire - and action - the ecstasy of childbirth, the fear of loss. After such a moment, not only our world changes, but the entire face of the world changes. It will never be the same again.
As Hannah Arendt once said, we are equally made to die and to begin. Mitsouko wisely contains the pulse/will of life (spice, flower) and the awareness of its mortality (moss, ripe fruits)
Kant contrasts the beautiful with the sublime: "The huge oaks and the solitary deep foliage in a virgin forest are sublime, the flowerbeds, the small hedges, the uniformly pruned rows of trees are beautiful. The night is sublime, the day is beautiful. ..The great disturbs, the beautiful fascinates... The great is always big, the beautiful can be too small".
Mitsouko for me is Kant's "great", it inspires awe. It is the scent of Medea.

05/16/2025

7Scent 6Longevity 7Sillage

Akira1005
222 Reviews

Akira1005

I feel something is off many times, but Mitsuko has no mysterious meaning.

Aside from the title, as for the scent, I definitely prefer the EDT to the EDP. The EDP has a heavy top and is heavy like a theater stage with a heavy curtain. Like a velvet curtain. However, the EDT is friendly from the beginning and the scent spreads out quickly. It's not a heavy curtain, but a curtain with a classic pattern made of a lighter material. I wouldn't say it's fruity, but it doesn't give me a headache and feels more refreshing than a typical men's perfume. It's light because there is no unnecessary synthetic musk or synthetic amber. Well, it's quite difficult to describe this scent in words, so GUERLAIN has stores in many places, so if you're interested, please try it. I personally think that it's easy to try even for people who don't like chypre. No, well, easy to try is an exaggeration. People who don't like it won't like it. It's a scent that is no longer widely used in modern Japan. I saw a woman on a Japanese cosmetics review site who said that when her grandmother wore this fragrance, the scent spread throughout the house, and she was so angry that she signed up as a new member to write a review just for that. Frankly, I feel that in a densely populated Japan, you can't ride the train in Tokyo wearing this, but I'll say it again, I like it.

About the title---------------
Yes, I feel it's rude to write it over and over again because I've already explained it well in the EDP, but I thought it would be kind to write it in both places. If you read my review of the EDP, you don't need to read the following.
Well, the name "Mitsuko" itself does not have any "mysterious" meaning. It may sound unusual in Europe, but it's actually a fairly common name in Japan.
I'm Japanese, so trust me. The explanation of GUERLAIN is strange.
I confirmed this with GUERLAIN Japan support, and when I asked, "I'm sure you know that the name Mitsuko doesn't have any mysterious meaning, but what was the actual intention behind it?" (I'm not a malicious complainer, I used to make inquiries because I worked in this field. I'm not someone who has strange attachments to things. I just wanted to confirm before writing a review), they replied, "Um... it's not the name Mitsuko itself, but the scent that mysteriously expresses Mitsuko's wavering feelings between two men." "Have you pointed that out to the head office?" "We can't answer any more than this at customer support..." Yes, the GUERLAIN Japan customer support also acknowledged it. They said, "Mitsuko itself doesn't have any mysterious meaning." Hmm, then they're lying despite knowing it.
Well, I pointed out a few things, but once again, congratulations on Mitsuko's 100th anniversary. I've kept this secret that "Mitsouko doesn't have any mysterious meaning" hidden for a long time, but I finally had to tell you after 100 years.
Please don't misunderstand me, I like the scent of GUERLAIN and I've been to France. My graduation thesis was about "Japonism". So I understand the historical background and I like French art. But, well, I have to say it properly even if someone hates me. Otherwise, all "Mitsuko-san" in Japan will mean mysterious women.

Updated on 05/16/2025

02/13/2025

8Scent 6Longevity 6Sillage

shengnu
94 Reviews

shengnu

1

An enemies to lovers story.

At first, I despised this. All I smelled was oakmoss, so strong that I literally gagged. It was as bitter as cigarette smoke and stale coffee with the nasty vegetal-alkaline quality of overcooked turnip greens or spinach.

It was not at all what I'd expected. It was dusty, bitter, old-fashioned and even pissy.

And then, gradually, over the course of days, I tried it again and again. I got used to the smell of oakmoss. Though the odd vegetal aspect is still present, I started to accept it.
It's good. And in the summer especially, the citrus shines. Lemony bergamot, then florals and the sweet, milky peach note of Aldehyde C14 / gamma undelactone. I spray it in my hair and sometimes when the right strand blows in my face, I can smell the peach, and a resonant chord of spicy woody sweetness. Those base notes are rare and fleeting, and that almost makes them more beautiful.
The moss remains, but doesn’t last that long and honestly, I smell it mostly at the same time as the bergamot, where it serves to add contrast.

Updated on 05/12/2025

More reviews

Statements

78 short views on the fragrance

KathrynA66

2 years ago

10Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

5

Wearing this is like wearing a painting by Monet or Pissarro. Gorgeous, timeless perfection.

Sleepychypre

1 year ago

4

SO vintage at first but don’t give up—revisit her occasionally & she’ll surprise you! Took a while but I finally get that famous peach note.

Kurai

4 years ago

8Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

3

1

Mitsy EdP is great already, but the balance between florals, fruit and spice plus the subtlety makes the EdT an absolute winner!

JFP26

4 years ago

10Scent 9Longevity 9Sillage

3

1

My oh my, this is the chypre! Has a citric opening and then evolves into a beautiful dry peach mixed with spices. Totally unisex. A-MA-ZING!

BertolucciK

5 years ago

8.5Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

3

Beautiful chypre, smooth, elegant. Typical J Guerlain opening with bergamot, jasmine, rose. Then a perfect blend o peach, oakmoss and spices

TheDunkPapa

1 year ago

7.5Scent 6Longevity 5Sillage

2

Slightly earthy and funky chypre, nowadays probably wearable by both sexes, but plays oddly with my skin: goes sour and tart.

Xavica

1 year ago

5Scent 8Longevity 6Sillage

2

Where did the cinnamon go? Without it, the perfume is no longer the same, only a smell of earthy roses remains. The worst reformulation.

Pallidus

3 years ago

5.5Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

2

1

Unfortunately the peach wasn’t revealed to my nose. I got a violet chypre with an old-school spicy musk.
Respectful yet unwearable for me.

Sterben9225

1 year ago

8.5Scent

1

Classic oakmoss, floral, fruity, slightly balsamic chypre. Best peach note I've ever smelt but performance is not the best (1960s bottle)

LKS1985

9 months ago

5.5Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

The EDT in its current formulation lacks the depth of the older EDP from the 90s. Much more lipstick-scent in the drydown.

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Discussions

Topics about this fragrance in the forum

ChapeauClack 12 years ago

Perfumes & Brands

Decisions, decisions... this time it's about Mitsouko

Gold: It's sooo tellling the man is named "Wasser" = water in German. "Watering down" fragrances is his task, although I think he's not guilty, the poor chap.Rolling...