Bottle Design:
Jacques Bocquet (1946)

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Ein kleiner erster Frühlingsbote kann sich mit seinem schönen Duft durchaus behaupten. (by Zora)

Zen Impulse 1944

7.6 / 10 179 Ratings

A popular perfume by Impulse for women, released in 1944. The scent is chypreartig-floral. The production was apparently discontinued.
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Main accords

Chypre

Floral

Green

Spicy

Fresh

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Aldehydes

Green notes

Citrus fruits

Clary sage

Asafoetida

Gardenia

Heart Notes

Iris

Jasmine

Lily of the valley

Orange blossom

Orris root Rose

Rose

Sandalwood

Ylang-ylang

Weathered Popsicle

Base Notes

Oakmoss

Benzoin

Cinnamon

Labdanum

Musk

Styrax

Tonka bean Vetiver

Vetiver

Perfumer

Jean Carles

Ratings

Scent

7.6179 Ratings

Longevity

7.6125 Ratings

Sillage

6.7111 Ratings

Bottle

6.9110 Ratings

Value for money

8.216 Ratings

Submitted by Kankuro · last update on 06/05/2025.

Source-backed & verified

Interesting Facts

The scent was re-released in 2013.

The perfumer Jean Carles lost his sense of smell while he was still actively producing fragrances. It appears he hid the fact that he was completely anosmic in order to continue working, multiple sources report this due to personal conversations with him. His odour memory and imagination were good enough to continue to create great perfumes - like Beethoven who continued to compose music despite deafness. Ma Griffe is the fragrance most notably affected by Jean Carles' anosmia, though in 1947 he went on to work with Serge Heftler Louiche and Paul Vacher on the original Miss Dior.
Furthermore rumour has it that Ma Griffe was introduced to Parisians in 1946 by hundreds or even thousands of tiny, white and green parachutes, each containing a sample of the scent, that were dropped all over Paris. As a result, for the next few days the smell of Ma Griffe lingered through the entire city.

Reviews

23 in-depth fragrance descriptions

04/29/2012

8Scent 7.5Longevity 7.5Sillage

Sherapop
1239 Reviews

Sherapop

Top Review 4

Freshly Cut Grass Clippings Under a Bright Blue Sky

Carven MA GRIFFE is an exciting perfume. I am grateful to all of the perfumistas who praised this worthy creation to the high heavens, since on their recommendation I bought a gift set online and was thoroughly delighted!

MA GRIFFE is totally green and utterly unique. MA GRIFFE is a huge pile of freshly cut grass clippings under a bright blue sky. MA GRIFFE is a vast expanse of glistening green rice paddies in rural Japan with not another soul anywhere in sight.

This may be what I wanted CABOTINE to be, though unfortunately it never measured up to my dream: clean, green, briskly aldehydic, white floral pristine perfection...and also chypre!

MA GRIFFE effects an immediate change in perspective but without numbing the mind. To spritz on MA GRIFFE is to step outside of Plato's Cave and stare directly at the incandescent sun. I may sound like some sort of religious zealot, but MA GRIFFE simply further confirms my longstanding belief in survival of the fittest when it comes to matters of value.

There's a reason why this extraordinary creation still exists and has no even close competitors. In the perfume jungle red in tooth and claw, MA GRIFFE has managed to hold her own, to retain the claim she staked so long ago.

01/22/2012

9Scent 7.5Longevity 5Sillage

Callas
187 Reviews

Callas

Helpful Review 4

Sun, grass and flowers

Ma Griffe and I have immediately got on.
Aldehydes with a splash lemon introduce themselves. The flatteries then begin. It gets gentle, powdered and quite soft.
The flower notes greet and swirl about me breezily but not sweetishly. The spell is broken.
The base with oakmoss, musk and sandelwood rounds off wonderfully.
Ma Griffe is holding back and relaxing.
A close friendship has begun. This green dream easily and breezily walks into my shopping basket.

01/30/2012

4Scent 7.5Longevity 5Sillage

Lola82
361 Reviews

Lola82

Very helpful Review 2

a Rousseau Jungle

Ma Griffe opens crisp and lush of Green Notes caresses
your senses of different shades though light and dark
swirls vibrantly like an Rousseau painting primal and
instinctive from the surface the opening gives an impression of innocence and the green notes adds that
metaphor as we walk further into the Ma Griffe Greenhouse the air becomes thicker and the floral becomes deeper The note of Peach steeps though the
air like a sensual Verita; Rose adds an velvety touch
to this dualistic scent Orris brings the earthy side
and nocturnal jasmine closes the middle with an green
herbal smell; The drydown turn Ma Griffe uninhibited
and Primal; Labdanum with a mixture of Civet adds a
Animalistic spirit Cinnamon brings depth and a bit of an edge; Watered musk dilutes the volume but noticible.

Ma Griffe dries to a dark and esoteric finish of
styrax and dry sandalwood,This scent is a Chameleon
crisp and green at the opening deep and reseinous
drydown, i would love this if it wasn't a bit cloying
but still a nice perfume

08/22/2024

7.5Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

SwabGames
86 Reviews

SwabGames

The fragrance that became a cult feminine symbol of the 40s

At the beginning, as soon as I applied the perfume to my hand, I felt freshness, seasoned with a certain tarragon. As the alcohol dissipated, an even more beautiful aroma of gardenia, clary sage, aldehydes and green notes emerged. Floral with a spicy aftertaste. And somewhere in the distance you can still feel the note of black pepper (seasoning), I don’t know where from, honestly. In the middle, rose, jasmine, lily of the valley and a little bit of orange blossom and ylang-ylang open up. A very pleasant floral aroma, while the rose smells like Turkish delight. At the end it starts to smell like tonka bean, moss, vetiver, a little bit of cinnamon and labdanum. Very cool, spicy, sometimes sweet, very beautifully chosen.

04/27/2025

7Scent 5Longevity 4Sillage

shengnu
94 Reviews

shengnu

Landmark green-aldehydic chypre.

Pissy-citrus aldehydic opening, a LOT like the opening of Cabochard (1959) Eau de Toilette but with more citrus. Morphs into powdery floral sweetness, while a little bit of tartness remains. Under it lies a bitter, slightly powdery and slightly sweet oakmoss-labdanum base that, in combination with the now toned-down aldehydes, is much like the champagne-powder center of Miss Dior (1947) Eau de Toilette.

Good fragrance by Jean Carles. Later green-aldehydic chypres reference this one, but this was one of the first.

Is it my personal favorite? No, I have never been able to stand strong aldehydes.

Updated on 04/27/2025

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Statements

17 short views on the fragrance