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Woman Two 1983

8.1 / 10 68 Ratings
A popular perfume by Jil Sander for women, released in 1983. The scent is floral-animal. Projection and longevity are above-average. The production was apparently discontinued.
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Main accords

Floral
Animal
Woody
Chypre
Spicy

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
AldehydesAldehydes BergamotBergamot NeroliNeroli Fruity notesFruity notes Green notesGreen notes
Heart Notes Heart Notes
CarnationCarnation JasmineJasmine Lily of the valleyLily of the valley TuberoseTuberose IrisIris OrchidOrchid RoseRose
Base Notes Base Notes
MossMoss CedarwoodCedarwood SandalwoodSandalwood AmberAmber BenzoinBenzoin CastoreumCastoreum CivetCivet FrankincenseFrankincense PatchouliPatchouli
Ratings
Scent
8.168 Ratings
Longevity
8.760 Ratings
Sillage
8.051 Ratings
Bottle
6.559 Ratings
Submitted by Kittycat · last update on 06/18/2025.
Source-backed & verified

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to
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Maai
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Byzance (1987) (Eau de Toilette) by Rochas
Byzance (1987) Eau de Toilette
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Jean-Louis Scherrer Eau de Toilette

Reviews

7 in-depth fragrance descriptions
Can777

257 Reviews
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Can777
Can777
Top Review 44  
Amazone
What was Jil Sander thinking when she created Jil Sander Woman Two? By this time, she had already fought her way to the top with her puristic fashion. Despite all the envy and resentment. A woman had to assert herself. And she did! Past all the critics, past all the male colleagues in the fashion world, past everything that stood in her way. Jil Sander's fashion was so masculine and yet so feminine that the boundaries of gender blurred into a unified, pure aesthetic. With Jil Sander Woman Two, she gifted this remarkable era a fragrance that is hard to surpass in androgynous charm.

The Scent
One thing should be said right away. This scent is not for lovers of very floral, sweet, or very feminine perfumes. Or for very young women looking for something playful. It is from the 80s and therefore can be very loud and unrelenting in its appearance and composition at first. Except that the aldehydes appear first here, Ms. Sander says the last first with Jil Sander Woman Two. In the airy-light, yet powerful aldehyde cloud, very animalistic notes immediately come into play. Aside from a mineral-rough oak moss that accompanies the scent on its journey with a slight softening towards the end, there are very high doses of castoreum and civet. I have rarely experienced such high doses in a women's perfume. Castoreum is an extremely masculine fragrance ingredient and is referred to as such in the language of perfumers. It stands for dominance and territorial possession. Civet, on the other hand, is a feminine fragrance ingredient. It is considered a warning and indicates danger. Together, they are a clear declaration of war! This very almost dramatic beginning passes quickly, however. A floral veil spreads out, seemingly swallowing the animalistic notes. A powdery tuberose is primarily responsible for this. A herbaceous-spicy clove softens its sweetness. All other floral tones are not recognizable individually. Everything is very clean and finely interwoven and sewn together. In the final phase or the base, Jil Sander Woman Two becomes increasingly woody and slightly creamy-resinous. What remains is a hint of benzoin, moss, and gentle incense that fades very close to the skin.

Conclusion
I will never forget one of the most beautiful images of her. It is a black-and-white photograph of Jil Sander. She is wearing a white pantsuit with graphically perfect tailoring. The background is kept black. She is barefoot, and her décolletage and skin shimmer slightly, glistening-sweaty. Her gaze is very watchful, and she sits in a very masculine-lascivious pose as if she is about to set off on a hunt. This photo interprets for me a modern amazone. All the attributes of masculinity and yet so brutally feminine at the same time. If a fragrance fits this image, then it is this one! One of the most stylish fusions of the genders in a scent that I know. A mercilessly beautiful perfume. At least for me! By the way, as a reference scent or scent twin, Maai by Bogue comes very close to Sander. Although Jil Sander Woman Two seems more like a delicate hologram in comparison and will probably be more wearable for many.

A dress is perfect when you can no longer leave anything out - a speech too!
- Jil Sander -

I hope I have adhered to this,...Ms. Sander?!

28 Comments
FrauLohse

3 Reviews
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FrauLohse
FrauLohse
Top Review 40  
Knock Out in the First Round. Just a Word, Mrs. Sander!
You really have to ask yourself: “What happened there?” Did Mrs. Sander look away for a moment and someone poured something into the bottle? Fragrance dementia? A brief lapse? A touch of diva? I can neither explain how this scent appeared under the name Sander, nor how it could be placed in this rather inconspicuous, almost sporty, minimalist bottle.

When the sample reached me from the lovely Duftelinchen, I was inclined not to test it after I briefly sniffed the sprayer. Amber cheerfully waved at my nose, and I don't particularly appreciate ambered scents. But it had Jil Sander on it, so it couldn't be too bad, I thought to myself and boldly sprayed it on the back of my hand.

BOOM CHICA WAH WAH!!
This opening hits you right in the face. No warning. A knockout punch. If you don't get up by ten, you can't play anymore. Even Mugler could learn a thing or two from this, and he’s known for blowing that stupid grin off your face with the first spray. Totally paralyzed, I stand there and examine the tiny spot on my hand. You? You? You little bit of liquid causes this? Unbelievable.

After the aldehyde onslaught, which also carries something floral-spicy with it - probably some flowers, bushes, fruit trees, cars, houses, skyscrapers it has swept along - settles down, I am quite astonished. It shimmers and glimmers, oh look there and there and there too. A floral dance in bright, radiant opulence, lots of animals rustling through the grasses. I have the impression that the Jurassic Park gate has opened for me; there’s something happening everywhere. Amber and benzoin add to the fun, just enough to avoid it becoming too much like a puma cage, but also not drifting into excessive sweetness. This is truly a delightful phase. The animals are all in cuddle mode, the scent appears radiant, lovely, floral. During this time, it reminds me distinctly of Beloved Woman by Amouage. Only louder, more floral, and more animalistic. I can't identify the flowers individually; the scent embraces me like a vast, powdery flower field. The aura is a dream. Wherever there are many animals, it’s advisable not to bury your nose too deep in the skin. The sillage radiating from it is a thousand times more beautiful and worth enjoying from a distance.

Gradually, it becomes darker, mossier, woodier, less floral. The sweetness, the sunshine retreats further and further. The activity decreases. The little creatures bask in the moss and wait for the moment. Perhaps they are lying in wait, perhaps waiting for sleep, perhaps for a little tryst, perhaps for food. Everything is calm, the scent recedes, staying quite close to the skin and lingering for hours. Personally, I would have liked the middle part to last significantly longer, but the scent as a whole is really well balanced.

Well, Mrs. Sander, what can I say. A work of art. A fragrance that belongs in a proper bottle. This thing is really a mess with such an orchestra. Should I be concerned about why it’s called Woman Two? Is the mistress meant here? And is that why the plain glass box, due to the secrecy? Oh Mrs. Sander. I beg you, please remember the second woman in your next creations; it could do you good. A full aria would be better than always the little evaporation bites you keep putting out. I am deeply impressed. By this. Chapeau. Sincerely, Your Mrs. Lohse.
22 Comments
Sabi

69 Reviews
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Sabi
Sabi
Helpful Review 12  
THE Luxury Lady of the 80s
Wow!

Two drops on the wrist of this fragrance are enough to almost knock you off your feet from behind.
Woman II by Jil Sander has such an intense sillage and expansive statement at the beginning that it feels overwhelming. I regret the test immediately after applying, but due to time constraints, I can't scrub it off and cross it off my wishlist right away.
DEFINITELY not for me.

After about half an hour, I slowly start to relax; this incredibly intense, extremely spicy top note finally subsides.
Thank goodness.
Hopefully, the remaining stuff will dissipate quickly, I think, and I head to the supermarket.

While I gather my groceries, an extremely seductive scent brushes past my nose from a slight distance, and I curiously sniff at my wrist, thinking it can't possibly be that devilish stuff from earlier?!?
Oh yes, it is!
The simply very extreme (and I mean REALLY EXTREME) top note has not only faded, it has left something behind, and it’s quite something.

The fragrance now presents itself as airy, radiant, slightly powdery, and very finely spicy, especially with a bit of distance (it takes a while for me to realize that the magic works best when I don't hold my nose directly to it) this beautiful and elegantly exciting scent surrounds me.
It no longer screams its statement as it did at the beginning, but it is still there.

Woman II smells expensive, like the type of wealthy New Yorker adorned with exquisite jewelry. It smells self-assured. You have to be to wear SUCH a fragrance, also a bit of "caution, hair on the teeth"!!! (wink)

At first, she is a bit off-putting in her loud, intense way, but as you get to know her better, she becomes increasingly refined, more elegant, this New York lady of the Upper East Side.
The fragrance is starting to bring me more and more joy; my posture automatically becomes more upright, I feel almost dressed up, it rubs off on me.
It almost feels like I’m about to hop into the next taxi after my beauty appointment at E. Arden on 5th Ave. and meet my equally affluent friends for lunch at the Plaza. In the afternoon, shopping at Bergdorf Goodman and in the evening off to the Met or a charity event...

That's how I imagine the woman who wears this fragrance. It is wonderful and very extraordinary, but also very specific, and it has not yet shown everything it can do.

Two hours later back in my apartment, I sniff at my wrist again and wow, a new twist, this must be the base, and it is "drop-dead-sexy" but still in a million-dollar way; it must be civet and castoreum.
I really feel great; this fragrance gives you the feeling of wearing a super elegant designer dress, even if in reality, like me, it’s a T-shirt, jeans, and a crochet cardigan.

It’s incredible, try it, it’s just fun, definitely not for every day, just very special.
6 Comments
Connyr

3 Reviews
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Connyr
Connyr
Very helpful Review 6  
Unforgettable Love
My first fragrance that I fell in love with at the age of 20. One remembers their first love for a lifetime. I have never forgotten it, searched everywhere, and never found anything comparable again. Many beautiful successors came and went, but none did him justice. He is the scent of my youth: exciting, strong, oriental, impetuous yet elegant. He is a typical fragrance of the 80s - a little too much of everything, like the shoulder pads in the photos. Would I really still love him today as I did back then? He is from a different era - the same question arises when you find an old photo of your first love while cleaning up. Nevertheless, I will never forget the scent of my youth.
And then I found something that reminds me of him. Not as dominant, strong, or flashy. But more modern, contemporary, suitable for daytime yet with a similar aura: Bogeta Vanetta, EdP.
2 Comments
Fran

253 Reviews
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Fran
Fran
Very helpful Review 2  
Animalistic Aldehydes
I must confess, I am not sure if I am evaluating the "original state" of this perfume or a version that has changed somewhat over the years... The scent is indeed very, very old, and Antoine was kind enough to fill me a sample from their stock. I was curious - I remembered Jil Sander Woman II as a great fragrance that unfortunately disappeared from the market too quickly. To be honest, I remembered Woman II as a sweet, lovely, floral, powdery scent that stood out particularly positively among the other Jil Sander creations of the past, which all seemed too aldehydic and/or chypre for my taste.

And now either my memory has played a trick on me and I am a victim of a major mix-up, or the scent has changed over the years - Anto, what do you think?

I am overwhelmed by the aldehydes. Fruit and green notes and so on do not find their way onto my skin. All the flowers in the heart note have also immediately retreated. Even the usually dominant tuberose does not show up, and in this case, I would even unusually welcome its appearance, as it might counteract the aldehydic with a bit of sweet, fruity floralness. I can only detect a trace of iris, which usually doesn’t say much either.

But what really comes through is the base. Castoreum AND civet - I am almost fainting. I am surprised that there is no galbanum in here. Because I can also clearly smell the typical putty note. All the other notes in the base like amber, woods, moss, benzoin, patchouli, and incense do not add any fine accents - everything is flattened into an animalistic mass.

I had expected all sorts of things, but NOT THIS. Jil Sander is not usually known for being so intense. Unfortunately, I cannot smell simple, elegant, cool-feminine here. Instead, I feel hair growing on my back and muscles in my arms. Quick, I need vanilla, red fruits, and roses as an antidote. Immediately!
5 Comments
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Statements

16 short views on the fragrance
4 years ago
23
20
A light bitter-gum-beaver breeze
Soft-spicy, cuddly kitten purring
Whispered floral silk
Delicate lukewarm-cold stubbornness
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20 Comments
23
32
Aldehyde punch (powerful & straight) drives the animals over moss into the thicket. Razor-sharp & clean contours like Jil Sander's fashion of the time.
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32 Comments
23
22
Through aldehyde mist
in dark depths
You hear animals
Dangerously wicked
Flowers line the path
Your footprints
in delicate powder
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22 Comments
17
4
The evolution of femininity. The soul of a woman in all its facets. Animalistically wild, floral delicate, and powder-soft. Unfiltered stylish!
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4 Comments
14
11
Unforgettable great love. Scent of the eighties. Floral sweet with aldehyde clouds. Deep notes in the base. Amber-benzoin-patch. Ladylike elegant.
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11 Comments
13
22
Sharp green
Animalic at the start
Heavy floral resins
in fresh humidity
so soft
Such scents are no longer made.
Why is that?
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22 Comments
14
5
The transformation of the chypre fragrance from the 70s to the 80s: complex, powerful, moderately animalistic, opulent, yet also clear and edgy.
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5 Comments
11
4
The opening knocks even aldehyde lovers off their feet.
After that, all things animalistic crawl and slither through the flora.
Animalistic: Yes! Yes!
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4 Comments
6 months ago
10
10
Intensely sharp green animalistic storm transforms into a clove iris powder - incense dream. All in one. A masterpiece of fragrance.
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10 Comments
9
2
Great mixture of a wizard! You can't escape it! One Pffft lasts all day. Floral, smoky, green, animalistic! AMAZING!
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2 Comments
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