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Le Bain 1988 Eau de Parfum

Ranked 59 in Women's Perfume
7.6 / 10 1151 Ratings
A popular perfume by Joop! for women, released in 1988. The scent is sweet-oriental. It is still in production.
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Main accords

Sweet
Oriental
Powdery
Floral
Gourmand

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
AldehydesAldehydes Orange blossomOrange blossom BergamotBergamot LemonLemon
Heart Notes Heart Notes
JasmineJasmine SandalwoodSandalwood CedarCedar Lily of the valleyLily of the valley RoseRose
Base Notes Base Notes
VanillaVanilla Tonka beanTonka bean AmberAmber MuskMusk PatchouliPatchouli

Perfumer

Ratings
Scent
7.61151 Ratings
Longevity
8.0965 Ratings
Sillage
7.6901 Ratings
Bottle
6.0922 Ratings
Value for money
9.0484 Ratings
Submitted by DonVanVliet · last update on 02/16/2026.
Source-backed & verified

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to
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Vanilla Eau de Toilette
What We Do in Paris Is Secret by What We Do Is Secret
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Hawaii by LR
Hawaii
Shaghaf Oud Tonka (Eau de Parfum) by Swiss Arabian
Shaghaf Oud Tonka Eau de Parfum
Les Souveraines d'Egypte / The Sovereigns of Egypt by Roméa d'Améor
Les Souveraines d'Egypte
Mysteriously No.2 by Marc Cain
Mysteriously No.2

Reviews

122 in-depth fragrance descriptions
MadameVizard

13 Reviews
MadameVizard
MadameVizard
Very helpful Review 8  
Not Le Bain...but La Pâtisserie...
In previous reviews, other people stated that this perfume smelled like vanilla and bitter almond... and that is true. I can not notice the aldehydes, the flowers...only a very strong, ambery scent with hints of tonka, patchouli and precious wood. This perfume can not deny its belonging to the 80's. It is strong, bold, confident and unashamed. Like a sister of fragances like Jean-Paul Gaultier Classique (minus the spices), Estée Lauder's Beautiful and YSL Yvresse.

The name is misleading and not wisely chosen. This should have been called La Pâtisserie instead of Le Bain. That does not smell like a bath, or an expensive spa. This smells like some sort of expensive dessert, but miles ahead of modern gourmand fragances. No candyfloss, no praliné. The sweetness of Le Bain is dense, adult and even boozy, like some sort of pancakes flambed with Cointreau. Only for uninhibited lovers of oriental fragances.

I think this is a perfume better for winter time and nights out.
0 Comments
Dolby

69 Reviews
Dolby
Dolby
Helpful Review 5  
Le Bain d'Amandes Invisibles
I am starting to wonder if the pyramid of notes released by some perfume houses is not a figment of their fertile imagination, and completely unrelated to what’s in the bottle.
“What’s in the bottle” is of course a figure of speech, because we already know that apart from very high-end concoctions, notes are all but an interpretation of the molecules used in the formula.

Still.

Could it be a clever little masquerade using the power of suggestion?

A means of driving our imagination wild with a mouth-watering recipe that appears to be rich and complex, when in fact, it hides a pretty basic and simple mix?
I guess we’ll never know.

To me, Le Bain smells of bitter almonds and vanilla … and that’s pretty much it.
Lucky thing that I love bitter almonds and vanilla then, hey?

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a lovely fragrance to chill out in, and it does smell yummy.
It’s also pretty linear, and holds well.
Should have been called Vanilla-Almond.

Still, the question remains: where is that damn almond note
2 Comments
Nicky

31 Reviews
Nicky
Nicky
Very helpful Review 1  
Nice, but...
Today I sold my bottle on Ebay, but it wasn´t easy, though it´s discontinued. Someone mentioned the word sauna and that´s a very good description. The fragrance brings a sense of steam and wood. Unfortunately I didn´t know which occasions I could use it so therefore I decided that it had to go. It will certainly become someone's favorite perfume. Why keep it forgotten on a shelf?
I like Joop le Bain but I love Joop Femme.
Update: Oh, it seems I may not have correct info. It is still in production? I have read that it´s discontinued.
2 Comments
JSpines

179 Reviews
JSpines
JSpines
5  
Joop Le Bain
This is really lovely and honestly, I can't imagine someone not liking it. It's soft and gentle and literally hugs you with it's comforting essence. Blended to perfection, I can smell a slightly sweet, slightly spicy, slightly powdery concoction but nothing in here is "too much." It's tame and well behaved and is content with being simple and beautiful.

What I get from this is a smooth vanilla with a touch of woodiness, a touch of patchouli and a touch of warm amber. The citrus only exists in the beginning and I feel as though it helps to keep the overall effect of the fragrance fresh and bright. I can't detect the orange blossom, jasmine or Lily-of-the-Valley at all and that's fine with me!

I knew that this fragrance had favourable reviews and I can see why. Mass appealing due to it's inoffensive nature, making it a bonafide crowd-pleaser.

It's near impossible to over-spray this one. My skin holds fragrance very well and even I did 5 sprays, which I would never do with any other fragrance for fear of choking myself out or others around me.

I love this scent. Such a bargain too. Very moderately priced. One of the best blind-buys I've ever made! A true gem!
0 Comments
K3lli3

1 Review
K3lli3
K3lli3
5  
What a pitty!
After reading tons of reviews of this cute eau de parfum, I ordered it. Today I had received it, so I decided to test this perfume. When I sprayed it on my skin, a very strong medicinal scent came upon me. At that moment I kind of started panicking, but I decided to give it a chance to really 'sink' into my skin. After 10 minutes I smelled it again, and boy oh boy. I really just don't like it, it smells kinda cheap, medicinal and it's really sharp (strong). It gives me headaches. But I must give this perfume credit for its longevity, it really does last a long time on my skin. Really sad that I don't like it because I'm usually very fond of Vanilla and woody scents. But this really ain't it!
Guess I'll stick to my lovely and mild Cerruti 1881.
Updated on 07/01/2021
0 Comments
More reviews

Statements

241 short views on the fragrance
6
This is a lovely deep, boozy and balsamic vanilla & tonka unisex scent, later on white floral notes appear adding a little more femininity.
0 Comments
5
Very strong balsamic vanilla bomb. Honey and lemon cake, cherry flavored snus tobacco, really delicious scent!
0 Comments
2
Very subtle scent that reminds me of a fresh clean soapy fragrance that feels warm and comforting
0 Comments
2 years ago
49
38
Old wooden bath stove crackles
Comfortably sweet
Steaming vanilla bath water
Embraces softly with oriental warmth
Those were the days, my friend +
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38 Comments
43
29
Aldehyde-Hesperides
Glide into a
timelessly pleasant
Tonka-vanilla charmer
with a floral touch
Nostalgically wonderful beauty!
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29 Comments
35
51
Mountains of aldehyde soap, a surge of tonka bean, and sweetly powdered floral abundance create a wonderful, opulent, and timeless clean scent.
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51 Comments
34
27
Spicy-sweet creamy herb-floral in character / festive-powdery with a minimal hint of wood / oriental flower festival / unisex / dessert vibes
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27 Comments
34
3
Three drops on a tissue. Cover the victim's mouth and nose. Works instantly.
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3 Comments
33
10
Cleopatra sits in the tub
bathing in tonka milk, that vixen.
Spiced almond oil on skin so white
on Antony's brow, desire's sweat shines bright.
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10 Comments
31
17
Dreams from long-gone days - creaminess lying in a vanilla bed, covered with the laughter of my youth. First kiss? First kiss!
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17 Comments
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