Replica

Whispers in the Library 2019

Whispers in the Library by Maison Margiela
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7.9 / 10 690 Ratings
A popular perfume by Maison Margiela for women and men, released in 2019. The scent is woody-sweet. It was last marketed by L'Oréal.
Pronunciation
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Main accords

Woody
Sweet
Spicy
Powdery
Creamy

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
PepperPepper Orange blossom absoluteOrange blossom absolute PatchouliPatchouli
Heart Notes Heart Notes
Benzoin SiamBenzoin Siam Tonka bean absoluteTonka bean absolute CypriolCypriol
Base Notes Base Notes
Vanilla absoluteVanilla absolute CedarwoodCedarwood VetiverVetiver
Videos
Ratings
Scent
7.9690 Ratings
Longevity
6.8595 Ratings
Sillage
6.3591 Ratings
Bottle
8.0576 Ratings
Value for money
7.1413 Ratings
Submitted by BeyondTheSea, last update on 03/07/2025.
Interesting Facts
The fragrance was part of the collection "Replica".

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to
Far Away Royale by Avon
Far Away Royale
Metal Wave by AllSaints
Metal Wave
Spice Blend by Dior
Spice Blend
Leather Skies by AllSaints
Leather Skies
Vanilla & Cedarwood by Kiehl's
Vanilla & Cedarwood
Babylon by Penhaligon's
Babylon

Reviews

29 in-depth fragrance descriptions
4
Sillage
8
Longevity
9.5
Scent
RisingChaos

109 Reviews
RisingChaos
RisingChaos
3  
Vanilla Paper
This opens with a somewhat musty vanilla, which airs out to something slightly more musky and airy over the course of a few minutes. As if I opened an old book, covered with a gentle layer of dust and filled with crinkly stale paper, and watched it slowly transform into a new, glossy magazine. The best way I can describe this is it smells like a bucket of wet wood pulp splashed with vanilla extract, lacquer, and a dash of black pepper. Papery, woody, with an air of gentle sweetness. Moderately soft projection for 2-3hr, longevity 9-11hr.
0 Comments
Alexlinhcao

101 Reviews
Alexlinhcao
Alexlinhcao
2  
Whispers in the Library
Truly a lackluster experience. I'm so happy to hear that there are devotees for this fragrance, but it couldn't be me. There are some scents which I wouldn't wear, but can still admire on it's own or for someone else. WITL is neither of these for me.

The wear of it is poor (under an hour) and the fragrance profile itself isn't particularly pretty. I get a lot of a liniment-ish/ Carmex note in the beginning which I'll guess is somewhere between the patchouli and benzoin. But after that, it quickly fades to a watered down vanilla, if even that.

I don't get a cozy, vanilla-wood. I don't get books or a library. I don't get dark academia. For all of these things, I find there are much better options. I'm so glad I didn't blind buy this one after hearing it was discontinued from the REPLICA line. While I hate the name Autumn Vibes, it far exceeds in what WITL is trying to do.
0 Comments
7
Pricing
10
Bottle
8
Sillage
8
Longevity
10
Scent
FlowerFiend3

4 Reviews
FlowerFiend3
FlowerFiend3
2  
My Favorite Fragrance of All Time!
This is my signature cold-season scent.

It opens with the must of a sun-filtered library, dustmotes floating in the slight breeze of an open window.

It settles into vellum, ink, and leather at the heart. The feeling of spending hours doing research in ancient, heavy tomes at a worn wooden desk.

And oh so subtly, it morphs into the base notes of a hearth, a slight smoky accord to compliment the squashy leather chair before the fireplace, in which you sip your tea and read your saga of a novel in a quiet evening.

I quite literally cried when they discontinued this one, and I'm hoarding the last bottles I can find.
0 Comments
Rosymel

122 Reviews
Rosymel
Rosymel
2  
Pretty vanilla but too fleeting and soft
I like the notes in this one—vanilla and tobacco mostly—but goodness me what a soft performer. Even within five minutes of spraying it, I had to get my nose right up to my skin to smell it.

I generally have a light hand when spraying any perfume, extra light if I’ve been warned it’ll be a beast. I am usually a one spray and done type of person, so I find it funny when people talk about spraying themselves four or five times, because generally that would leave me gasping for air and overwhelmed with fragrance. But this? I think I’d need at least four or five sprays to smell it at all after a few minutes! It’s odd when I compare it to the other Replica scents I’ve tried (I have the Discovery sample set); they tend to be very good performers. For example, I have applied Music Festival VERY lightly and still smelled traces of it for the next three days on my jacket.

As for the actual scent itself: I can see where the library connotation comes in, because I find old books (and the real wooden bookshelves they tend to sit on) do have a kind of sweet, woody aroma. My grandma had a lot of her father’s books from the 1800s and early 1900s in her attic, and this is kind of how her attic smelled. It brings back nice memories for me. But yeah, the longevity is so fleeting I would never buy a bottle of it. The sample I have will have to suffice.
0 Comments
8
Pricing
8
Bottle
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
10
Scent
Scentgorlie

15 Reviews
Scentgorlie
Scentgorlie
3  
College Nostalgia
It feels like a breezy fall day, studying for midterms on campus. Super nostalgic from my college days. A bit spicy and slightly sweet woody and resinous scent that smells smooth and relaxing.

It’s as if Jazz Club and Killian Straight to Heaven had a baby. Jazz Club is creamier, StH is way spicier, but in the same vein. If you like fragrances that are like this — a sweet yet spicy woody vibe — give this one a try if you can find a sample.

I really love this one a lot and I’m super happy to have found a bottle being that it’s discontinued. I purchased off of Scents Angel with discount code CHRIS15
0 Comments
More reviews

Statements

9 short views on the fragrance
1Banane1Banane 7 months ago
On my skin this perfume exemplifies the scent of the thin, off white
pages in a dimestore paperback with that sweet slightly peppery/vanillic aroma.
0 Comments
ExigiExigi 5 months ago
8
Bottle
8
Sillage
8
Longevity
10
Scent
My autumn Holy Grail. Sometimes I layer this with all sorts of woody/smoky and works well too. It really does smell like old books.
0 Comments
CumhranfearCumhranfear 5 years ago
8
Sillage
7
Longevity
8
Scent
For me, a sweet, waxy smell of a room of long-undisturbed books. Spicy too. The glue, the binding, the old old paper?
0 Comments
SpacebaseSpacebase 2 years ago
8
Bottle
6
Sillage
7
Longevity
10
Scent
You'll know by the name whether this one is for you or not! It captures it's concept in aroma FLAWLESSLY. Totally chill.
0 Comments
ScentwitchScentwitch 4 years ago
8
Bottle
9
Sillage
9
Longevity
9.5
Scent
Creamy vanilla that’s relaxing and almost vintage feeling. Brings me back to the old days, of which I never even existed, but can imagine.
0 Comments
Topfpflanze3Topfpflanze3 2 years ago
8
Bottle
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
7
Scent
From the name I expected more dry and dusty woods. However its very strong on vanilla and a bit feminin. Not bad but no must have
0 Comments
RisingChaosRisingChaos 3 years ago
4
Sillage
8
Longevity
9.5
Scent
A bucket of wet wood pulp splashed with vanilla extract, lacquer and a dash of black pepper. Papery, woody, with an air of gentle sweetness.
0 Comments
LbjohnsonLbjohnson 1 year ago
8
Bottle
6
Sillage
6
Longevity
10
Scent
The does in fact smell like a library, but without the scent of dust.
0 Comments
HermeshHermesh 2 years ago
8
Bottle
6
Sillage
7
Longevity
8.5
Scent
Dry powdery vanilla on a nutty wood base with faint traces of pipe tobacco. If library, then one with old solid wood furniture.
0 Comments
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