Top Notes 
Tagetes
Pepper
Blackcurrant
Ginger
Cardamom
Heart Notes 
Narcissus
Carnation
Rose
Tuberose
Base Notes 
Castoreum
Amber
Musk
Patchouli06/19/2025
Mairuwa
37 Reviews
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Mairuwa
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12
Choosing a Book by its Cover (2) - Montana "Parfum de Peau"
The things you come across. I've known Claude Montana's "Parfum de Peau" since I was a child and I thought that it had long since only been available at moon prices as a vintage. When it came out, I was in the middle of the first phase of my passion for perfume. Admittedly, the fragrance was not for me at the time (too loud, too bulky, too feminine, actually out of the question for a prepubescent youth), but the exciting bottle, which I still consider to be one of the best of all time (by Serge Mansau, of course), thrilled me right from the start. A very sculptural flacon with a spiral shape that, on the one hand, looks geometrically abstract and architectural, like a spiral staircase, but on the other hand also brings to mind fashion - not Montana's fashion of the time, which was characterized above all by broad shoulders and narrow waists, but perhaps the silhouette of a pleated dress by Issey Miyake. The combination of colors was also ingenious: the milky white, the golden honey tone of the liquid and the Yves Klein blue of the packaging made of matt textured cardboard with the name printed on it in black. This combination made a lasting impression on me at the time. More as a design, not really as a fragrance. And now? After four decades? Am I now also ready for the fragrance? After all, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover alone.
The iconic bottle still exists, unchanged in form - anything else would not only have been sinful, but also foolish. The outer packaging, however, is now just a tired copy, the blue now in high gloss and superfluous with the gold embossed silhouette of the bottle as an emblem. As for the fragrance itself, I read that although it has been reformulated, its essence has remained quite faithful to the original and, above all, is still said to be of very good quality. Of course, a direct comparison with the original would be appealing, but I don't feel up to it at the moment. Perhaps the Vintage will come my way just as unexpectedly at some point.
The fragrance is very strong. That up front. A statement. With rose, tuberose and narcissus (still jasmine in the original), it is unquestionably floral, but the marigold and garden carnation do not make it sweet, but very spicy, almost tart. The spiciness in the new version is intensified by cardamom and pepper. The fruitiness of blackcurrants (it used to be blackberries) doesn't really come through for me, but that's more than fine with me. And as the name "Parfum de Peau" suggests, there is a prominent, if subtle, animalic element here: musk and castoreum. The aim is for the fragrance to melt into the skin. A leathery impression that sits beautifully under the spicy flowers.
I can appreciate it, but probably still don't wear it. Unfortunately, neither can my wife - maybe in a few years' time. And so I will probably mainly enjoy the bottle, its feel, its look, its infinite perspectives, from which it always looks different and is able to surprise. I will sniff it from time to time and let it mature over the years. It is timeless. It will probably still be around in a decade or two.
Addendum for admirers of Claude Montana's 80s fashion: if you turn the cap 90°, you can reveal the shoulders of the bottle. And then there it is. The iconic silhouette. However, I myself prefer to stick with Issey Miyake.
The iconic bottle still exists, unchanged in form - anything else would not only have been sinful, but also foolish. The outer packaging, however, is now just a tired copy, the blue now in high gloss and superfluous with the gold embossed silhouette of the bottle as an emblem. As for the fragrance itself, I read that although it has been reformulated, its essence has remained quite faithful to the original and, above all, is still said to be of very good quality. Of course, a direct comparison with the original would be appealing, but I don't feel up to it at the moment. Perhaps the Vintage will come my way just as unexpectedly at some point.
The fragrance is very strong. That up front. A statement. With rose, tuberose and narcissus (still jasmine in the original), it is unquestionably floral, but the marigold and garden carnation do not make it sweet, but very spicy, almost tart. The spiciness in the new version is intensified by cardamom and pepper. The fruitiness of blackcurrants (it used to be blackberries) doesn't really come through for me, but that's more than fine with me. And as the name "Parfum de Peau" suggests, there is a prominent, if subtle, animalic element here: musk and castoreum. The aim is for the fragrance to melt into the skin. A leathery impression that sits beautifully under the spicy flowers.
I can appreciate it, but probably still don't wear it. Unfortunately, neither can my wife - maybe in a few years' time. And so I will probably mainly enjoy the bottle, its feel, its look, its infinite perspectives, from which it always looks different and is able to surprise. I will sniff it from time to time and let it mature over the years. It is timeless. It will probably still be around in a decade or two.
Addendum for admirers of Claude Montana's 80s fashion: if you turn the cap 90°, you can reveal the shoulders of the bottle. And then there it is. The iconic silhouette. However, I myself prefer to stick with Issey Miyake.
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