Iris Prima Penhaligon's 2013

We may earn a commission when you buy from links on our site, including the eBay Partner Network and Amazon.

7.8 / 10 230 Ratings

A popular perfume by Penhaligon's for women and men, released in 2013. The scent is powdery-floral. It is still in production.

We may earn a commission when you buy from links on our site, including the eBay Partner Network and Amazon.

Main accords

Powdery

Floral

Leathery

Woody

Fresh

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Bergamot

Green amber

Pink pepper

Heart Notes

Orris absolute

Hedione

Paradisone®

Jasmine sambac

Base Notes

Leather

Sandalwood

Vetiver

Benzoin

Vanilla

Perfumer

Alberto Morillas

Videos

Watch video

Ratings

Scent

7.8230 Ratings

Longevity

6.4178 Ratings

Sillage

5.7181 Ratings

Bottle

8.1181 Ratings

Value for money

6.636 Ratings

Submitted by WRoth, last update on 03/03/2024.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

A l'Iris

Cuir d'Ange

Terre d'Iris

Bottega Veneta Eau de Parfum

Iris Goddess

Nirmal

Statements

Write the first Statement for Iris Prima!

Reviews

8 in-depth fragrance descriptions

12/03/2014

7
Scent

Coutureguru
223 Reviews

Coutureguru

Helpful Review 5

Modern with a classic twist ...

My fascination with Iris continues and I was recently given a bottle of Iris Prima as a birthday gift ... yes ... I'm a lucky boy as my friends all know I'm a fragrance whore and try to outdo each other by procuring weird and wonderful stuff to spoil me with! Not that Iris Prima is in any way weird ... but it is wonderful!

This fragrance brings to mind a statue of Venus covered in graffiti ... quite a bizarre image, I know ... but it comes closest to explaining the classic/modern twist here. Created by Alberto Morillas (chemical Albie ... teehee) , I LOVE the fact that the note pyramid lists the aroma chemicals used in Iris Prima. I have a sample of the marvellous Hedione and it is very much present here! If I am not mistaken, Paradisone forms the basis of Armani Si ... which I enjoy on other people. I haven't, as yet, had the pleasure of smelling it in unadulterated form.
The star of this fragrance, obviously, is the Iris ... soft and smooth as a pair of chamois leather gloves! It is evident right from the first spritz ... on my skin the top notes are hardly present with the smooth leatheriness (is that even a word?) making itself known right off the bat. If one is going to call a fragrance 'Iris First' then I guess it had better deliver ... which this fragrance does!
True to Penhaligon's form, my skin devours Iris Prima in around 4 hours, depending on the weather. The final sweet leather phase sticks close to me ... but adheres gorgeously to my clothes, affording me luscious wafts every now and then.

Not inexpensive, my 50ml bottle will have to be treated with respect ... but then, this is one of those frags that I only really wear for myself, so I will save it for when my mood needs lifting. Do try this one if you love Iris ...

11/23/2014

7.5
Bottle 5
Sillage 7.5
Longevity 7
Scent

Mujo
54 Reviews

Mujo

Helpful Review 2

Very soft and pretty

Iris Prima opens with a blast of bergamot and suede. Just only for a few seconds. After that changes quickly into a powdery, hairspray, deodorant and make-up scent. With the suede slowly returning and adding the iris.

Iris Prima is very soft and stays incredible close to the skin. To smell it, you will have to sniff your wrist. However from time to time I smell a little whiff of a chocolate -like suede and iris. And exactly these whiffs are very charming. In the late drydown I can smell some vanilla and this last whisper is extremely comforting. For such a soft scent the longevity is very good. I can still smell a trace after 8 hours. Because of the flowery composition and its softness I would place it more in a feminine spectrum.

If you are worried about the synthetics in Iris Prima, don't be. This fragrance is blended very nicely. Very much recommended if you are into iris and leather fragrances.

Maybe also nice to know. Iris Prima is inspired by (and created in collaboration with) the English National Ballet.

10/06/2023

ScentStudio
147 Reviews

ScentStudio

Soft, elegant, round, mild, yet rich with suede and benzoin

Iris Prima was to me a wild bet. I have not had the opportunity to get to know Penhaligon's properly. Once in a rush, I was in a store in Warsaw where I hastily smelled some of the fragrances from the Trade Routes collection.

Some weeks ago, I purchased a set of samples from the Portraits Collection, but Iris Prima I bought blindly in a hasty decision swayed by free shipping and a wonderful price, because it was pre-loved.

A fresh citrus opening and you KNOW how much I love my citruses! Suede doesn't take long to creep in and it gives Iris Prima a deep and masculine touch. Oh how I love the contrast of the bergamot with something as rich as leather!

Iris Prima was a blind buy and I was terrified of its iris and leather base, but the way people described this fragrance had me so mesmerised and intrigued. I am so happy and so lucky that the wonderful potion from Penhaligon's is an absolute dream.
Soft, elegant, round, mild, yet rich with suede and benzoin. Iris Prima is a feminine and elegant fragrance that shines on the cusp of a warmer spring.

I must say that I am not strong in identifying the scent of iris. I am actually not sure whether I have ever smelled a real iris before. I humble myself and must admit that I do not know whether the iris in Iris Prima is strong or not.

What I can say, is that Iris Prima is a magnificent scent. Creamy, slightly powdery musk with woody notes. I do not find it too intense, but my partner found it very rough, which I experience a lot with friends and family, who are not into fragrances like I am.

This fragrance is gorgeous and elegant, and what I associate the house of Penhaligon's with. I cannot wait to explore my Portraits sample set and get to know it even more.

11/28/2014

Myhorses
33 Reviews

Myhorses

A night at the Opera

After reading the perfume description from Penhaligon's site my mind went quickly imagining a delicate powdery iris with some classic accents very much in line with Penhaligon’s hallmark and having no expectations to be surprised by this fragrance.
Now being mentally prepared and knowing more or less about what should I expect before trying the perfume I did the reality check and put Iris Prima on my skin. During the first fifteen minutes I was living in a delicate fresh powdery floral cloud surrounded by pink silky ballet pointe shoes, tones of silk ribbons and pink tutus with a lot of powder floating around. A definitely feminine fragrance with a fresh iris among other flower . I was then expecting for a solo from the iris as it was announced but SURPRISE !
The fresh Iris young ballerinas floating in powder were suddenly replaced by an unexpected and surprising scent of leather. A very well mannered leather with almost nothing animalic in it, actually is all about suede. In spite of the fact that oud is not mentioned in the composition I smell a very soft trail of oud which enters on the stage in the same time with the leather but vanishing quickly.
This pleasant slightly musky suede smell is growing bigger and bigger leaving behind the feminine flowery pink tutu territory and leaning more and more to masculine territory but never really reaching it . Still some powdery trails are telling that Iris is still there but not for long time. Supporting leather vetiver enters into the stage bringing much more emphasis and giving Iris Prima a unisex identity much more than feminine. Both of them suede and vetiver are soft and well balanced, all their harshness was turned down by Alberto Morillas with a touch of vanilla. The final stage has complexity given by the presence of sandalwood , bezoin and the soft vanilla.
After this performance of leather as Prima Ballerina in spite of the fact that we were told that Iris will perform I can easy say about Iris Prima that is a soft floral leather fragrance classic and classy in the same time.

10/20/2017

Anthology
18 Reviews

Anthology

About iris

Right from the beginning you can feel the iris. It is a nice, sweet, creamy iris. I love iris with all its facets.
The centre of the fragrance is about iris wrapped in sweet jasmine and sprinkled with spices.
The base brings a leathery touch to the iris as if you have crushed an iris flower in a leathery glove. The leather smell from the glove remains in the iris flower and the result is a magnificent odour: a leathery iris.
The base is creamy, sweet and powdery. The longevity is good. For me this is a scent close to the skin.
If you like iris note in perfume you should try Iris Prima.

More reviews

Charts

Images

19 fragrance photos of the community

More images

Popular by Penhaligon's

The Tragedy of Lord George by Penhaligon's

Artemisia (Eau de Parfum) by Penhaligon's

Blenheim Bouquet (Eau de Toilette) by Penhaligon's

The Omniscient Mister Thompson by Penhaligon's

The Uncompromising Sohan by Penhaligon's