Nombre Noir / ノンブルノワール (Parfum) by Shiseido

Bottle Design:
Serge Lutens, Shuichi Ikeda, Masataka Matsubara

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Nombre Noir
ノンブルノワール
Shiseido 1982 Parfum

8.6 / 10 19 Ratings

A popular perfume by Shiseido for women, released in 1982. The scent is floral-spicy. The production was apparently discontinued.
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Main accords

Floral

Spicy

Woody

Chypre

Powdery

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Rosewood

Aldehydes

Marjoram

Bergamot

Coriander

Heart Notes

Orris root Rose

Rose

Carnation

Geranium

Lily of the valley

Osmanthus

Ylang-ylang Jasmine

Jasmine

Base Notes

Amber

Benzoin

Honey

Musk

Tonka bean

Sandalwood Vetiver

Vetiver

Perfumers

Jean-Yves Leroy, Serge Lutens

Ratings

Scent

8.619 Ratings

Longevity

7.216 Ratings

Sillage

6.515 Ratings

Bottle

7.421 Ratings

Submitted by Kankuro · last update on 10/09/2025.

Source-backed & verified

Interesting Facts

Nombre Noir is said to have been discontinued due to supply problems for some ingredients, especially the natural animal components. At the House of Shiseido, Tokyo, a reproduction of Nombre Noir - initially as Eau de Parfum and later as Solid Perfume - was being exhibited among other discontinued fragrances (e. g. Zen, Vocalise, Woo-Mé), from around 2000 until its closure.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

J'ai Osé Eau de Toilette

Reviews

6 in-depth fragrance descriptions

04/20/2014

9Scent 5Longevity 5Sillage

ScentFan
336 Reviews

ScentFan

Very helpful Review 3

Gossamer Sumptuousness

In search of rose dominant perfumes for a new sniff fest, I pulled this out of my sample box, sniffed, and was instantly seduced by the beautiful, well-blended top note, bright with bergamot and herbs. However, two seconds on my skin and this promising creation nearly vanishes, but then the volume rises enough for me to at least know I'm wearing perfume. The florals blend seamlessly as do the base notes to create an almost creamy/woody/resinous support. Nombre Noir is certainly a lovely scent. I just wish there was more of it to love.

05/05/2020

10Scent 6Longevity 6Sillage

Drseid
828 Reviews

Drseid

3

All About Balance...

Nombre Noir opens with nose tingling aldehydes and smooth rosewood with just a hint of slightly sharp, citric lemony orange bergamot before transitioning to its heart. As the composition enters its early heart fine white floral jasmine takes the fore with slightly dark rose, slightly powdery carnation and smooth yellow floral ylang-ylang in support. Additional support is provided by an ever-so slightly waxy orris butter and lemony-green geranium with a tinge of mildly sweet honey. During the late dry-down the florals all gradually recede with the rose now most prominent, turning slightly powdery as it joins a very subtle natural woody accord through the finish. Projection is average, as is longevity at around 8 hours on skin.

The elusive Nombre Noir has taken on near-legendary status over the years, being touted by some prominent names in perfume (one in particular) placing it as one of the all-time greats. I always wanted to try the perfume, but alas, the price of admission reached stratospheric levels in relative terms, making obtaining even a small sample a decent sized investment. Well, I finally "bit the bullet" and got my hands on a decant to try out, and here we are... This is one of the rare instances where I hoped I would dislike the composition due to its lofty cost, but alas, it really is *incredible* smelling. The first thing that grabbed me was the jasmine. This is some very good quality stuff that is not unlike the fine jasmine used in X for Men by Clive Christian, but even higher quality. The rose, which ultimately becomes the focal note in the perfume transitions so seamlessly from the jasmine I barely realized what had happened. In fact, the entire composition is about class, finesse, restraint and most of all balance. It is the balance of an amalgamation of its laundry list of high quality materials that makes Nombre Noir such an absolute marvel. I barely mention even a small fraction of the ingredients primarliy because they all complement each other so well and just meld together perfectly. So in the end, instead a hopeful pan, I ended up with an immediate hunt for my own admittedly crazy expensive bottle. The bottom line is the extremely rare and long since discontinued $1350 per 60 ml bottle on the aftermarket Nombre Noir is a near-perfect chypre from the great, late perfumer Jean-Yves Leroy that approaches a "masterpiece" rating of 4.5 to 5 stars out of 5 and an easy recommendation to at least secure a small sample. Everyone needs to at least sniff Nombre Noir once in their lifetime.

Updated on 05/10/2020

02/22/2020

Stephane
1 Review

Stephane

About Nombre Noir!

On Google, you’ll quickly find why Nombre Noir was discontinued, the curse about it and how a very well known American writer choose that the protagonist of his new book will wear Nombre Noir even if...

05/29/2025

10Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

Can777
257 Reviews

Translated · Show original

Can777

Top Review 28

The Whisper…!

I can still hear it,…your whisper…!
I still hear it deep within me. Fuzzy and dull like the leaves of marjoram. So meaty-fluffy and muffled like a dull thud of the heart. A bitter-green whisper from wilting coriander and clove green echoes in my head. Your whisper,…the moments when words become olfactory. The moment when all the delicate hairs on my neck stand up like deep-frozen lily of the valley. And quietly shatter like powdery-frosty icicles made of iris roots. Your whisper,…the instant when the osmanthus blooms briefly within me before it wilts in the sun and smells of mirabelle and peach. Whisper it again through the watery rose petals what you want to tell me, before all words grow quieter like through a gag. It still resonates. The intimate-tender sigh of musky-soft humanity. And so you whisper to me one last time. With the last spark of gentle strength. So heartfelt-soft like nectar and honey melting in the sun. Delicate and amber-soft it caresses……
I LOVE YOU…!

Conclusion….
Nombre Noir
Yes,…one can smell innocence. And one can also dress in it. Provided it is made and meant honestly. Here it is! A whisper so heartfelt and quiet. Yet so penetrating and loud. A whisper can be louder than some screams. One cannot bring back what once was. No memories, no emotions, no desires, and no longings. But with the right perfume, one can have a foot in the door and catch a wonderful brief glimpse of how it once was. When the world was still so full of beauty that it hurt. For anyone who should ever have the chance to taste this perfume like I did. He or she should be warned. Nombre Noir “The Black Number” has a very high value. Those who are willing to pay it,…no reservations. Of course, it would be nice to own it. But I don’t necessarily need it. Why,…I have always preserved the whisper of innocence. Perhaps that’s why I hear it so loudly…!?

Those who want to assert their will must speak softly….!
-Jean Giraudoux-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksjIRrZ5_xA&t=70s

Updated on 05/29/2025

10/24/2012

10Scent 7.5Longevity 5Sillage

Ergoproxy
1130 Reviews

Translated · Show original

Ergoproxy

Top Review 16

The Nippon-Chypre Number

When you look at what Shiseido offers today in its range and then compare it to what was once offered, it doesn't surprise me that this brand is mainly associated with makeup and skincare cosmetics.

I don't want to say that the current fragrances are really bad, but the only one that has stuck in my memory is Féminité du Bois, and that has been relocated to Lutens in a revised version. The rest I find rather nice.

Unfortunately, I don't know many of the earlier fragrances, and aside from FdB, I have only owned Murasaki. Well, I didn't think Basala was bad, but it wasn't good enough that I had to have it.

The Shiseido fragrances I know have always struck me as unusual, refined, and rather subtle in intensity.

Nombre Noir also shows this, apparently typical for Japanese perfumes, closeness to the body. With such a population density, it is simply impolite to smell loud and disturb others with your perfume.

Such subtle fragrance characteristics are not particularly popular in Europe, which has correspondingly affected the commercial success of the fragrances, and they were relatively quickly discontinued.

Unfortunately, NN was no exception, and the fact that Serge Lutens collaborated on this fragrance could not save it from being discontinued, unfortunately.

Perhaps we should ask Mr. Lutens to re-release this perfume under his name as well.

Now, onto my fragrance experience.

I don't want to scare the dispenser of this rarity, but the top note has, for a millisecond, right at the beginning, a hint of a skewed note, which quickly regains its balance and then releases a herbaceous opening accord.

This green accord lasts about 10 minutes before NN becomes spicier.

When I read the pyramid and smell on my arm at the same time, I can only doubt. This floral abundance should actually be bursting with sweetness and intensity, yet the complete opposite is the case here. NN is already floral in the heart, but rather herbaceous and actually quite masculine. Even on the second test, NN pleasantly reminds me of Untitled by Maison Martin Margiela.

I perceive the base as a classic men's chypre note, a restrained sweetness paired with plenty of moss and wood.

The longevity is excellent for a rather quiet fragrance. NN lasts easily 24 hours on my skin, but you have to come quite close to me to literally enjoy it.

Even though my desire to have it is strongly stimulated here, I would never spend such a high price for a vintage fragrance. However, if it were ever produced again, it would be in my collection in no time.

Dear Fhfhfh, I envy you a little for this gem and thank you for the sample.

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