Heliotrope Blanc
Guerlain (1890)

The lemon and bergamot provide citrus brightness in the opening blast, but soon the heliotropin adds a sweeter and less bright component, a bit as if a whiff of tonka with the Heliotrope had been added. This citrus has a shadow cast over it.

Soon a lovely lilac arises, partly bright, partly darker, with a bit of aniseed included in it. This lilac is not really particularly sweet on me; most of the sweetness comes from the base notes.

In the base vanilla grows stronger gradually, and is has sone sweet almond notes also; at times more like an almond milk, a bit like the almond notes used by D.R. Harris in their products. There is still sone of the lilac present though.

I get moderate sillage, very good projection and an excellent ten hours of longevity on my skin, with the last couple of hours it being very close to my skin.

This scent for summer evenings gives the citrus notes a darker and elegant character. The quality of the ingredients is very high, and the blending is beautifully done. A fine Guerlain. 3.75/5

Guerlain – Heliotrope Blanc (1890)

Perfumista and collector, Alexandra Star, reminds us: “Héliotrope is a sweet-scented plant, which is called Héliotrope because it follows the course of the sun. After opening it gradually turns from the east to the west and during the night turns again to the east to meet the rising sun. The Ancients recognized this characteristic of the plant and applied it to mythology.”

Guerlain's Heliotrope Blanc is one of the first perfumes based on a then newly discovered synthetic molecule called heliotropine, which smells like almond and vanilla, and many Guerlain perfumes used it, most probably including Apres l'Ondee and L'Heure Bleue.

Notes: Lemon, Bergamot, Heliotropin, Anise, Lilac, Almond, Vanilla

The blend of the above notes creates a scent that is highly reminiscent of the pure floral scent of heliotrope, which my nose detects more as a light vanilla than any involvement of almond. It is lovely and light, and it has a fresh quality to it, with an underlying suede-like component (might there be a touch of orris here as well?) that grounds it nicely.

It is yet another Guerlain beauty, simply but expertly constructed, and happily still out there on the Internet for lovers of vintage parfum.