Muguet des Bois
Coty (1942)

The 70s (early 80s at the latest?) natural atomizer version of Coty Muguet des Bois smells as fresh as lily of the valley itself, and in all honesty, the most natural representation of the flower, full stop. I have much experience with the flower, as they bloomed in my backyard growing up and among my earliest memories are its scent: watery, crisp, treading the line between fresh and heady. They would bloom under a pear tree every spring after the jonquils would recede and I would sneak a little to just smell them and marvel.

The development of Muguet des Bois is much like that fresh flower from the time you pluck them to the very last gasps from the withered bells, musky, green, slightly sour, but still very beautiful in their wilting stage. Assuming that this formulation is at least somewhat similar to that of the original in 1941, it isn't any wonder that Roudnitska was so inspired to endeavor his own interpretation through Diorissimo. The perfumer for Coty Muguet des Bois, the legendary Henri Robert, was responsible for Chanel Pour Monsieur, No. 19, and Cristalle, and that comes as absolutely no surprise, as the origins of his mastery for crystalline verdure are evident in Muguet des Bois.

I am happy to have yet another piece of history in the collection, and the bonus is that it is a delight to wear.

Muguet des Bois is music.it is girlhood prancing in a sunny glen,the twirl of a white circle skirt,a sonorous warble; it is whispered secrets,and heads tossed back in giggles.it is lily blossom cups for fairy baths,and the soaring clarity of young Judy Collins voice.vintage Muguet des Bois is green and verdant,dewy and rich with LOTV and deep jasmine. crushed green leaves and golden nectar folded into perfectly crisp bouquet.this is an incredibly beautiful floral-green scent, wearable through the year.it smells like a soliflore scent almost. the fragile,delicate nature of this spring flower produces a beautiful,clean and pure scent.

The scent opens with very prominent lily-of-the-valley,amplified with some citric notes.as it progresses,the LOTV note makes way for jasmine,which dominates the central period of the scent's skin life.the final stage features soft sandalwood and a touch of clean soapy scentsome soap.in fact the base note of sandalwood simply helps soften and extend the bright floral bouquet.the end result is something between a perfect illusion of the flower and the classic eroticism of a soft,pale exposed breast. seems like it would go great in a flowing white lacy frilly dress or shirt.anyways that's what come to mind.or maybe a clean cut one like a some 50's style.

If neither Coty - with Eau de Muguet, nor Roudnitska - with Diorissimo could really crack muguet, then who could?
The answer is Henri Robert - who created this, one of the few perfumes Jean-Claude Ellena keeps in his private collection.

Muguet des Bois is, in its own way, a chef d'œoeuvre. It's a true rendition of muguet - but not a dry depiction, it has an expressive delicacy that raises a rather spare green floral to the level of poetry.

Despite being an old fashioned soliflore, it can still be worn today in the same retro fashion you might wear CK One.

(Proper vintage splash bottle.)

I got a bottle of Muguet des Bois in a lot of vintage Coty fragrances. I didn't know anything about it, just took the cap off of the bottle and took a small whiff. WHEW! It smelled exactly like, well... beer. I put a little bit on my hand and waited for the alcoholic fumes to fade. Has it gone bad, maybe? To be honest, after wearing it a few times, I still don't know.

What I smell on my skin is very green, ozonic/airy, a bit floral... but hardly detectable. I'm not terribly familiar with Lily of the Valley, but I do smell lilac. I guess that does make it a realistic floral scent, very green with poor projection. Based on other reviews I've read, what I'm smelling is likely legit - but in my opinion, it doesn't match the typical quality of Coty fragrances. I don't know what to make of this one. It's just so strange!

The vintage version:
Indeed, the opening is a beautiful lily-of-the-valley note, underscored by a touch of gentle mandarin, lilac and, later in the drydown, jasmine. The base has a pleasant sandalwood character, and the with a touch if white musk and still an echo of white florals.

Definitely a good spring scent. I get moderate sillage, good projection and a splendid longevity on eleven hours.

To correct the database, this was launched in 1936, not 1942 (reference Barbara Herman's Scent and Subversion). The perfumer was Henri Robert.

It is a light and lilting variation on the true essence of lily of the valley, which in nature tends to be sharp and strong. Mixed with jasmine, rose and cyclamen and resting on sandalwood and musk, this works as a spring and summer scent for women.

It most closely resembles Caswell-Massey's version of Lily of the Valley.

Perfectly nice, but hardly outstanding.

Top notes: aldehydes, orange, green leaves and bergamot
Middle notes: cyclamen, lilac, jasmine, lily-of-the-valley and rose
Base notes: sandalwood and musk

This is a review, mostly, of the vintage EdT, but also layered with a touch of the vintage Parfum Extrait.
The jus is supposed to be a yellow/green color, not brown as the one in the photo.
The vintage bottle I have is the same, I am sure many many vintage versions of this fragrance are floating around.
Anyway, what is going on here? Well, MdB opens on a strong bitter/ green note, with lilac and bergamot, which may take you through WWII era romance. You could find yourself sitting under a tree in a forest, near a lily of the valley patch, wearing a ton of hairspray. This may not be your cup of muguet. Maybe not yet at least.
But, if you give it 20 minutes or so, you will start to get the Bois of MdB, along with some rose, more sandalwood, and more soapy lily. It's very nice. What it is NOT, is a sparkly, silvery or sheer Muguet. This is what I would call a wartime floral, similar to Caron's Muguet de Bonheur, but more with more woods. MdB has enough heft to withstand some times of hardship and desperation. It does transcend them.

I had worn this 2-3 times, but it wasn't until I decanted some out of the enormous, bell-shaped 4 oz EdT splash bottle into a little atomizer that I could experience some of the many other notes listed.

Somehow a small parfum spray, likely 1980s, appeared on my desk. No cap, dark color, a certain victim of oxidation. I expected the worst...but, despite this, it manages to be absolutely delightful! The alcohol takes a minute or so to blow off, and there is certainly a "boozy" quality thanks to the oxidation, but I still enjoy this deep rosy lily on a velvet background of green woods. I give this bottle in particular a 3 or 4/10, and I am still managing to enjoy it, so now I'm on the hunt for other vintages in better condition.

Make sure that you buy/sniff vintage Muguet des Bois. The vintage is just lovely...soft, sweet, innocent. The more recent flacon mist version is vile...combo of paint thinner and hair permanent solution. Truly a "singe the nose hairs" blast until it reaches dry down. Just tossed two bottles of flacon mist that I mistakenly picked up, but love my little vintage bottle of EdT.

The initial hint of lily quickly disappears and settles into a woodsy, then ashy, scent that was unpleasant after about an hour. If you want a Lily-of-the-Valley fragrance, look elsewhere; there are much better ones on the market.

One of the first girls I had a crush on back in high school wore this. Smelling it still makes me smile with delightful memories of youthful desire. It's like a breath of fresh air on a beautiful spring morning, with dewy blossoms and the promise of a wonderful day --- and it's not all that innocent either! It's very feminine, but not fussy, and to me it's a timeless classic scent. I'm sad it's no longer available!

My first cologne- innocence in a bottle- probably not quite as appealing now as then