Guerlain is re-issuing their ultra-limited-edition of
Muguet perfume, each year with a new twist, for May 1st 2012, celebrating the good luck charm that is lily-of-the-valley given on that day. This year, Guerlain head perfumer Thierry Wasser signs a perfume adorned with a valuable "necklace" from the French house of Gripoix. This limited edition circulates in only 1250 flacons worldwide.
Guerlain Muguet 2012 includes fragrant notes of
lily of the valley, lilac and rose. The light green juice, symbolising freshness and coolness is held in a bottle that holds 60ml/2oz. The perfume is sold at Guerlain boutiques on April 30th ONLY.
Previous editions of Guerlain
Muguet can be seen in this collage photo below.And here is
a short guide into identifying the various editions of Guerlain Muguet perfume per year of release.
Mon Précieux Nectar by Guerlain is a re-edition of a previous extrait de parfum composition from 2009 which had been offered only in 1 litre Val Saint Lambert "urn" numbered bottles (1 L pure Parfum at the retail price of $9,000 or 6000 €!). Now the scent is presented encased in the classic "bee" bottles of the boutique exclusive Les Parisiennes line. (270$ for 125ml of Eau de Parfum extrait de parfum). *[NB. There is some discussion as to whether this is EDP or the actual exrait de parfum formula: Mr.Guerlain has posted a Facebook photo in which "extrait" is written on the tester bottle right besides the Parisienne bottle, which makes perfect sense. This is actually the case as confirmed, so then allow me to consider Guerlain was seriously ripping everyone off just 3 years ago....tsk tsk tsk....]
The fragrance itself is credited to Thierry Wasser and -as before- includes fragrant notes of
petit-grain, bitter almond,
orange blossom, jasmine,
sandalwood, gaiacwood, vanilla,
white musk and incense. (see the
description of Mon Précieux Nectar extrait de parfum from 2009 here).
Obviously the 1L parfum idea hasn't gone down as well as anticipated commercially....?
collage pic via www.perfumediary.com, other pics via mr.Guerlain facebook
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Hm... according to monsieurguerlain.com this is not edp, but the actual extrait! His website shows a screenshot of the back of the box it comes in, and it indeed says "parfum"..... I am still not sure if I want a bottle but it is verrrrry tempting! Cheers, Wendy
ReplyDeleteWendy,
ReplyDeleteStrange...first the math doesn't make sense: the extrait from 2009 was 9$ per ml and now this Parisiennes version breaks down to just 2.16$ per ml. (More of a EDP standard price). A huge difference comparatively, isn't it?
Plus all the other Parisiennes are EDP concentration anyway. Why the exception and not encasing it in a different bottle than those, like the quadrilobes or a flacon "petit beurre" etc like the rest of the extraits??
I admit I peaked at the photo but it still doesn't make sense to me. Weird. I'm awaiting for an official confirmation though.
Thanks for the post. Would also be interested in hearing whether this is the extrait and, agree, it doesn't make much sense. Also agree a quadrilobe extrait re-release would sell easily. Also Nuit d'Amour joined Les Parisiennes as the EDP, not the parfum. And Mon Precieux Nectar is supposed to be a regular not a limited edition. Just how precious is this nectar, really?
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't say "extrait" on the box so my jury’s still out until I hear more! (Sorry!)
Also, does anyone have a price on the year’s Muguet? I was hoping the smaller size would warrant a proportionate price tag, but I’ve been hearing everything from 175 euros (too low! not possible!) to 570 dollars (fuhgeddaboutit!). Love the bottle.
--Nikki
Oh, yeah, I can contribute that this year's Muguet is supposed to be lighter and more powdery than the 2011 version.
ReplyDelete--Nikki
Nikki,
ReplyDeletethanks for commenting and for your interesting take.
I have searched quite a bit into photos because I was genuinely perplexed myself and came up with a tester bottle photo clearly reading "extrait" (it's the standard square tester extrait style spray flacon). It was put right beside the Parisiennes bottle. This probably indicates that it is indeed the same thing (there would be no reason to have a tester out if the bee bottle had a different thing inside), which is totally weird, but totally understandable in a way as well: the darn thing didn't sell as it was (who needs 1L of parfum? and who has 9000$ to toss for it?) and so they repackaged and resold!!!
m
Now, is it just me, or do they anage to make me exceedingly angry about wanting to milk the market for all it's worth while the iron was hot? (back in 2009 I mean)
Uh huh, sorry, doesn't look too good. This arrogance of the industry is what is costing it losses.
I have MPN somewhere. It's sugary-sticky and, well, I could have spent the money better. I'll pull the bottle out to check again.
ReplyDeleteAnd, Muguet. I'm wondering whether I need yet another bottle.
Hi Elena,
ReplyDeleteDo you know that Lys Soleia is, for me, clearly a reedition (or modernisation) of Voila pourquoi j'aimais Rosine, which was a soliflore lily. That explain why it is so good. Maybe they finally decide to go to their archives!!
Best
Daniel
L,
ReplyDeleteto be totally honest, although each and every Guerlain launch is of interest to me, I always considered MPN the height of kitch as a concept: 1 L of pure parfum!! As if it were meant for a Poppaea Sabina bath or something! There's something inherently crass in such abundance, isn't there? It detracts from the merits of the scent itself.
Muguet is usually nice, subtle twists to a good formula. But I wouldn't spend my money on a new bottle either. You're set it seems as is ;-)
Daniel,
ReplyDeletebonjour!! :-)
I haven't tried Lys Soleia yet, as it hasn't reached our counters yet (any day now), but if indeed it approaches the archives, I'm psyched. What an encouraging thought!! I've heard good things from my reader Enrique too about LS and he has a good nose for Guerlain. Thanks for adding your own input on this.
Only 1250 flacons worldwide and decorated with a valuable Gripoix bauble...I can only imagine the price tag on this bottle! One for the collectors.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I was not overly impressed with last year's Muguet. It's not Guerlain's fault; the IFRA restrictions have resulted in LOTV perfumes that are less realistic than ever and that rely more on jasmine and other notes to compensate.
30R,
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with you! This ultra-limited collectioner's type release gets on my nerves most of the time. Instead of appealing, it repels me.
Why make something that can't be enjoyed again and again? It's also a very good excuse to make mediocre things, secure in the knowledge that they will be sold due to novelty and exclusivity alone, rather than instrisic value. Even if that's not true for all Guerlain LEs, this "suspicion" is in itself a deterrent.
It's true what you say about IFRA and LOTV relying more on jasmine impressions these days. They do the same with lilac and I have ended up passing real pink jasmine trellises in the street and thinking all the unrelated perfumes that are utilizing jasmine for a substitute for other things...
Here's official confirmation that MPN Parisiennes is Parfum: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150707790093389&set=a.10150235450938389.335073.145660808388&type=1&theater
ReplyDeleteuh-oh, monsieurguerlain has been here, confirming ... I agree with Elena, that all the exclusive and limited edition stuff in fragrance (and fashion) has become suspect and gimmickry. As a consumer, when I find something that I like then I want to be able to buy it without it being a laborous ordeal, or fearing that it will disappear from store shelves, forever lost in the mists of time and locked away in some obscure archive. Among the niche perfumers, limited editions are more understandable since they have higher costs, generally, and more limited production capabilities. But LV and Guerlain are large and well established corporations with huge market shares and almost unlimited resources. ~danoji~
ReplyDeleteHi U! So nice seeing you here. :-)
ReplyDeleteYes, I had seen this on your page. The confirmation comes from a distributor though (HPPV), not Guerlain official PR. I don't doubt them, but...you know.
I tend to put more credence to your own photo (which I linked in the post) of the tester with the word "extrait" on it right beside the Parisiennes bottle. It wouldn't make sense to keep a tester of extrait de parfum out for testing if the actual product was edp. Extrait is also more convincing a word than parfum (which is not always indicative of actual concentration, in French at least)
Still, the matter remains (don't you agree?): what a rip-off that was back then!
D,
ReplyDeleteI tend to side with Mr.Guerlain ;-)
I have linked to his photo of extrait tester in the post, take a look.
This is all very unusual: LVMH has always taken the high road and taken perfectly affordable and really great things (Derby, Vetiver pour Elle, Teracotta perfume) and given them much higher prices by changing their name/placement; a policy which speaks volumes of the bean counting system within the behemoth (and doesn't speak ill of Guerlain creations themselves, of course!). Now they're doing the reverse: what gives? Simple, they got stuck with several MPN litres left and devised of a way to move stock. Nah...
It's nice to be here Elena! :-) I talked to several Guerlain SAs in Paris who confirmed that the Parfum designation on the back of the Parisienne box indeed means that this is the original concentration of the fragrance. It also smells identical to the first issue. They argued that MPN "was light anyway, almost like an EdP." Not sure if I agree with this. Finally, they denied that the juice is from a leftover stock from the first batch. They claim that the batch code always refer to the juice production, not the bottle filling. I don't know if this is against the law to do otherwise. All this apart, I agree that it's wonderful to have a cheaper reissue, but of course a bit shocking to have bought this juice for the double cost three years ago. The SAs argue that the special presentation alone justified the higher price. Well, I guess that's up to ones own taste...
ReplyDeleteU,
ReplyDeleteI'm happy you're happy. It's always a pleasure having you on board.
Well, I guess they'd explain it like that.
"They argued that MPN 'was light anyway, almost like an EdP.' Not sure if I agree with this. " Ha! I believe YOU, not them.
Anyway, thanks for confirming the rumour and I am leaving the photo link of yours while striking out the edp mention. ;-)
Well, for better or worse I have a bottle of each of these coming to me. The Muguet I just love...and the MPN features two of my most favorite notes: orange blossom and honey...so even with the OTP prices, I just couldn't resist. Fingers crossed.
ReplyDelete~Fleurine
Fleurine,
ReplyDeleteoh, good for you!! Don't let my comment on the price of MPN stop you in any way of enjoying your purchase: I was merely referring to the old price of 2009. This one is supremely logical, especially when extrait!
Good for you, honestly, enjoy then in good health!
I purchased the 125 mL bottle of Mon Précieux Nectar yesterday and indeed, it is not Eau de Parfum, but Parfum = Extrait.
ReplyDeleteThe reason why the original limited edition was so pricey is in part the Val Saint Lambert (and not Baccarat, as stated in the main article) amphora that was specially created for this occasion. Also the 30 mL Joy extrait in Baccarat crystal comes at over $1000, more than 4 times more expensive than the normal packaging...
That's perfect, thanks SFLM!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to state the correct cristallerie.