Givenchy — L'Interdit
Essence
This is the original L’Interdit: the 1957 aldehydic floral created by Francis Fabron for Hubert de Givenchy, famously associated with Audrey Hepburn - arguably the first true modern celebrity-linked fragrance, since Hepburn both inspired it and (uniquely for the era) fronted its advertising. It must be held apart from its descendants: the 1993 “L’Interdit 2,” the 2002 fruity-floral reissue (Jean Guichard and Olivier Gillotin), the 2007 Les Mythiques reformulation, and the wholly different 2018 relaunch (Dominique Ropion, Anne Flipo, Fanny Bal). The original is a tender, elegant, beautifully blended aldehydic floral - a softer, more playful cousin to the great aldehydic monuments rather than a thundering one.
Scent Profile
L’Interdit opens with aldehydes, but - and this is the crucial distinction every serious reviewer draws - they are restrained, “modulated like the opening of a symphony” rather than the soapy blast of Chanel No. 5 or Lanvin Arpege. Bergamot and citrus sit alongside ripe, sun-warmed fruit: peach and a signature strawberry note (the latter often faded or vanished in surviving vintage bottles). The heart is a well-blended, somewhat abstract floral bouquet - iris and orris give powderiness, with ylang-ylang lending creaminess, plus rose, jasmine, violet, narcissus and lily-of-the-valley, kept from going “flabby” by a pinch of spice. The drydown is the most loved part: a buttery sandalwood spiked with incense, over ben
Performance
By vintage-parfum standards the original was substantial; by the standards of surviving EDT bottles today it is soft and intimate. Now Smell This notes that as the aldehydes fade it becomes “subtle” and veil-like; some wearers (and some anosmia to its musks) report it going close-to-skin within 10-15 minutes, while others get a good four-hour floral-citrus arc before the woody-resinous base emerges and persists. The honest summary: a beautifully blended but increasingly quiet scent, especially in aged or lower-concentration bottles; the parfum was richer and longer than the eau de toilette. Manage expectations - this is elegance over projection.
Wearing Context
A classic feminine dress-up fragrance - elegant, slightly old-fashioned in the way aldehydic florals now read, suited to cooler weather, evenings and occasions where “smelling like perfume” (in the best sense) is the point. It is the scent of poised, grown-up femininity rather than casual daywear; many long-term wearers wore it as a decades-long signature. Its restraint also makes it gentler and more youthful than No. 5, which is partly why it was marketed to younger women in its heyday.
Comparisons & DNA
The inescapable comparison is Chanel No. 5 (Chanel): nearly every critic positions L’Interdit as the lighter, softer, more wearable aldehydic floral beside it. Now Smell This and others also place it near Guerlain Vega (Guerlain), “another warm aldehydic floral.” Lanvin Arpege (Lanvin) is the other standard reference in the aldehydic-floral canon, with one collector preferring Arpege as the nearest substitute. A widely-discussed wearer reports observation argues vintage L’Interdit is “almost identical” to Coty L’Aimant (Coty) done side by side, raising the question of Coty’s influence on Fabron - a wearer claim worth flagging rather than asserting as fact. Within Givenchy, it is grouped with the brand’s reissued classics (Givenchy III, Le De, Vetyver, Insense) in the Les Parfums Mythiques line. Fabron’s own L’Air du Temps (Nina Ricci) is the perfumer’s more famous sibling work, useful as a stylistic reference point.
Reception
Critically, the original is beloved and the later versions are largely mourned. Bois de Jasmin called the original “a fragrance of elegant beauty, with a playful side” and reviewed the (reformulated, then-current) L’Interdit on its published rating scale. In Perfumes: The Guide, a secondary fan compilation of the Turin/Sanche
Versions & Reformulation
This is the heavily-reformulated case the catalog flags, and the distinctions matter: - 1957 original (Francis Fabron): the true aldehydic floral described here; parfum and EDT, in the gold-and-red rectangular and later 4G “mushroom-cap” bottles. Discontinued (in the US by the 1990s; lingering longer in Europe). - L’Interdit 2 (1993): more floral, with rose and strawberry pushed forward; lighter. - 2002 reissue (Jean Guichard & Olivier Gillotin): retooled into a fruity-floral for a younger market; widely disliked by original fans. - 2007 Les Mythiques reformulation: an in-house effort billed as a throwback to the 1957 style - softer, more powdery, fewer aldehydes; generally considered the most faithful of the reissues and “still L’Interdit.” - 2018 relaunch (Dominique Ropion, Anne Flipo, Fanny Bal): a completely new floral-woody fragrance (white florals over patchouli/vetiver), sharing only the name and bottle lineage. Rooney Mara fronted it. Later flankers (Rouge, Intense, Absolu, and a 2025 “Le Parfum”) extend that modern line. Collectors warn that 1970s-80s 4G “mushroom-cap” bottles are the safest representations of the real thing; 1990s-2000s flat/oblong bottles amped strawberry and drifted from the original.
Acquisition Notes
The genuine 1957-lineage juice exists only on the vintage/secondary market (eBay, estate sales, specialist vintage dealers); it is discontinued. Buy by bottle generation, not by label alone: wearer guidance favors 1970s-80s standard 4G “mushroom-top” bottles as reliably “the real thing,” treats the gold/red tall rectangular parfum as the benchmark, and warns that 1990s-2000s shapes (and L’Interdit 2) lean strawberry and lighter. Expect aged top notes - the strawberry/fruity opening is often the first casualty - so judge vintage bottles on the heart and that buttery sandalwood-incense drydown. The 2007 Les Mythiques EDT (lavender-packaged, 100 ml) is the most accessible “close to the spirit” option if vintage hunting is impractical. Do not mistake the current 2018-line bottles for the original - they are an entirely different fragrance.
Notable Facts & Lore
- No additional lore was documented.