L'Instant de Guerlain Eau de Toilette

The EDT is more powdery and flowery than the perfume. A bit of a soapy touch, clean and fresh but still luxuriously rich and sunny. Less niche, more mainstream than the EDP, but in an utterly sophisticated way. In fact, I can't imagine anyone not liking this. Pure love.

I find this to be magical and exceptionally well composed perfume. I have original bottle quite well aged. It is quite dark, much darker than edp and smells stronger. This is thick and bold white floral, mostly magnolia and gardenia heavy on a beautiful creamy ambery base. It doesn't smell spoiled but it seems to me it was a bit stronger few years ago when it gathered quite a few anti compliments. I guess it's not for everyone, and even I wasn't great fan of it at first. Bought it by mistake ( mixed it with Insolance tester strip) but soon I went on Guerlinade craze. This is really, really nice flowery infused Guerlinade. It's more flowery and ambery than edp but they are quite similarl. Wearing them side by side, after 2 hours it is almost impossible to distinguish one from the other. Comparison with Angelique noir I do get, but don't find them that similar nor do I find owning L instant edt or edp redundant. Hope to perseve them in good condition and enjoy them as long as possible.

This is a review for the original EDT. It is lighter, fresher and the vibe is more modern in comparrisson to the EDP although both are beautiful. However EDT is my favourite. One more note; my bottle must be about 15 years old and the liquid went rather dark. The perfume itself has aged too and became a bit "darker", the honey and the lily are the most prominent now. When it was new it was the most beautiful creation ever. The opening was about fresh citrus, white flowers and fruit but it wasn't loud plus there was a warm honeyed and subtle background. After a few moments it became ever more warm and distinctive. The drydown was creamy white flowers and light powdery vanilla. This scent was sophisticated and subtle. Ultra feminine and luxurious. To me, this scent was the closest thing to perfection I've ever experienced.

Wore this again today, from an old, old bottle that must be from about 2010 and has turned very dark. It's the closest to the smell inside an actual magnolia flower of any scent I know. There are magnolia flowers in my backyard right now, and I must say this is super close. But there is also a gardenia side to this. Not the loud overblown tuberose type gardenia in many scents (looking at you, Tocca Florence, though I do still love you). This has the waxy vegetal gardenia note rarely captured in perfume. And since it is May, I happen to have gardenia flowers in my backyard, too, so I can compare closely. There is also a musty vanilla smell here like the pages of an old book, which complements the white florals in an unexpected way. You can tell L'Instant EDT was created with passion and vision, with a specific mood, time, and place in mind. This is a perfume from the heart, not just a flanker built from a corporate brief. The experience is charming. Why did they rebottle and then discontinue this gem?

I did a blind buy purchase of the bee bottle a few months ago and was so embarrassed that I couldn’t understand or appreciate it. It felt very sharp to my nose and a tad astringent. There it sat taunting me on my vanity until I tucked it away for fall with my other spring and summer fragrances. Then ysterday, I must have been craving honey. I went into my stash to resurface Elie Saab Le Parfum to brunch and then wore YSL Libre Le Parfum later then evening to a party. The next morning, I could still smell the mellowed honey of Libre Le Parfum coming from my coat across the room. It was then I knew, I had to face the one. One spray on the wrist and I waited. Ahhh… I’m getting what I’m supposed to this time. Tart, ripe green apples drizzled in honey; a bouquet of white flowers on freshly cut green stems. It is the sunny first hints of spring. Maybe my earlier disappointment was from overspraying which I will warn against. It’s light but very dense and the green notes can become bitter and overpowering. This time around, the L’Instant EDT sparkles. I also ordered a tiny decant of the original EDP, in retrospect of my initial uncertain thoughts, and will say that the ylang-ylang makes it fruitier. But I prefer this one bc yellow florals aren’t my thing. Looking forward to revisiting this for a more proper wear during the warmer months.

My signature scent after fragile jpg … i miss this … just loved it !

My review is based on an aged oblong bottle from the late 2000s, darkened juice, macerated. I'm a big fan of Maurice Roucel, two of my favourites being Dans Tes Bras and Musc Ravageur. I appreciate how he grounds different genres of perfume with subtle vanilla, not overwhelming the whole scent profile but adding a romantic touch to an otherwise somewhat erotic overtone his creations tend to have. L'instant EDT is another example for me. Overall, it comes across as prim and proper on the surface, yet with an undertone of romance and seduction. This might be why a lot of reviewers find this perfume relatively office-safe. After an hour or so, I sense more powderiness. To me though, L'instant EDT is a tad bit too sensual to wear at work. The jasmine here isn't dirty, but it's not exactly completely clean. I find it the right amount of sultry. At least the aged juice I have carries sultry jasmine. Its dry-down reminds me of Voulez-Vous Coucher Avec Moi By Kilian. I smell Ylang Ylang even though this note is not listed here. I will wear this perfume on my wedding day and during my honeymoon. The best season for this perfume for me is spring. Love.

such a pity they discontinued it!.. review for the 2017 bee bottle opens with sour green apple and sweet powdery magnolia. blackcurrant and grapefruit nuances are also there. i sense a hint of lily of the valley and neroli too. i like that its very soft and lady-like, a bit powdery even maybe, but its not sweet at all, it doesnt go soapy or musky, it just stays green and fresh. very sophisticated smell, almost crystal like. gorgeous absolutely divine trail in cold/rainy weather. great longevity for edt too

Fluffy, Marshmallow MAGNOLIA with something a little dark in the background... Imagine a bouquet of magnolia, gardenia & marshmallows underpinned by something a little darker, on stems with green leaves in a vase of perfume, and a white fluffy kitten is sneaking toward it - that's what I get here. The EDT version is a 2005 follow-up to the first magnolia perfume released by Guerlain, L'Instant de Guerlain EDP 2003. Opens with a crisp burst of fruits that's well blended but leans to green apple supported by multi-faceted bergamot. This quickly deepens into the white-floral heart with creamy, powdery, vanillic, fresh, green, animalic & spicy nuances. It's hard to pick out individual florals, but altogether I get a powdery marshmallow white-floral blend with a touch of green and spice. This all rests on an amber base that carries and projects the rest. Over time you get a sweetening of the marshmallow vibe that leans to honey but continues the creaminess. While this is a magnolia scent, it's creamier and more animalic than other magnolia scents I've smelt, and it has a powderiness that comes close to nuttiness. I have an aged refill bottle of this, with juice the colour of vanilla extract (Batch Code No. 5H01 - 2005). Overall: Gorgeous powdery, magnolia & marshmallow white-floral with well above average performance. This works year-round as a signature scent imho. It's a love for me. Enjoy! Contrast to Cabotine Rosalie Gres: These are different, especially in the openings, where I get more of a Waldorf salad (apple, mayo, cabbage, nuts, celery, grapes..) from Cabotine Rosalie. As CR dries down it becomes more and more similar to L'Instant de Guerlain, to where I definitely think L'Instant de Guerlain was an inspiration for CR Both have excellent performance but L'Instant de Guerlain EDT outperforms. Contrast to Bvlgari Magnolia Sensuel: These are different, but there are some similarities in the rich creaminess of the magnolia. L'Instant EDT is a slightly fresher approach to the magnolia that may wear better is warmer weather, as Bvlgari's is heavier, although both could be worn year round. Both have good performance, but slightly stronger and heavier take in the Bvlgari. Contrast to Baiser Vole Cartier: These are different, but there are similarities with a delicate powder-creamy white floral. Baiser Vole is all about lily, and seems to dry down more like honey-tea on my skin, while L'Instant de Guerlain EDT seems to keep its creaminess through the drydown. Roughly equivalent performance, but maybe slightly better for L'Instant de Guerlain EDT. Update 07/18/24: Sprayed this on the back of one hand today and whatever it was I found dark & animalic before has seemed to have disappeared. Just fluffy magnolia-marshmallow-y goodness. This really shines in the summer heat. One of my favourite magnolia scents. 10/10.

It smells like a chilly summer sunrise. Crispy, bright, sun rains on the honeydew, apple buds, the skin shivers, time stands still, there are so many promises in the air, lifted by this vivid musky cloud, the raw greenness takes root, the petals unfold, sweeten, lure the early bees, and shines in a long fresh and solar trail.

Just got a sample of this. The opening reminds me quite a bit of la Panthère by Cartier. Here it's apples, grapefruit and blackcurrant, there it's strawberries and rhubarb, in both cases the juicy fruit mingles with prominent gardenia. For me, these two fragrances create the same atmosphere for the first five minutes. Then each goes their separate way, l'Instant is Mrs. Maisel and la Panthère is miss Fisher, the lady detective.

Joy, is that you!?!?! It's not similar, it's identical with JOY from Dior. Still love it though, so fresh.

This is such a dream. I can't smell it on myself, but others can and I get so many compliments. This is one of the only perfumes I wear that feels like I'm wearing a cloud or aura of loveliness 😂 Less like a perfume, more like a glorious scent that might just naturally occur. The freesia is dominant to begin, and then just a warm powdery amber from there. My new signature without a doubt.

Such a gorgeous scent, apple and flowers in the classiest way possible! Love it.

bit like jasmine tea but.... Classy, Rich and Warm... I like this better than the EDP

Take the gorgeous honeyed gardenia+muguet+orange blossom heart of 24 Faubourg but sandwich it between a crisp lightly fruity top and a musky amber dry down rather than the mossy chypre structure of the original. Utterly beautiful and just as classy as the Hermes perfume- but done in a Guerlain style. Not much by way of Guerlinade in this one. No powder, violet, heliotrope, tonka and other common Guerlain fetish elements- just a stunning beautiful floral. Utterly modern & yet rich like a vintage floral.

Maurice Rocel executed this composition with mastery and alchemy as if he had studied endlessly the magnificent history and legacy of Guerlain, and this perfume, although it was launched in 2005, could perfectly have been one of the beautiful classics of the brand that were launched. In the last century. As a good friend of mine, also a perfume lover and collector, told me, L'instant de Guerlain is a "Hard Core" floral, don't be fooled by this edt version, as this is more floral but also more intense than its original edp version, white honey is present in both compositions but in this case it feels less sweet and as it lacks iris it lost the powdery touch that I liked so much about the edp version. This composition in a super intense and very ambery white floral where the absolute protagonist is the magnolia accompanied by gardenia, jasmine, neroli and lily of the valley. All these white flowers dance around this absolute magnolia creating a white floral accord encapsulated in a piece of sweet and dense amber, not so crystalline and transparent, rather it is a thick and deceptive amber that traps the flowers and everything in its path and encloses it in such a way that it is impossible to escape and thus they are kept in its jaws as an eternal fossil. A remarkable job, a modern classic of the house that does not receive the attention it deserves, perhaps because of its vintage and somewhat stately air. For those of us who love perfumes, this bottle from 2012 is essential, especially since with the decision to unify many fragrances in the bee bottles, countless iconic bottles were lost. As I have said before, I tried to buy several Guerlain classics in the bottles that were designed for its launch, this one in particular I would have preferred to have in an edp version because I feel it is more honeyed and powdery, but without a doubt this one is also a jewel.

I believe this has been reformulated and the bottle is now the bee bottle, as the one I have now. This is so pretty, I’ve been wearing it nonstop since the day I bought it. Best way to describe it is sweet/ambery/powdery. Projection is really good, but longevity is OK, not bad for an EDT. Love this!!

L'instant EDT seems to be discontinued now, which is a shame. I had it when I was 19 and used it fairly often back then, but the last drops of the bottle stayed with me until I was 25 or 26 (I'm 33 now). This review is mainly based on memory, my empty bottle and a quick retest from the bee bottle in a department store. This is one of the creamiest scents ever. It's the plushest white magnolia on a magical honeyed amber base. At the same time clean and pure and sensual. There are some light fruity top notes that make it less heavy and more sparkling than the EDP, but I was surprised that green apple is a note here. Never in my life have I perceived this as an apple fragrance, I get more citrus. It's so feminine, soft, rounded and intriguing, the perfect blend of white florals and warmth, dense and airy aspects. There are not many fragrances that get this right like this one. Even though it's an EDT version, this has quite the presence. In my experience it gets stronger the older the bottle is, the liquid gets considerably darker too, so I think this is because of the vanilla content of the amber basenote. If you compare an old, well-kept bottle to a newer bee bottle, I'm sure it will be much more intense, but what I smelled in the dept store was very close to my memory of the original. I'm contemplating buying another bottle before it's gone, but I'm not sure if I'll do it. In my opinion this is truly appropriate for any age group, even for those who are more conservative about age appropriateness than I am. It's just that I strongly link it to my last year of school and feel like I have moved on from that time. But the scent is so beautiful I can't rule it out.

I really wanted to love these (this plus the EDP) everything about the notes and description was so nice, but for me I get a strong fecal note that didn’t go away for a good 30 minutes. It's a shame because I really like the rest of it, but I'd never reach for these because it would make me so insecure to wear until that funk goes away I’ve never seen any reviews that mention anything like that, and I know my bottles were authentic, one was new and sealed. But another user suggested that’s just how my brain interpreted those notes It’s sad, but I had to swap these (I still have the 100 mL edt available) I’ll stick with L’instant magic for now, but I’ll probably sample more Guerlain scents instead of blind buying like I often do

Honey-drenched magnolia with fluffy apple-vanilla. Really beautiful, easy to wear but not boring. It’s silky floral-sweet. Very feminine but not girly. This is a perfume for a woman - but it is not “old” or outdated in any way. Perfect for spring - in winter I prefer the edp.

Dearest Fragrantica, please create one more page for L'Instant de Guerlain Eau de Toilette 2017 (incredible beautiful bee bottle).

This smells a lot like Aqua Allegoria Teazurra but a little punchier and without the bandaid smell.

This is what Philosophy Amazing Grace tried to be. While that perfume's harsh notes transition like huge steps, this one etches along like a ballet dancer. There is a very powdery note to this perfume with a balanced white floral heart. I don't personally like powdery perfumes. I prefer to spray this one on my clothes for a super clean smell. There's a bit of Estee Lauder's White Linen in this perfume.

I bought this thinking it was Insolence EDT and boy am I happy it wasn't. I ended up trying both and this one was magical !! It's fruity/floral/dusty/fairy/clean/feminine/spring/summer in one bottle. When I went to sleep with this perfume I dreamt that I had a lab of potions like on Shrek where the fairy godmother makes all her stuff and there's fairies flying around. It was awesome! I woke up and couldn't believe that this beauty brought some excitement and magic into my sub conscious. Absolutely adore it ! Can't wait to get my hands on a full bottle. I've tried many Guerlain frags and this by far is my favorite. So underrated it's crazy.

I could do without the grapefruit. I only got this because I couldn't be without the EDP for months in hot weather. That one is pure heaven to me. Classy, powdery, floral, honeyed heaven. I've had this for months and just felt it would do, mostly because of that blasted grapefruit, which always smells like an odd bitter weirdness to me. (Worst note to my nose.) But last night I wore it, like I do in these strange lockdown times, where I try different scents all day to see how they work in different temperatures and weather. A few hours later I was thinking 'What is that? It's so lovely. I really should buy it'. Then I realise I already have it. It's mine. It's L'instant EDT. I totally love it. I can't have too much powder. And I love vintage florals. There's something ancient and modern about this, thanks to its powdery floralcy. But it's very 'clean' which doesn't seem so natural to me. (Maybe I've been spoiled by vintage scents.) I never smelt a magnolia in my life. But if this is how they smell I'm totally smitten. Less honeyed and thick than than the EDP. Brighter and more airy, with an obvious citrus opening. The white florals are still as classy and timeless. This is one of the few scents I have both the EDP and EDT, because I never want to be stymied by the weather. L'instant isn't sexy, she has more like a girl next door vibe. A lady you want to get to know and spend time with. You want to make her laugh and introduce her to your friends and take her home to your parents. Very classy, very friendly, very ladylike.

I bought this for my wonderful wife after getting it recommended on the forums. Now this is a feminine floral I enjoy! It is soft and gentle, never screechy. Light sweetness, but not a main feature of the perfume. It has all of Guerlain’s quality and subtlety. It’s timeless really and high on the inoffensive scale without being generic at all. Beautiful offering from one of my favorite houses

I think I've had this for about 2 weeks and I've already bonded with it to the extent that if I happen to wear something else for a day, I feel like groaning in delight as soon as I get to apply this again before settling down to sleep. I have the bee bottle, which is an absolute delight to hold... although I imagine it might get a little complicted once you have more than one in your collection. I'm not even sure how I ended up choosing this one, I was also looking at Mitsouko, Shalimar, Insolence... I had a Guerlain-sized hole in my cabin and I was very mournful over it. I love white florals but wasn't sure how I'd get along with gardenia and magnolia, since I haven't much experience with the two. Doesn't go overboard with any one of its aspects. I was hoping for the olfactory experience of walking through a garden, but it's more like being reached by a breeze blowing through a garden. Delightful! There's not much that should singal me to consume the juice but I feel like if I were to start sleepwalking, I'd down the damn bottle. The amber reminds me of Tocade and I feel like this actually has a much more almondy vibe, even though it's not a note listed here. Nothing complicated or challenging about it whatsoever. I believe it could be called ethereal in the right weather condition. But it's mainly just absolutely comforting, has seductive potential but it's not like a one-night thing kind of a sexy. More like the wife or girlfriend you already know through and through and couldn't imagine getting embarrassed or nervous in front of about anything that happens in the bedroom anymore.

Yesterday I sprayed about 50 perfumes on various parts of my body, which is obviously the worst way to try out perfumes. L’Instant was one of them and I assumed that it was a dud because I couldn’t smell it above the rest. Several hours later I was overtaken by the most beautiful scent surrounding me like a plush blanket. At first I thought it might be Narciso for her. Turns of it was L’Instant EDT (which on me outperformed the EDP) and I’m happily wearing it today all by itself. I have it in the original bottle not the dreaded bee bottle. Is it completely original? Nope. But the performance is outstanding and this will be an easy daytime throw and go.

A sweet floral, powdery scent. Very nice and unique