Le Parfum

This perfume had single-handedly kickstarted my obsession with perfumes, or, more precisely, my futile attempts to replace it with something similar. Now, thanks to some blissful accident, after many years, I’ve found it — it and its little (less impressive) brother Zeste&Musk. My current bottle is a tester and it’s been places. Chipped, cracked, without packaging and generally almost 20 years old now. The peppery-nutmegy-pencil-shavings-like opening is almost gone, it only gives off a slight oily trace of a scent, but the floral-fruity-musky heart&base are as beautiful as ever. I definitely sense more plum and peach (and they are sweeter than I remember) and also lilies. Gorgeous, gorgeous lilies, not pungent nor indolic but prominent, mixing with other white florals without a distinctive floral dna (I really can’t pinpoint if it’s rose, jasmin, tiare, linden blossom or gardenia — more on the linden blossom side). And the musks here — to die for. I do smell some ‘heated iron’ or a ‘freshly ironed cotton shirt’ note which gives the perfume its whiff of clean air. And to think of it — the ‘secret combination of 5 different types of musks’ must’ve included some significant amount of Iso-E-super and/or Ambroxan/Cetalox (so check out Molecule 01 and JHAG Not A Perfume just in case). The longevity is still great especially on clothes and hair. The GOAT of the perfumes to my opinion. Upd. After testing most of the options people find similar to this DNA, to me the closest one now is Dior’s Forever And Ever (the floral-musky part, lacks pepper in the opening though). The second best place I’d give to Genyum’ Painter (the peppery-nutmegy part + iso-E and musks) and ELDO’ Like This (the floral-musky base, but not the opening).

I see comparisons to Lancome Miracle on other sites. Would you say it smells similar? And what about Cacharel Noa or Narciso Rodriguez?

For me, it’s a clean scent of plain jeans and a white shirt. I love it, and I still have it. To me, it’s mostly nutmeg and white/pink pepper, even though it is not listed. I just wish this perfume had better longevity and projection because the fragrance itself is perfect for my taste.

How I miss this perfume! It was just perfect! Please Max Mara bring this one back

I can’t even describe how much I miss this beauty. The scent, the memories, the amount of compliments this would get me… ugh I could cry. I check on here every now and again to see if maybe(🙏🏻) one day someone says they’ve found a replacement or this one is coming back. Truly, an irreplaceable scent for me personally. I’ve tried all of the “reminds me of” and NONE of them will give you this gorgeous composition. There’s literally a single drop left in my 50ml bottle from 2010, and sometimes I open the cap to smell it, but I won’t use that last drop lol I need the scent memory because it’s so comforting. Max mara, bring this back!!! 😭

Gosh, I miss this perfume... It was the most feminine kind of pepper I've ever smelled.

I miss this gorgeous perfume... I hope they bring it back someday. Sophisticated, beautifully balanced, extremely long lasting (at least on me). Fresh but in a spicy, exciting way, sensual yet cold. Not a boring scent by any means, at the same time very wearable, youthful and elegant. Since Paradise by Oriflame has also been discontinued there is sadly nothing available right now that is similar to Le Parfum...

kati77,it's been discontinued for a long time,so you'll never smell it again,so relax.

I wanted to like this scent. But is too much musk in it. Lightly podwer and musk dominates. Not my type of perfume.

I was lucky to buy a bottle on ebay auction. I also have Oriflame Paradise. Yes, its true, Oriflame Paradise is the very close version of it, but much much simpler version. The difference is like if Max Mara Le Parfum is as silky cashmere and Oriflame Paradise is a thick wool. Max Mara is much more delicate and seductive.

Same kind of elegance as in Bottega Venetta's classic scent: Clean with a "tss". Musky champaign or chamgaigny musk? A smart spice sleeps underneith an non-average to average niceness of a 2000. I think John Frieda shampoos could have smell this way. It comforts me crazy. I think everything about it is elegant, just as the brand is. The flacon is stunning. It reminds me of lotus feet. My conclusion is simple: Bring it back. With exclamation mark. This is my Prada Amber pour Homme, this is my clean but special smell, my female whisper with masculine bite. I am sad I cannot make this my signature due to some marketing / market research decisions...

Yes, it is discontinued. I bought it first time on the ferry between Greek islands for €25. Blind buy as it was cheap and I left my perfumes at home. I never regret about it. I love slightly masculine perfumes, as: A) they are really special on women and attract attention B) they are "cleaner" C) I work in office and they are more relevant. Fine, about Le Parfum - it's one of the typical "Italian" aroma: well balanced pyramid, never overwhelming, quality ingredients. It is peppery-crispy flowery-musk. It is not very long lasting. After my 1st bottle I bought 2 more 90 ml. Testers. Those were about $50 each. If you have a chance to buy a tester, don't hesitate - it has a cute bottle stand, which is convenient and cute. I got a lot of compliments from men. What a shame Max Mara discontinued their perfume line. I think all their perfumes were great and they would be very successful now. Please Max Mara get your perfumes back or make new perfumes. You were so great in this.

Unique. Fresh pepper on the opening then turns flowery musky, with a bit spicy in the background. Vintage. Soft & warm like afternoon tea time. Good longevity.

Why it's so hard to buy this parfums? Is it discontinued?

Found it in surprise, never knew nutmeg can come my way, the bottle is nice, body lotion is nice and this is special! I must cherish the rest of this, its rather hard to find another one similar to this.

Silent temptation in the bottle. Just a hint. Just a glance. Just... and it means so much. I imagine a woman dressed just in man's shirt and enjoying the first sunbeams in the morning. The room is light, there is a bouquet of white flowers on the glass table. And a sensual, electric sexuality lingers in the air. He is still asleep but he feels her scent in his dreams. He knows what she wants... First it's citrusy (I can compare it with Versace Versense), but they are not listed. Then it's nutty (warm, delicious filling) and then it turns into an elegant sandalwood. I really appreciate the scent of linden blossoms. It makes me remember a warm, scented breeze touching me like a caress. Beautiful!

Le Parfum is like wearing a pashmina scarf; cozy, elegant and slightly mysterious. The pink pepper and nutmeg make it spicy enough to separate it from ordinary soft and powdery scents but not too much to become loud or masculine. I've enjoyed wearing it. The bottle is gorgeous!

"Suck mix of notes..." !!!

This perfume is pleaseant but nothing amazing. It smells like a fresh citrussy "perfumey" perfume. I know "perfumey" is a really strange/crap word to describe a perfume. To me "perfumey" is that overall smell of perfume you get when you walk into an airport...or...department store. This has some nice clean notes and some citrus but...is not really anything that makes me go...wowzers!!

This smells citrusy to me,even though there are no citrus notes listed. Creamy,musky,fresh but warm at the same time.An all-year-rounder. Fizzy and sparkly like pink lemonade,but never sharp or sour. Sillage and longevity are good.Five hours later I could still smell it. I'm not a fan of 'fizzy' fragrances generally but MM Le Parfum bucks the trend. Love it.

it's very spicy. opens with a peppery fragrance and doesn't even stay on for a long time.

I love this! Yes, maybe it's not extraordinary, but it gives me a nice and, I think, special and intelligent aura. I can wear it anytime, never frustrates me.

It's not a loud perfume, you can wear it in summer and it will never give you a headache. Spicy nutmeg on the top and some soft flowers, very feminine.

ادکلن زنانه با بوی ناز و خوش بو با کلاس مخصوص خانمهای جوان و با وقار و موئدب Cute, sweet feminine fragrance with the scent of cologne for young women with class and dignity and Mvydb

this perfume is too "silent" for me... i mean, way too calm and heavy. i don't get any remarkable emotions when i smell it.

I like the smell and it's surprising because I usually don't like fresh scents. But what makes me want to wear the perfume from time to time is the nutmeg - a great one and it can be distinguished easily. The start is peppery - very peppery - I like pepper in perfumes. I also like the moment when the rose comes into play and, as I don't like roses in scents, this one is an exception. Do you remember the song "Sweet Harmony"? The male singer and young women sitting nude around him? So is the smell, it's nude and transparent. My husband said I leave a trace behind me when I wear the perfume. Staying power is also very good. What I notice the most is nutmeg, musk, pepper and rose, a bit of freesia, gardenia but I don't see any plum.

You know what "nude" make-up is, don't you? So if we speak of "nude" perfumes, Le Parfum would be a typical example. I could imagine an elegant young woman in the white silk dressing gown wearing this at home in the evening. So you could try this one if you want the most natural effect and some intimacy, maybe. Step by step now: Nutmeg + pepper. Interesting spicy top (still light and discreet) softened slightly by flowers. Plum appears somewhere between the top and the heart. All these promise original continuing, really. Besides, I was happy to find such strong nutmeg - I like it both in perfumery and in cooking. In the middle, pleasant musky flowers come. That't truly very likable and inoffensive, perfect if you need to make a good impression (e.g. at a job appointment). But it lacks that originality that makes you feel unique, it's just a kind common and unmemorable. The base: tender sweet musk and sandalwood. On me, sandalwood is very distinctive and so lovely! Yet, the scent is so light that I'm likely to be the only lucky to catch this beauty.

I can smell a very sharp sandlewood in this. My Godmother got a bar or sandlewood soap made in Fiji on one of her holidays. It was in a little silk bag tied with a ribbon. This when I sniff my wrist smells like sharp sandlewood not Samsara smooth warm sandlewood, sharp sandlewood. It settles nicely on me but it takes half an hour to settle down. I hate the opening spray it is very sharp and peppery. I wait for 30 minutes and then I really like this. Like a cool version on Chopard Infiniment or Provocative Women by Arden. It becomes smooth with the spice just softly there but in a cool way the abovementioned perfumes have a warm vanilla amber drydown. If you like Miracle or Wings by Police this is a nice middle of the road. Not as good as Miracle, not as Young and cheaply priced as Wings but classy. It lasts on me although I do like to respray it and of course I have to go through those opening notes again but I don't mind I am glad I got this. There is no cupcake smell or overly strong vanilla either. If you like Notorious by RL it is warmer than this but you may like this as a light perfume.

I got a couple sample vials of this today, and I think it's a really nice perfume. On me it started out very light and nutmeg-y. However, after it had time to sit on my skin, the smell seemed to get stronger and muskier, though still very clean. I love the way it radiates as I wear it, and I plan to wear this perfume at the office.

I actually wanted to test and review the original Max Mara fragrance, however due to some confusion on the sales assistant's behalf, I was sprayed with Le Parfum. From what I've read in the last hour or so, Le Parfum was created using nutmeg and musk, which are often the ingredients which make up a masculine scent. This fragrance is attempting to prove that a feminine fragrance is possible when these notes are combined. I hate assigning a gender to a perfume as I'm a strong believer that you should wear whatever you like. Le Parfum is feminine, in that soapy, slightly powdery and clean sense of the word. The musk has obviously been tamed with a multitude of sugary white florals. This fragrance reminds me of Annick Goutal's Musc Nomade, a perfect example of a musk that makes a woman feel as pretty as a princess and a man feel clean and dominant. Le Parfum hasn't ruled out its male buyers entirely, it has just invited the women to join in too. I'm not too fussed with Le Parfum to be honest. It's pretty, clean and musky, yet it doesn't transcend past any boundaries. I am sometimes anosmic to musk, so every now and then I forget I'm wearing Le Parfum because the smell vanishes. The poor longevity doesn't help either. I like the bottle with its minimalist design complete with a grey ribbon, however getting the bottle to stand erect is another obstactle. I prefer Kiehl's Original Musk for my musk cravings, however Max Mara's Le Parfum is much subtler and more clean and soapy, so perhaps there are some people who would prefer it for its delicate qualities.