Retro - Cacharel Anais Anais EDT

Anais Anais by Cacharel is a Floral fragrance for women launched in 1978 and  created by Roger Pellegrino, Robert Gonnon, Paul Leger and Raymond Chaillan. This was the first perfume by cacharel and is one of the great classics from the era.  

Anais Anais is one of the fragrances from the last 100 years that Roja Dove believes to be the true classics of their decade.

Notes of White Lily, Hyacinth, Honeysuckle, Galbanum, Orange Blossom, Lavender, Bergamot, Lemon, Black Currant, Lily, Lily-of-the-Valley, Moroccan Jasmine, Carnation, Tuberose, Ylang-Ylang, Iris, Rose, Orris Root, Oakmoss, Incense, Musk, Leather, Sandalwood, Vetiver, Cedar, Patchouli and Amber.

REVIEWS

Fragrantica - I would've thought this would be a linear and straightforward white floral to evoke the innocence and purity of a young girl and yet there it is at first spray: the leather note and even the vetiver woodsiness. What a masterpiece of so many notes to evoke that soft focus meadow of young ladies picnicking like in a Degas or a Botticelli. It is so reminiscent (both fragrance, packaging and advertising) of a particular moment in a young girl's life in a highly romanticised way and yet those earthier notes are very much present.

Fragrantica - Masterpiece!  This lovely eau de toilette was one of my mother's favorite perfumes. A magnificent, elegant, feminine floral. It evokes so many memories. I have a vintage bottle that I wear with immense caution.
I will always love it.

Fragrantica - The first fragance by a fashion designer that I tested on my life. I was 12 years old ... I am 51. The softest, kindest, most delicate fragance... for me "sounds" to orchidies, sunny sky, white cotton... When I was a teenager, the tweenties wore it. Really masterpiece!

Fragrantica - The one from 1978 is a masterpiece. They went on to create a flanker of this called L'Original. I don't like that one at all. Cannot even compare to the real "original" amazing scent.

Fragrantica - The ultimate 70s bright floral: optimistic, ethereal, stemmy green and gorgeous. Different than what is generally scented while out and about; I love the unusual character of this one among so many gourmands and florientals in a crowd. This one is a linen sundress and straw hat with a ribbon in the height of summer heat.

Fragrantica - Talking about Anaïs Anaïs by Cacharel is like leafing through an album of vintage photographs: it is a perfume that marked an era, becoming the symbol of the romantic and innocent femininity of the 80s.
Despite the delicate image, the olfactory pyramid of Anaïs Anaïs is surprisingly complex and layered. It's not your usual modern, light, sugary floral scent; it is a dense and structured botanical explosion. The Opening (The Garden after the Rain): Freshly sprayed, the impact is green and fresh. Hyacinth and Galbanum dominate, offering that sensation of broken stems and dew. It's an almost pungent start, typical of "old school" fragrances. When the fragrance warms up, the real protagonist emerges: the White Lily. It is a white, clean and powdery floral, supported by a chorus of Lily of the Valley and Carnation that adds a spicy and retro edge. While one would expect an ethereal finish, the base notes reveal a strong character. Oakmoss and leather give an earthy and slightly smoky persistence, which prevents the scent from becoming too cloying. Anaïs is the quintessence of discreet elegance. Poetic, nostalgic, chaste but with an intrinsic strength. The name comes from Anaitis, the Persian goddess of love. The choice of doubling "Anaïs Anaïs" serves to underline the duality of the fragrance: delicate on the outside, but complex on the inside. Anaïs remains a sophisticated choice for those looking for a fragrance that smells of cleanliness, fresh flowers and a femininity of times gone by. It is a perfume that does not try to seduce with aggression, but with sweetness.

Fragrantica - In spite of its image of flower-patterned pinafore naïveté, Anaïs Anaïs, underneath its Victorian sharp green and powdered ruffles, isn't really a petticoat prissiness after all. Those of a masculine persuasion may initially scoff at its prim opening, all tra-la-la and tiptoes through the tulips, all rosy-cheeked, but once we reach the corner of the cottage garden where the heaving madonna lilies and sultry trumpet lilies bloom, all sweaty and exposed, we realize, "hmm...we smells hyacinths here, but this is no Hyacinth Bucket."

While the flowers are the centerpiece here, there is something to be said for the later stages of development, all woody, mossy, and even musky, seeming to include some Tonkin musk style bases, rendering the innocent knickers not so immaculate after all. I appreciate another reviewer's comparison to Kouros in some aspects. It also dares to straddle two styles: while Kouros pairs fougere with sensuous amber and dirty musks, Anaïs Anaïs juxtaposes the genteel floral with its own lustful understory. Enough with the ukelele strumming, cue Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff."