Guerlain Shalimar Review
Illustration, not a product photo.
Guerlain Shalimar is an amber & spicy fragrance (warm resins, spices and ambery sweetness) from Guerlain, marketed for women. Guerlain is a designer house.
Price varies (no price snapshot observed)
Based on 94 Reddit owner comments (61 with a clear rating) · Top 7% of tracked fragrances by overall score
Is Guerlain Shalimar worth it?
Owners are split: 3.8/5 overall from 61 rated owner comments, with an average owner rating of 4.2★. Owners talk most about value (10 mentions).
Who it suits
- You want fresh & clean: 7 owner comments praise it.
- You want value: 7 owner comments praise it.
- You want sweetness: 4 owner comments praise it.
- Summer wear: the season owners mention most (4 comments).
- Everyday: the occasion owners mention most (7 comments).
Who should skip it
- Headaches matters to you: 4 owner comments raise it as a downside.
- Projection matters to you: 1 owner comment raise it as a downside.
- Synthetic / harsh matters to you: 1 owner comment raise it as a downside.
Longevity, projection and compliments
| What owners report | Positive | Negative | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Longevityi | 0 say it lasts well | 0 say it fades fast | Not rated |
| Projectioni | 1 say it projects well | 1 call it weak or a skin scent | 3.3 |
| Complimentsi | 0 report compliments | 0 report none | Not rated |
Counts of owner comments that describe this fragrance's performance on their own skin. "Not rated" means no owner described it.
When owners wear it
Seasons
Occasions
Number of owner comments mentioning each season or occasion alongside this fragrance (positive or negative).
What Reddit owners say
2/5 Projection“Recently I purchased an unopened bottle of Shalimar de Souffle from eBay.”
5/5 Value“Mon Guerlain, Shalimar L'Essence, Angelique noir, and rose Cherie are some of my favorites.”
5/5“I have a few backups, most of which right now is Guerlain: * Du 68 (cologne) * Tonka Imperiale (2 original 75ml bottles) * Shalimar Milliseme Tonka (4 and I had way more than this) * Bosca Vanilla (I bought 1 refill bottle, got 1 because of my patronage of the brand) * Prada infusion d'iris (I'm now on 400ml bottle with a 200ml backup) I buy backups when I absolutely KNOW I will love and wear that perfume. When Guerlain changed over to the square bottles I bought only 1 (Anglelique noir) and that one was 200ml. Its no longer my backup bottle so I don't list it....lol”
5/5“For years I have worn Angel edP, Opium, Obsession, Coco, Black Opium, Coromandel, Shalimar...and on me they smell amazing and NEVER once has anyone asked if I was wearing "ladies perfume".”
5/5 SummerOffice“* Guerlain Shalimar Millésime Rose ”
+89 more owner comments
2/5 Synthetic / harshBatches & reformulation“Shalimar, *EXPIRED IN 1989!!!* ”
5/5“Stunners. That Sung is one of the prettiest jasmine perfumes ever made! I have that exact Shalimar - the dark blue centre circle indicates that is a 1970 edition. I got it for my late mum when she had dementia as she'd worn it back in the day. She adored it and I swear the scent took me back in time to being a little kid. Gorgeous version.”
2/5“Shalimar L'Essence reminded me SO MUCH of vintage powder make-up that it transported me back in time to having my makeup done before dance recitals as a child.”
5/5“Shalimar might be the answer here. Habit Rouge Spirit is one of my favorite scents and I picked up Shalimar because it reminded me so much of HR. It leans feminine, but only slightly,IMO. Also, wear the HR, it's certainly not hypermasculine and it's a great scent.”
4/5“when I first smelled Shalimar and Mitsuoko as an adult, an image of pulling a silver polyester dress out of my grandparent's “dress up bin” they kept around for the kids to play with came to mind.”
4/5 Sweetness“My brother in Christ I have been bathing in Shalimar since before we met lmfao.”
5/5 Fresh & clean“https://preview.redd.it/bvg0i74qp3zg1.jpeg?width=1105&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=703e42c027ce3d85e9c7adcd4ec68a98eb175410 🧴 \*\*Eau de Cologne Impériale\*\* by \*Guerlain\* 🎯 I had planned to wear Shalimar l'Essence today, a birthday gift from the kids. But I may have had one or two too many birthday cocktails last night so I needed something gentle today 🥴 💭 such a beautiful light cologne. It's fresh, bright and calming with spa vibes and it feels like I'm wearing a bit of Guerlain history on my skin.”
5/5“Oldest - my mums bottle of Shalimar EDP which my dad gave me when she died 45 yrs ago. Juice long gone but the bottle will be with me forever. Newest - Diptyque Bois Corse if you know me you know that Diptyque is my passion and I have wanted this for so long. It is a perfect spicy woody coffee fragrance.”
3/5 Headaches“Shalimar EDT is a citrussy Smokey leather vanilla and is actually divine and I wear it often. EDP can be headache inducing if you aren't careful but the EDT is perfection!”
5/5 Fresh & cleanUnique“Shalimar Soufflé I got a travel and have a used bottle from Mercari on the way.”
5/5 Everyday“I'm an Angelique Noire and Vanille Planifolia lover. I wear them almost every day. I do also really like Shalimar L'essence and SDV for colder weather. I tried a sample of Shalimar Souffle a few months back. I thought it smelled nice, but it wasn't something I felt I truly needed. I k lw it's well loved, though, so perhaps it'll be a love for you! I can't remember what the Guerlain EDP Tonka scent was, but I got a sample of both that one and Sarrapia before I settled on AN and VP. Both were lovely Tonkas. If the EDP weren't discontinued, I bet they'd be up OPs alley.”
4/5 Everyday“Shalimar was my daily driver for about ten years and occasionally in those ten years (before my research/discussion/online sampling era) I would try to branch out.”
4/5 Mass appeal“My mom has an enormous bottle of Shalimar that my dad bought her for a significant anniversary.”
1/5“It's such an, “if you know, you know” scent, and I just don't want them doing to L'Heure Bleue what they did to Shalimar.”
5/5“I'm wearing my all-time favourite, my do-no-wrong, my partner in crime, Shalimar L'Essence by Guerlain. Because it's been aeons and it's not hellishly hot for the time being and I've missed her. WFH and reading day. Nothing special. Might call my bestie.”
5/5“https://preview.redd.it/2nqnwf20yjyg1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=671f62ad93711055b23f9de414d98ad667cc7b98 Love this ! I see a few recommendations for Guerlain - Shalimar Personally I find it really overpowering and it smells to me very dated 🤷♀️ I wouldn't blind buy it”
5/5“Oooh, orris is my favorite fragrance note! Besides my beloved Fleur de Peau EDP, I enjoy: • Nishane Meant to be Seen • Guerlain Shalimar L'Essence • Guerlain Angelique Noire • Creed Fleurissimo • Prada Infusion d'Iris • Panier des Sens Blooming Iris EDT • Hermès Hiris \*I have a bottle of Chloé Atelier de Fleurs Iris on the way to my house this week!”
5/5“Man, here. I have decants of Mon Guerlain, Shalimar, Mitsouko, and a few of their flankers. I love them all. Debating whether to get Delina Extrait next or maybe a classic Chanel. If I like the way it smells, whether it's on a woman or myself, I don't GAFF who it's marketed to.”
4/5 Fresh & clean“I have heard that fresh citrus notes are most likely to turn. I have a decant of Shalimar from the 90s that I treasure. I've bought about half of my collection second hand.”
5/5“Shalimar Millésime Rose! I got mine in the mail the day before yesterday and wore it today for the first time. It's absolutely stunning. It's been a ride, at times it's quite a green rose, other times I smelt straight jam, other times a beautiful warm ambery vanilla. It's incredible and definitely worth it for rose lovers.”
4/5 Fresh & clean“Diptyque Fleur de Peau EDP - powdery and musky but also clean. Guerlain Shalimar L'Essence- warm and cozy non-gourmand vanilla. It depends, but Fleur de Peau EDP is what I wear most often.”
3/5 Headaches“Early EARLY in my fragrance journey I blind-bought Shalimar on sale at Macy's. My fiancé is a huge Guerlain fan, and I had started my collection with a few fragrances that could generously be described as “vintage leaning” so I was very confident I would like it. I have a pretty low headache tolerance but I have never had another scent trigger literal nausea before 😭😭😭 I'm sure on some people it's beautiful but on my skin it smelled like baby powder and sour milk.”
2/5“I wish there was a way to upload photos on the comments. I can confirm the white one is an OG Anaïs Anaïs which now I regret not having bought, there were a couple of Yves Rocher. The rest I don't know. I made another post with the ones I bought *EDT Eau de Fleurs, Nina Ricci (1978) *XS, Paco Rabanne (1994) *Senso, Ungaro (1987) *EDT Shalimar, Guerlain *EDT Vetiver, Carven”
5/5“So i long wanted to try Shalimar and Samsara, eventually I got decants of both to try. Samsara? PURE LOVE!!! Shalimar? Nothing but powder upon powder upon powder, ugh!”
3/5 Unique“It's their reliance on heavy resins. I own bottles of all those listed and in the VPe21 I do not pick up vanilla at all. It's like Shalimar -- what vanilla?! The rest you list are also quite thick with the saturation but feel like a different accord. My husband loves he SDV which smells like my uncles pipe tobacco more than anything and I have a couple bottle of the Cuir Beluga but it just comes off sour. I like the AA Bosca Vanilla for a bit, it had me craving it but all the AA's left a pongy kind of tang on clothes I did not appreciate. You captured the vibe on point, imo.”
5/5 SweetnessFresh & clean“The one I had was in line with Opium, Shalimar, and similar scents.”
4/5“So far, I've liked most fragrances I've tried that have civet. I like Zoologist Civet, YSL Kouros, Guerlain Shalimar and Jicky quite a lot (I think the current Jicky formulation may not have civet, but the EDT and EDP in the bee bottles from a few years ago supposedly do). The note that seems to give me trouble sometimes is oakmoss. I like it in some things, like Mitsouko, Chanel Pour Monsieur, and Caron Third Man. But fragrances that have a big ol' fat dose of it, like Rogue Perfumery Mousse Illuminee, or Oriza Legrand Chypre Mousse, are too much for me.”
1/5 HeadachesEveryday“Shalimar has been my signature fragrance since I was 20 (who the hell let that happen).”
4/5 ValueSummer“Hello from a Shalimar lover who also started wearing it in college!”
4/5 SweetnessFresh & clean“I have always loved Shalimar. At some point in my life, I was obsessed with Insolence. It's a very strong powdery scent and I find Shalimar to be a powdery vanilla scent so maybe your thing? Very strong in some flower (idk which) but it isn't rose. Atm I've been wearing La Petite Robe Noire quite a lot. It's some sort of vanilla fresh scent I think? I personally don't find it too sweet (like I hate sickly sweet scents) so you might like those?”
5/5 Fall“My favorite season requires some standout fragrances. Here's what I'll be wearing this fall: •Ex Nihilo Santal Calling •JHAG Ode to Dullness •Nishane Nanshe •Byredo G\* Water •Chloé Atelier de Fleurs Santalum •Chloé Nomade EDP •Le Labo Thé Matcha 26 •Guerlain Angelique Noire •Guerlain Mon Guerlain EDP •Guerlain Shalimar L'Essence”
2/5 Headaches“Shalimar. I so wanted to spray it in and suddenly feel mysterious and beautiful and have the added benefit of being able to say it was created in 1925. So chic. So elegant. Instead, it gave me a massive headache and smelled awful on me. I was so disappointed.”
5/5 Winter“This just unlocked a memory! My aunt gave me a set of mini Estee Lauder perfumes one Christmas…it would've been late 80s or very early 90s? Knowing, Beautiful, and White Linen were in it, along with 2 more. Beautiful was my favorite and I remember thinking that Knowing smelled very grown up. My mom had a bottle of Shalimar like that and I used to take it down so I could smell it and play with the tassel.”
4/5 ValueEveryday“I have stopped blind buying full/ bottles of the expensive stuff. Ok I am lying but the shalimar rose milliseme really had me upset, that stuff was not high parfumerie. It was technically a blind dupe buy, but I was really unimpressed with the performance of fleur narcotique and someone here said to try flower addiction Alhambra instead and holy cow it is so good with so much more lasting power and worth the $24, i'm spraying it every day for 3 weeks now…technology is making dupes actually insane”
4/5 SummerSpring“I only have one backup. Guerlain Orange Soleia, because I burn through that like a maniac now in spring and summer. It's just that good. I don't care that marketing didn't target me with that line - I AM WEARING IT. I also have Shalimar l'Essence which I also greatly appreciate.”
Dupes and similar fragrances
No dupe pairing for this fragrance reached our evidence bar (2+ comments naming both with a "dupe/clone/smells like" phrase).
Alternatives in the same family
- Initio Side Effect — 3.9 from 9 owner comments
- Maison Francis Kurkdjian Grand Soir — 3.4 from 36 owner comments
- Tom Ford Black Orchid — 3.2 from 64 owner comments
FAQ
How long does Guerlain Shalimar last?
Owners in our sample did not comment on its longevity often enough to say. Longevity varies with skin, climate and concentration.
What season is Guerlain Shalimar best for?
Owners mention summer most often (4 comments), followed by winter (3).
Does Guerlain Shalimar get compliments?
No owner in our sample reported compliments for it.
Can I buy Guerlain Shalimar on Amazon safely?
We did not find it sold by Amazon.com or by the brand's own Amazon store, so we do not link to it. Third-party fragrance listings carry a counterfeit and grey-market risk.
Keep deciding
- Guerlain fragrances ranked
- Best amber & spicy fragrances
- Best summer fragrances
- Best winter fragrances
- Best fragrances for the office
- Best fragrances for date night
- Best Women’s Perfumes
- Best Designer Fragrances
- Buying guide shortlists · Methodology
Details
| Brand | Guerlain (Designer) |
| Fragrance family | Amber & Spicy |
| Marketed for | women |
| Amazon listing | No listing sold by Amazon.com or the brand store found |
| Reddit evidence | 94 owner comments, 359 mentions in total across r/fragrance, r/FemFragLab and related subreddits |
| Last updated | 2026-11-03 |
Family and "marketed for" follow the brand's positioning and common fragrance references; flankers (Intense, Elixir, Parfum editions) are tracked separately or excluded.