Meteorites Fragrance 2000

Météorites by Guerlain, launched in 2000, was conceived as the olfactory counterpart to the house’s beloved face powders of the same name—those ethereal pearls of color that captured and reflected light on the skin. The word “Météorites” (pronounced may-tay-oh-REET) is French for “meteorites”, fragments of celestial matter that fall from the heavens to Earth. The name carries a sense of wonder, light, and luminosity—conjuring images of the night sky scattered with shooting stars, of radiance descending from the cosmos. It speaks of something both delicate and otherworldly, something meant to illuminate and transform. Guerlain’s choice of the name was fitting: just as the Météorites powder bestowed an inner glow upon the skin, the fragrance sought to envelop the wearer in a soft, radiant aura of scent.

The early 2000s marked a transitional moment in perfumery. It was the dawn of a new millennium—a period defined by technological optimism, minimalism, and an emerging fascination with transparency and light in both fashion and design. Perfumes of the late 1990s had often been bold, intense, and sensual—think of Giorgio Beverly Hills, Obsession, and Angel—but as the new century began, there was a collective longing for clarity, freshness, and purity. The aesthetic softened: pale colors, iridescent fabrics, and sheer textures replaced the excess of the previous decade. Météorites, with its tender pastel theme and luminous floral composition, fit this new mood perfectly.

Women of the time, stepping into a world charged with futuristic imagery yet yearning for calm, would have seen Météorites as a symbol of celestial femininity—modern yet timeless. The name itself suggested something rare and precious, a fragment of the heavens rendered wearable. It evoked an emotional response of serenity and wonder, appealing to the woman who sought beauty not through intensity, but through radiance. This was not a perfume of seduction but of lightness, of grace—the scent of self-assurance that whispered rather than declared.

Created by Jean-Paul Guerlain, Météorites translated the delicate scent of the powder into fragrance form. The perfume rests on a bouquet of Parma violet, iris, and heliotrope—a trio that together create the impression of soft lilac light and powdery sweetness. Parma violet, known for its crystalline floral note, lends a nostalgic, candy-like delicacy. The iris, sourced from Italy, brings a cool, silken texture—a noble floral that smells of polished suede and powdered skin. Heliotrope, with its almond-vanilla undertone, deepens the softness and introduces a touch of warmth, suggesting sunlight diffused through mist. The result is luminous and tender—like the scent of the Météorites pearls themselves, crushed into a veil of scented stardust.

Within the landscape of early 2000s perfumery, Météorites stood out for its restraint and refinement. While other houses were pursuing sharp ozonic accords, sugary gourmand explosions, or sheer aquatic florals, Guerlain returned to its heritage of tenderness and polish. Météorites did not follow fashion—it offered a moment of stillness amid the noise, a modern powdery floral that captured the turn-of-the-century fascination with light, transparency, and the ethereal. In doing so, it bridged Guerlain’s classical past with its luminous future, offering a fragrance as soft and infinite as the starlit name it bore.

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? Météorites is classified as a floral fragrance for women.

• Top notes: green notes and iris
• Middle notes: Parma violet
• Base notes: heliotrope

Scent Profile:

Smelling Météorites for the first time is like stepping into a soft beam of morning light filtered through powder-pink silk. It opens with a tender freshness — a breath of green notes that evokes newly cut stems and dew-sprinkled leaves after rain. These green notes serve as the fragrance’s awakening gesture, a delicate contrast to the powdered sweetness that follows. They bring the scent to life, adding vibrancy and lift, much like the first hint of dawn brightens a pale sky. The iris emerges almost immediately — cool, sophisticated, and silky, like the faint scent rising from a box of face powder. The iris used here, most likely orris butter from Italy’s Tuscany region, is among the most prized in perfumery. Unlike the brighter, more rooty orris from other sources, Tuscan orris possesses a refined, buttery depth, with a texture reminiscent of fine suede and a faintly metallic glint. Its aroma is elegant, melancholy, and endlessly smooth — the perfect representation of Guerlain’s idea of refinement.

As the perfume develops, violet begins to unfold at the heart. This is not a sharp or candied violet, but rather the soft, powdery Parma violet that has long been associated with French confectionery and the glamour of vintage perfumery. Its sweetness is delicate and nostalgic, carrying a faint memory of violet pastilles and lace sachets. To enhance and stabilize this fragile natural note, Jean-Paul Guerlain likely used ionones and methyl ionone, the synthetic molecules that revolutionized violet-based perfumery since their discovery in the late 19th century. These aroma chemicals not only capture the soft, powdery quality of violet petals but also extend their presence, blending them seamlessly with the iris and heliotrope. The ionones, with their velvety, woody undertones, provide both structure and radiance, allowing the violet to hover gently in the air without fading too quickly.

In the drydown, heliotrope takes center stage — warm, creamy, and faintly almond-like. Its scent is reminiscent of sunlit skin dusted with vanilla-scented powder, or the faint sweetness of sugared almonds. The heliotrope used by Guerlain may have been complemented by heliotropin (piperonal), a synthetic molecule that enhances its characteristic creamy, almond-floral accord. This molecule bridges the powdery iris and violet with a tender, comforting sweetness, lending the composition its dreamlike aura. Together, they create a base that is at once soft and luminous — never cloying, but enveloping like the fine shimmer of Guerlain’s Météorites powder itself.

The effect is a study in texture and light. Where natural materials bring depth and nuance, synthetics provide brilliance and air — a careful balance that makes Météorites both timeless and modern. The green opening sparkles like starlight, the heart glows with pastel florals, and the base lingers as a gentle halo of warmth. It feels ethereal, weightless, and impeccably feminine — not a perfume that commands attention, but one that glows quietly from the skin, much like the luminous finish of the face powder that inspired it. To smell Météorites is to experience the sensation of light itself — diffused, soft, and infinitely tender, a fragrance that seems to float somewhere between heaven and earth.

Bottle:

Available as a 100ml eau de toilette spray, it was housed in a disk-shaped bottle featuring the Météorites logo found on the compacts and powder boxes.

Fate of the Fragrance:

The fragrance was discontinued by 2008.

2018 Version:

By 2008, Météorites quietly disappeared from Guerlain’s fragrance catalog, leaving behind a soft trail of nostalgia among its admirers. A decade later, in 2018, Guerlain’s in-house perfumer Thierry Wasser reimagined the beloved scent for a new generation, giving rise to Météorites Le Parfum. This reformulation reflected both evolving tastes and the tightening regulations imposed by the International Fragrance Association (IFRA), which restricts or limits the use of certain natural materials—such as oakmoss, specific musks, and even certain violet and heliotrope compounds—due to allergenic concerns. Wasser’s challenge was to reinterpret the powdery, pastel magic of the original fragrance while adhering to these modern safety and ethical standards, crafting a scent that felt contemporary without losing its celestial charm.

Météorites Le Parfum retains the soft femininity of the original but trades some of its vintage, confectionary sweetness for a fresher, more luminous profile. The green top notes—once a delicate whisper—now take on a more defined presence, crisp and invigorating, like the scent of crushed leaves mingling with morning air. This amplified greenness gives the composition a sense of purity and movement, reflecting modern preferences for cleaner, airier fragrances. Where the 2000 version leaned heavily on the candied charm of Parma violet and heliotrope, the 2018 reformulation reins in that sugar-dusted quality, allowing the floral and woody nuances to shine more naturally.

The violets, once the heart and soul of Météorites, now play a subtler role, shyly peeking through layers of transparent white musk and soft woods. The heliotrope, too, is more restrained—less of the almond-vanilla powder puff and more of a sheer floral mist. Wasser’s composition feels lighter, more radiant, and tailored for a modern woman who prefers sophistication over sweetness. In doing so, Météorites Le Parfum bridges past and present: it honors the nostalgic tenderness of Guerlain’s original creation while embracing the clarity, freshness, and compliance demanded by the 21st century.

The result is a perfume that captures the same sense of light and luminosity—like the shimmer of the famous Météorites powder—but through a contemporary lens. If the original was a tender pastel dream, the 2018 version is a sheer watercolor wash: more ethereal, more breathable, and perfectly attuned to modern sensibilities.

The 2018 version is classified as a floral woody musk fragrance for women.

• Top notes: apple, green notes, bergamot and cassis
• Middle notes: violet, mimosa and rose
• Base notes: white musk, orris, woody notes and sandalwood

Scent Profile:

Smelling Météorites Le Parfum (2018) for the first time feels like stepping into soft daylight — cool, luminous, and gently diffused, much like the shimmer of Guerlain’s famous powder pearls. The opening is immediately brighter and greener than its 2000 predecessor. A crisp bite of apple mingles with tender green notes and the airy sparkle of bergamot. The bergamot, likely from Calabria, Italy, has that unmistakable sunlit freshness — effervescent and slightly floral, lending the perfume its graceful lift. Cassis adds a subtle tang of blackcurrant leaf, with its green, fruity sharpness suggesting crushed stems and dewy fruit skins. Together, these notes replace the candied sweetness of the original Météorites with a modern, almost sheer greenness that feels clean, youthful, and radiant.

As the fragrance settles, the heart unfolds with an elegant bouquet of violet, mimosa, and rose. The violet, once the centerpiece of the 2000 version, now feels lighter — less of the sugared Parma variety and more of a soft, velvety petal note, like the faint scent left on fingertips after brushing against the flower. Mimosa, likely sourced from the Tanneron region of France, brings a powdery golden warmth, its honeyed and slightly almondy tone adding a tactile softness to the heart. The rose, possibly a blend of Bulgarian and Turkish varieties, lends a classical structure and faint sensuality, bridging the airy floral top with the tender base. In contrast to the earlier Météorites, where violet and heliotrope dominated in a nostalgic cloud of sweetness, the 2018 version feels more transparent, refined, and attuned to contemporary minimalism — floral without being overtly powdery.

The base is where Météorites Le Parfum truly diverges from its original form. The heliotrope that once anchored the composition with its almond-vanilla richness has been replaced by a soft interplay of white musk, orris, sandalwood, and modern woody notes. The orris — derived from the rhizome of the iris, likely of Italian origin — imparts a buttery, powdery smoothness that echoes the makeup inspiration of the fragrance but in a subtler way. Its cool, earthy texture is elevated by the gentle warmth of sandalwood, which adds creamy depth without heaviness. The white musk, a modern synthetic innovation, provides a clean, skin-like aura — it lingers like the memory of soft fabric or freshly washed hair. These musks, far safer and more stable than the natural deer musk of the past, create a transparent, sensual trail that resonates with today’s taste for freshness and purity.

Comparing the two, the original Météorites (2000) feels nostalgic — a delicate confection of violet, iris, and heliotrope that evokes pressed powder, porcelain compacts, and pastel clouds of femininity. It was tender, nostalgic, and unmistakably cosmetic in tone. The 2018 Météorites Le Parfum, on the other hand, translates that idea into something more diaphanous and modern. Its apple-green opening and musky-woody base strip away the vintage sweetness, replacing it with clarity and light. The signature Guerlain softness remains, but it now breathes with contemporary restraint — more celestial air than powdered silk. Both versions capture radiance and beauty, but where the 2000 edition glowed like a soft-focus candlelight, the 2018 version shines like morning sunlight scattered through crystal.

Bottles:

Fate of the Fragrance:

Meteorites Le Parfum was discontinued in 2021.