At its core, Eau de Cologne du 68 embodies 68 raw materials—an ambitious number chosen as both a tribute to the address and a symbolic nod to Guerlain’s opulent layering style. Rather than presenting as a simple splash of citrus, it unfolds like a symphony of textures and temperatures, where cool and warm, fresh and resinous, coexist in graceful tension. Guerlain described it as “a creation that plays with paradoxes and spurns traditional models,” and indeed, it blurs the boundaries between cologne, chypre, and oriental.
The composition is said to be inspired by Corsican landscapes—an olfactory journey that moves from the salty brightness of the Mediterranean shore to the spicy, honeyed warmth of the island’s scrubland. The opening is brimming with sunlight and air: zesty hesperidic notes mingle with the aromatic lift of anise and fennel, immediately evoking the windswept coasts of southern France. There’s an almost tactile freshness here—like citrus zest and sea spray caught in linen—created through the interplay of natural terpenes such as limonene and anethole, balanced by the soft green bitterness of herbs.
At the heart, the fragrance deepens into a complex bouquet where everlasting flower (Helichrysum) reigns supreme. This Corsican bloom, known for its distinctive golden scent that bridges honey, hay, and warm spice, lends the fragrance a solar glow. Its unique aroma owes much to its natural content of neryl acetate, curcumenes, and diketones, which give it that syrupy, resinous quality that seems both earthy and sweet. The addition of fenugreek, with its slightly nutty, maple-syrup nuance, enriches the heart, while a whisper of anise adds clarity and lift, tempering the syrupy tones with a gentle herbal freshness.
As the fragrance settles, Cologne du 68 reveals a sensual woody-resinous base, where amber and balsamic facets mingle with delicate traces of honey and spice. The warmth of these materials conjures the scent of sun-warmed shrubs and resinous branches, linking back to the Corsican maquis. The synthetic elements—used with restraint—serve to amplify the natural tones, extending the freshness of citrus and heightening the glowing, almost tactile warmth of the florals and resins.
The result is a composition that feels both heritage-driven and contemporary—an homage to Guerlain’s long mastery of the cologne form, yet expressed with the intricate construction of a modern eau de toilette. Eau de Cologne du 68 is not merely a fragrance but a portrait of the house itself: luminous, sophisticated, and grounded in the enduring artistry of French perfumery.
Fragrance Composition:
So what does it smell like? Eau de Cologne du 68 is classified as a citrus aromatic fragrance for women and men.
- Top notes: basil, bay leaf, bergamot, bigarade, blood orange, cardamom, cedrat, citron, clementine, coriander, cypress, elemi, fennel, grapefruit, gentiana, green mandarin, ivy leaves, lavender, mandarin, myrtle, lemon, limette, petitgrain, pear, sap, star anise, thyme, violet leaves,
- Middle notes: blackberry, blackcurrant, black pepper, carnation, cyclamen, fig, frangipani, freesia, ginger, hazelnut leaf, immortelle, jasmine, lentisque, lily of the valley, lychee, nutmeg, magnolia, orange blossom, peony, pink pepper, rose, ylang ylang
- Base notes: agarwood, amber, benzoin, cedar, cistus, heliotrope, iris, moss, musk, myrrh, opoponax, patchouli, praline, rosemary, sage, sandalwood, tonka bean, vanilla, vegetable musk, vetiver
Scent Profile:
Eau de Cologne du 68 is an olfactory landscape—a dazzling, modern tapestry of 68 materials woven together with the precision and artistry of Guerlain’s heritage. It opens like sunlight spilling through citrus groves and aromatic gardens, evolves through a lush heart of blossoms and fruits, and settles into a base of resin, wood, and warmth. To smell it is to move through a symphony of textures, where cool freshness and golden warmth coexist in perfect harmony.
At first breath, Eau de Cologne du 68 bursts alive with a medley of citrus fruits and green herbs, so effervescent it feels almost kinetic. You immediately sense bergamot from Calabria—its sparkling clarity tinged with soft floral undertones, due to its natural linalyl acetate and linalool content. Alongside it, bigarade (bitter orange) adds depth with a slightly woody bitterness from nootkatone, balancing the sweetness of mandarin and clementine. Blood orange lends a ruby-hued juiciness, a rounder sweetness with raspberry-like undertones from its anthocyanins, while cedrat and citron, prized in the Mediterranean for their thick, aromatic peels, provide an almost candied, lemon-sugar zest.
Threaded through this bright opening are herbal greens that add texture and lift. Basil contributes its cool, camphorous edge from estragole and eugenol, while thyme adds crisp sharpness with thymol, and bay leaf imparts a spicy, resinous backbone rich in eucalyptol. Coriander and cardamom bring warmth and spice—a whisper of kitchen aromatics that blend seamlessly into the citrus. Coriander seed oil introduces creamy, nutty sweetness from linalool, while cardamom, particularly from Guatemala, adds a green lemony brightness, laced with 1,8-cineole for lift.
The green heart of the top is completed by ivy leaves, cypress, and myrtle, which together evoke the sun-warmed Mediterranean coast. The cypress—aromatic and slightly smoky, from its α-pinene and cedrol content—provides structure, while myrtle, native to Corsica, introduces a balsamic sweetness, the scent of wild herbs carried on sea air. Fennel, with its gentle anise-like tone, merges beautifully with star anise, whose natural anethole enhances the cool, spicy sparkle of the composition. Then comes a breath of lavender, its Provençal essence soft and velvety, rich in linalool and camphor, grounding the freshness with a soothing floral warmth.
Delicate violet leaves and green mandarin infuse this kaleidoscope of notes with dew and air—their ionones and aldehydes lending that crisp, cool green effect, like crushed leaves between the fingers. A whisper of pear and a resinous hint of sap introduce a delicate sweetness, a natural bridge between fruit and floral.
As the top notes mellow, the heart blooms like a midsummer garden alive with both petals and ripe fruit. The blackcurrant and blackberry bring a luscious tartness, their green facets enriched by dimethyl anthranilate and ionones, mimicking crushed fruit skins and leaves. The spiciness of black pepper and nutmeg adds warmth and contrast, while ginger injects a crystalline, lemony fire—a glimmer of heat amid the sweetness.
Lily of the valley (muguet) provides a clean, soapy brightness from its synthetic hydroxycitronellal, echoing the innocence of spring blossoms. Peony and cyclamen contribute airy, aquatic transparency, while magnolia and frangipani add creamy depth, their lactones giving a velvety texture to the floral accord. Orange blossom and ylang-ylang weave together the narcotic sweetness of white flowers with soft banana-like richness, owing to benzyl acetate and methyl benzoate.
Rose, likely from both Bulgaria and Turkey, forms the emotional core of the floral blend—its citronellol and geraniol molecules offering a balance between radiant freshness and tender warmth. Jasmine, in turn, brings a voluptuous sensuality with indoles and benzyl alcohol, the breath of nocturnal flowers. The immortelle (everlasting flower), a signature nod to Guerlain’s Mediterranean inspiration, radiates a golden sweetness like honeyed straw, due to its neryl acetate and curcumenes, while lentisque (mastic) introduces a resinous, piney greenness.
Hints of fig and lychee shimmer through—fig lending a milky, green-wood aroma, lychee a juicy tropical sheen. Hazelnut leaf and pink pepper provide texture: one nutty and subtle, the other effervescent and rosy, enhancing the sparkle of the composition. All these notes combine to create a complex, luminous heart that feels alive—neither purely floral nor fruity, but a perfect synthesis of both.
When the fragrance finally deepens, it reveals its true complexity—a rich, woody-balsamic base that anchors the brightness above. Sandalwood (likely from Australia or New Caledonia, given sustainability trends) brings a creamy, milky smoothness from its santalols, perfectly balanced by the drier, smoky tones of cedarwood and vetiver. Vetiver, particularly the Haitian variety, contributes its earthy rootiness with vetiverol and vetivone, adding a cool, mineral depth.
The amber accord glows with benzoin, opoponax, and myrrh—resins that lend warmth and texture. Benzoin from Siam provides a vanillic, balsamic sweetness from benzoic acid esters, while myrrh and opoponax, from the Horn of Africa, introduce incense-like richness with furanoeudesma and curzerene, evoking ancient temples and sunlit altars. Cistus (labdanum) amplifies this resinous sensuality, its leathery depth softened by hints of vanilla and tonka bean. The coumarin in tonka harmonizes with vanillin, creating a warm, gourmand undercurrent enhanced by praline, which adds a subtle nutty sweetness.
The final whisper is one of musk—both natural and synthetic. The so-called vegetable musk (ambrette seed) brings a soft, powdery warmth with ambrettolide, blending seamlessly with white musks for modern diffusion. Agarwood (oud), used sparingly, introduces an exotic shadow—its smoky, animalic nuance grounded by patchouli’s earthy camphoraceousness. Heliotrope and iris finish the composition with powdery elegance, their ionones and heliotropin lending the scent that unmistakable Guerlain softness, bridging freshness and warmth.
The Impression
To smell Eau de Cologne du 68 is to walk through a garden that stretches from the sea to the hills—sun-drenched citrus trees, herb-covered slopes, flowering meadows, and resinous woods beyond. It is both timeless and modern: a Guerlain cologne reimagined as a grand composition, where every note—natural or synthetic—exists to elevate the other. The synthetics are not imitations, but enhancements: ionones to make violets bloom longer, musks to lend clean diffusion, coumarin to wrap the resins in warmth.
This is not a simple cologne—it is a panoramic Guerlain creation, shimmering with 68 voices in perfect harmony, each one fleeting yet unforgettable.
Bottle:
The bottle of Eau de Cologne du 68 reflects the fragrance’s dual nature—at once contemporary and timeless, refined yet approachable. Its design is marked by clean, architectural lines that echo the symmetry and elegance of Guerlain’s historic maison at 68 Avenue des Champs-Élysées, from which it takes its name. The glass is perfectly clear, allowing the pale golden liquid within to shimmer softly, like sunlight diffused through a fine crystal carafe. This transparency mirrors the perfume’s composition—fresh, luminous, and intricately layered—inviting the wearer to experience its brilliance before even opening the cap.
Crowning the bottle is a precious wood stopper, whose smooth, natural grain contrasts beautifully against the cool, polished glass. The use of wood here is no mere ornament; it recalls the aromatic roots and resins found in the base of the fragrance, a tactile nod to nature and craftsmanship. The stopper’s organic warmth evokes the Corsican landscapes that inspired the scent—sun-baked earth, evergreen shrubs, and the resinous woods that perfume the Mediterranean air. Its subtle matte finish and earthy tone give the flacon a grounded sophistication, an elegant balance between the artisanal and the modern.
Eau de Cologne du 68 was released in several formats, allowing for both personal luxury and display. The 100 ml Eau de Toilette spray is the most practical, designed for daily wear, with its atomizer delivering a perfect veil of fragrance. The 250 ml Eau de Toilette with atomizer offers a sense of ceremony—a generous bottle meant to be shared or displayed on a dressing table, the weight of the glass and size of the stopper emphasizing Guerlain’s heritage of refinement. The most imposing, the 490 ml Eau de Toilette, is a collector’s treasure: a statement of craftsmanship and abundance, embodying the house’s grand cologne tradition where fragrance is not just worn, but lived with.
Together, these presentations transform Eau de Cologne du 68 into more than a perfume—it becomes an object of design, art, and ritual. The clean geometry of the bottle, the warmth of the wooden cap, and the golden hue of the liquid unite in a composition that perfectly mirrors the fragrance itself: a harmonious balance of freshness, depth, and timeless Guerlain sophistication.
Crowning the bottle is a precious wood stopper, whose smooth, natural grain contrasts beautifully against the cool, polished glass. The use of wood here is no mere ornament; it recalls the aromatic roots and resins found in the base of the fragrance, a tactile nod to nature and craftsmanship. The stopper’s organic warmth evokes the Corsican landscapes that inspired the scent—sun-baked earth, evergreen shrubs, and the resinous woods that perfume the Mediterranean air. Its subtle matte finish and earthy tone give the flacon a grounded sophistication, an elegant balance between the artisanal and the modern.
Eau de Cologne du 68 was released in several formats, allowing for both personal luxury and display. The 100 ml Eau de Toilette spray is the most practical, designed for daily wear, with its atomizer delivering a perfect veil of fragrance. The 250 ml Eau de Toilette with atomizer offers a sense of ceremony—a generous bottle meant to be shared or displayed on a dressing table, the weight of the glass and size of the stopper emphasizing Guerlain’s heritage of refinement. The most imposing, the 490 ml Eau de Toilette, is a collector’s treasure: a statement of craftsmanship and abundance, embodying the house’s grand cologne tradition where fragrance is not just worn, but lived with.
Together, these presentations transform Eau de Cologne du 68 into more than a perfume—it becomes an object of design, art, and ritual. The clean geometry of the bottle, the warmth of the wooden cap, and the golden hue of the liquid unite in a composition that perfectly mirrors the fragrance itself: a harmonious balance of freshness, depth, and timeless Guerlain sophistication.
Fate of the Fragrance:
As of 2016, Guerlain has discontinued the Cologne du 68 fragrance.
