For Guerlain’s 180th anniversary in 2008, the house chose to honor its long legacy by looking to the rhythm of nature itself. On May 15, 2008, exactly 180 years after the opening of Pierre-François Pascal Guerlain’s first boutique in Paris, the maison presented a rare and poetic creation: a limited-edition set of four perfumes titled Les Quatre Saisons (The Four Seasons). This collector’s edition was designed not only as a tribute to Guerlain’s heritage of artistry but also as an olfactory journey through the changing moods of the year.
The set included four distinctive fragrances, each capturing the essence of a season: Brume d’Automne, a woody aromatic composition evoking the misty air and earthy warmth of autumn; Muguet de Printemps, a fresh, floral ode to spring’s renewal and innocence; Quant Vient L’Été, a lush and opulent floral symbolizing summer’s richness and vibrancy; and Winter Delice, a spicy oriental conjuring the coziness and indulgence of winter. Together, they created a cycle of scent that mirrored the eternal passage of time—fleeting, yet perennial.
Each fragrance was presented in a 35ml Baccarat crystal bottle, fashioned with the maison’s signature heart-shaped stopper. To distinguish them, each bottle was carefully hand-engraved with a delicate illustration symbolizing its season—an artisanal detail that transformed each flacon into a small work of art. The bottles rested within a black grained leather presentation box, its refined minimalism serving as a frame for the luminous crystal within. The box itself measured 32 cm by 13 cm, with each bottle standing 10.7 cm high and 4 cm wide, perfectly proportioned for display and ritual use.
With only 95 copies produced worldwide, Les Quatre Saisons was destined for true connoisseurs and collectors. Priced at €2,500 / $3,393, it was not merely a perfume set, but a commemorative object—bridging Guerlain’s past with its present, and celebrating the artistry of scent, design, and seasonal poetry in one rare offering. Today, surviving sets are regarded as museum-worthy treasures, representing both Guerlain’s anniversary milestone and its enduring devotion to the marriage of fragrance and art.
Brume d'Automne is classified as a woody aromatic fragrance for women.
- Top notes: rosemary, coriander and pink pepper
- Middle notes: wormwood, patchouli, ylang-ylang and Bulgarian rose
- Base notes: sandalwood and vetiver
When you first encounter Brume d’Automne, the air seems to shift as though you are standing at the edge of a misted forest at twilight. The opening is immediately bracing, with rosemary releasing its silvery-green, resinous scent. French rosemary is sharp and slightly camphoraceous, its essential oils rich in cineole and borneol, which lend both freshness and a cooling clarity. This herbal brightness is quickly warmed by the spice of coriander seed—not the leafy green herb, but the dried seeds, which exhale a nutty, peppery warmth touched with citrus nuances, thanks to its natural linalool content. Alongside it, pink pepper from South America sparkles with rosy brightness, more effervescent and fruity than black pepper, tinged with a delicate floral sweetness. Together, these three create a top note that feels both invigorating and contemplative, like the crisp bite of autumn air mingled with spice.
The heart of the fragrance deepens, shifting into the more complex poetry of autumn. Wormwood, with its bittersweet green sharpness, unfurls like crushed leaves underfoot. Its absinthol-rich aroma is simultaneously herbal and shadowy, evoking mystery. This is balanced by patchouli, an earthy, chocolate-tinged note with origins in Indonesia, where the leaves are prized for their rich, grounding depth. Patchouli oil contains patchoulol, a sesquiterpene alcohol that gives it both woody smoothness and a lingering presence. To soften these darker tones, ylang-ylang blooms with its exotic, creamy sweetness, sourced traditionally from Madagascar or the Comoros. Rich in benzyl salicylate and eugenol, it gives a narcotic, slightly spicy floral counterpoint. Then comes the luxurious Bulgarian rose, the queen of flowers, renowned for its velvety, honeyed depth. Grown in the famed Valley of Roses, its oil contains an unparalleled balance of citronellol, geraniol, and phenylethyl alcohol, creating a lush, opulent floral tone that rounds the herbal bitterness and earthy weight.
The base grounds the fragrance in the mellow richness of the season. Sandalwood, most prized when sourced from Mysore in India, brings a creamy, milky-woody depth. Its natural santalol molecules give warmth, smoothness, and a meditative quality—soft as worn wood polished by years of touch. Vetiver, most often harvested from Haiti, adds an earthy, rooty dryness that smells of damp soil and smoky roots. Its vetiverol content brings both greenness and a leather-like smokiness, completing the sensation of walking through a woodland path at dusk, where mist rises from the earth and the trees exhale their breath into the air.
Together, Brume d’Automne is less a perfume than an atmosphere captured in liquid form: fresh herbs at the surface, bitter leaves and florals at its heart, and a grounding, smoky-woody warmth beneath. It is autumn embodied—a balance of light and shadow, freshness and decay, with the final impression as mysterious and lingering as the season itself.
Muguet de Printemps:
Muguet de Printemps is classified as a fresh floral fragrance for women.
- Top notes: bergamot and lily-of-the-valley
- Middle notes: lilac and jasmine
- Base notes: rose
Muguet de Printemps unfolds like the very first breath of spring, tender and crystalline, carrying the sensation of morning light filtered through new blossoms. The fragrance opens with bergamot, that sunlit fruit from Calabria whose oil combines sparkling citrus with subtle floral undertones. Rich in limonene and linalyl acetate, bergamot lends both freshness and elegance—it is not simply a tart citrus, but a luminous veil that smooths the way for flowers to unfold. Against it comes the delicate greenness of lily-of-the-valley, one of perfumery’s most beloved illusions. Since the flower yields no extract, it must be recreated through careful use of aroma molecules such as hydroxycitronellal and lilial, which conjure its watery, green, crystalline sweetness. This note feels like dew clinging to tiny white bells, its transparency heightened by the interplay with bergamot’s light.
As the scent develops, a tender bouquet begins to bloom. Lilac, rarely captured naturally and often reconstructed, brings its powdery, slightly honeyed sweetness laced with almondy heliotropin. It smells like the air of a spring garden—airy, wistful, and fleeting. Alongside it, jasmine unfurls with a richer, more sensual warmth. Depending on whether the jasmine is Sambac from India or Grandiflorum from Grasse, the impression shifts, but always it carries a narcotic sweetness, balancing indolic depth with floral radiance. Naturally occurring benzyl acetate, linalool, and indole give jasmine its paradoxical beauty—clean and luminous, yet lush and animalic at its core. Here, in this composition, it softens the lilac’s gauzy brightness and adds a touch of silk to the composition, ensuring the bouquet feels alive and dimensional.
The fragrance settles into the softness of rose, not in its darker, velvety guise but as a light caress. Bulgarian or Turkish rose oils, high in citronellol and geraniol, bring honeyed, fresh-petal sweetness that extends the floral accord while anchoring it gently. The rose note ties all the blossoms together, making the lily-of-the-valley more tender, the lilac more natural, and the jasmine more seamless. It is as though the rose acts as the invisible hand binding the bouquet into harmony, ensuring the final impression remains airy, radiant, and hopeful rather than heavy.
Overall, Muguet de Printemps is a portrait of early spring distilled into scent: sparkling citrus light, dew-bright lily-of-the-valley, lilac drifting on the breeze, jasmine warming in the sun, and rose like a gentle afterthought of sweetness. The synthetic elements, especially those recreating lily-of-the-valley and lilac, do not detract but instead enhance the natural materials—providing the crisp, dewy brilliance that nature itself denies extraction. The effect is not merely floral but atmospheric, like stepping into a blooming garden just as winter has let go.
Quand Vient L'Ete :
Quand Vient L'Ete is classified as a floral fragrance for women.
- Top notes: mint, citruses and rose
- Middle notes: lily, jasmine and ylang-ylang
- Base notes: carnation, iris, vanilla and straw
Quand Vient l’Été captures the warmth and languor of high summer, translating the season into a fragrance that feels both luminous and intoxicating. From the very first breath, it opens with a cool spark of mint. Spearmint, rich in carvone, provides a crisp greenness that feels almost like a sudden breeze across hot skin. Unlike peppermint, with its sharper menthol bite, spearmint is rounder and sweeter, softening the intensity while still carrying that refreshing, mouthwatering quality. This freshness is immediately uplifted by citruses—likely bergamot, lemon, or perhaps a touch of orange—whose limonene-rich oils sparkle with sunny brilliance. Their effervescence is not just bright but also slightly floral, smoothing the transition into the blossoms that follow. The third opening note, rose, unfurls with soft, dewy petals, evoking Bulgarian or Turkish roses prized for their depth. Natural rose oil contains citronellol, geraniol, and phenylethyl alcohol, all of which create a sensation that is both fresh and honeyed. Here, the rose lends body to the citrus and mint, keeping the introduction feminine, romantic, and warm rather than bracing.
As the perfume moves into its heart, a bouquet blossoms in full summer bloom. Lily, reconstructed through aroma molecules like hydroxycitronellal, brings a radiant, green-white brightness—pure, slightly watery, yet luminous, like light on white petals. This is seamlessly paired with jasmine, whose indolic depth and creamy sweetness add sensuality to the otherwise airy accord. Natural jasmine absolutes from Grasse or India differ in nuance—Grasse being softer and more powdery, Indian Sambac being lusher and fruitier—but both share the narcotic interplay of benzyl acetate, indole, and linalool. Alongside, ylang-ylang arrives in golden waves. Harvested primarily in Madagascar and the Comoros, this flower is rich in benzyl salicylate, eugenol, and p-cresyl methyl ether, which give it a complex profile: fruity like banana, creamy like custard, yet also spicy and narcotic. In this composition, it thickens the floral heart, making it opulent and sun-drenched, like petals warmed all day by the summer sun.
The fragrance deepens into its base with unexpected warmth and texture. Carnation, spicy and clove-like from its high eugenol content, gives a fiery undercurrent, cutting through the sweetness and lending sophistication. Iris, most likely orris root from Italy, adds powdery elegance with buttery, violet-like nuances born from irones—an effect that softens the florals and grounds them in velvety refinement. Vanilla, sourced from Madagascar, introduces its rich vanillin sweetness, both gourmand and balsamic, a soft hum that lingers and rounds out the sharper notes. Finally, straw appears as an unusual and nostalgic note, evoking sun-warmed hay in a summer meadow. Typically recreated with coumarin and hay absolutes, this note has a dry, sweet, slightly tobacco-like facet that contrasts beautifully with the lush florals and spices. It adds a rustic, pastoral charm to the perfume, as though the grandeur of roses, jasmine, and ylang-ylang were being enjoyed outdoors under a blazing midsummer sky.
Taken together, Quand Vient l’Été feels like an olfactory portrait of midsummer: a cool burst of mint and citrus easing into a lavish floral heart, then settling into sun-drenched warmth touched with spice and the scent of dried fields. The natural essences and carefully chosen synthetics work in harmony—the reconstitution of lily ensures clarity, the hay-like accord provides nuance, and the natural absolutes give depth. The result is a fragrance that balances romance with rusticity, refinement with raw summer heat. It is both a celebration of abundance and a reminder of fleeting, golden days.
Winter Delice:
- Top notes: gingerbread accord, sugar and artemisia
- Middle notes: rose hips, labdanum and Somalian opoponax
- Base notes: fir balsam resin, vanilla, tonka bean and Norwegian pine
Winter Délice is like stepping into a winter holiday evening: the air outside crisp with pine and smoke, the indoors filled with warmth, spice, and sweetness. From the very first breath, the perfume greets you with its unusual gingerbread accord—a gourmand opening that recalls fresh holiday confections. Built from natural spices such as ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove, this accord is enhanced by vanillin and eugenol, aromachemicals that mimic baked sweetness and warm spice with remarkable precision. Unlike raw ginger, which is bright and zesty, here the ginger is softened, buttery, and caramelized, evoking the crackle of cookies cooling on a wooden tray. Sugar, as a note, amplifies this effect. Not a literal sugary smell, but a crystalline sweetness conjured with maltol and ethyl maltol, it creates the impression of browned crusts and spun sugar. Against this cozy backdrop, artemisia (wormwood) cuts through with a shadowy bitterness. Native to Europe and Asia, rich in thujone and chamazulene, it lends an herbaceous, medicinal greenness—like the scent of frost-covered wild herbs gathered in the cold. This interplay between edible warmth and bitter austerity makes the opening both comforting and sophisticated.
The heart introduces a contrasting duality. Rose hips, the fruit of wild roses, bring a tart, berry-like brightness, somewhere between dried cranberries and herbal tea. They contribute a red-toned freshness that balances the sugar and spice of the top. Alongside them, labdanum, derived from the sticky resin of the Cistus shrub, adds a deep, leathery warmth. Spanish labdanum in particular is famed for its ambery, slightly animalic qualities, its richness derived from labdanolic acid and amber-smelling diterpenes. It gives the perfume a darker undercurrent, like the burnished scent of polished wood and smoldering embers. Completing the heart is Somalian opoponax, or sweet myrrh, prized since antiquity for its honeyed, balsamic character. Somalia’s variety is especially valued for its clarity and depth—less medicinal than true myrrh, more glowing and resinous. Laden with sesquiterpenes, it weaves smoky sweetness into the fabric of the fragrance, suggesting incense curling through winter air. Together, the middle notes create a sense of transition: from playful gourmand warmth to solemn, resinous depth, as though one has stepped from a bustling kitchen into a cathedral lit with candlelight.
The base is where Winter Délice truly settles into its identity. Fir balsam resin evokes the heart of evergreen forests, balsamic and coniferous, carrying vanillin-like sweetness that blends seamlessly with the earlier gourmand notes. Its natural compounds, such as bornyl acetate, give it both clarity and roundness, a resinous glow that recalls Christmas trees and snowy nights. Vanilla, drawn from Madagascar pods rich in vanillin and heliotropin, softens the sharper resins with creamy sweetness. Alongside it, tonka bean, laden with coumarin, contributes a hay-like, almondy warmth that enhances the spiced pastry illusion from the opening while grounding it in sophistication. Finally, Norwegian pine provides a bracing, forest-fresh finish, its pinene and limonene content giving sharp green accents that cut through the sweetness, ensuring the fragrance never collapses into gourmand heaviness. Instead, the pine makes the composition feel alive and atmospheric, like breathing in the crisp air outside after indulging in holiday treats indoors.
Altogether, Winter Délice balances sweet gourmand warmth, herbaceous sharpness, and resinous depth with remarkable finesse. The synthetics—vanillin, maltol, coumarin—do not overshadow the naturals but instead amplify their familiar facets, allowing the gingerbread and sugar to glow warmly beside resins, woods, and pine. The result is not just a perfume, but an olfactory story of winter itself: festive, contemplative, and deeply atmospheric.
Fate of the Fragrances:
Since the Les Quatre Saisons collection was produced in only 95 examples, the fragrances were destined to be rare from the outset. Once the limited sets sold out, each perfume was immediately discontinued, heightening their exclusivity and allure among collectors. Out of the four, only two carried a history of earlier incarnations, which lent the set a sense of heritage alongside its modern creativity.
Quand Vient L’Été held the deepest roots, first launched in 1910 as part of Guerlain’s early 20th-century explorations into bright, floral fragrances. Its romantic name, meaning When Summer Comes, captured a sense of seasonal renewal and feminine grace. Guerlain revived the perfume nearly nine decades later, reformulating it for a limited edition in 1998, and again in 2005, before both reissues were withdrawn. These fleeting appearances only reinforced its reputation as a perfume of rare glimpses, a fragrance that briefly returned before retreating once more into the archives.
By contrast, Winter Délice was the most contemporary of the set. Originally introduced in 2005 as part of the Aqua Allegoria line, it was conceived as a seasonal celebration of winter’s contrasts—warming spice and sweetness set against evergreen freshness and resinous depth. Its inclusion in the 2008 Les Quatre Saisons box offered a refined reinterpretation of the Aqua Allegoria theme, placing it in dialogue with Guerlain’s century-old creations.
Together, these choices underscored Guerlain’s artistry in bridging past and present. The house paired perfumes born of the Belle Époque with those imagined at the turn of the 21st century, illustrating how the theme of nature’s cycles—spring, summer, autumn, and winter—could inspire fragrance across different generations of perfumery. Each scent became not just a reflection of its season, but also a symbol of Guerlain’s enduring creativity, both historical and modern.
