Vilhelm Parfumerie A Lilac a Day – Perfume Review 2016 + Spring Has Sprung Draw

Gathering Lilacs, painting by Kathleen Schneider©

Many odes have been written to the cloudlike lilac, with its heartbreaking, fragrance, the breath of Spring itself. Catching its perfume on the breeze is like the call of windchimes, a siren’s fragrance that pulls me helplessly in thrall to it. I’ll frequently go out of my way to catch its brief song on my way home. 

Sea of lilac, photo by Sarah Rose Smiley©

In perfumery, finding ways to accentuate but not overpower lilac’s grey fragility has sometimes proved difficult. Classic lilacs, such as Malle’s En Passant, Ineke’s After My own Heart and Fath’s Lilas Exquis, have often often played up the blossom’s ethereal, aqueous quality with delicate notes such as cucumber, angelica, magnolia and hyacinth. But Brooklyn-based Vilhelm Parfumerie has a bolder, more modern take, framing the flower with bright dabs of galbanum and propping her up with some full-bodied rose. Vilhelm Parfumerie A Lilac a Day is no water nymph, but a frisky sprite up for some rollicking frolicking.

Plaza Kvinna #10, photo by Lisa Hasselgren©

The first few minutes of Vilhelm Parfumerie A Lilac a Day matches that flower’s hazy sweetness with a crunchy, stemmy galbanum that gives the whole composition a freshness and power that feel quite modern. That initial spray is like walking into a high-class florist’s right after the sprigs have been cut from the shrub.  A shock of purple-grey perfume rushes right to the top, unmistakably lilac. But within a few moments, an almost citric burst of sharp galbanum grabs hold. The lilac and galbanum climb up each other as if flower is growing right before your nose, before the galbanum gradually eases up and allows lilac her central place again.

England’s Dreaming fashion editorial, photo by Tim Walker for Vogue UK, August 2006©

After a while, a satiny rose comes through, slightly powdery. While the lilac bouquet remains ever-present, the lushness of rose bolsters it, rounding out the perfume, and keeping the galbanum from misbehaving.  Jasmine peeks in, radiantly soft and fresh, along with a sappy touch of freesia. Lilac can be as evanescent as the breeze on which it blows. The addition of the headier but restrained floral notes gives A Lilac a Day substance and depth and helps to anchor the lilac rather than overwhelm it.

Watercolour by Kerin McBride©

Vilhelm Parfumerie A Lilac a Day is a modern watercolour; softened splashes of rose and jasmine are used with restraint to bolster the flower’s fragile sweetness, while that vibrant green galbanum lends an assertiveness that feels modern rather than nostalgic. Each spray is like a fresh waft of chilly-warm mid-Spring air, when a diffuse sun lazes in the sky while serious clouds hurry by.

Notes: Blue lilac, Spring freesia, Egyptian jasmine absolue, galbanum, black amber, Turkish rose absolue.

Disclaimer: Sample of A Lilac a Day graciously provided by Forty Five Ten in Dallas – you guys rock!

Lauryn Beer, Senior Editor

Vilhelm Parfumerie A Lilac a Day

Thanks to the generosity of Forty Five Ten, we have a 2ml sample of A Lilac a Day for one registered reader in the U.S. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what appeals to you about Vilhelm Parfumerie A Lilac a Day based on Lauryn’s review, and if you have a favorite lilac scent or a  favorite perfume you associate with early spring. Draw closes 4/3/2018.

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9 comments

  • Richard Potter says:

    I tried this recently am fell in love immediately. Best Lilac fragrance ever. I’m saving up for a bottle.

  • Carol Webb says:

    Lilic with rose and jasmine sounds absolutely beautiful. I’m ready for a fresh waft of Spring! I don’t have a particular favorite spring fragrance, but I did wear Ineke’s After My Own Heart the other day and that is a beautiful scent as well. Love Lilacs – I have some on my property and I love to walk by and sniff.
    I”m in the US, thanks for the draw!

  • VerbenaLuvvr says:

    A lilac that is not a shrinking lilac, gains my attention. Adding freesia and rose to anchor and not overwhelm with green, as some do, sounds promising. I do not currently have a favorite lilac scent, although I have tried many, so the search continues and perhaps this is the one. I grow lilacs and have twelve varieties in my yard, including blue types, and they are one of my favorite scents of spring along with plum and apple blossoms. I live in the US and thank you for this chance.

  • doveskylark says:

    How lovely to describe this fragrance as a modern watercolour! I also like the image of the florist shop and the cutting of the stems. I love lilac fragrances. I especially like Phoenix Botanicals Lilac Rain. I live in the USA.

  • Lovely description and I am intrigued by how lilac is the star in this fragrance. Lilac in other fragrances (beautiful as they are) tends to be the understudy.

    Frederic Malle En Passant is a favorite.
    I am in the U.S.

  • This sounds like such a beautiful floral fragrance! I love anything that has lilac notes in it. It brings back memories of lilac bushes that grew in my grandparent’s backyard.
    I live in the US.

  • “Each spray is like a fresh waft of chilly-warm mid-Spring air, when a diffuse sun lazes in the sky while serious clouds hurry by.”

    This is what I’m looking for! I don’t really wear florals, (which is why I am on the hunt for the perfect Spring scent for me) but I do like Ineke’s After My Own Heart. I’m taking notes of everyone else’s favorites! I’m in the US. Thanks!

  • Anna Egeria says:

    I’ve been planning to order a sample of this fragrance this spring. I’m always searching for the perfect lilac perfume and I hope that this is it! I also love to wear my violet scents. My favorite is the discontinued Angel Violette. Thank you for this draw. I’m in the US.

  • RoseMacaroon says:

    I love the whole approach to this lilac, with modern or what I would imagine to be a bright and assertive take on it. The notes chosen sound perfectly suited to this, and the stemmy/galbanum element is the component I am most curious about, if I have to isolate something. I live En Passanot but have only tried in store; I love Blocki For Walks for something light and cool in spring, and also SIP Magazine Street for something more full-bodied, and I look forward to these the most in early spring.
    Thanks for the draw and luscious review! I’m in the US.