French brand Cartier is renowned for exquisite jewellery and elegant timepieces. A move into fragrance in 1981 saw the launch of “Must de Cartier”, a green Oriental fragrance that broke with convention. We have uncovered ten of the best Cartier perfumes for women that offer an exclusive invisible aura of elegance.
Louis-François Cartier founded Cartier in Paris in 1847, taking over the workshop of Adolphe Picard. Although his son took over the company, it was his grandsons – Pierre and Jacques – who established the brand worldwide. Pieces by Cartier have since been worn by both celebrities and royalty around the world.
Top 10 Best Cartier Perfumes
We’re sharing our pick of the 10 best Cartier perfumes for women that have just the right combination of style, sophistication and elegance.
1. La Panthère Eau de Toilette
Review
La Panthère Eau de Toilette is a captivating perfume that Cartier describes as a ‘feline-floral’ fragrance. It reflects a liberal and passionate woman with its combination of white flowers and musk.
This fragrance, opening with a zestiness of bergamot and grapefruit, melts into a powdery heart of rose and white florals. Mixed with juicy notes of pear and pineapple give a delicious succulence to the blend. The fragrance then dries down to base notes of musk, sandalwood, patchouli and leather.
La Panthère Eau de Toilette has reasonable performance, lasting around 4 hours on average be it fades. It also has a moderate sillage that isn’t too overpowering or pushy. This lightness makes it a perfect choice for daytime wear and ideal for seasonal spring-time events.
The bottle lives up to its feline namesake, with heavy faceted-glass that replicates the angular face of a panther. The pink perfume and gold accents keep the bottle looking feminine and flirty, rather than gimmicky. Cartier has clearly put thought into the packaging with this one, as you’d expect from luxury jewellers and watchmaker.
Top Notes:
Bergamot, Grapefruit
Mid Notes:
Gardenia, Green Notes, Jasmine, Lily-of-the-Valley, Pear, Pineapple, Rose
Base Notes:
Musk, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Leather
Price & Reviews
You can check the latest pricing, see customer reviews and shop online at Cartier:
2. Cartier La Panthère Eau de Parfum
Review
The Eau de Parfum version of La Panthère is much fruiter than it’s Eau de Toilette counterpart. The panther is the symbol of the brand and this perfume family, named after the nickname of Cartier’s lover and muse Jeanne Toussaint.
The fragrance is a sensual and bold Chypre Floral that represents an independent, graceful and rebellious woman. The top fruity notes give a sweet but fresh opening, thanks to zesty bergamot and hints of anise.
It then leads the way to delicious florals in the heart notes, mixed with juicy aromas of pear and orange. The perfume dries down to the warming woody base of musk, oakmoss, patchouli and leather.
La Panthère Eau de Parfum is best suited as a spring or autumn fragrance and works well for daytime or night wear comfortably. It’s long-lasting, with a moderate to heavy sillage that lasts in the air.
It features a similar bottle to the Eau de Toilette version, with a stylised panther’s face reflected in the facets of the bottle and similar pink and gold hues. It’s longer and more streamlined.
Top Notes:
Rhubarb, Strawberry, Dried Fruits, Bergamot, Anise
Mid Notes:
Gardenia, Orange Blossom, Pear, Rose, Ylang-Ylang
Base Notes:
Musk, Oakmoss, Patchouli, Leather
Price & Reviews
You can check the latest pricing, see customer reviews and shop online at Selfridge:
3. Cartier Carat Eau de Parfum
Review
Cartier Carat Eau de Parfum is a luminous floral that has been created by head perfumer Mathilde Laurent. It captures seven fresh floral notes to reflect the colours in the colour prism of a diamond. Best described as a luminous, bright and pure scent.
The opening notes of pear and bergamot, coupled with the florals, reflect a beautiful colour prism of violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red. Those are captured through the sweet, dazzling heart of violet, lily, hyacinth, ylang-ylang, narcissus, honeysuckle and tulip. This pleasant bouquet after a while dries down to a powdery base of mimosa and white must.
It’s moderate lasting, around 5 hours’ maximum wear, and has an average sillage. Best suited to wear during the day and for spring days, the fruity and floral combination makes it an excellent choice for summer too.
The bottle is art-deco in style and faceted like a diamond, capturing the light and glinting with different colours. Perfectly in keeping with the diamond theme.
Top Notes:
Pear, Bergamot, Green Notes
Mid Notes:
Violet, Lily, Hyacinth, Ylang-Ylang, Narcissus, Honeysuckle, Tulip
Base Notes:
Mimosa, White, Musk
Price & Reviews
You can check the latest pricing, see customer reviews and shop online at Selfridges:
4. Must de Cartier Eau de Toilette
Review
Must de Cartier Eau de Toilette is the original and first fragrance created by Cartier in 1981. This fresh oriental scent was created by the nose Jean Jacques-Diener. The sensual scent is incredibly feminine and mysterious.
Opens sharply with the intensely green scent of galbanum which settles nicely to reveal fresh pineapple and mandarin. A light floral heart soon blooms but never overpowers and entwines with a musky spiced accord. The dry-down is warm and sexy with, sensual notes of amber, spice and wood. Very classic and dare I say ‘femme fatale’.
Must de Cartier has heavenly sillage that will get you noticed for all the right reasons and is very long-lasting at 6+ hours.
As for when to wear, an excellent choice for the evening, particularly in autumn and winter. Deserves to be worn when you are all dressed up to allow it to cast its magic and truly shine. The bottle is understated and classy, rather than showy, with the fragrance being the focus of the attention here.
Top Notes:
Aldehydes, Pineapple, Mandarin, Galbanum, Peach, Bergamot, Brazilian Rosewood, Lemon
Mid Notes:
Carnation, Leather, Narcissus, Musk, Orchid, Orris Root, Jasmine, Vetiver, Neroli, Ylang-Ylang, Rose
Base Notes:
Amber, Sandalwood, Tonka Bean, Vanilla, Vetiver, Civet
Price & Reviews
You can check the latest pricing, see customer reviews and shop online at Selfridges:
5. Must de Cartier Parfum
Review
This parfum version of the original Must de Cartier is a more simple take on the 1981 classic that first launched Cartier’s perfume empire. It still has a fresh, Oriental profile with green notes.
With top notes of jasmine, heart notes of galbanum and base notes of vanilla on dry down, it’s an uncomplicated fragrance. It manages to be opulent, feminine and sensual all at once – probably more so than the Eau de Toilette version despite the ingredients. The fragrance starts out a little sharp before blooming into creamy vanilla and spice with underlying freshness.
It’s long-lasting, with a heavy sillage that really lingers on the skin and in the air. For this, it’s probably best worn in the evening and at cooler times of the year like autumn and winter to make sure that it doesn’t become too intoxicating for those around you.
The packaging of Must de Cartier Parfum invokes the era of its conception. It’s red, gold and bold with a retro feel to it that invokes vintage glamour.
Top Notes:
Jasmine
Mid Notes:
Galbanum
Base Notes:
Vanilla
Price & Reviews
You can check the latest pricing, see customer reviews and shop online at Cartier:
6. Baiser Volé Eau de Parfum
Review
Baiser Volé Eau de Parfum is another oriental fragrance from Cartier with a passionate and exciting undertone. The story of pure passion is told in this perfume which looks to symbolise fieriness and emotionally charged interactions through floral majesty.
Matilde Laurent – head perfumer at Cartier – said that with Baiser Volé Eau de Parfum she wanted to ‘recreate the scent of bundles of flowers on the neck’.
Baiser Volé is an intensely floral, fresh and flowery adventure. Opening with top notes of crisp citrus, a heart of fragrant Lilly soon blooms and mingles with scattered green notes upon dry-down. Don’t be fooled by its simplicity, this is a seriously sophisticated and beautiful perfume.
It’s best suited to wear in spring and summer, definitely veering towards daytime wear rather than the evening. It’s moderately long-lasting with an equally moderate sillage that settles carefully and gently on the skin without significant intensity.
The bottle is understated, classic and timeless. It’s shorter and wider than a lot of other perfume packagings with a brushed silver-coloured lid engraved with the Cartier logo and clear, heavy glass.
Top Notes:
Citruses
Mid Notes:
Orchid
Base Notes:
Lily, Green Notes
Price & Reviews
You can check the latest pricing, see customer reviews and shop online at Cartier:
Review
This fragrance is a luxurious and exciting addition to Cartier’s range. Its unique composition is tempting and provocative with a tender heart and was created by Christine Nagel.
Opens with notes of spicy pink pepper, juicy cherry and crisp bergamot. The cherry top notes are really apparent from the first spray. A heart of violet, freesia and jasmine bloom sweetly and give way to sensual sandalwood, tonka bean, amber and vanilla in the base.
Delices Cartier Eau de Toilette lasts on the skin for 3-5 hours, with a moderate sillage that doesn’t overpower. It’s versatile and can be worn night or day. It suits autumn and winter wear best.
The bottle is luxurious, dramatic and commands attention. It’s glossy and bright red with metallic, angular silver accents and Cartier engraved logo on the bottle lid that makes people take notice. It definitely has dressing table appeal – leaving it on display is absolutely a must.
Although now discontinued, you can still grab a bottle of this classic fragrance on sites such as Amazon and eBay.
Top Notes:
Pink Pepper, Cherry, Bergamot
Mid Notes:
Violet, Freesia, Jasmine
Base Notes:
Sandalwood, Tonka Bean, Amber, Vanilla
Price & Reviews
You can check the latest pricing, see customer reviews and shop online at Amazon:
8. Eau de Cartier Concentree
Review
The sublime and aromatic citrus Eau de Cartier Concentree was created by Christine Nagel and launched in 2002. It has a velvety freshness that’s simple and light. It’s reminiscent of the fresh scent of violet leaves with underlying wood-amber warmth.
Eau de Cartier concentree has unusual top notes of coriander and yuzu that develop into heart notes of violet leaf and lavender. Sensual base notes of deep cedar, musky patchouli and warm amber add depth.
The lightness and simplicity of the fragrance lends itself well to daytime wear in spring and summer. The simplicity is also reflected in the moderate sillage and longevity of the scent, which lasts 4+ hours on the skin.
The modern freshness and simplicity of the fragrance is displayed in the clean, unisex packaging of Eau de Cartier concentre with clear glass and silver accents. The black lettering and timeless Cartier logo wrap around the bottle in an understated way that’s still very visibly Cartier.
Top Notes:
Coriander, Yuzu
Mid Notes:
Violet Leaf, Lavender
Base Notes:
Cedar, Patchouli, White Amber
Price & Reviews
You can check the latest pricing, see customer reviews and shop online at Cartier:
9. Les Epures de Parfum Pur Magnolia Eau de Toilette
Review
Launched in 2020 and created by Mathilde Laurent, Les Epures de Parfum Pur Magnolia is a floral fragrance for women with a zing of citrus rather than an overly romantic overtone. The collection celebrates the original resonance and beauty of living nature.
It’s a distinctly floral fragrance which features magnolia as top, heart and base and is cut through with citrus scents which adds a delightful freshness. It’s a relatively simple fragrance without the complexity of other scents yet smells beautiful on the skin. Proof that a simple fragrance can still be incredibly stunning.
With excellent longevity and a heavy sillage that really does make an impact, the fragrance is suitable for year-round wear. Possibly leaning slightly more towards spring and summer on account of the florals. It’s most compatible with daytime wear but could be worn quite happily in the evening too.
Despite the fragrances self-proclaimed “lack of romance”, the bottle is feminine, fun and floral. It features a magnolia design overlaid across a heavy glass bottle with gold writing and lilac tie. It’s tall and elegant with just the slightest pop of fun that peeks through.
Perfume Notes:
Magnolia, Citruses
Price & Reviews
You can check the latest pricing, see customer reviews and shop online at Cartier:
10. Le Baiser Du Dragon
Review
Le Baiser Du Dragon Eau de Parfum (meaning: the Dragon’s Kiss) is a little bit of a throwback, in a good way. It harks back to the glamour and sophistication of perfume before the ‘freshness’ of the 1990s. It’s a soft and powerful Oriental fragrance – described as a vetiver chypre – that’s filled with dreams, mysteries and inspiration from Eastern culture.
With enticing top notes of gardenia, bitter almond, amaretto and neroli, you know you are in for a wild ride. These fuse with a delightful heart of delicate iris and jasmine blended with cedar and rose. Upon dry-down, warming amber and benzoin blend with soothing dark chocolate, caramel, vetiver and cedar. Patchouli is also every-present throughout and adds a delicate sweet musk.
It’s a dynamic scent that mixes sweetness and tenderness with an untamed scent that evokes sensuality, comfort and depth. It’s also long-lasting, with a heavy sillage that settles warmly into the skin.
The packaging evokes throwback glamour too, combining red and black with circular glass designs and the Cartier logo. It’s the kind of bottle that’s noticeable without shouting about it.
Top Notes:
Gardenia, Bitter Almond, Amaretto, Neroli
Mid Notes:
Iris, Musk, Jasmine, Cedar, Rose
Base Notes:
Amber, Patchouli, Benzoin, Dark Chocolate, Caramel, Vetiver, Cedar
Price & Reviews
You can check the latest pricing, see customer reviews and shop online at Amazon:
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a glamorous, luxurious fragrance, Cartier is clearly a serious contender. With hundreds of fragrances and a varied scent profile in each one, there’s a reason why they’ve been going strong as a revered perfume house for almost 40 years. Of the 10 best Cartier perfumes for women we have reviewed, there’s something for every season and occasion. All you have to do is choose!
Before you go, I have put together a review of the most elegant perfumes ranging from timeless classics to modern day sophistication that I think you will enjoy.
Further Reading
Below are some additional articles from Viora London’s blog. We write articles on a number of interesting lifestyle topics such as fragrance, beauty, luxury accessories and more.
