Blanche by Byredo

I bought this at the Istanbul Duty Free before heading home and it was a total hit. I prefer perfumes that don’t shout; I’d rather smell clean and good than strong or fruity. It reminds me a bit of Prada l’Homme but with a floral twist, just as the notes suggest. For me, it’s top tier.

It smells incredibly clean. At first, it gave me the sensation of lavender, or rather, lavender fabric softener, due to that density of aldehydes; it smells like a luxury laundry. I liked it a lot, although I don’t think I would wear it myself; perhaps it’s more for ambienting or gifting.

I love this perfume. It is the very definition of a clean scent.

I don’t like it. It smells to me like Ambi Pur soaked in fabric softener. It doesn’t smell like a person’s perfume, but rather a powerful laundry detergent or air freshener in a car left in the sun. Ugh, I couldn’t bear for a woman to wear it.

It’s a bomb of white musk, tremendously soapy, with a floral touch. A clean, spotless aroma. Simple, ethereal and linear. For me, like most, it smells like expensive fabric softener for clothes… but very potent. It’s not even the type of scent I look for in my laundry products because it’s too piercing, so you can imagine this perfume wasn’t for me. The performance is disappointing for the price: the projection is brutal, but after half an hour it drops suddenly and stays skin-scented for about 3-4 hours before disappearing.

If there is anyone from Venezuela who knows it smells like blue soap, it’s great if you want to smell like blue soap, but it’s cheaper to just use the blue soap and say it’s this perfume, haha.

A clean, soapy scent reminiscent of Flor Frescor Azul fabric softener. It’s far too expensive for what it offers; there are cheaper alternatives with the same vibe, such as Clean Warm Cotton.

‘Blanche’ starts promising but ultimately disappoints. I was looking for that clean soap scent, like a shower gel that would last, and here it was. But not to stay. I bought a decant out of fear, tried it, and thought I’d found what I was looking for, but soon realised it was an illusion. It smells like a well-made room freshener, but I don’t want that on my skin. It smells like powder detergent waiting for a garment to be freshly washed. It becomes overwhelming over time and I don’t feel comfortable as I expected. I’m not looking for shelter in clean sheets dried in the sun or tumble dryer. Byredo wins with its Scandinavian concept, but their perfumes fall short for me. Bal d’Afrique is the same: I ask for more than I receive. I’ll keep trying because I’m one of those evocative people where a well-constructed title beats the concept, and there Byredo offers a lot. For me, perfumes are a work of art that starts with the eyes, with the bottle. Being prefabricated, I have to imagine the personality solely from the title. The scent is the final step; if it wins, it’s a 10, a place to live, and if it loses, I think I need to continue educating my nose because perhaps I’m not ready to understand it. And that’s exactly what’s happening to me. I’m idealistic, so I’m not throwing in the towel yet. I’ll finish the decant and reserve it for good mood days, but I won’t spend the fortune it costs to continue. It doesn’t define me.

Totally agree with you, CamilyGreriloud.

Smells like laundry fabric softener in the best sense. For lovers of neutral and fresh aromas. Open, luminous, vaporous, and fresh. Smells like cotton fabrics spread out in the field moving with the wind, like in a Vernel ad. Discreet aldehydic and musky.

If you like pristine perfumes that smell like ultra-clean clothes, I recommend it: it lasts about 10 hours on skin. The first three notes are a bomb of aldehydes reminiscent of anti-limescale tablets (like Calgon), then it softens thanks to the white musk and a touch of peony floral. A casual fragrance and unisex, perfect for all year round, although it shines more in moderate temperatures. It was the Byredo from my discovery pack that I liked the least but had the best performance. Not unpleasant, but on my skin it behaved linearly and sharp. It seems I don’t have much luck with this brand. Pleasant: 5/10 Interesting: 3/10 Versatile: 9/10 Original: 5/10

Thanks to the reviews, I finally took the plunge and ordered a sample. To me, it’s the epitome of a clean scent—a blend of fabric softener and starch. It smells absolutely divine and lasts quite well. However, I wouldn’t pay that price just to smell like detergent; at that level, I expect something that feels like a proper, high-quality perfume.

If last year my favourite fragrance was Delina Exclusif (Parfums de Marly), then in 2021 I have completely changed my approach and returned to my usual preferences for pure, clean, crystalline scents, that is, aldehydic ones, although sometimes more powdery and other times more floral. My bet this year is Blanche and my discovery is Byredo.

Apologies for the dissenting view. Since discovering this site, I always check reviews before buying a new fragrance, partly because I’m venturing into higher price ranges. That’s why I feel compelled to write a negative review; this would have steered me away from Blanche before I bought it. The aldehyde blast is overwhelming and leaves no room for anything else on my skin. If you prefer natural essences or scents that don’t feel synthetic, I wouldn’t recommend it. After a while, a hint of orange caramel emerges, followed later by a pleasant soapy floral note that never quite breaks through or develops, at least on my skin. And always beneath a layer of synthetic aldehydes that dominates throughout, until it seems to open up slightly like morning mist and then… Plop! It’s gone! It barely lasts. It doesn’t even make it through a workday. I’ve re-read the reviews with fresh eyes and I fear I’m not the only one left feeling thoroughly let down (not by white sheets, but by disappointment).

If we were to mix the scent of luxury soap and freshly laundered hotel Ritz sheets, in my mind, it would smell like Blanche. It is an elegant, minimalist, fresh and completely unisex fragrance. I can imagine a man or a woman wearing a crisp white shirt or T-shirt, perfectly dressed, with that simplicity that exudes elegance. I could see it as someone’s personal signature, although I think it would shine especially in spring and summer, or on warmer days in autumn and winter. It could be a very good choice for people who don’t like perfumes that ‘smell like perfume’, for those working in healthcare, or in enclosed spaces. This is not a fragrance to fill a room, but one that will make you think ‘how nice you smell’ when you approach someone, almost making you think they have just come out of the shower, or that their clothes are freshly washed, or that they simply smell naturally good. Edit: the dry-down reminds me quite a bit of Carolina Herrera’s 212.