Ultraviolet by Rabanne
Women 1999
Main accords
Description
Ultraviolet by Rabanne is an oriental floral fragrance for women. Launched in 1999, the nose behind this composition is Jacques Cavallier Belletrud. The top notes reveal pepper, orange pepper, allspice, bergamot, coriander, fresh almonds and Brazilian rosewood; the heart unfolds violet, Japanese osmanthus, rose and jasmine; while the base notes complete the pyramid with vanilla, patchouli, amber and cedar.
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The olfactory pyramid
A guide to the opening, heart and lasting trail of the fragrance.
The community speaks
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In the collection
Leading answer I owned it
14,471 votes
What do you think?
Leading answer Like it
5,828 votes
Season
Choose severalLeading answer Winter
4,525 votes
Time of day
Choose severalLeading answer Day
2,843 votes
Each question has its own vote count. You can choose several seasons.
Fragrance profile
About Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet by Rabanne is an oriental floral fragrance for women. Launched in 1999, the nose behind this composition is Jacques Cavallier Belletrud. The top notes reveal pepper, orange pepper, allspice, bergamot, coriander, fresh almonds and Brazilian rosewood; the heart unfolds violet, Japanese osmanthus, rose and jasmine; while the base notes complete the pyramid with vanilla, patchouli, amber and cedar.
Spices Green, herbal and fougère Woods and mosses Flowers White flowers Musk, amber and animalic
It may remind you of
Ranked by what the community voted.
More from Rabanne
Related editions
More from Jacques Cavallier Belletrud
How it wears
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Longevity
Leading answer Long-lasting
1,829 votes
Sillage
Leading answer Moderate
2,054 votes
Character
Leading answer Traditionally feminine
854 votes
Value perception
Leading answer Fair price
733 votes
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Community reviews
40 reviews
Share what you noticed: opening, drydown, sillage and the moments when it works for you.
It’s been my perfume since I was born. I even tried to betray it, just as I did with Edén by Cacharel, but Ultraviolet swept everything away and erased any prior memories. Like bubbles of fine champagne rising to the nose: sparkling, playful, it catches you and won’t let go on a sweet, feminine, and bold journey—spicy, talc-like yet vibrant, very warm at the base. Like a playful fairy wrapping around you. I said I was trying to escape to run off on adventures… and yet I always return, defeated and hopelessly in love. Oh!
I love it; I used it a lot straight after launch. I was captivated by the distinct violet and that modern sensation on skin. I adore its dry-down: strong opening, but within minutes it becomes beautiful. I went mad when I found it discontinued; I got it yesterday and as soon as I tested it, it transported me back to 2006/08 when I used it so much. Everyone always praised it. It lasts about 4 hours now in summer, perhaps longer in winter.
My signature scent for years, although I own many, I always reach for this one. I met it through a university friend in 2004. I decided to try it in 2008; at first, the opening didn’t appeal to me, but in the shop it overwhelmed me. Then the dry-down was different, beautiful on my skin: strong violet, feminine, jovial, neither sweet nor vintage like Insolense by Guerlain, but sexy with personality. I love the scent on clothes and the blend with vanilla. It lasts hours on skin and fabric, leaving a sexy and original trail. There is no dupe or similar. It’s versatile for day or night, any season. I prefer it in autumn/winter, but I always return to it. I love it.
A lovely perfume; it literally smelled of slightly talc-like violets. What a pity it’s discontinued.
I don’t understand why it’s listed for autumn/winter; it’s very soft, fresh, slightly talc-like with a spicy touch, but on my skin it’s not warm at all. I was disappointed when I received it a year ago; I expected more and the maceration hasn’t improved. I’ll use it for sport or as an EDT in spring. In summer I wear little perfume and it would never be chosen at night. I don’t dislike it, but I wouldn’t recommend it; I expected more. Edit: I tried it in summer, nice opening but very short longevity. A pity, it doesn’t match my skin.
Ideal for a woman on a Friday evening or night: fresh from work, a shower, apply it and spend the night on the sofa with a blanket, alone or accompanied. A perfume that embraces; if you love violet hugs, this is yours. Very sexy, and you can tell how it evolves with the heat of the skin. I love it 😀
I expected a soft, talc-like perfume, but in the end it seems only spicy; let’s not even talk about the longevity.
My favourite: it smells soft and citrusy, with delicate violets and leaves a pleasant trail. I like that it feels citrusy without being heavy. I can’t quite explain it, but it smells exquisite.
A work of art: opening is a clean, fresh, and spicy breath. The violet is felt all the time and leaves a vanilla trail on clothes. 10/10!
Ultraviolet marked my youth at the turn of the new millennium. Its marked violet, as the name suggests, is ideal for lovers of the note. It’s not powdery or ethereal violet; here it blends with pepper, making it sharp and scandalous. It’s an EDP that suits girls with a dramatic style. Nothing romantic, but a young, bold, and independent woman. It reflects a futuristic scent with a metallic hint from the bell pepper (I notice it quite a bit). It’s not my style as it borders on vulgar, but I keep it for the memories it evokes.
Ultraviolet is my first love and I’m still stuck on it; this perfume has no rival! I’ve been wearing it for 20 years and it remains my favourite among thousands. I try new fragrances, but none match its impact or originality. I adore it and I can’t see myself without it ever again 😍
This damn thing is absolutely to blame for having ‘an issue’ with scents. I went to Sephora looking for a distinctive, signature scent (having only known the blackberry one from Mercadona and a Victoria’s Secret as my only references, knowing nothing about perfumes). Everything on the shelves seemed boring, telling me nothing… until I came across that alien-looking violet sphere. I still remember what I felt: chills and a unique, intoxicating smell I’d never encountered before and couldn’t describe (perfumes had never interested me like this before). I shouted to myself: ‘I NEED IT’, ‘it’s what I’ve always desired all my life without knowing it’. Now I know that marked scent is violet. It has something sweet and unique that I believe is the bell pepper (what a cool thing). It lasts a beast and the problem I have today is that it’s ultra mega powdery. But currently, I enjoy it a lot with just ONE spray. I can’t say it’s my favourite with everything that’s passed through my nose this last year, but it undoubtedly has a special place in my heart 🌆👾⚗️💜. A nasty, original, and unique beast, very mystical and mysterious. Its flaw is that brutal powdery finish that wears off. I see it for cold or mild evenings, not for every occasion.
I like it a lot; it’s one of the ones I spend and spend again, of the ones I like to have for certain occasions. More for winter and autumn, and I like it for the day. Very long-lasting, with such a characteristic scent, it’s unmistakable. The best violet.
Similar to Armaf Futura La Femme
I love it; for me it’s a sublime fragrance, elegant, beautiful, distant, it smells expensive, sophisticated, it has personality, it’s not a usual scent. When I wear it, everyone tells me they love it. I even had a boyfriend who absolutely didn’t like perfumes, but he never said anything when I wore it; according to him, he reacted well with my skin. It brings me immense nostalgia; I used to wear it as a teenager. Although it’s quite formal for a young person, I always had that serious and distant profile, so I think it suited me perfectly, and still, depending on your character, you need to know how to wear it; it’s not for everyone, it doesn’t suit just anyone. To this day, I still use it, less because it’s been discontinued, and I take care of it so it lasts in case I can’t get it again. You have no idea how much it hurts me to read that people have it and don’t like it; with my eyes closed, I’d swap any other fragrance I have for it. For me, it’s the LADY of fragrances. If you use this sublime fragrance and it suits you, I assure you you’ll be memorable, and if by chance you cross paths with someone using the same fragrance, they’ll remember you; it’s not something that fades away so quickly. I have people from my school days who knew me wearing this perfume, and at meetings if I bring it, they always leave with good comments <3
Ultraviolet can’t be missing from my collection. I don’t know if it’s been reformulated; I perceive the same now as when I was 20 and used to bathe in this scent every day; it was my signature fragrance and I knew nothing about it 😁. At the time, I bought it because a friend smelled it on me; when I used it for the first time, I thought it wasn’t the same Ultraviolet, that it was defective… it smelled so different on my skin! It starts with the pepper almost annoying the nose but soon mixes with the sweetness of almonds, violets (such special violets!) and a vanilla that’s a bit artificial but equally charming. When it settles, it’s a combination of sweet and spicy, purple and vanilla, beautiful. In love. Spectacular performance, projects for eight hours after application… if I don’t shower, I can still smell it in the morning.
I just bought it blind and what a disappointment. Based on its notes, I imagined it would be a powerful bomb, but I have to press my nose to my wrist to be able to feel it. We’re talking about an Eau de Parfum but it has the performance of a body mist… I must clarify that a year has passed since I bought this perfume and oh, it’s a bomb; it seems I should have left it forgotten in my closet to return to using it. It’s lasting me 6 hours or more but 6 hours of power; I wish to use it for night outings and on cold days. I’m delighted. I think I’ll replace it before it runs out, but I’ll let it age for a few months so it gains potency.
I used to steal this perfume from my mum to go to school; I had the big one and the travel size and I enjoyed smelling it and feeling when she was leaving. Then things changed and I only got used to the ones given to me or the ones I’d catch. Recently, I was smelling perfumes; I spent time smelling perfume after perfume and none caught me. I saw it and tried it just because I saw it there, on the counter, and it gave me nostalgia. About 15 years later, a single test and I already knew it was the perfume for me and I remembered it as if a day hadn’t passed since the last time I smelled it. A great fragrance; few perfumes have the first impression of this. When you read the purple scent, you can’t imagine anything more than this scent. It’s wonderful.
It’s curious how a scent can put years on you or, conversely, take them off… Ultraviolet was modern for its time, and to this day, I’ve smelled it and fallen in love. It’s fresh and sweet at the same time, different and with lots of style; the price is great and the truth is I haven’t smelled it on almost anyone… so it has everything to stay with me!! Super super recommended!
I don’t have it but I tried it the other day and the little I can say is that it’s a fragrance totally out of the ordinary nowadays; if you like violets like me, you’ll be blown away, and it’s quite potent. It’s a pity that I didn’t live through this perfumery era; before, perfumes were made with much better performance and were much more distinct; this one will fall. The only thing I don’t like is the little bottle, which reminds me of DKNY.
At twenty, in a friend’s room, I smelled this and was completely hypnotised. I memorised it and now I own a bottle; it’s like a dream coming true. At first, it’s sharp and intense, but then it blooms into something floral with real personality and presence.
I bought it blind and I’m still discovering it. On my skin, it’s powerful at first, then softens, and after four hours it clings to the skin for another couple of hours. It doesn’t smell strange or daring as people say; once it dries down, it’s just violets—a lovely, youthful and versatile scent for dressing up. It reminds me of those purple cinnamon chewing gums; it doesn’t smell dated and I’m sure I’ve smelled it on someone in the 90s. It’s very familiar.
My twenty-three years in Madrid, breaking hearts.
I bought it at twenty during my techno-pop phase, wearing silver clothes, chokers and blue lips; now I can’t stand it. The violet is horrible, smelling cheap with notes of pepper and synthetic coriander. It has a hint of jasmine, some amber and lots of cedar. It’s a unisex perfume from a specific era for a specific generation (the original 1999 version).
If I could describe my adolescence with a scent, it would be Ultraviolet 💜. It’s the quintessential violet perfume, but with that spicy, daring, youthful and vibrant twist. I’ve worn it since its launch (though less recently due to changing tastes). It will always stay in my collection, not for use but for nostalgia: gang hangouts, first loves and candy floss worlds. Oh, youth, divine treasure 🥰
Hard to describe. The violets are very prominent 💜. It’s a well-executed and unusual fragrance. You might not expect what you find, but it pleasantly surprises: it’s neither overly sweet nor overpowering. Seems suitable for everyday wear but of good quality. Perhaps it doesn’t project much, but the scent is so agreeable. Once someone told me it smelled like hair tonic, but I never perceived it that way. I’d love to find a dupe because in Argentina it was only available at excessive or dubious prices. Edit: it’s back on sale in Argentina and it’s finally in my hands 💜
Wow, I took my time testing it and it’s brilliant. I also tried Halloween, which seems like the innocent version of Ultraviolet. This one is the mature, no-nonsense choice. The violet, though talcum-heavy, feels refreshing to me, as if sugared and damp with rain. It reminds me of a shower and cleanliness, fresh, watery, soapy, and wet. That freshness and the kick of the chilli pepper welcome you with an almost rocker character (it reminds me of a cold black leather jacket, like your ex-biker’s 🤣). Then there’s a creamy, warm side that soothes, avo-cadoed, almond-scented, with the smoothness of a rose petal, and a slight, coquettish nip. Sometimes I feel I hate its concept; it seems more masculine, it could easily be in a pink bottle. It’s special, eccentric in its notes, but the scent isn’t strange; it’s super feminine with a cosy finish and lots of personality 💗
Violets upon violets and talcum. Slightly oriental, but basically floral with violets in full bloom. There are many dupes; in Chile there’s one, Sexy Night by Clyo, slightly citrusy, but the base is Ultraviolet.
I like this fragrance; I feel joyful wearing it. Although it launched over 20 years ago, it feels timeless and suitable for any occasion. I’ve read it’s intrusive, but I don’t feel that way. It’s different from today’s trends, but I perceive it as interesting, balanced, and well-constructed. I like the notes, especially the violet, pepper, and chilli. It has character and something different to say. Sincerely, I like it very much.
I’ve just acquired a bottle and although the fragrance is the same as when I used it in high school, now I find it extremely strong until it gives me a headache. This didn’t happen when I wore it in my youth. What a pity because I loved it 🙁