Tilleul
D'Orsay (1955)

Tilleul by D'ORSAY is a fresh, bright, and natural fragrance, centered around the lovely linden blossom.

The opening features a lemon tree leaf with a bitter green edge, which mellows as the scent evolves, leaving a softer greenness present throughout the wear. A note of crisp, fresh watermelon rind provides a refreshing depth to the scent's green elements, as well as a hint of sweetness.

Tilleul's florals are the main attraction, with the realistic linden blossom at its heart, balancing and uniting the other green and floral aspects of the blend. Cyclamen contributes a gentle, airy aspect, imbuing the scent with a dreamy, watercolor-like nuance. As the colorful notes fade, a soft hay note emerges deep in the dry down, showing up as a slightly powdery presence on the skin.

Tilleul is a timeless, feminine fragrance suitable for all ages, ideal for everyday wear in spring and summer.

I have samples of Tilleul available, feel free to send me a message if you’ve been wanting to try it!

Walking through a hay meadow
you sup lime cordial and dried linden tea
Bees are busy with honey, and build their homes with wax
Someone gives you a cigarette; you don't smoke it.

The afternoon passes like a Monet
and flowers tumble into dusty night air.

Garden-like. Light green. Summery. Slight fruit. The heart is where it's at here. Lovely, lovely linden. Very easy-going. The lime blossom is later accented with beeswax. It becomes a light creamy thing. The base vaguely reminds me of Like This by ELdO. A very pleasant, romantic fragrance.

Tilleul by D'Orsay comes very close to replicating the smell of linden I smelled in Provence one day, with its honeyed sweetness balancing out a fresh, hay-like note. Some people are bothered by the watermelon note they see listed for this, but I swear the watermelon is only there to infuse the drier, more herbal side of the linden with a sweet, “red” pulp or juice.

Simple, beautiful, and somewhat affecting, I'd seriously consider a bottle of this for summer. Many point out a remarkable similarity to Annick Goutal's Eau de Ciel, but I've never smelled that one and I believe it is not as easy to find as the D'Orsay scent.

It is like a floral watermelon. The basenotes bring out what seems like hay. The lime blossom is more subtle than Neroli. Great sillage. The longevity is enormous so don't over-apply.

Genre: Green Floral

I've long been eager to try D'Orsay's rarely available Tilleul. I love green floral scents in general, and the smell of June linden (tilleul) blossoms in particular, and so I expected to love Tilleul. It was with much suspense that I applied some of the sample that finally came my way, and I'm delighted to report that within minutes Tilleul establishes a convincing simulacrum of linden trees in bloom. Unfortunately, that's also just about all it does.

It takes only a few wearings to convince me that smelling like linden blossoms is not as much fun as I'd expected. The unsupported linden feels cold and barren on the skin. Every time I wear Tilleul I wait for something more substantial to emerge, but it never does. Instead the linden turns faintly chemical before drifting off into a sharp, soapy drydown. I've concluded, sadly, that I like linden better in a candle. (Diptyque makes an excellent one.)