By Redolia · Published September 24, 2026
D'ORSAY is a Paris perfume house named for Count Alfred d'Orsay, the dandy who blended a scent for Lady Marguerite Blessington around 1830; the company carrying his name was formalised as the Compagnie Française des Parfums d'Orsay in 1908. It was relaunched after Amélie Huynh acquired it in 2015, and now runs two parallel lines: eaux named with a French phrase and a pair of initials, and Les Extraits, a 35% range launched in September 2024. Every bottle carries a named perfumer, including two by IFF Master Perfumer Dominique Ropion. We carry ten at Redolia.
The story of D'ORSAY
Most houses with a nineteenth-century name have very little nineteenth century left in them. D'ORSAY has one piece that is genuinely old: a linden fragrance it first made in 1915, which Olivia Giacobetti reworked in 1995 and which is still on the shelf as Tilleul d'Ailleurs. A living formula with a hundred-year paper trail, reworked by one of the most distinctive perfumers of her generation, is a rare thing to be able to sell.
The naming is the first thing customers ask about. Each eau is a phrase somebody said followed by a pair of initials, as in "Sur Tes Lèvres. E.Q.", and the house publishes no key, saying only that its names are meant to raise questions. The same initials turn up on more than one fragrance in the wider range, which points to the letters belonging to people rather than scents. Les Extraits drop the convention — no initials, English names, black bottles instead of clear glass.
That extrait line, launched in September 2024, is where the house put its ambition: 35% concentration, high even for an extrait, with the brief for each being a single material in overdose. The perfumer list is the tell. Dominique Ropion, who made Portrait of a Lady and Carnal Flower for Frédéric Malle and Alien for Mugler, composed two of the ten we stock; Nathalie Lorson, Julien Rasquinet, Jordi Fernández, Sidonie Lancesseur, Fanny Bal and Tanguy Guesnet cover the rest. Eight perfumers across ten bottles is not a house voice — it is a house that hires well and gets out of the way.
Every D'ORSAY fragrance we carry, explained
The eaux are $165 / 50 ml or $225 / 90 ml; Les Extraits are $315 / 90 ml.
D'ORSAY Sur Tes Lèvres. E.Q. Eau de Parfum
Notes: pink pepper, ambrette · iris, jasmine · cashmeran, ambroxan. Perfumer: Dominique Ropion. Released: 2023. Price: $165 / 50 ml, $225 / 90 ml.
The most wearable thing the house makes and the bottle customers reach for first. Pink pepper and ambrette open it dry rather than sweet, iris gives that cool powdered texture, and jasmine warms the middle just enough to stop it going austere. If you want one D'ORSAY for a Tuesday morning, this is it.
Best for: spring, daytime, everyday. More by Dominique Ropion. Shop Sur Tes Lèvres.
D'ORSAY À Cœur Perdu. L.B. Eau de Parfum
Notes: iris aldehyde, bergamot · orange blossom, neroli · cashmeran, moss. Perfumer: Fanny Bal. Released: 2023. Price: $225 / 90 ml.
An aldehydic iris with orange blossom doing the work in the middle. The opening has that soapy, slightly metallic lift aldehydes give, reading expensive rather than old-fashioned because the neroli keeps it bright. Moss adds a green edge that stops it turning into a powder puff. Quieter than Sur Tes Lèvres, and more formal.
Best for: spring, daytime, romantic evenings. Shop À Cœur Perdu.
D'ORSAY Dandy or Not. G.A. Eau de Parfum
Notes: cardamom, grapefruit · black tea, orange blossom · leather accord, patchouli. Perfumer: Sidonie Lancesseur. Released: 2022. Price: $165 / 50 ml, $225 / 90 ml.
The one that most earns the house's dandy story. Cardamom and grapefruit open it sharp and bitter, black tea carries the middle dry, then leather arrives with patchouli behind it. Tailored rather than loud — suede-soft, not biker jacket — and our pick of the eaux for the office in cold months.
Best for: autumn and winter, office, evenings. See it against our wider leather picks. Shop Dandy or Not.
D'ORSAY Tilleul d'Ailleurs. C.G. Eau de Toilette
Notes: petitgrain, lemon · linden blossom · acacia wood, beeswax. Perfumer: Olivia Giacobetti. Released: 1995. Price: $225 / 90 ml.
The historic one, and the reason to take this house seriously. D'ORSAY first made a linden fragrance in 1915; Giacobetti reworked it in 1995 and it has stayed in the range since. Petitgrain and lemon open it green and stemmy, then linden blossom does the whole job — honeyed, dusty, faintly tea-like, exactly a lime tree in flower. Acacia wood and beeswax give it a soft landing.
Be realistic about performance: linden is a fleeting material and this is an eau de toilette, so you get a few genuine hours rather than a working day. It is the most beautiful thing here and the least practical, and we would not change a note of it. More by Olivia Giacobetti.
Best for: spring and summer, daytime, the office. Shop Tilleul d'Ailleurs.
D'ORSAY Tonka Hysteria Extrait de Parfum
Notes: mandarin, pink pepper, olibanum, cinnamon · iris butter, iris resin, lily of the valley · tonka bean, benzoin, vanilla. Perfumer: Jordi Fernández. Released: 2024. Price: $315 / 90 ml.
One of the three that launched Les Extraits, and the easiest to love. Mandarin and cinnamon give it a bright, spiced opening, then olibanum pulls it toward incense while iris butter adds a cool texture in the middle. The base is tonka, benzoin and vanilla in the quantities 35% allows — warm, radiant and long.
Best for: autumn and winter, evenings, special occasions. See our tonka and vanilla guide. Shop Tonka Hysteria.
D'ORSAY Incense Crush Extrait de Parfum
Notes: clove, cardamom · leather accord, creamy accord · olibanum, cedarwood, oakwood, vetiver. Perfumer: Julien Rasquinet. Released: 2024. Price: $315 / 90 ml.
The most polarising bottle in the range. The opening is incense ash thrown at you — clove and cardamom over olibanum, dry and smoky from the first second, nothing sweet to cushion it. A creamy accord and soft leather eventually round it off, and cedar, oakwood and vetiver keep the base dry.
People who like church incense call this the best of Les Extraits. People who do not will know within thirty seconds.
Best for: autumn and winter, evenings, dinner. Shop Incense Crush.
D'ORSAY Flower Lust Extrait de Parfum
Notes: pink pepper, black pepper · orange blossom, ylang-ylang · benzoin, sandalwood, tonka bean, patchouli, vetiver. Perfumer: Dominique Ropion. Released: 2024. Price: $315 / 90 ml.
Ropion doing white flowers at 35%, which is the assignment his reputation was built on. Two peppers open it with real heat, then orange blossom and ylang-ylang come through heavy and indolic — a full-fat white floral, not a fresh one. The base is where the craft shows: benzoin, sandalwood and tonka give weight while vetiver and patchouli keep it from going syrupy.
Best for: autumn and winter, special occasions, romantic evenings. Shop Flower Lust.
D'ORSAY Rose Blaze Extrait de Parfum
Notes: bergamot, peach, pink pepper · rose absolute, iris butter · sandalwood, tonka bean, benzoin. Perfumer: Jordi Fernández. Released: 2025. Price: $315 / 90 ml.
A rose built on absolute rather than an accord, and you can tell — it smells like the material, not the idea of a flower. Peach and bergamot make the opening juicy, iris butter cools the heart, and sandalwood with tonka turns the drydown creamy. Warmer and rounder than most niche roses, without the vinegary edge dark roses often carry.
Best for: autumn and winter, date night, special occasions. More options in our rose guide. Shop Rose Blaze.
D'ORSAY Holy Berry Extrait de Parfum
Notes: strawberry milk accord, cardamom · iris concrete, jasmine absolute · white oud accord, vanilla, sandalwood. Perfumer: Tanguy Guesnet. Released: 2025. Price: $315 / 90 ml.
A strawberry milk accord over iris concrete either works completely or not at all, and here it works. The fruit is creamy rather than candied, cardamom keeps it from reading as dessert, and jasmine absolute gives it a grown-up floral spine. A white oud accord adds dryness underneath the vanilla.
Best for: autumn and winter, evenings, everyday if you like gourmand-adjacent florals. Shop Holy Berry.
D'ORSAY Vanilla Affair Extrait de Parfum
Notes: tobacco, tonka bean, cistus · vanilla duo · white musk, patchouli, amber. Perfumer: Nathalie Lorson. Released: 2026. Price: $315 / 90 ml.
The newest extrait and the driest vanilla in the shop. Tobacco and cistus open it resinous and leafy, an unusual way into a vanilla, and the heart is what the house calls a vanilla duo — two vanilla materials played against each other rather than one sweetened up. White musk, patchouli and amber finish it warm but never sugary.
Best for: autumn and winter, evenings, special occasions. Shop Vanilla Affair.
D'ORSAY comparison table
| Fragrance | Family | Best for | Season | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sur Tes Lèvres. E.Q. | Floral (EDP) | Iris musk, everyday signature | Spring | $165 / 50 ml |
| À Cœur Perdu. L.B. | Floral (EDP) | Aldehydic iris, daytime | Spring | $225 / 90 ml |
| Dandy or Not. G.A. | Woody (EDP) | Tea and suede, office | Autumn / Winter | $165 / 50 ml |
| Tilleul d'Ailleurs. C.G. | Floral (EDT) | True linden, perfume history | Spring / Summer | $225 / 90 ml |
| Tonka Hysteria | Amber (Extrait) | Incense-tonka warmth, evenings | Autumn / Winter | $315 / 90 ml |
| Incense Crush | Woody (Extrait) | Dry church incense, sample first | Autumn / Winter | $315 / 90 ml |
| Flower Lust | Floral (Extrait) | Heavy white florals, occasions | Autumn / Winter | $315 / 90 ml |
| Rose Blaze | Floral (Extrait) | Creamy rose absolute, date night | Autumn / Winter | $315 / 90 ml |
| Holy Berry | Fruity (Extrait) | Strawberry milk and iris | Autumn / Winter | $315 / 90 ml |
| Vanilla Affair | Woody (Extrait) | Dry tobacco vanilla, evenings | Autumn / Winter | $315 / 90 ml |
Which D'ORSAY fragrance should you choose?
Start with Sur Tes Lèvres. E.Q. if you want something you will actually wear on ordinary days. It is the cheapest way in at $165 for 50 ml, it is a Ropion composition, and it is the only one here we would call a signature rather than an occasion.
Start with Tonka Hysteria if you are buying an extrait and want the most likeable of the six, or Tilleul d'Ailleurs. C.G. if the 1915-to-1995 story is the part that interests you — knowing it is a few hours of linden, not a performance fragrance.
Sample Incense Crush before buying. It opens on dry incense ash with nothing to soften it, and both camps decide inside a minute. Skip Flower Lust if you already own a heavy white floral — it is excellent, but it fills the same slot as anything tuberose or orange-blossom-led you already have.
One practical note on format: the two eaux available in 50 ml are the only entries under $200, and the extraits come in 90 ml only. To try the extrait line without $315 on the line, our sample programme is the cheaper route.
Frequently asked questions
Is D'ORSAY perfume worth it?
The eaux run $165 for 50 ml and $225 for 90 ml; Les Extraits are $315 for 90 ml at 35%, high even by extrait standards. What you pay for is a named perfumer on every bottle, including Dominique Ropion on two. The extraits are built around one material in overdose, so they are loud rather than safe — sample Incense Crush before buying.
Who owns D'ORSAY and when was it founded?
The house takes its name from Count Alfred d'Orsay, the Parisian dandy who blended a fragrance for Lady Marguerite Blessington around 1830. The company carrying his name was formalised as the Compagnie Française des Parfums d'Orsay in 1908. It was bought by Marie Huet in 2007 and again in 2015 by Amélie Huynh, who drove the relaunch the brand runs on today.
What do the initials in D'ORSAY fragrance names mean?
Each eau pairs a spoken French phrase with a pair of initials, as in “Sur Tes Lèvres. E.Q.” The house does not publish a key, and says its names are meant to raise questions. The same initials do recur across different scents in the wider range, which suggests the letters belong to people rather than to the fragrances.
What is D'ORSAY Les Extraits?
The house's high-concentration line, launched in September 2024 at 35% and framed by the brand as love potions, each built on a single material in overdose. It opened with Incense Crush, Flower Lust and Tonka Hysteria, and has since added Rose Blaze, Holy Berry and Vanilla Affair. All six are 90 ml at $315, in the squat black bottle rather than the clear glass of the eaux.
What does D'ORSAY Tonka Hysteria smell like?
Mandarin, pink pepper, olibanum and cinnamon on top, iris butter and iris resin with lily of the valley in the heart, then tonka, benzoin and vanilla. It reads as a warm, radiant incense-tonka cloud, with above-average longevity. Reviewers are split on whether it is distinctive enough in a crowded category, a fair question at $315.
Does D'ORSAY Tilleul d'Ailleurs last long?
No, and it is not meant to. It is an eau de toilette built on linden blossom over acacia wood and beeswax, and linden is a fleeting material by nature. Expect a few hours of a very true green-floral linden rather than all-day projection — and it is still one of the house's best sellers for exactly that.
Is D'ORSAY unisex?
Yes. All ten we carry are sold unisex, with no gender coding on the packaging. Rose Blaze and Flower Lust lean floral, Dandy or Not and Incense Crush lean dry and smoky, and Sur Tes Lèvres sits in the middle as a soft iris musk.
Which D'ORSAY should I buy first?
Start with Sur Tes Lèvres for the house at its most wearable — iris, jasmine and cashmeran, and the only one we would call an everyday signature. Choose Tonka Hysteria instead if you want the extrait line at its most immediately likeable, or Tilleul d'Ailleurs if you care about perfume history, since it is an Olivia Giacobetti composition from 1995 reworked from a house formula dating to 1915.
All ten sit on our D'ORSAY collection page, and the two Dominique Ropion compositions are gathered on his perfumer page. If you are near central New Jersey, all ten are open on the counter at our Somerville boutique.