Best Feminin Pluriel by Maison Francis Kurkdjian Alternatives & Similar Perfumes

September 1757, Casino Venier, Venice

A powdery floral fragrance based on authentic 18th century cosmetic formulas.

A coquettish floral capturing the decadence of 18th century Venice, its rococo interiors and clandestine affairs: a powdery blend of black violet, blush rose, and chamomile nestled on an impossibly soft base of dusty iris and subtle, animalic amber. 

Matilde Bonaparte, niece of Napoleon I, was known for her breasts (“le plus beau décolleté”) and her talent as a painter. She also hosted a celebrated 19th-century Parisian salon attended by the greatest artists and writers of her time. This namesake perfume is an olfactory salon of provocative white florals (ylang-ylang, narcissus, jasmine) given tropical succulence with passion fruit and papaya. Mathilde’s heady brightness is softened by iris and sandalwood.

The name Alyazia is associated with a rare and delicate gazelle, symbolising grace, elegance and natural beauty. With its traditional Bedouin roots, the name has a strong connection to the heritage of the Arabian Gulf. The fragrance opens with plush, tender violet, illuminated by a solar heart of wild strawberry and orange blossom. The cushioned base of iris, vanilla, tonka bean and sandalwood extends the “ahhhhhhh” of this comforting scent.

A sensual perfume with a powdery retro touch of orris and violets against the clean white musk background.   

Eau de Madame got inspired by the fields filled with irises and violets around Maine Gailard, the little French city where Feret are based.

Perfumer: Julien Rasquinet

Iris Cendre acts cold and green at the opening with the help of bergamot and frankincense, but as the perfume unfolds and smoke lifts, orris appears in its creamy gourmand seductiveness.

In 1912, Houbigant's perfumer Robert Bienaimé picked up the ball from Paul Parquet (who earlier invented the whole fougere category while working for Houbigant at the end of the 18th century) and introduced Quelques Fleurs, one of Houbigant’s all-time great fragrances and the first multi-floral bouquet ever created.

The current owners of Houbigant take the heritage and history of the house very seriously and try to adapt the famous formulas from the 18th and 19th centuries to the 21st century's tastes and technologies while keeping the character and old-school flair as close as possible to the originals.

You might have read about Quelques Fleurs in books on perfume and the guides on the greatest perfumes of all time.

The current reincarnation is an adaptation of the original formula to modern times taste and it benefits from modern advances in perfume making.

Meet the 21st century Quelques Fleurs, a gorgeous romantic floral with a big history and an infinite number of floral facets.

The primal sap of the forest. The dew-soaked ground releases the smell of damp earth that awakens an animal joy. A soft cloud of oak moss and mushrooms rises. Sandalwood envelops, clary sage enlivens. The benzoin drydown reveals amber and resinous notes, prowling like a wolf.

I was inspired while visiting Kew Gardens in London in May. Every May there are hundreds of blooming magnolia trees in different sorts, sizes, scents and colours. Usually it is a very rainy season and my inspiration was to create a scent of the water and rain on magnolia trees.  

The symbol of this modern perfume is an American modern dance pioneer Ruth St. Denis. She is not only a very talented performer, but also very feminine. 

Divine Dancer is an ethereal, watercoloured, light, fresh, feminine floral perfume. It is modern and vivacious fruity floral scent .

The Divine Dancer perfume is dedicated to one of the first American modern dance and ballet performers Ruth St. Denis.

Her vibrant and spirited art of dance, influenced by the East and South Asia, her divine body move and incredible costumes made Ruth St. Denis a worldwide well known star. Her body projects as Temple of femininity. 

When the dancer emerged from the darkness of the stage, her presence was immediately captivating, the air suddenly fragrant with her appearance. Adorned in jewels from head to toe, radiant in a special gold sari, her hair crowned in jasmine, she is an embodiment of divine feminine, mirroring the images of goddesses of Lakshmi and Saraswati but with the talented Ruth St. Denis touch of modern dance and ballet movement.

The so-called “Hanamachi” (花街 literally “flower town”) was traditionally the area where geishas lived and worked. This intriguing perfume evokes the allure of an “oiran”, the highest-ranking courtesan, expressing the contradictory charms of innocence and worldliness. Iris adds ravishing powdery notes to a bouquet of rose and violet. The base of sensual agarwood creates a beautiful harmony suggesting bygone decadence.

The sensual and timeless allure of Joséphine, the woman most loved by Napoleon, is the soul of this namesake perfume, Here Joséphine is reborn as an enveloping floriental. In the opening, the fruity syrup of Bulgarian rose mingles with violet, complicated by the ripe musk of hawthorn and the caramel spice of opoponax. The velvety background of amber is warmed by the resinous tones of Oman incense.