Note Pyramid
Temps des Rêves
There is a milky accord in Goutal Paris Temps des Rêves Eau de Toilette, and that single decision is what separates it from every other citrus and flower composition on the shelf.
It begins conventionally enough. Bergamot is bitter and bright, neroli greener and cleaner, and the two together make a crisp, slightly soapy start. The middle then softens quickly: orange blossom brings a honeyed, almost waxy sweetness, and myrrh is set underneath it, bitter and resinous and faintly medicinal, which is an unusual thing to put beneath a white flower and the reason the fragrance has some shade in it.
The base is where the oddity pays off. The milky accord is exactly what it sounds like, soft and creamy and slightly sweet, the smell of warm milk rather than of any flower or wood, and set against sandalwood, which is creamy in its own right, and white musk, which is clean and faintly soapy, it makes a drydown that is comforting in a way very few fragrances even attempt. By the fourth hour it is closer to a blanket than to a perfume.
Five hours is about the limit at this strength, and the presence stays quiet throughout, which suits the character of the thing. It belongs to cool weather, to the evening and to being at home rather than out. It reads unisex with a lean towards women, and anybody who finds most fragrance too sharp or too formal should try it.
The year on it is 2020. Goutal was established in Paris during 1981 by Annick Goutal, who had played concert piano and modelled before she came to scent, and the house has changed hands more than once since: Taittinger first, then Amorepacific in 2011, then a subsidiary of Interparfums in March 2025. Petite Cherie is the other scent it is known for.
Please note: images are a guide only. Packaging and bottle design may occasionally differ from those shown due to manufacturer updates or promotions.
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