My 86-Year-Old Grandmother and I Never Agree on Fragrance—Until Guerlain Reformulated Shalimar

Fragrance and memory are intertwined—it’s not sentiment, it’s science. Get this: studies show that 75 percent of our memories are triggered by scent. Which, if I’m going to put on my introspective goggles, probably has a little something to do with my current fragrance collection—comprised exclusively of musky gourmands.

Here's the lore. Since I was a little girl, my bubby (aka my grandmother) has stood in firm defense of her one and only signature scent: Guerlain Shalimar. The fragrance, which was developed in 1925, put amber perfumes on the map at a time when feminine florals and powdery jasmines dominated the market. By the '50s (right around the time my bubby got her hands on it), it was an established icon—the pièce de résistance for a seductive, sexy fragrance that oozed French girl sophistication and infused a warm, seductive vanilla into an otherwise masculine mix with effortless ease.

If a stranger is wearing Shalimar, I can pick them out of a crowd. I can let my nose guide me to the display in a department store. And, I could walk my way to my bubby in a room full of 1000 people with a blindfold on—solely letting the scent lead me. Nostalgic as it is, I’ve never actually worn it myself. It’s a perfume that has, and always will, belong to my bubby (in my brain at least.)

But there’s nothing like a 100-year anniversary to prompt me to change my tune. In celebration of a century (!!) on shelves, Delphine Jelk (the coolest person I know and Guerlain’s Director of Perfume Creation) has made what’s old, new again. After all, vintage is more modern than ever in 2025.

Enter: Shalimar L’Essence, an ode to the past 100 years with a very 2025 twist. Searches for vanilla perfumes grew 41 percent year-over-year, and this new interaction reflects the surge. Rather than having the focal point as amber and vanilla sitting in the background, L’Essence flips the formula on its head.

It's warm and comforting (partly because it reminds me of my bubby, partly because it’s by design), has the complex Madagascar vanilla flavor I’ve come to expect from the brand, and constantly evolves on my skin to create an intoxicatingly delicious smell. It’s like an amalgamation of all my favorite woody gourmands. Just, more expensive. Richer. Deeper.

I’ve been wearing it all fall (because who wouldn’t want to smell like that?!) and can conclude it’s a bottled recipe for compliments. But the actual test? Bubby’s stamp of approval. Historically, she hates just about everything I wear. Too sweet. Too strong. Smells cheap. (We’re not a family to hold back our opinions).

So when she walked in the door last week and asked, 'What are you wearing?' I lived for the irony of telling her that it was the 2025 edition of her signature perfume.

Shop Shalimar

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