I must be feeling nostalgic lately. This week I found myself digging into my "perfume cabinet" and pulling out a bottle of Cacharel LouLou that I bought nearly a decade ago. Cacharel launched LouLou in 1987, positioning it as a more seductive older "sister" to the highly successful Anaïs Anaïs (1978). I was always intrigued by LouLou, and now I'm wondering why I've never worn it on a more regular basis.
Loulou is a floriental fragrance developed by perfumer Jean Guichard; its composition includes top notes of bergamot, black currant buds, green leaves, marigold and mandarin; heart notes of jasmine, heliotrope, mimosa, tiaré flower and ylang-ylang; and base notes of tonka bean, incense, iris, musk, vanilla and sandalwood. According to Michael Edwards's Perfume Legends, it was inspired by the silent-film actress Louise Brooks and her performances in films like Pandora's Box.1
Starlets continue to imitate Brooks's black bobbed hair, dark lipstick, and porcelain skin, but they never manage to duplicate her mischievous allure. Just like Brooks, LouLou has a mix of sweetness and sharpness that still intrigues me. It starts off with an astringent, almost bitter accord of citrus and green notes that might discourage me if it stuck around too long. However, like someone who comes off a bit abrasive when first introduced and then turns out to be quite charming once she lets down her defenses, LouLou goes from piercing to plush. Its heart offers a cherry-almond note of heliotrope, plenty of creamy white florals, and a liberal dusting of fancy talcum powder (partly from the iris root).
You can probably see why LouLou isn't really a crowd-pleaser, and if you really don't like powdery florientals, you won't get along with this one. On the other hand, if you're still undecided about notes like heliotrope and tonka and vanilla in your fragrance, you might find that LouLou tips the balance one way or another for you. Its generous dose of vanilla has a bittersweet edge — it never turns dessert-like. The dry down is still vanillic, balanced by a skin-musk and a breath of incense, and it brings LouLou to a very satisfying conclusion. LouLou has remarkable tenacity: I apply one spritz to the inside of each forearm, and at the end of a full workday I can still smell a gauzy layer of vanilla-musk and sandalwood clinging to my skin.
As Michael Edwards points out, LouLou was launched two years after the fruity-spicy Poison (1985); I've come to think of this scent as a midway point between Poison's weirdo diva and the heady, ultra-feminine (yet well-mannered) Trésor (1990). LouLou didn't succeed in the United States like either of those fragrances did, but it feels somehow less dated to me — maybe because it never saturated the market in the same way, or because vanilla has undergone such a renaissance over the past decade, or maybe because of some quirk in its design that just makes it hard to pin down.
I remember quite a few girls wafting clouds of Anaïs Anaïs when I was in high school and college, but not as many wearing LouLou. I didn't wear it in those days, although I admired its ads in many glossy magazines. I feel like LouLou and I were a "missed connection" for a long time. I'm glad we finally meshed, so that I can get a bit sentimental while still enjoying a sense of novelty.
One quick note about LouLou's opaque faceted bottle: it was designed by Annegret Beier, in shades of azure blue and blood red inspired by Matisse's Odalisque with Red Trousers (1921),2 and it perfectly suits the retro-chic style of the fragrance inside.
Cacharel fragrances can be somewhat difficult to find in the United States. However, LouLou is available at very reasonable price points through online discounters and auction sites.
If you're curious, you can also read reviews of LouLou on Bois de Jasmin and The Non-Blonde.
1. Michael Edwards, Perfume Legends: French Feminine Fragrances (1996), pp. 235-37.
2. Edwards, pp. 238-39.
Thank you Jessica for the lovely review. I have been in love with Lou Lou since it came out. It was a long time before I could actually wear it on myself. For some reason when I was younger, I would get a headache from Lou Lou. I persisted though, and now can wear it regularly.
You are very welcome! I know exactly how you feel — this one was just a little too powdery, too sharp, too MUCH for me in the 1990s. But now that my tastes have evolved, and I’ve gone big and powdery in other ways (Keiko Mecheri Loukhoum, anyone?), LouLou “fits” me much better~
I had a Brooks bob for years – I loved it, except for the upkeep. And so I’ve always been curious about LouLou . . . to be honest, Brooks herself seemed more of a vintage Tabac Blond-wearer to me, rather than a powdery floriental. Or like someone who just dabbed champagne behind her ears. Does anyone know if it comes up in Barry Paris’s book? I haven’t read it in a few years.
Oh, how I wanted a Louise Brooks bob — and still do, even though I finally learned to love my curly hair! I wonder what the real LB wore… I’m going to try to find out.
Thank you for the review! Lou Lou sounds lovely – I’ll be keeping my eye out for a bottle of it.
It’s definitely a French Perfume, but it’s quirky enough that I don’t have to save it for evenings or special occasions. Well, I might not wear it on very hot days, to job interviews, etc. — but it’s more wearable than I used to think it was. I hope you’ll get to try it!
The funny thing about Lou Lou now, seems a bit innocent, when you know how many powerhouse fragrances there is out there, now
I like Anais Anais for what it is and it is really lovely and charming, but it never really grabbed me
I always loved and still love Lou Lou, but I think it has been tweaked. I remember it being more heavy on the jasmine note, than it is now, but it is still pretty good and I like that they haven’t changed the bottle design or packing, as they seem to do with fragrances, that is on the market for a long time.
I am so disappointed in the redesigned bottle for Opium. It makes me sad to see the new bottle. The old ones was really very orient inspired. The new one is just flat and boring.
I think I might get me a new bottle of Lou Lou and remember all the fun times I had with the fragrance
Although I’m glad that they redesigned the Opium bottle as an acknowledgement that the juice was totally reformulated. At least there is no confusion about pre and post reform.
Agreed. I have no interest in the new formula
Victoria wrote an interesting comparison-review of the older and newer versions on Bois de Jasmin — I wish I had my own bottle or decant of the 1980s/1990s formulation!
I agree, the formulat was changed and it is not the same Loulou anymore.
I’m sure it’s been tweaked somewhere along the line…I don’t have a 1980s sample for reference, but if the jasmine has been tuned down, that could also explain my increased tolerance for this fragrance!
Probably
But I’m a big jasmine whore, so I adore the vintage version
That said, I still find it adorable and very wearable
I have to have a little bottle of it
I wore Lou Lou as my “signature” scent from 1987 to about 1995. I still have an old bottle from the 90’s and wear it a few times a year. Thanks, Jessica for telling me about the color combination on the bottle–I always wondered about it. Also why the parfum had that spike on the top…
Oh, so great! My signatures in that time slot were Oscar de la Renta Ruffles, followed by Laura Ashley no. 1… I *think* my college roommate owned LouLou for a while, which would have ruled it out for me, anyway! We all need our own signatures.
Thanks Jessica for the trip down memory road. I think Cacharel does some interesting scents and Amor Amor is another one worth trying. Christopher Sheldrake mentioned it in an interview.
I need to revisit Amor Amor and Noa. It’s been a while! I might like them more than I did at the time…
Loved the look of the bottle when this came out. The perfume, though, was just too much muchness for my nose then. I wonder if things have changed?
It was definitely too much for me at the time! but now I can pull it off, whether because my tastes have shifted (which they have!), or because it’s been reformulated a bit, I’m not sure. Both?
I recently bought a bottle from on online discounter but I haven’t opened it yet. ElisaP likes it a lot and its everything but the kitchen sink notes intrigued me. My sister had a bottle of Anais Anais when she was a teen and I was tween. I used to sneak wear it just like her Tatiana. Silly me always got caught
What season(s) would you typically wear this?
Tatiana!! Wow, I forgot about that one!
I’d typically wear LouLou in fall/winter/early spring, but I did sneak a few days when it wasn’t too hot, for this review! I don’t think I could tolerate it on very warm days in NYC, but then again, I can’t wear 3/4 of my fragrances on those days. Then it’s time for L’Ombre dans L’Eau and CdG Grace or, if the weather is really brutal, 4711 and other citrusy splashes!
I do love it but dosing is everything. The first 20 minutrs can be a bit much (I do get a hint of urinal cake, truth be told) so I apply lightly well before I leave the house. It’s the almond cookie drydown that I love. Agree with cooler temps for this one. Thanks for reviewing this Jessica!
I completely agree! I’m wearing one light spritz on each inner arm, and that’s enough — and I can’t apply it right before going out, either. That would be a bit rough on my fellow transit-riders!
For xmas once in the early 90’s my dad bought me Eden and my sister LouLou. She hated it and gave it to me and although I loved both, Loulou is what I tended to wear to my waitressing job because it just cheered me up.
I remember smelling Eden at the perfume counter in Dublin where I bought my LouLou nine years ago — and I love its concept, but it just wasn’t “me.” Maybe I need to give it another try…
I like Lou-Lou, even though several friends wore it to a Trash/vulgar-themed party in the early 1990ies. I also remember it was released with the colossal success of Dior’s Poison in mind. There were also talk about it being a seductress fragrance, but still in line with the innocent vibe of Anaïs Anaïs. A lolita temptress in other words, however bad a taste in the mouth thar idea leaves.
It’s a fun, warm, sweet and enveloping smell. In a cheap-looking bottle.
Aww I love the bottle! I’ve always been drawn to it but never smelled the perfume. Dior Poison just about did me in in the 80s, it was everywhere.
Poison *was* everywhere! I liked it more than Giorgio, but whew, it was just so strong and too many women were wearing too much of it. I still can’t wear it, although I like to sniff it from the bottle once in a while.
I find that a few dabs of LouLou after a good spray of Beene’s Grey Flannel enriches and gives a twist to this gentleman’s classic.
I wear the combination often and always get asked what it is I am wearing.
LouLou can add drama, when suitably layered, to many a dry fougere as well.
Interesting recommendations! I’d like to smell that.
Good morning, while still living in Europe I was addicted to Loulou; that article brought back some nostagie, i went through multiple bottles of Loulou c’est moi (that’s what the woman in the advertissement used to say), had the scarve, everything….At that time, Most of the young women used to wear either Dior Poison or Loulou. You would go to the movie theater or an exhibit, and you could smell the ” sillage” of Poison, Loulou or Opium. My taste has changed and now I feel sorry for all my friends, family and co-workers that had to “survive” next to me; loulou is quiet powerful! Enjoy your weekend.
I loved the smell of Opium!
Well, we all “overdosed” on something at *some* point in our lives…I’m still sorry about my overenthusiastic wearing of Teint de Neige and Loukhoum during my big POWDER phase in the early 2000s. I still wear them, but usually at home or only in cold weather!
Thanks for the review, Jessica! I recall everyone smelling of Anais Anais for awhile, including my mom, but I don’t recall Lou Lou at all. Maybe I can find a mini.
Ringthing, I remember seeing LouLou in stores and in magazines, but I really don’t remember smelling it on many women. Michael Edwards writes that it never became a big success in the US. We hadn’t reached our vanilla phase yet, I guess!
OMG I love LouLou.
It smells literally like ‘dust’ and I love that texture/effect. Probably also love it because it has that prominent vanilla, but I never really think of LouLou as a ‘vanilla scent’…it’s so much more than that.
I had a mini Parfum. Literally a tiny half-drop was all I needed to scent myself. I found that it worked incredibly well as a ‘nightclub’ scent – masculines like One Million and the like are actually *more* sweet/gourmand than LouLou.
It’s a real classic. It put a smile on my face to log into NST and see it being reviewed. ((thumbs up))
I agree — even though it helped bring back vanilla as a dominant note in perfumery, it doesn’t feel like a VANILLA PERFUME. Much more complex and witty and feminine. So good!
I had this back in the 90s, when it didnt sweet on me, I was back then a wild party CK Obsession girl……now, 18 years later, LouLou is just Awesome, and my signature parfum, I love her staying power, her powdery sweetness and her courage to be heard.
As Luca Turin said, This is one of the greats!
I’m so glad we both came around and succumbed to LouLou’s charms!! I agree — it’s overlooked as a modern classic!
Thank you for your well written review of LouLou by the House of Cacharel.
It’s like the late blooming love growing and finally shining in its own light. It saddens me that people cheapen it by offering it along side knock-offs and cheap cologne at discount prices.
LouLou is worth the retail price being asked. I send my clothes to the dry cleaners and get letters of apology for not having removed the parfum fragrance from my clothing.
Thank you, RavArt. I agree…it belongs a place in the spotlight, instead of being relegated to discount retailers.
*deserves a place in the spotlight