Yazhini ManimudiL’Interdit, French for ‘the forbidden’, was created in 1954 as a gift for Audrey Hepburn from Hubert de Givenchy. True to its name, she forbade its commercial release, famously saying, “But I forbid you.” She eventually allowed for the perfume to be released to us regular folk, the bottle ironically taking her refusal to make itself something attractive due to its forbidden nature.
The 1957 L’Interdit became the first to have a celebrity face as its ambassador. A strong aldehydic opening, soft, powdery florals that dry down to a spicy, creamy, woody base. The perfume was discontinued, but revived in 2003 as a clean fruity floral perfume. Nothing like the original. It made a second return in 2018 as a white floral fragrance.
In 2025, we got two– L’Interdit Le Parfum, and the limited edition L’Interdit Angélique Rouge. In 2026, we will soon have L’Interdit Narcisse Blanc, the 19th bottle bearing the L’Interdit name.
Givenchy L’Interdit Narcisse Blanc
Fragrance Family
Fresh White Floral
Notes
Top: Cristalfizz®, Bitter Almond, Ginger, Nova Orange, Blood Orange
Heart: Narcissus, Orange Blossom, Tuberose, Jasmine Sambac, Neroli Essence
Base: Patchouli, White Musks, Mineral Accord (Cashmeran, Moss), Vetiver
Givenchy’s commitment to a fresh character for Narcisse Blanc is apparent from the citruses in the opening. A little astringent with the juicy sweetness of blood orange. The nutty sweetness of bitter almond. To remind us of the first L’Interdit is the aldehydic Firmenich molecule Cristalfizz®. It’s fizzy and citrusy with a watery quality. Ginger would go along very well with all this fizziness in the opening, also complementing the citruses. It’ll keep the opening from being all citrus and add a bit of spicy freshness.
White florals have been the heart of almost all of the modern L’Interdit perfumes and that will not change this year. Orange blossom, tuberose, and jasmine are frequently featured in L’Interdit formulae, separately if not always together. With four ingredients going into the formula for the orange blossom accord, the perfume could have more of that bubblegum-y sweetness than others in the line.
Narcissus is a new addition to the family, though not a stranger to Givenchy.
Narcissus is an opulent white floral with an animalic yet green character. With a strong floral scent, it should have no place in a fresh perfume. But Givenchy has turned it into a Narcisse Blanc, or white narcissus. The citrus, fizz, and ginger’s fresh spice all seem to be in service of an abundance of icy cool qualities to turn the flower fresh.
The goal continues on till the drydown where we’re met with clean, fresh musks that give the much loved fresh laundry, your-skin-but-better sensation. A mineralic accord achieved through the combination of cashmeran (a soft, woody synthetic accord) and moss. Patchouli and vetiver feature at the base, which might add a woodiness to the formula and act as fixatives. It remains to be seen.
Rooney Mara continues on as the face of L’Interdit. The perfume is now available internationally, but not yet in the UAE. It will be available in 50ml bottles rather than the usual 80ml as it is a limited edition fragrance.
The pricing on the international website is close to their last limited edition bottle, so we can assume that when it arrives in the UAE, L’Interdit Narcisse Blanc will cost about AED 505. Get to know about perfumes ahead of their release on Perfume Mag.
Yazhini Manimudi
