10 Best Givenchy Perfumes For Women 2024 in the United States

The French fashion house Givenchy, founded by Hubert de Givenchy in 1952, started featuring fragrances almost at their inception. Givenchy’s first fragrance was his L’Interdit (“Forbidden”), designed specifically for the actress Audrey Hepburn. But it wasn’t until 1957 that the fragrance was made available to the general public.  Over the years, Givenchy has designed over 200 fragrances--featuring women’s, men’s, and unisex fragrances. They are renowned for creating collections of scents: the Dahlia collection, the Irresistible collection, Play collection, and more. Some scents, such as “Organza”, are known for their sensuality--even the bottle’s design tries to capture the sensuality of the woman’s form. Another line of fragrances, “Amarige” (an anagram of the word “Mariage” (=marriage)), is a floral scent, with a heart-shaped bottle to reflect a happy marriage.

Givenchy’s “Organza”

Givenchy’s “Amarige”

We’ve composed this buyer’s guide to help you make the right decision when selecting a Givenchy perfume. It'll help you choose the right type of perfume according to your tastes, read reviews, and compare prices.

You’ll see the names “perfume”, “toilet water”, and “cologne” used when discussing fragrances. Actually, each term indicates the concentration of aromatics in the fragrance, and in the intensity of the scent. The rest can be alcohol, water, and other solvents. Here is a key to the concentration of aromatics in fragrances:

• Body Mist: 1.5% - 3% aromatics.  

• Fine Fragrance Mist: 3% - 7% aromatics.

• Eau de Cologne (EdC): Around 5% aromatics.

• Eau de Toilette (EdT): Around 5-10% aromatics. These fragrances will typically linger for at least half a day, due to their greater concentration.  

• Eau de Parfum (EdP): Around 11-15% aromatics. They last longer, usually for an entire day, and will smell more intense.    

• Perfume: 20% aromatics and higher

Givenchy frequently markets a fragrance in more than one form. For example, their “Live Irrésistible” comes both in a 2.5 ounce Eau de Parfum and an Eau de Toilette Spray.

A lower concentration of aromatics means that the scent will linger for a shorter amount of time. Perfumes will come in smaller amounts and will be more expensive than body mists or cologne.

• Exquisite packaging: Givenchy invests much in the packaging of their fragrances. The gold color of the Dahlia Divin (“Divine Dahlia”) is enhanced by a bottle that itself contains flakes of pure gold. “Ange ou Démon” (“Angel or Demon”) is part opaque black, and part translucent white. And the “Live Irrésistible” has a distinctive studded appearance.

Givenchy’s "Dahlia Divin"

Givenchy’s “Ange ou Démon”

Givenchy’s “Live Irrésistible”

• When to wear a fragrance: Clients note that fragrances have distinct “moods” to them, when they should be worn.  You’ll notice that there are sensual fragrances, such as the “Very Irresistible”. Their “Ange ou Démon” (“Angel or Demon”) is an Oriental floral, with mandarin orange and lily. Others are described as fresh, floral, or woody, which is more for a day outdoors.

• Different notes in fragrances: Fragrances are composed of a number of scents, some of which are noticeable immediately upon application, while others reveal themselves gradually as the alcohol in the fragrance evaporates. You will see a fragrance described as having top (or “head”) notes, middle (or “heart”) notes, and bottom (or “base”) notes.  

  • Top notes: These are scents consisting of light molecules that evaporate quickly.  Givenchy’s “Very Irresistible” Eau de Parfum has top notes of star anise, green apple, and pear.

  • Middle notes: These are essences that start to reveal themselves from 20 minutes to one hour after applying the fragrance. “Very Irresistible” is marked by middle notes of Liv Tyler Rose, Centifolia Rose, Peony, and magnolia.

  • Bottom notes: These are essences that consist of the largest molecules, that evaporate the most slowly, and are the scent that remains for hours after application. This stage is called the “drydown”, after all the other elements in the fragrance have departed. “Very Irresistible” has bottom notes of patchouli and vanilla.  

• Accords: You will see that there are scents that are described to have a certain “accord”. A fragrance is a combination of many essences. But the overall character of a fragrance will be called the “accord”--what impression the perfume gives overall, for example: fruity, floral, sweet, woody, musk, etc.

• Sizes: Givenchy usually sells their Eau De Parfum in three sizes: 30 ml, 50 ml, and 75 ml bottles.

• Offerings depending on the year: You should note that Givenchy will typically modify their offerings from year to year. Givenchy made the original “Very Irresistible” in 2003. The 2003 version had this signature:

  • Top: Cassia, lemon verbena, anise;

  • Middle: Rose, Magnolia, peony;

  • Bottom: Taif rose

In 2005, they modified it to a “more sensual” fragrance, adding fruit contributions, more rose varieties, and vanilla.

Givenchy--is a French fashion house founded by Hubert de Givenchy in 1952. Their creations have been showcased by actors and actresses, models, and even heads of state. Besides their collections of “ready-to-wear” clothing, they also have fashion lines of bags, footwear, and other accessories. They also have a line of makeup and fragrances.