Six perfumes that share YSL Libre's notes

Comparison articles tie YSL Libre to Guerlain's Mon Guerlain for its lavender. In our range that is Mon Guerlain Eau de Parfum Intense, which shares lavender, Sambac jasmine and vanilla. For orange blossom and vanilla without lavender, Valentino Voce Viva is the other perfume a comparison article names. Nishane Ani X shares six of Libre's listed notes. None matches Libre note for note, and each has one clear difference.

Only the first two are tied to Libre by named comparison articles. The other four are on the list because their listed notes overlap with Libre's, and the table says so in the last column. Even for those two, the articles stress what is missing: one says Mon Guerlain Intense "isn't a pure match", and says Voce Viva is similar "just without the lavender note".

What YSL Libre smells like

Libre launched in 2019 from Yves Saint Laurent, composed by Anne Flipo and Carlos Benaïm. The house describes it as a floral lavender, poised between Moroccan orange blossom and a French lavender reworked for women. Flipo has said that "Lavender from France embodies the spirit of the fougère structure."

The Eau de Parfum is listed with mandarin, lavender, blackcurrant and petitgrain in the opening. Jasmine, lavender and orange blossom form the heart, and vanilla, cedar, ambergris and musk sit underneath. If top, heart and base are new terms, our guide to perfume notes covers the terms.

Flipo chose Moroccan orange flower for a gender-bending heart. She says Benaïm's orange blossom absolute "brought opulence while maintaining its freshness." Libre combines lavender, orange blossom and vanilla in one perfume. None of the six perfumes below carries all three in its listed notes.

Note lists differ a little between sources, so this page uses the notes each house publishes wherever we could read the house's own list. YSL also makes its own versions of Libre: Libre Intense (2020), Libre Le Parfum (2022), Libre L'Absolu Platine (2023) and Libre Flowers & Flames (2024). Those belong to the Libre family and are not counted as alternatives. For how YSL handles flankers elsewhere, see the Black Opium versions comparison.

Lavender and vanilla: Mon Guerlain Eau de Parfum Intense

Three separate comparison sites place Mon Guerlain next to Libre, and one of those names the Intense version. That article says the Intense version is "the closer smelling fragrance to what Libre gives you" among the Mon Guerlain line. Another describes the plain Mon Guerlain as "the closest designer relative for lavender lovers." A third notes that it is often compared to Libre for its prominent use of lavender.

Those same sites are careful about how far the comparison goes. The one that names the Intense version says it "isn't a pure match": the lavender is not as prominent as in Libre and the vanilla is stronger. The other lists the change as "Powdery sandalwood, no orange blossom." Reviewers are split on how similar the two are.

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  Guerlain

  Mon Guerlain Eau de Parfum Intense

  Eau de Parfum Intense · 2019

  Guerlain describes a warm vanilla with the freshness of lavender, centred on lavender, Sambac jasmine, vanilla and sandalwood, with patchouli in the base. It shares lavender, jasmine, vanilla, mandarin and musk with Libre. The main difference is sandalwood and patchouli warmth in place of orange blossom and blackcurrant. It suits anyone who loves Libre's lavender and vanilla more than its floral heart.

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Without the lavender: Valentino Voce Viva

Voce Viva takes the other half of Libre. Valentino lists Italian bergamot and mandarin essence on top, orange blossom absolute and a golden gardenia accord in the heart, and a crystal moss accord, vanilla and tonka bean underneath. Valentino's text reads "a radiant floral". Lavender is absent, and gardenia replaces jasmine as the companion to orange blossom.

One comparison article says it has "a similar presence and structure" to Libre, just without the lavender, with a more citrusy opening and gardenia taking over from orange blossom as the main later floral. Another lists the flanker, Voce Viva Intensa, among its Libre alternatives. Treat this one as the choice for people who like Libre's orange blossom and vanilla and would rather leave the lavender out.

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  Valentino

  Voce Viva

  Eau de Parfum · 2020

  Valentino calls it "a radiant floral", resting on orange blossom, gardenia and vanilla. Mandarin, orange blossom and vanilla are the notes it has in common with Libre. It has no lavender, no blackcurrant and no jasmine, and the base adds moss and tonka bean. One comparison article describes its presence and structure as similar to Libre's, which is why it ranks second.

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Four more that share Libre's notes

No article we read ties these four to Libre. They are included because the houses' own note lists overlap with Libre's, except for two (The Only One and Teia) where retailer and database lists fill the gaps. Read the four as perfumes in the same neighbourhood, not stand-ins.

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  Nishane

  Ani X

  Extrait de Parfum

  Nishane lists bergamot, lemon, honeydew melon, cardamom, blue ginger and pink pepper on top. Lavender, sage, green apple, blackcurrant, rose and patchouli make up the heart, and cedarwood, cashmere wood, vanilla, ambergris, white musk and sandalwood the base. It shares six of Libre's listed notes: lavender, blackcurrant, cedar, vanilla, ambergris and musk. There is no orange blossom or jasmine, so it reads as citrus, spice and water where Libre reads as floral. A niche option for anyone who wants Libre's lavender and ambergris in a different frame; see the concentration guide for what an extrait means.

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  Dolce&Gabbana

  The Only One Eau de Parfum Intense

  Eau de Parfum Intense · 2020

  The house describes a floral amber built on Italian mandarin, Indian Sambac jasmine and Madagascan vanilla. Retailer lists add orange blossom, which would put it on Libre's heart, along with coconut, green apple and cashmere wood. The house names no lavender. Our reading is that coconut and vanilla make it creamier and sweeter than Libre, a floral amber rather than an aromatic floral.

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  Memo Paris

  Sintra

  Eau de Parfum

  Memo Paris bases Sintra on orange flower absolute, vanilla absolute and Guimauve musk, with bergamot, red fruits and petitgrain on top and a caramel accord underneath. Orange blossom, vanilla, petitgrain and musk overlap with Libre. The house wording is "gourmet yet light". With no lavender, it is a marshmallow, caramel and red-fruit gourmand where Libre is aromatic and lavender-led. For more niche houses, see our niche perfume guide.

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  Giardino Benessere

  Teia

  2022

  Perfume databases and retailer descriptions list lavender, cardamom, ambergris and vetiver, then vanilla, cedar, leather, oud and incense, with sandalwood, musk, saffron and patchouli. Lavender, vanilla, ambergris, cedar and musk overlap with Libre. Leather, oud and incense make it much darker and woodier, and it has no orange blossom or citrus. No house note list was available, so these notes come from databases and retailers.

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How to choose by the Libre note you love

• Lavender above all: start with Mon Guerlain Intense for the vanilla pairing, or Ani X for a fresher, citrus-led lavender.
• Orange blossom and vanilla: Voce Viva keeps them with gardenia and no lavender. Sintra goes the caramel and marshmallow route.
• Vanilla with jasmine: The Only One Eau de Parfum Intense, with mandarin and Sambac jasmine behind the vanilla. More in our vanilla perfume guide.
• Lavender with a darker edge: Teia, if you want lavender and vanilla in a woody, leathery setting.

Libre is sold as a women's fragrance, and our roundup of perfumes for women is a good next stop if you want to widen the search beyond Libre's notes. The cleanest way to compare is to wear Libre first. It comes in 3 and 10 ml decants, which lets you test it against one of the six before committing to a larger bottle.