Clea Yves Rocher for women

I've been hesitating for a month to purchase a $70 bottle of the new formulation/new bottled Guerlain Liu. I've been collecting chypres for four years now. I soon discovered that I often like bargain/drug store chypres as much as I like designer and luxury chypres.

I've also had my eye out for a vintage bottle of Clea. I bought four bottles, two large and two small, for $30, while the Liu is still on hold. I mention Liu because I'm thrilled by this vintage Clea chypre.

The seller has clearly tried and failed to clean off decades of crud from the bottles and caps, but the juice is clear and in great shape in all 4 bottles.

Vintage Clea opens a soapy aldehydic chypre and the charming molecules have "natural" vibrations, and are very satisfying. 30 minutes in, the aldehyde fades and it becomes gorgeous. Though projection dies off quickly with old bottles, so it is basically a skin scent.

Clea is often discussed as a parfum de maman but I experience it as languidly carnal, in a friendly way, in comparison to today's conceptual, high-tech, post-IFRA concoctions.

In short - the original molecules of the time of manufacture + age in the bottle = a luxurious treat in 2024. And in Europe there are bottles of the vintage all over the internet, often attracting little interest. Sellers list vintage bottles for prices ranging from $20 to $120! A $20 bottle is likely to be a successful purchase.

souvenir d'enfance, odeur très fleurie et très douce, type parfum fin des années 80. avec toutefois un peu de caractère mais c'était un parfum de mamans

This is a real classic gem from Francoise Caron. With a beautiful smoky vetiver in the drydown. It's chique but also very comforting for me.

No N°5 (despite the article about that)
No Calèche
Yes Climat
So So Madame Rochas, non vintage vers. maybe.

Basically this reminds me a lot of Blasé (Max Factor/Eden Classic), which is more dry, less yellow flower.
Actually Clea reminds me a lot of Prelude de Balenciaga, that clean sandal there.

A detonation of aldehydes, from begin to the end, some milky ylang and corolle, little woody-spicy.
Nice, nostalgic, soapy... A bit Fleur de Rocaille like also.
Bottle Amazing in shape and transmits radiant light.

This is the first scent I ever fell in love with, back when I was maybe 8 or 9. I haven't smelled it in years but can still remember its aura. It is distinct, refined, soapy but also warm and woody. A pity Yves Rocher discontinued it.

35 years ago, I received a small test bottle of this scent. I was a teenager, new to fragrances (in those days teenage celeb scents were not really on the market), and was intrigued by the scent, although it was not really my cup of tea. Loved the bottle though, with its lovely rosebud stopper.
Recently I bought the current eau de toilette, and I get the n° 5 vibe. It is certainly in the chypre family. Lot of soap with a hint of rose. If you like Chanel, but it is a bit to much for you, give Cléa a try! For an eau de toiette from Yves Rocher it has an impressive staying power, and it is not a candy-fruity-sugary concoction I started to expect from Yves. Good, adult scent. Bargain.
Edit: wearing it now, and it certainly reminds me of vintage Calèche by Hermes. It nicely fits in the series of vintage chypres.

I bought it sort of blindly, at a local thrift shop - I believe it's a 50 ml bottle of the original version at about... guess what? 3 Euro. There was not much time to test it, so I just had a look at Fragrantica reviews. Only back home I realised what a precious little gem I just got. Love the No. 5-like opening, like a quotation of flowery, subtle aldehydes. It is there for a brief moment, then dissolves into sweetness. The patchouli and amber are present, but only a hint of them, on my skin I get vanilla, caramel and honey. There's something amazing about the mixture of aldehydes with their sweetness. Unexpected, feminine, sweet and classy. Love the scent!

When I first tried Clea I didn't like it. Smelled like burning rubber on my skin. Last week I tried it again and I liked it. It's very clean and soapy and I can smell it the whole day. A lovely perfume for a very good price

References to "old/er woman" should be outlawed...

I am surprised that fragrantica doesn't list aldehydes as the note because I swear this has it in it. It is very similar with Chanel N 5 EDT. A little bit too aldehyde-y for me but more forgiving than Divine's Divine. Anyway, I am not a fan to put this on my wrist, but I know so many older women love this perfume on them! (I have worked in YR before so I know so many women keep purchasing this perfume, even though they don't have it anymore at the store!)

Aldehydes are obviously missing from the notes. This is from the time people still liked to smell clean and I will never understand how that can become unfashinonable. What? Ladies of respectable age are the only ones that are supposed to smell like soap? What is wrong with this world ?
Anyway, I love this. There is nothing screechy or metalic in this. Floral aldehydes sometimes are abrasive and cold. This little darling is everything but. It's delightfully indulgent, creamy and soapy. It melts and merge with skin. The base is a very welcoming amber, noble wood and vanilla. As much as I enjoy descovering challenging perfumes, I rarely enjoy wearing them. I prefer comfort and quality. I'm so glad I have finaly bought it.

It's still sold at YR Benelux websites and often at half price.

By the way, this is classic floral aldéhyde. There is nothing chypré about it, no structure, no attitude. Just because someone proclaimed something "chypré", that doesn't make it so. Also, just because there is a bit of bergamote and patchouli in something, it's not necessarily chypré. But, it's a start.

A delicious soapy aldheyde on a creamy base like if you spray N°5 after using a lot of Nivea cream. A sumptuous floral bouquet after a silky lift of aldehyde.

In a perfumery that is often not worth what it costs, worth much less!, finding a perfume that is worth much more than its price, which seems derisory in comparison to the beauty of its composition, is a very pleasant surprise.

Technically perfect, sillage and longevity....all that for 20€ (full price)

I bought a vintage bottle of Clea pure parfum at an estate sale some years ago. The juice in the bottle smelled remarkably similar to original Estee Super by Estee Lauder. I am very shocked not to see Estee listed as a similar fragrance here on Fragrantica, because they were so very close in scent.

Viviana21: What a beautiful memory!

I was surprised to see Cléa advertised in Yves Rocher's ad. I thought it was discontinued ages ago.

I remember Clea being very popular in the early 1980s. I remember it as ultra-feminine and ladylike. soft and soapy.
It was not my favourite back then, I wore Isphanan and Magnolia, but I can somehow remember how it smelled.
I really want to find a tester and check if I should buy it now.
Yves Rocher's early years' perfumes were my first experiences in the world of perfume and some of them were fantastic.
Cléa is something that might be my thing now, and I don't have any vintage scent in my collection.

I recently ordered from the Netherlands Yves Rocher website a couple of discontinued perfumes for a very good price. Part of the deal was receiving Clea the 60 years anniversary edition as a gift, so I confess I was rather curious of the scent, than looking forward to having yet another perfume (that I don't love) in my collection.

From the first spray it felt like a million memories were played in front of my eyes and I was transported back in time when I was 8 years old. My mother and my grandma and probably every other woman in my family has been wearing this scent in the form of a makeup remover/body lotion decades ago. (for the Romanians out here, this smells identical to Doina - the body milk)

It is not modern at all, very retro and aldehydic, however, not stinky strong, but creamy and soapy. If you are a vintage passionate, it will probably be your cup of tea. My taste in fragrance varies, so I love it, but it will not be one I wear on a daily basis.

My grandma passed away a few years ago and I live far from my home country and my mother. This perfume will stay with me forever and I will wear it to be reminded of the past that will never return :)

Recently discontinued, yet another beautiful fragrance disappears, possibly because this type of aldehydic soapiness is too much of a challenge for the modern market.

Clea really is 'classic French perfumery'. Bracing, sparkly, fresh, understated, creamy white florals and a deep woody base. Don't be fooled by the fact that so many people have voted amber as a dominant note. Yes you'll get an amber base but the ride is primarily about exquisite floral soap. This is not a sweet oriental scent.

It does have lots of similarity to the famous 20th century aldehydes, yet retains a clear character of its own.

Summary: While a very nice, classy woody-floral soap in the summer, this fragrance really shined on me when in a crisp winter day I have worn more sprays of it. It became a nice, classy woody-floral soap which sometimes, upon drydown, becomes darker, bitter-er and more carnal-tropical. A different take on the aldehydic soapy classic fragrances which I am enjoying :)

I own a decanted sample received on a giveaway (thanks olgaolga18), not sure of the decade it is from.

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New review on a winter day: Starts similar to the feel I got when I wore it in the summer, a classic warm white soap, elegant and understated. However, this time I sprayed more and upon drying down I got a stronger vetiver, dark, bitter and almost smoky but not quite, almost leathery but not quite. Also, here the ylang-ylang is more prominent than in the summer, interestingly, and it becomes very subtly carnal in a way I deeply enjoy. Classy but dark and soapy but carnal. Very well done.

I find it much more delightful in the winter for this darker twist.

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Classy warm white toilet soap. Woody, warm, understated elegance. Clean but not severe. I get the comparison to Chanel no5, but they give me a different vibe. This one is less sparkly and more like a warm scent of skin washed with a good woody-floral soap. On a warm day, I get pleasant wafts of sandalwood, gardenia and possibly vetiver (something dry and bitter) on a base of good white soap. Enjoyed it.

Cléa has now been discontinued, both online and in stores. Stock up while it's still easy to find on the used bottle market. I also heard someone bought a bottle from calling Yves Rocher's customer service, so they might still have a few in stock if you're lucky.

Clea caught my eyes a few weeks ago in some online stores since the price was very reasonable. I wanted to do a blind buy but since I already have Chanel No5 and as I appreciate the quality and the refineness of the Chanel, the scent itself does not go with my personality and chemistry at all. In simple words, It is not something that I wear outside. So I just wear it at home when nobody is around...so I was afraid to buy another No5.

Finally today that I found a Clea tester in a shop. Yes it smells CLASSIC ( people refer to them as old! I hate that word) But nothing reminded me of Chanel No5...except maybe one or at most two notes. I sprayed it on my shirt and strangely I found myself smelling it again and again when I returned home. I cannot get enough of it eventhougth I dont even love it! and it does not smell as classic and strong as chanel No.5 and is much eaasier to wear. So now I am struggling with myself if I get a bottle.

I had lots and lots of Yves Rocher fragrances in the '80s and '90s but I never had Clea. The bottle I have in my collection belonged to my mother who died nearly eight years ago at the age of 85 and whose favorite perfume Clea was. I never wear the scent myself but every once in a while I take the cap off and sniff the scent and remember the one who's no longer here. I'm in my fifties but I still miss my Mommy...

Yummy soap. It has a comforting, rich white soap fragrance. It smells like Nivea blue. You could say that it smells like you're not wearing perfume, you have just used dove soap and Nivea cream. There is a lingering fizzy cleanness. I do not see where people are getting the 'grandma' facet from. There is a slightly dry vetiver scent that takes it away from being too boring. The vetiver is almost like that smell when you print something and the paper is still warm.

Clea reminds me of fizzy champagne and expensive soap. Alot in common with Chanel no 5 yet not a copy. Very classy and enjoyable. Always gets me compliments.

Oakmoss oakmoss oakmoss oakmoss over some light florals and sandlwood; woody oakmoss, sharp and a bit soapy; a smokey vetuver and amber quality in the base

Outdated? I’d rather call Clea ‘nostalgic’. I was going to post ‘Clea=beautiful’ but I guess more explanation is required. It does remind me of Balmain’s ‘Ivoire’ but is far far sweeter. Sweeter in a good way not that sweetness arbitrarily used in lots of scents today the one that smells like the syrup left at the bottom of a can of fruit? This is flowery sweetness from roses and jasmine made fixed and long lasting by patchouli. But this isn’t a ‘woody’ scent. It’s just indescribable. And pretty.

Strong soap. "Beauty Soap". EdT even in careful use has sharp feature, despite of the soap-prettyness. Experiences are very personal. Positive points: Freshly clean. Feminine. Classical. Not sugar syrup. Not weak. Very nostalgic to long-time customers of Yves Rocher.

The opening kills me. I just smell a nailpolish remover or hairspray and I think Clea smells like an old-fashioned heavy perfume and not the good kind. It does indeed remind me of Chanel no 5 which I can't stand either. Both remind me of insect spray. I have a full bottle of Clea and I want to get rid of it.

EDIT: I gave Clea away to my mother's friend.

On me it's mainly sandalwood, amber and ylang-ylang. It reminds me of Scherrer 2, but without the tuberose and honey. Great silage. Within the drydown, the amber note becomes more and more prominent. A nice old school perfume, try it if you love vintage, fur coats and pearls.

Very floral. Great longevity - it is still there the next day when you sniff the application spot. Just one dab is plenty. Silage is arms length to a bit beyond. It gives me a happy smile every time.

This is the savory, flowery Johnson's Baby/Nivea Creme muskiness I have yearned for all my life.

I always loved the soft scent left behind when I used Johnson's baby shampoo, but it causes me to break out in a rash so I cannot indulge in this simple pleasure.
Not to mention that it doesn't smell nearly as good now as it did in the Eighties!

Clea is the soft, subtly spiced, salty and warm, musky floral yumminess I had been craving.

Definite pyjama "comfort" bed scent for me.
Simplistic, smooth, sweet & lasting.
Johnson's baby shampoo/bath/oil from the Eighties.

Aldehydic opening with a heart of deep musk and woods, drying to a politely floral, powdery, clean skin musk that lasts and lasts.
This has great strength, I wish I knew what the original formula was like - if this is the weak modern version, what kind of a knockout must that have been? This version sadly loses most of its floral character spoon into the dry down, which is a real shame.

By the by, if you're looking for a modernized version of Clea I highly recommend you try Prada Candy Kiss!

Editing to say that while this is very strong, almost too strong, this sadly loses its floral elements rather quickly! Disappointing! Maybe a vintage formulation would be better?

I remember this from the 80's, mother ordered some perfumes etc from Yves Rocher. I thought it smelt awful then.

I get a spicy white floral, like many others from the 80´s and 90´s. It is not bad, but it is dated and it lacks something to stand out from the crowd.
Sillage and longevity are ok.

This is nothing like the vintage Madame Rochas. MR smells more like old lipstick, much better than this. Clea smells more like Balmain Ivoire.

Warm and very soapy, does not appeal to me as i am not a soapy scent fan.

The current version is lighter than the original version, that's my opinion having worn this for years, and getting a new bottle today from Yves Rocher.
I think the current version is more compatible with modern tastes, originally it was heavier per the 80's trend for power perfumes.
The current version is better for me, it's an amber floral with just the right amount of sweetness. It is fairly linear as the amber is the strongest note.
This can be warming worn in winter, and heady in summer.

Celebrity89 is absolutely right. The first thing that comes to mind is Madame Rochas. Not the current version but the original one.

This is a perfume straight from the 50's. Way too heavy for public use. Even my mother forbid me to wear it around her. I totally agree with the Madame Rochas comparison. My boyfriend almost choked to death then said I smelled like a great-grandmother.

This is a gorgeous bouquet of powdery flowers: lily of the valley, rose, jasmine and sandalwood wrapped in amber. Such a classical beauty.

It reminds me of my childhood while spending time with my grandparents. When I smelled it back then I found it nice but too mature for me. But now I bought a bottle on ebay and I must say, it s the most gorgious perfume of all time!! I m so enjoying it when wearing it outside and the wind is sharing it with me even more!! I cant get enough of it! It s so comforting and so warming , and unlike most fragances of nowadays. AND IT DOES HAVE A LOT IN COMMON WITH THE NEW PERFUME LA PANTHERE in a way YOU CAN T TELL THEM APART AT SOME POINT.
But even so, I like clea more than La Panthere, since La Panthere is sharper so it gives away a lot of its comforting quality. Not the speak of the difference in price!!

I have been wearing this regularly throughout the summer and love it. It is a warm fragrance, mostly from the sandalwood with amber and I also get the vanilla. It has a moderate sillage which isn't overpowering. Longevity on me is about 4 hours, so if I'm out all day I need to remember to take it with me. Gorgeous shaped bottle.

What a wonderfull fragrance. I can mostly feel the amber and vanilla - but in the background a bouquet of flowers. It is so wellbalanced and rounded - a superfeminine and soft perfume for any age.

I recomend it to everyone.

Beautiful oriental floral, rich and classy. It was a perfume from my childhood, i just got it back, it is still lasting & gorgeous. The splash beautiful bottle with a perfume, now become a spray Edt, still good, but discontinued masterpiece of Yves Roche.
I see a comparison with Levin here, there have nothing in common, Lavin is sour, Clear is sweet.

Clea is a beautiful, warm sweet perfume. The sandalwood and vetiver give it a very slight woody touch. The florals are wrapped in sweet amber and vanilla, creating a very smooth, rich formula. Patchouli is light, but gives Clea staying power. Definitely a skin scent, Clea is soft and delicate....very ladylike.

Lasting power is more than 10 hours. Projection is moderate to soft. Really beautiful totally feminine fragrance. A truly lovely floral classic.

When I was little girl, I always sniffing my grandmamas parfyme bottles, she had large collection cosmetics, what a little girls dream :) Im pretty sure, that she got Clea, becose when I smelled it now, Im back to my granmamas place, and I can remember that beautiful and loving old lady, who was one of the greatest people I ever known. Clea is not my type of fragrance, but I have a bottle, becose sometimes I want to be close to my grandmama, and this scent will always bring her back to me. Thank you Clea.

I remember this scent from my teenage years. My best friend back then and I used to get ready together in her room to go out. Putting on make up and perfume... She had this perfume, but she never really liked it a lot, but I truly adored it, so I would always be using this whenever I got the chance.

This was my mom's, but I used it, as well. So this was my first perfume. Good memories, tender, sweet. Certainly not for young girls that I was at the time, but I liked it very much. I will buy it someday, just in purpose of bringing memories back.

A blind buy, but what a good one!, very soft and lovely smell.

Nothing old fashion/granny about it!

I Like it very much.

Yeas this is a classy fragrance,but for me just heavy sweet flowers and it last and last..Maybe try to mix it with some fresh citrus fragrance.

I was a bit afraid of blind buying this one, because of the flowery aspect.

But I`m so glad I did! I get no flowers in this at all.

It smells just like Dove bar soap and Nivea lotion... soft and smooth, no harsh edges. Clean, warm, womanly, comforting... Not out dated at all, even though it has a classic feel to it.

Smells way more expensive than it is!

Very nice price, and the bottle is stunning.

I highly recommend this.

Nice creamy and bitter gardenia,
so lovely perfume! It's so much better than new generation's artificial perfumes. I had a fortune to find Clea in charity chop with ridiculous price.
Longlasting (8 hours on me edt!!!),strong,classic perfume for who loves flowers.Remands me a lot Organza.

I sooooo agree with the three reviewers beneath me. Clea is a true masterpiece!! It might be the only Yves Rocher 'vintage' that survived decades!! Knowing Yves Rocher discontinues almost EVERY perfume (just a matter of time), that is an accomplishment for Clea. It seems that people never ever get tired of this masterpiece.
And rightly so..

I like this very much.
Many reviewers seem to think it smells like Chanel
n° 5, and I agree.
But as much as I dislike N°5, I love Clea !
I find it a lot more subtle and elegant and, unlike some I actually think it is more modern and less "loud" than other more famous - and more expensive !- aldehydic fragrances.
The thing is I associate strong aldehydic scents with haughty, upper class French women who used to wear them during the seventies.
I was only a teenager then, but I remember how the powerful aldehydes or chypre notes that surrounded them always seemed to remind me I was just some kind of peasant.
Clea is much more understated, but manages to be just as classy and sophisticated.
The amber is very noticeable, a bit too much for my liking since I am no fan of amber, but it does make the fragrance less formal than, say, Hermes Caleche.

I call it my "little black dress " scent, because I know I can reach for it on almost any occasion without wondering whether it is appropriate : I just know it will be.
And it is one of the very few fragrances that agree with my skin chemistry during the colder season, with very good lasting power.
I wouldn't wear it in summer or spring though, at least not during the day as I find it to be a warm, intimate kind of fragrance.

I don't understand why some people use the word 'Granny'????? Granny smell ? I know a lot of older women who smell delices, Sometimes i asked what they wearing and it surprise me often. Well now to the point of Clea :) i like it a lot, it is not overpowering, not dusty or too loud. It turns on me in a beautyful vanille, woody and flowering fragrance. I often get manny compliments. Well done YR!

What a beauty of a scent this is: for lovers of Classic scents look no further. For lovers of jasmine and aldehydes, take a sniff and enjoy. For lovers of rich florals, mind you should like this like no other. THE test when it comes to' fragrance is: how much you find yourself willing to' inhale. Myself? Until it hurts, such a rounded And well blended juice this is. I feel replenished with incensey jasmine, I feel the flowery drydown of First, the aldehydic texture of Madame Rochas And the classy touch of Soir de Lune, yes SdL itself. And there is a burnt, incense quality to' it that makes it modern still. I really like this perfume, I feel it rich And confortabile, classy And modern at the same time. Again I say lovers of classics please give this a chance as it is a hidden masterpiece.

Not bad at the time when i bought this I was in my early 30's my husband liked it but I Thought at the time this smelled someone what old fashioned even though i wore it some for him

I have this in EDT and pure perfume, and I feel so incredibely rich to have it in pure perfume!! It is such a wonderful dark white flower perfume!!

To me,it reminds me of Cacharel Lou Lou just this one is a bit stronger

I wore this one this week too. Glorious fragrance, rich rich rich and SUPERLASTING!!
Action

This one is sooo wonderful!! Yves Rocher has died this last weekend and I will miss his inspiration...

For me this is too sweet and kind of remainds me about a soap my granny used when I was young. I found no harmony in this fragrance and did not like it.

Nice ,sweet and not offensive at all. maybe a little bir oldfashioned-smelling ,and maybe a bit too sweet and without that edge that makes a scent stand out. But after all,for the prize - enjoyable ,atleast for more mature women.

Really an old-woman perfume, stuffy and outdated. Please don't compare Clea to No.5 - it would be a sacrilege!

I remember this scent as one of my fave from Yves Rocher many years ago. I didn't wear it very often, but I mostly reached for it when I wanted to smell good and refined. It's quite complex and a typical floral-aldehydical, but not so old lady stuff!

Didn't expect to like this one at all, but I received a test bottle of it, and oh ... yummy much? And now I see that it's an oriental floral. On me, the amber, vanilla and rose I think, come out the most.

I know Yves Rocher usually gets a bad rep, but if you like subtle oriental florals, I think you should at least try this one.

Floral-aldehyde.

Advertised with slogans: 'Classic certainty', 'Warranty of a good taste'.

Elegant, classic, eternal.
It reminds No 5 Chanel with its character.

For emotionally mature women, who respect tradition and modest, but sophisticated style.