Septieme Sens by Sonia Rykiel (1979)

Septième Sens, introduced in 1979 by the Parisian fashion house of Sonia Rykiel, was more than simply a fragrance launch—it was an extension of the designer’s philosophy about individuality, sensuality, and the hidden emotional dimensions of style. Sonia Rykiel herself was one of the most influential fashion designers of the late twentieth century. Often referred to as the “Queen of Knits,” she became famous in the 1960s and 1970s for redefining women’s fashion through relaxed silhouettes, soft knitwear, and garments worn with a sense of playful freedom. Her clothes rejected rigid couture conventions and instead celebrated comfort, intellect, and sensual femininity. Rykiel’s designs, often adorned with stripes, witty slogans, and bold textures, embodied the spirit of the independent Parisian woman—confident, creative, and slightly rebellious. Her boutique on Paris’s Left Bank became a cultural landmark, attracting artists, writers, and women seeking fashion that felt expressive rather than restrictive.

The name “Septième Sens” comes from the French language, and it translates literally as “Seventh Sense.” Itt sounds like “sep-tee-EM sãns,” though English speakers might comfortably say “sep-tee-em sahns.” The concept behind the name was deeply personal for Rykiel. She explained that the perfume represented something beyond the familiar human perceptions. We know the five physical senses—sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing—and we often speak metaphorically of a sixth sense, meaning intuition. Rykiel imagined her fragrance as reaching even further, into a mysterious realm of emotional perception and sensual awareness. In her words, the perfume was meant to evoke a state beyond the physical, an invisible atmosphere surrounding the wearer. Interestingly, Rykiel originally created the fragrance for herself, as she had never worn perfume before. She once explained candidly: “Perhaps it was because I didn’t find my fragrance. That is exactly why I started designing clothes, because I couldn’t find my space in clothes. Well, I didn’t find my space in perfume.” In this way, Septième Sens became a personal discovery—an olfactory identity she felt had been missing from her life.

The phrase “Seventh Sense” evokes a sense of mystery, intuition, and emotional magnetism. It suggests something subtle yet powerful—an unseen aura that surrounds a person and shapes how others perceive them. The name conjures images of the unseen currents of attraction, the quiet electricity in a room when someone intriguing enters, or the delicate awareness between two people who understand one another without words. It feels intellectual yet sensual, poetic yet modern—qualities that mirrored Rykiel’s vision of the woman she admired. She described her ideal wearer as the “modern, adventurous woman,” someone curious about life and unafraid of expressing her individuality.

The fragrance arrived at a fascinating moment in fashion and perfumery. The late 1970s represented a transitional era between the free-spirited experimentation of the early decade and the bold glamour that would dominate the 1980s. Fashion during this time reflected a mix of influences: relaxed bohemian styles, sleek urban tailoring, and increasingly expressive personal style. Women were asserting greater independence socially and professionally, and fashion designers responded with clothing that emphasized comfort, self-expression, and sensuality rather than rigid formality. In perfumery, the late 1970s saw the continued popularity of chypre and animalic compositions, fragrances that felt sophisticated, dramatic, and slightly mysterious. These perfumes often combined lush florals with mossy, woody bases and sensual animalic undertones, creating scents with strong personality and longevity.

In this context, Septième Sens felt perfectly attuned to the perfumery landscape of the late 1970s while still maintaining its own distinctive character. Created by Françoise Caron of Roure, the fragrance was classified as a fruity-animalic chypre for women. It opened with a vibrant, slightly spicy blend featuring notes such as nutmeg, cardamom, coriander, and citrus, leading into a lush floral heart centered around jasmine and rose, subtly enriched with plum. The fragrance gradually settled into a warm, sensual base of vetiver, patchouli, amber, and musk, creating a rich and lingering finish. Promotional materials described it as a sensuous blend of aldehydic florals and mossy undertones, balanced with spices, woods, and resins. While its structure reflected the bold chypre and animalic fragrances popular in the late 1970s, Septième Sens distinguished itself through its interplay of spice, fruit, and luminous aldehydes, giving it a slightly more modern and expressive personality within the trends of the era.

When viewed alongside other perfumes of its era, Septième Sens both followed and subtly reinterpreted prevailing trends. The late 1970s favored bold, complex fragrances with strong character, and the animalic chypre structure placed it firmly within that tradition. Yet the fragrance also introduced an intriguing interplay of spice, fruit, and luminous aldehydes, giving it a modern, slightly avant-garde personality. Rather than simply conforming to established formulas, it expressed Sonia Rykiel’s artistic vision: a fragrance that felt intellectual, sensual, and quietly provocative.

For women of the late 1970s, wearing a perfume called Septième Sens would have felt both intriguing and empowering. The name suggested depth and individuality—a fragrance not just worn on the skin, but sensed on an emotional level. It captured the idea that true allure is not only what we see or smell, but the invisible atmosphere a person creates around herself. In this way, the perfume embodied Sonia Rykiel’s philosophy of style: sensual, thoughtful, and unmistakably personal.

 

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? Septieme Sens is classified as a fruity-animalic chypre fragrance for women. It begins with a fruity, spicy top, followed by a narcotic floral heart, resting on a sultry, sensual base. This floral scent has a topnote of nutmeg, cardamom, lauren and coriander, a middle note of jasmine backed by plum and an animalized base of vetiver, patchouli and amber. Musk and amber blended with the chiaroscuro of jasmine.

• Top notes: aldehydes, bergamot, violet, prune, peach, nutmeg, coriander, cardamom, angelica
• Middle notes: clove, carnation, lily of the valley, mirabelle plum, jonquil, narcissus, jasmine, ylang ylang, rose, honey
• Base notes: leather, vanilla, sandalwood, resin, musk, castoreum, civet, ambergris, vetiver, oakmoss, patchouli, cedar 

Scent Profile:

Septième Sens unfolds like a layered exploration of sensation—true to its name, a perfume meant to evoke something beyond the ordinary senses. The fragrance begins with a vivid and intriguing top accord, where brightness, fruit, and spice mingle in a complex yet harmonious introduction. The first impression comes from aldehydes, those luminous aroma molecules that lend perfumes a sparkling, almost effervescent quality. Aldehydes can smell crisp and airy, reminiscent of cool linen, citrus peel, or champagne bubbles. Their inclusion gives the opening a shimmering lift, allowing the natural ingredients to radiate more brightly. This sparkle blends seamlessly with bergamot, the noble citrus cultivated along the sunlit coasts of Calabria in southern Italy. Calabrian bergamot is especially prized for its refined balance of citrus freshness and subtle floral sweetness, making it one of perfumery’s most elegant opening notes.

Softening this brightness is the delicate scent of violet, whose powdery sweetness evokes petals dusted with cosmetic powder. True violet flowers yield very little extractable oil, so perfumers recreate their scent using molecules such as ionones, which perfectly capture violet’s airy, slightly woody aroma. Interwoven with this is the lush fruitiness of prune and peach, notes that give the opening a velvety richness. Since these fruits cannot be distilled into essential oils, their aroma is recreated using molecules such as gamma-undecalactone, often called “peach aldehyde,” which produces the creamy, juicy scent of ripe stone fruit. This fruity warmth contrasts beautifully with the lively spices that follow. 

Nutmeg, harvested from the seeds of trees grown primarily in Indonesia’s Banda Islands, adds a warm, aromatic spice with hints of sweetness. Cardamom, often sourced from India and Guatemala, contributes a cool, slightly lemony spice that feels both fresh and exotic. Coriander seed introduces a subtle peppery brightness with faint citrus facets, while angelica, an herb traditionally grown in Northern Europe, lends a green, slightly musky aroma reminiscent of crushed stems and wild herbs. Together these elements create an opening that is both sparkling and mysterious, as though the fragrance is quietly awakening the senses.

As the brightness of the opening softens, the fragrance blooms into a rich and narcotic floral heart, where lush blossoms mingle with hints of fruit and spice. Clove introduces a warm, slightly medicinal spice whose aroma comes from eugenol, a naturally occurring compound that smells both sweet and fiery. This clove warmth flows naturally into carnation, a flower whose scent is naturally spicy due to its own eugenol content. Carnation brings a floral softness wrapped in clove-like warmth, giving the bouquet a distinctive character. The delicate sweetness of lily of the valley adds brightness to the composition; however, this tiny bell-shaped flower cannot be distilled into an essential oil. Instead, its scent is recreated using molecules such as hydroxycitronellal, which produces the familiar airy freshness associated with muguet fragrances.

A deeper floral richness emerges with jonquil and narcissus, flowers traditionally harvested in southern France. Narcissus absolute is especially intriguing—it smells green, slightly hay-like, and faintly animalic, adding depth and complexity to the floral heart. The bouquet is further enriched by jasmine, one of perfumery’s most treasured ingredients. Often sourced from Grasse in France or India, jasmine absolute carries a lush aroma of creamy white petals with subtle fruity and animalic undertones. Ylang-ylang, harvested from the tropical blossoms of trees grown in Madagascar and the Comoros Islands, introduces a creamy sweetness with hints of banana and spice. 

Rose provides the classic floral anchor of the composition, its scent reminiscent of honeyed petals warmed by sunlight. Adding a final golden glow to the heart is honey, which lends a warm, nectar-like sweetness that deepens the sensual character of the bouquet. The presence of mirabelle plum, a small golden fruit associated with the orchards of Lorraine in France, adds a delicate fruity richness—its aroma reminiscent of sweet jam and ripe orchard fruit.

As the fragrance settles onto the skin, it reveals its deeply sensual chypre base, where woods, mosses, and animalic notes create a lingering aura of warmth. Leather emerges first, a note traditionally created through a blend of smoky and woody materials that evoke the scent of fine tanned hides. It blends with vanilla, derived from the cured pods of orchids grown primarily in Madagascar. Vanilla contributes a creamy sweetness that softens the darker notes beneath it. Sandalwood, historically sourced from Mysore in India, adds a smooth, milky woodiness that feels warm and enveloping. Cedarwood, likely inspired by Atlas cedar from Morocco or Virginia cedar from North America, introduces a drier, aromatic wood note reminiscent of freshly sharpened pencils.

Resins and animalic elements deepen the base further. Patchouli, cultivated in Indonesia, lends its earthy richness with hints of damp soil and dark chocolate. Vetiver, distilled from the roots of a tropical grass and especially prized when grown in Haiti, provides a smoky, dry elegance that anchors the composition. Oakmoss, a classic element of chypre perfumes, contributes a cool, forest-like scent reminiscent of damp bark and shaded woodland floors. Amber, a warm accord typically built from resins and aromatic molecules, adds a glowing, golden sweetness that ties the composition together.

The base also carries traditional animalic notes that give the fragrance its sultry character. Castoreum, historically derived from beaver glands but now recreated synthetically, contributes a warm, leathery depth. Civet, once extracted from the civet cat but today almost always synthesized, introduces a subtle animal warmth that enhances the natural sensuality of the florals. Ambergris, the rare ocean-aged material once produced naturally by sperm whales, lends a soft, salty warmth that radiates through the fragrance; modern perfumes often recreate its effect using molecules such as ambroxan, which capture its luminous diffusion. Finally, musk envelops the entire composition in a soft, skin-like warmth. Modern synthetic musks—developed to replace traditional animal musk—provide a clean, velvety sensation that lingers on the skin long after the fragrance has settled.

Together these ingredients create a perfume of remarkable depth and contrast. Septième Sens moves from sparkling aldehydes and lush fruits into a narcotic floral heart, before settling into a dark, sensual base rich with woods, mosses, and animalic warmth. The effect is both sophisticated and mysterious—an olfactory expression of Sonia Rykiel’s vision of the modern woman: intuitive, sensual, and impossible to fully define.

Bottle:

The bottle for Septième Sens, introduced in 1979, was designed by the celebrated French sculptor Serge Mansau, whose work helped transform perfume bottles into small works of art. Mansau’s design reflects the geometric elegance associated with Ruba Rhombic glass, a distinctive Art Deco glass style popularized in the 1920s and 1930s by the Consolidated Lamp & Glass Company in the United States. Ruba Rhombic glass is recognized for its sharply faceted, diamond-like geometry, composed of repeating angular planes that catch and fracture light dramatically. By drawing inspiration from this style, Mansau created a bottle that appears almost like a crystalline jewel—its facets reflecting light in sharp angles, giving the flacon a sculptural brilliance that feels both modern and timeless.

For the pure parfum (extrait), the presentation was particularly elaborate and luxurious. The faceted crystal bottle was shaped like an “encrier Waterman,” a form reminiscent of the elegant glass inkwells once produced by the famous Waterman fountain pen company. This inkwell-inspired silhouette gave the bottle a sense of intellectual sophistication, subtly linking the fragrance to the world of writing, creativity, and artistry. The bottle itself was jewel-like in appearance, its many facets refracting light like a cut gemstone. It was topped with a silver-plated pewter cap, whose metallic surface added both weight and refinement to the design. To protect and display the extrait, the bottle was housed in a black resin case set with a small faux diamond, adding a theatrical touch of sparkle. Inside the presentation case was even a polishing cloth, intended to keep the silver-plated cap gleaming—an indication of how carefully the presentation had been conceived as a luxury object rather than merely a perfume container.

The eau de parfum version retained the same faceted crystal aesthetic but was presented in a slightly simpler format. The bottle was crafted from crystal and fitted with a black plastic screw cap, allowing the design to remain elegant while being more practical for everyday use. Production of the bottles was entrusted to two renowned French glassmakers: Pochet et du Courval and Saint-Gobain Desjonquères, both highly respected for their craftsmanship in luxury perfume packaging.

Extending the artistic concept even further, Serge Mansau also designed a series of perfume pendants inspired by the fragrance bottle. One version was a miniature replica of the perfume flacon, crafted in silver-plated pewter and suspended from a silvertone chain, transforming the perfume into a wearable jewel. This pendant was presented in a luxurious box titled “L’Ultra Sophistiqué,” made of cardboard covered in black textured paper. The interior was lined with white suede-like flocking, which held both the 7.5 ml extrait bottle shaped like the inkwell and the matching silver pendant bottle. The effect was refined and theatrical, presenting the fragrance as both adornment and collectible object.

Another pendant variation took its inspiration from the distinctive grooved silver-plated round cap of the inkwell bottle itself. This version was crafted in silver-plated metal, signed “SR” for Sonia Rykiel, and designed to contain a tiny bottle of 7ème Sens fragrance within. The pendant was suspended from a woven fiber cord, giving it a slightly more modern, fashion-oriented character. It was presented in a black resin box, also decorated with a small faux diamond inset, echoing the design of the original extrait presentation case. Together, these pieces demonstrated Sonia Rykiel’s playful approach to design—blending fashion, jewelry, and fragrance into a single artistic expression.

Product Line:

By 1984–1985, Septième Sens had expanded into a refined fragrance line offering a variety of presentations that reflected the elegant, artistic identity of Sonia Rykiel’s perfume. The most luxurious version remained the pure parfum, presented in a beautifully cut crystal bottle whose faceted surfaces captured and refracted light like a small jewel. Topping the bottle was a silvered pewter stopper, a cap whose weight and metallic sheen added a sense of craftsmanship and permanence to the presentation. The combination of crystal and metal created a sophisticated contrast—cool brilliance paired with soft, silvery warmth—emphasizing the perfume’s status as the most concentrated and precious expression of the fragrance. Parfum was available in 0.25 oz, 0.5 oz and 1 oz bottles.

The eau de parfum was offered in a similar crystal bottle, though with a slightly more practical finish. In this version, the stopper was replaced with a jet-black plastic cap, maintaining the dramatic black accent that had become part of the fragrance’s visual identity while making the bottle easier to use for everyday application. The eau de parfum was available in splash bottles of 100 ml and 200 ml, as well as spray formats in 50 ml and 100 ml, allowing wearers to choose between the more ritualistic application of a splash or the modern convenience of a spray. Even with these practical variations, the faceted crystal design ensured that each bottle retained the sculptural elegance of Serge Mansau’s original concept.

Beyond the perfume itself, the fragrance extended into a coordinated bath and body collection, allowing the wearer to layer the scent throughout her daily routine. These ancillary products were presented in matching black bottles, reinforcing the sleek and distinctive visual theme associated with Septième Sens. The bath line included a 200 ml foaming bath, designed to release the fragrance into warm water and fill the air with its sensual aroma. A 200 ml perfumed body lotion offered a softer, skin-enhancing version of the scent, while a 100 ml deodorant provided a subtle yet lasting veil of fragrance for everyday wear. Completing the range was a 100 g perfumed soap, which allowed the scent to become part of the cleansing ritual itself. Together, these products formed a cohesive fragrance wardrobe, inviting the wearer to surround herself completely with the mysterious and sensual atmosphere of Septième Sens.

Fate of the Fragrance:

In 1982, Septième Sens, the fragrance created by fashion designer Sonia Rykiel, returned to the perfume market with renewed attention and a carefully positioned distribution strategy. According to Performing Arts (1982), the scent was reintroduced under the direction of Germaine Monteil, appearing primarily at the counters of select high-end retailers described as the “right stores.” The fragrance had originally been conceived by Rykiel for herself, and by extension for women who shared her sensibility—independent, thoughtful, and quietly sensual. Its character was intentionally distinctive: the perfume carried what was described as a subtle masculine and animalic edge, balanced by an aura of feminine mystery. This interplay between strength and softness echoed Rykiel’s approach to fashion, where intellectual elegance and sensuality coexisted effortlessly. The fragrance was presented in its striking multifaceted inkwell-shaped bottle, designed by Serge Mansau, and packaged in a black box accented with bold red lettering, reinforcing its dramatic and slightly enigmatic identity. At the time, the fragrance was positioned firmly within the luxury market, with the pure parfum priced at $120 per ounce, while a 3.4 oz bottle of eau de parfum retailed for $40.

When asked in 1982 about the potential appeal of her perfume, Rykiel offered an insightful perspective on its relevance. She believed that the fragrance might resonate even more strongly with women during that period of rapid change. “I think my perfume could touch many more women now because it's so mysterious and life is so busy now. A woman needs to keep her mystery,” she explained. Her comment reflected the spirit of the early 1980s—a time when women were increasingly active in professional and public life while still embracing a sense of personal allure and individuality. In this context, a fragrance like Septième Sens, with its layered sensuality and suggestion of hidden depths, offered a way for women to maintain an aura of intrigue amid the pace of modern life.

Interestingly, some perfume enthusiasts have suggested that two slightly different versions of Septième Sens may have existed, possibly the result of a reformulation around the time of its 1982 relaunch. According to one reviewer’s observation, the earlier version appeared to emphasize the fragrance’s leather, civet, and dry animalic aspects, giving it a darker and somewhat more masculine character. The later version was described as containing a softer fruity nuance, which tempered the sharper leather facets and made the composition feel slightly smoother and more approachable. However, evidence for this distinction remains largely anecdotal. In personal testing of surviving samples, no clear differences have been consistently observed, leaving the question of reformulation open to interpretation.

Ultimately, Septième Sens had a relatively brief life in the marketplace. Despite its artistic presentation and distinctive composition, the fragrance was discontinued in 1986. Yet its intriguing concept—an aroma meant to evoke a “seventh sense” beyond ordinary perception—continues to capture the imagination of collectors and perfume historians. Today it stands as a fascinating reflection of Sonia Rykiel’s creative philosophy: a perfume designed not merely to be worn, but to express an atmosphere of intelligence, sensuality, and enduring mystery.