Le Temps d’Aimer by Parfums Alain Delon (1981)

Le Temps d’Aimer, launched in 1981 by Parfums Alain Delon in association with Ultra de Varens, bears a name steeped in poetry, romance, and introspection. The phrase Le Temps d’Aimer is French and translates literally to “The Time to Love.” Pronounced as "luh tahn day-MAY", it carries a soft, flowing cadence that mirrors its emotional intent. The wording suggests not just love itself, but the moment for love—an awareness that love is cyclical, precious, and bound to time. It implies maturity rather than infatuation, reflection rather than impulse, and emotional readiness rather than fantasy.

The name evokes intimate imagery: late afternoon light filtering through curtains, handwritten letters, shared glances heavy with meaning, and the quiet warmth of emotional connection. Unlike names that promise seduction or drama, Le Temps d’Aimer feels contemplative and tender. Emotionally, it speaks to depth, patience, and authenticity—a perfume for a woman who understands love as something lived and felt, not merely dreamed. The association with Alain Delon, an icon of refined masculinity and cinematic romance, reinforces this aura of classic, enduring elegance.

Its 1981 launch places the fragrance at a fascinating cultural crossroads. The early 1980s marked a transition from the bold, liberated experimentation of the 1970s into a decade defined by contrast: power and softness, excess and intimacy. Fashion embraced strong silhouettes—structured tailoring, defined shoulders—yet also celebrated sensual fabrics like silk, velvet, and cashmere. In perfumery, this era saw a renewed appreciation for rich chypres, animalic undertones, mossy bases, and complex fruity notes, often softened by aldehydes for elegance and lift. Women were increasingly independent, visible in professional life, yet still deeply connected to ideas of romance and emotional depth. A perfume called Le Temps d’Aimer would have resonated as a personal statement—both romantic and self-possessed.

Interpreted through scent, the name becomes a story told in layers. The fragrance opens with a fruity, aldehydic top, where aldehydes lend brightness and polish, creating a luminous, almost champagne-like sparkle that lifts the fruit notes. Peach appears soft and velvety, its sweetness warm rather than juvenile, while blackcurrant buds introduce a tart, green-fruity sharpness, slightly sulfurous and vivid, adding complexity and tension. This opening feels alive and expectant—like the first moments of an emotional realization.

The heart unfolds into a spicy, fruity, floral core, rich yet controlled. Jasmine brings sensual warmth and floral radiance, while ylang-ylang adds a creamy, exotic softness that deepens the emotional tone. Rose contributes classical femininity—petal-like, elegant, and quietly romantic—binding the florals together. The fruit notes persist here, now woven into the florals, creating a sense of abundance and warmth. This heart feels expressive and emotional, echoing the idea of love in bloom, experienced rather than idealized.

The base is where Le Temps d’Aimer reveals its most intimate character. A woody, mossy, sensual foundation anchors the composition with depth and longevity. Patchouli provides earthy richness and structure, while sandalwood lends creamy smoothness and calm. Ambergris adds a subtle mineral warmth and radiance, enhancing the fragrance’s lasting glow. Tonkin musk, prized for its soft animal warmth, and civet, used with restraint, introduce a chypre-animalic sensuality—skin-like, warm, and faintly provocative—never raw, always refined. These elements create a base that feels lived-in, human, and deeply personal.

In the context of other fragrances on the market, Le Temps d’Aimer was very much aligned with the sophisticated trends of the early 1980s, yet it distinguished itself through its emotional narrative and balance. While many fragrances of the era leaned toward overt power or dramatic opulence, this perfume embraced softness, warmth, and introspection without sacrificing complexity or presence. It was not radical, but it was thoughtful—an elegant evolution of the chypre tradition infused with modern fruity and aldehydic nuances.

Ultimately, Le Temps d’Aimer is a fragrance about timing, maturity, and emotional depth. Warm and soft, elegant and classic, it speaks to women who understood love not as a fleeting thrill, but as a meaningful chapter in life—something to be recognized, cherished, and worn close to the skin.

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? It is classified as a fruity chypre fragrance for women. It begins with a fruity, aldehydic top, followed by a spicy, fruity, floral heart, layered over a woody, mossy, sensual base. Le Temps d'Aimer – A fragrance with dominant woody, aldehydic, fruity, and chypre-animalic notes. Composed of jasmine, ylang-ylang, civet, patchouli, sandalwood, rose, blackcurrant buds, peach, Tonkin musk, and ambergris. Warm and soft, elegant and classic.

• Top notes: aldehyde complex, green notes, blackcurrant buds, mirabelle, peach, rosewood
• Middle notes: jasmine, clove, pimento berries, gardenia, rose, ylang ylang, orris
• Base notes: oakmoss, patchouli, sandalwood, vanilla, styrax, ambergris, castoreum, civet, Tonkin musk, leather

Scent Profile:

Le Temps d’Aimer opens with a luminous, almost theatrical brightness, where a complex of aldehydes rises first—sparkling, airy, and refined. These aldehydic molecules do not smell of a specific flower or fruit; instead, they evoke light itself: clean linen, cool air, and a champagne-like fizz that lifts the entire composition. They magnify the freshness of the green notes, which follow immediately, smelling of crushed leaves and tender stems, slightly bitter and crisp. Into this brightness steps blackcurrant bud, dark and vivid, with its unmistakable green-fruity sharpness—tangy, slightly sulfurous, and alive. It smells like the snap of a twig and the juice of unripe berries combined, giving tension and character to the opening. Mirabelle plum adds a golden softness—honeyed, gently fruity, and sun-warmed—while peach brings a velvety sweetness, ripe and fleshy, never syrupy. A subtle thread of rosewood—dry, rosy, and faintly spicy—ties the fruits to the woods to come, lending elegance and polish.

As the fragrance moves inward, the heart blooms into a richly textured spicy–floral accord that feels warm, expressive, and emotionally resonant. Jasmine unfurls first, creamy and radiant, its white petals glowing rather than indolic; aroma chemicals enhance its diffusion and clarity, allowing it to float effortlessly through the composition. Gardenia deepens the floral richness with a buttery, almost waxy white-flower fullness, while rose introduces classical femininity—soft petals, faint sweetness, and quiet romance. Ylang-ylang, sourced from tropical regions such as the Comoros, adds an exotic, banana-smooth creaminess, rounding the florals with languid warmth. Spices flicker beneath: clove and pimento berries lend a dry, aromatic heat—peppery, slightly smoky, and sensual—giving the heart a subtle pulse. Orris (iris root) cools and refines the bouquet with its powdery, suede-like elegance, evoking cosmetics, fine fabric, and aristocratic restraint.

The base of Le Temps d’Aimer is where the fragrance becomes deeply intimate and unmistakably chypre. Oakmoss forms the backbone—cool, shadowy, and green-bitter—recalling damp forest floors and shaded stone, anchoring the perfume in tradition and depth. Patchouli adds earthy richness, refined rather than rugged, its woody facets smoothed and modernized by supporting synthetics. Sandalwood contributes a creamy, milky warmth, soft and meditative, its natural roundness enhanced by aroma molecules that extend its glow on skin. Vanilla whispers sweetness, gentle and comforting, while styrax brings balsamic warmth—resinous, faintly smoky, and ambery—bridging sweetness and shadow.

Animalic notes emerge with great restraint, lending warmth rather than provocation. Ambergris provides a mineral, slightly salty radiance, like sun-warmed skin near the sea, enhancing longevity and sensual diffusion. Castoreum and civet, used judiciously, introduce a subtle leathered warmth—soft, intimate, and human rather than raw. Tonkin musk, prized historically for its enveloping, skin-like softness, wraps the entire composition in a warm haze, making the perfume feel worn-in, personal, and alive. A delicate leather nuance lingers at the edges, polished and supple, reinforcing the fragrance’s classic elegance.

Together, these elements create a fragrance that feels deeply emotional and timeless. The aldehydes illuminate the fruits, the synthetics refine and extend the florals, and the mossy, animalic base grounds everything in sensual warmth. Le Temps d’Aimer is warm and soft, elegant and classic—a fruity chypre that does not shout, but speaks in a low, confident voice, lingering close to the skin like a memory of love fully lived rather than merely imagined.

Product Line:

In 1984/1985, Le Temps d'Aimer was available in the following formats:

• Parfum: Splash bottles (7.5ml, 15ml, 30ml); Pouch atomizer (6.5ml)
• Related Products: Eau de Toilette Spray (75ml, 125ml); Eau de Toilette Atomizer (100ml)
• Ancillary products: Deodorant Atomizer (100ml); Soap (100g); Roll-on Deodorant (50ml); Bath and Shower Gel (200ml); Perfumed Body Lotion (200ml); Perfumed Body Powder (150g)

Fate of the Fragrance:

Discontinued, date unknown. Still being sold in 1998, distributed y International Designer Fragrances, Inc..