The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Flacon Tortue began as an icon. The turtle-shaped flacon first appeared in 1913, when Guerlain opened its flagship boutique at 68 Champs-Élysées, and Jacques Guerlain designed the bottle. A century later, in 2015, Thierry Wasser revisited this silhouette for something extraordinary: a Baccarat crystal bottle, hand-decorated with silk thread. Forty-seven were made. Each one holds a reincarnation of Extrait du 68, the 2013 concentrate that collectors had been chasing in vain. Wasser revisited the original formula, bottling the essence in a vessel worthy of its heritage.
What makes this composition remarkable is how immortelle and osmanthus hold the center without overwhelming anything. Immortelle gives that honeyed, slightly medicinal warmth that scent lovers chase across dozens of fragrances, but here it is anchored by osmanthus, a stone-fruit floral that adds sweetness without softness. The vanilla and benzoin base does not just support the pyramid, it pulls the whole structure together into something that breathes, that shifts, that rewards sitting with it.
The evolution
The opening announces mandarin and cardamom with no hesitation, bright, almost sharp, with apricot adding a syrupy warmth beneath. Pink pepper flickers at the edges. This phase lasts longer than expected before the florals begin their slow takeover. Immortelle arrives first, unmistakable in its honeyed, hay-like character. Jasmine and rose follow, but osmanthus adds depth, pulling sweetness from somewhere deeper in the composition. As the top notes fade, the heart takes hold and the structure becomes powdery, warm, close. Vanilla and benzoin dominate the drydown, but the immortelle does not fully leave, it lingers like a memory of what the fragrance was before it became what it is. The base holds close to the skin for hours.
Cultural impact
The 2015 release sits at the intersection of collector's item and wearable perfume, a powdery floral with warm spice that rewards patience. The 47-bottle production run ensures it remains a curiosity, a reference point. Guerlain's turtle flacon has long stood apart from the house's main collection, a sculptural object as much as a vessel for scent. This edition carries that legacy forward, offering not just fragrance but a statement about what perfume can be when it steps outside the ordinary boundaries of release and distribution.
The House
GuerlainGuerlain stands as one of the oldest and most revered perfume houses in the world, founded in Paris in 1828 by Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain. What began as a boutique on rue de Rivoli quickly became the preferred destination for Parisian society, attracting dandies and elegant women who sought custom-crafted fragrances. The house's influence grew to such heights that Guerlain earned the title of Official Perfumer to Napoleon III after presenting Eau de Cologne Impériale to Empress Eugénie as a wedding gift in 1853. This royal patronage marked the beginning of Guerlain's enduring association with European aristocracy, as the house went on to create fragrances for Queen Victoria and Queen Isabella II of Spain. Today, under the creative direction of Thierry Wasser, the fifth-generation perfumer, Guerlain continues to shape the landscape of fine fragrance with a portfolio spanning over 1,100 olfactory creations. The house remains headquartered at its legendary Champs-Élysées mansion, a historic monument that anchors Guerlain's position at the intersection of heritage and contemporary luxury.
The Creator
Thierry WasserWasser gravitates toward green, crispy notes and the bold florals Guerlain is known for. Bulgarian rose appears repeatedly in his work, and he travels annually to oversee the harvest in Kazanlak.
