The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Noir Ylang Ylang launched in 2017 under Pierre Bourdon, and its story is carried by the tension between brightness and intimacy. Aegean wallflower, freesia, guava, and lychee create the opening, combining floral and fruit materials. That brightness gives way to iris, jasmine, rose, and ylang-ylang, where the composition shifts toward a fuller floral heart. The fruit opening and floral middle develop alongside the later notes of peach, vanilla, tonka bean, sandalwood, orris, and white musk. The name highlights ylang-ylang, but the scent places it within a broader arrangement of florals and fruits rather than presenting that note on its own. Iris, rose, jasmine, and ylang-ylang share the heart, while the base introduces warmer woods, sweet materials, and musk.
What makes this composition interesting is the way familiar floral materials share space with fruit notes. Lychee and guava stand apart from the floral materials without defining the fragrance on their own. Iris, rose, jasmine, and ylang-ylang form the central floral passage, with orris root appearing again in the base. The result is less like a single flower than a layered arrangement: fruit and floral notes open the composition, several flowers define its middle, and peach, vanilla, tonka bean, sandalwood, orris, and white musk shape the later stage.
The evolution
The opening is built around aegean wallflower, freesia, guava, and lychee, with floral and fruit materials appearing together. As the heart arrives, iris, rose, jasmine, and ylang-ylang take over. Jasmine remains part of the floral center, while iris and rose add two distinct floral materials and ylang-ylang becomes more prominent. The drydown introduces peach, vanilla, tonka bean, sandalwood, orris, and white musk. Orris root, first listed as a heart material, remains present in the base alongside the fruit, sweet, woody, and musky notes. Over time, the composition moves from the opening pairing of freesia and fruit into the layered floral heart, then into its warmer base materials. Each stage adds another group of notes without leaving the earlier floral and fruity components entirely behind.
Cultural impact
Noir Ylang Ylang brings together several distinct fragrance families, from freesia, guava, and lychee at the opening to iris, rose, jasmine, and ylang-ylang in the heart. Peach, vanilla, tonka bean, sandalwood, orris, and white musk extend the composition into the base. Together, these materials create a varied fragrance profile that can be explored through the changing relationships between its fruits, flowers, sweet materials, woods, and musk. The combination gives the scent a broad expressive range while keeping each of its listed notes connected to the overall composition.
The House
Judith WilliamsJudith Williams entered the fragrance market in 2006, extending a German beauty and skincare line that the television entrepreneur launched the same year. The brand now offers more than fifty distinct scents, ranging from the floral flirt of Sexy Rose to the gourmand sparkle of Strawberry Champagne. Its catalogue balances everyday wearability with occasional niche twists, such as Arabian Oud and Queen of the Night. The line targets consumers who appreciate recognizable notes without the complexity of haute‑perfume collections, delivering each bottle in a clean, recognisable package that bears the founder’s signature pink branding.
The Creator
Pierre BourdonBourdon's signature lies in clarity and restraint. He favors transparency in composition, building fragrances that breathe rather than overwhelm.
