Updated: January 20, 2026 • Reading time: about 16 minutes

Valentino Perfumes: The olfactory history of Valentino Garavani: icons, golden years, and lasting fragrances

After Giorgio Armani, we're leaving with another great name who defined an idea of ​​Italian elegance. If you're interested, here's the special on Armani (light link, just for context): Giorgio Armani: history, anecdotes, iconic perfumes .

Today, however, we're talking about Valentino Garavani, and we're doing so from the side that, surprisingly, is often told only halfway: his perfumes. Not as a list of names, but as a true story, with its stages, twists, imagery, and a timeline that helps you understand why certain fragrances have become so sought-after and remembered.

Why this article: What does Valentino have to do with perfumes?

When a figure like Valentino Garavani leaves us, the risk is to always tell the same story: clothes, red carpet, red, the muses.

All true. But incomplete. Because perfumery, for a house, is often the most widespread form of its language.

A dress remains an event. A perfume becomes a habit. And when a perfume is well-made, it becomes a memory.

Valentino perfumes, especially in certain years, weren't just "fillers." They had a signature. Sometimes more classic. Sometimes more theatrical. Sometimes more modern. But almost always recognizable.

In this article, the goal is simple: to reconstruct the olfactory history in a readable way, with clear sections, and with a concrete indication of what makes some titles iconic.

→ Go to timeline

↑ Back to index

Valentino in two scenes: style, Rome, and a recognizable signature

To understand Valentino perfumes, a short photo is needed for context. Not long, but precise.

Scene 1: Rome, the birth of the maison, the discipline of beauty

Valentino Garavani opened his fashion house in Rome in 1960, after training and working in Italy and Paris. Rome is more than a city: it's a tone. A natural theatricality. A way of being in the world.

This Roman essence often recurs as an idea in perfumes: an elegance that is not afraid of the stage, but remains composed.

Scene 2: The Muses, Cinema, and the Obsession with “Form”

Her fashion quickly became associated with iconic women, royals, first ladies, and actresses. Not just because it's "beautiful." But because it's designed to enhance and make a gesture iconic.

This is the key: Valentino doesn't just create objects. He creates images. And a perfume, when it really works, does the same thing: it gives you an image.

In the world of Valentino, even the details matter. In perfume, the detail is often the base notes: woods, resins, musks, amber accords.

They are the foundations that make a fragrance “hold up” over time, even when fashions change.

↑ Back to index

Perfume as Wearable Couture: Why Perfumery Really Matters

For a couture house, perfume is a useful paradox: it costs less than a dress, but can bring the same world to the skin.

This is why some houses treat perfumery like a secondary department (and it shows). And others, instead, treat it like a real language (and it shows even more).

Throughout Valentino's history, perfumery has gone through various phases: from the classic signature, to the theatricality of the 1990s, up to today's global modernity.

And within these phases, there are perfumes that have become “icons” not because they were perfect for everyone, but because they were recognizable.

A recognizable scent creates two things: memory, and desire.

Memory because you associate it with an era, a person, a room. Desire because when you hear it again, you realize that today there aren't many equivalents with the same signature.

↑ Back to index

Complete timeline: from 1978 to today

Below you'll find the main timeline (with the milestones that really matter), and then longer sections for each era.

↑ Back to index

1978: “Valentino”, the original signature and the idea of ​​“green” luxury

1978 marked the launch of Valentino's first true olfactory signature. It's a feminine fragrance that speaks the language of that era, but with an elegance that's still evident today.

We are in the land of flowering greenery, with a building that is not afraid to be "important".

If this seems unusual to you today, it's because many modern fragrances focus on simplicity. Here, however, you sense a broader, more narrative, more house-like structure.

The air of the times: why a flowery green could be a luxury

In the '70s, freshness wasn't "sport." It was class. It was a way of saying: I'm neat, I'm bright, but I also have depth.

And in fact, in this type of signature, the floral heart is often supported by darker bases, with musks and base notes that give gravity.

Bottle and imagery: when design becomes part of history

Vintage, here, isn't just the liquid. It's also the object. The bottle, the label, the geometry.

For many fashion houses, in those years, the container was already a manifesto: it had to say “fashion house” even before “perfume”.

This is one of the reasons why, when we talk about vintage Valentino, we often also talk about memorable bottles: because they complete the narrative.

↑ Back to timeline

The 1980s: Greatness, Recognition, and the Culture of the Wake

The 1980s were, in perfumery, the decade of presence. Not just "smelling good." But making yourself known.

The wake becomes a social gesture: you enter a place, and you stay even when you don't speak.

For couture houses, it's natural territory. Because couture and the '80s share one thing: the idea of ​​impact.

What has changed compared to the 70s?

In the '70s, elegance was often more about "air and structure." In the '80s, it became "structure and theater."

More volume. More contrast. More foundation. More signature.

This climate paves the way for the season that, for Valentino, becomes truly iconic in perfumery: the early 1990s.

Valentino Red as a symbol (more than as a date)

In those years, and in the following passage, the word “Red” enters the imagination as an emotional shortcut: passion, evening, couture, a certain type of femininity.

Here, there's no point in focusing on the daily chronology. It's important to understand the function: "Red" as a direct bridge between fashion and leather.

↑ Back to timeline

1991: Vendetta Donna and Vendetta Uomo, the most "dramatic" chapter

If there's a title that, in the Valentino world, already seems like a screenplay, it's Vendetta.

It's a strong, almost cinematic name, and indeed the fragrance isn't shy. It's designed to leave its mark.

In 1991, two sides of the same idea were released: Vendetta Donna and Vendetta Uomo.

Vendetta Donna: '90s opulence with the complexity of a "great perfume"

Vendetta Donna is often cited as an example of big, dense, layered perfumery.

It's not a "pretty floral." It's a room-filling floral. But it does so with a complexity that gives it dignity.

The sensation, for those who remember it well, is that of a perfume that changes. That grows. That expands.

It is the typical signature of an era when perfumes were not afraid to be intense, and when intensity was part of luxury.

Vendetta Uomo: When "serious" men weren't afraid of leather

For many enthusiasts, Vendetta Uomo is one of those men's fragrances that are "missing" today because they don't resemble the average modern perfume.

It starts off aromatic and green, but doesn't stay there. It shifts toward a darker structure, with resins, oakmoss, and a leathery accord that adds weight.

An anecdote about perfume culture: why Vendetta has remained so popular

When a perfume becomes a reference, a curious thing happens: people don't remember it by its "notes." They remember it by its role.

For many, Vendetta was "the perfume for the evening." Or "the perfume you wore when you wanted to look more grown-up." Or "the perfume you recognized as soon as someone walked in."

This type of social memory is extremely rare. And it's the real reason a title stays alive over time.

↑ Back to timeline

1998–1999: Very Valentino, brighter elegance

After the theatricality of the early '90s, a shift in focus arrived. The end of the decade called for more wearable, "cleaner" fragrances, but still designer ones.

This is where two titles much loved by those who experienced them come in: Very Valentino (1998) and Very Valentino Pour Homme (1999).

Very Valentino (1998): femininity “in order”

Very Valentino is often remembered for a quality that seems simple, but isn’t: the feeling of being “cared for.”

It's not a perfume that screams. It's a perfume that refines. It's like a perfectly tailored suit: you don't notice it as being overdone, you notice it because it fits you well.

In the olfactory profile, it moves between freshness, flowers, and a soft base that gives comfort.

Very Valentino Pour Homme (1999): aromatic-spicy with a warm base

In the men's version, Very Valentino Pour Homme works on spices, aromas, and a warm, resinous base.

Here's something interesting for those who love the history of perfumes: it's one of those 90s men's fragrances that seeks a balance between cleanliness and presence.

↑ Back to timeline

2005–2006: V and V pour Homme, the letter that becomes style

In the mid-2000s, perfumery experienced a different phase: less “big floral”, more amber accords, more soft sensuality, more leather.

Valentino responds with a simple graphic idea: a single letter, V, which becomes identity.

And when a couture brand reduces a name to a symbol, it is usually saying: “this is enough for me to be recognized.”

V (2005): modern, clean, but warm feminine

V is often perceived as an elegant feminine with an understated sensuality.

It has a measured fruity opening, a clean floral heart, and a woody-amber base that gives the right trail without weighing down.

V pour Homme (2006): woody-amber with a controlled dark side

V pour Homme is a masculine fragrance that plays on contrasts: spicy freshness at the beginning, then woods and amber, and finally a base of vanilla and cocoa (but without becoming dessert).

It's the kind of composition that best describes the 2000s: softer, more "nocturnal", more magnetic sensuality.

↑ Back to timeline

2011: Valentina, Rome in a young key

Valentina arrived in 2011, and here the narrative becomes more explicit: Rome as inspiration, but translated into a more contemporary language.

This is an important step, because it marks the creation of a new audience: younger, more international, and closer to the campaigns' imagery.

The thing everyone remembers: the “truffle + strawberry” combination

Valentina is also famous for a unique choice: the truffle opening and strawberry center, which together create an instantly recognizable signature.

It's a combination that seems strange on paper, but it works precisely because it creates contrast.

Imaginary: the countryside as a “little film”

In the 2010s, perfume advertising increasingly becomes short cinema: location, face, atmosphere, and an implicit plot.

Valentina fits into this trend, but does so with a “Valentino” tone: elegant, refined, Roman in the sense of scenic, not in the postcard sense.

↑ Back to timeline

2014–2015: Man and Woman, the two modern pillars

Valentino Uomo arrives in 2014. Valentino Donna arrives in 2015. And here something clear happens: the brand builds two "wardrobe" pillars.

These aren't niche perfumes. They aren't unusual practices. They are cornerstones of the brand's contemporary perfumery.

Valentino Uomo (2014): the elegant gourmand that convinced even those who hated gourmands

Valentino Uomo is remembered for a gourmand heart (coffee, chocolate, hazelnut) supported by a more masculine and dry base.

This is precisely the balance that has made it popular: delicious, but not childish. Warm, but not cloying.

Valentino Donna (2015): iris, rose, and a base that gives character

Donna works on a more “couture” femininity: clean, refined, with symbolic ingredients such as iris and rose, and a warmer base that gives body.

It's a modern feminine look that doesn't just focus on "freshness." It focuses on enduring elegance: the kind that never tires.

↑ Back to timeline

2019: Born in Rome, the new global era

In 2019, Born in Roma arrives, and Valentino perfumery shifts gears. It becomes a saga. It becomes a family. It becomes a global language.

Born in Roma is designed to exist in chapters: new intensities, new variations, new flankers. It's a modern strategy, but with a very strong image.

The idea: Rome as an “attitude”

Here, Rome isn't just a monument. It's a contrast: old and new. Class and street. Discipline and night.

It's also why the communication worked so well: because it took Rome as an identity, not as a souvenir.

A launch anecdote: the ball in Paris and the contemporary couture vibe

To celebrate Born in Roma, Valentino organized an important event in Paris, in a “grande maison” context, also linked to the couture calendar.

This detail is important because it explains one thing: Born in Roma wasn't born as a simple pop perfume. It was born as a "house" scent, with the ambition of representing a modern Valentino DNA.

Donna Born in Roma (2019): the modern, sweet but designer floriental

Donna Born in Roma combines fruity and spicy notes in the opening, a heart of jasmine, and a base of bourbon vanilla and modern woods.

It's built to please, yes, but also to be recognizable. And that's the difference between "success" and "icons."

Uomo Born in Roma (2019): mineral, aromatic, with salt and vetiver

Uomo Born in Roma has a different profile than the classic woody-spicy one. It introduces a mineral note and a savory accord, with violet leaf, sage, and ginger, and a vetiver/woody base.

It's one of those men's clothes that were successful because they seemed "new" without being strange.

Born in Roma is, in short, the phase in which Valentino becomes a “global conversation” in perfumery.

↑ Back to timeline

What makes a Valentino perfume iconic: the "rules" that return

Looking at the whole story together, some constants emerge. Not secret formulas, but recurring choices.

↑ Back to index

Quick Guide: The Most Iconic Valentino Perfumes (With Clear Descriptions)

Here's a quick guide for those who Google "what kind of perfume is" and want to know in 30 seconds.

Mini-FAQ: The questions people actually search for

What is the first Valentino perfume?

The first important signature was “Valentino”, launched in 1978: a feminine fragrance that inaugurated the brand's perfumery with a grand maison approach.

What are the most iconic vintage Valentino perfumes?

In vintage, the titles that come back most often are Vendetta (Women and especially Men) and Very Valentino (with its men's pair), because they represent the 90s school well: structure, signature, sillage.

Are V and V pour Homme still “current”?

They are children of the 2000s, but precisely because they have a clear direction they often still seem pleasant: warm, amber-toned sensuality, with control.

Why did Born in Roma become so popular?

Because it combines a very strong imagery (Rome as attitude and contrast) with modern and recognizable formulas, and because it exists as a family of perfumes, therefore remaining present over time.

Closing: why this story remains

Valentino Garavani created a readable beauty: you could see it and understand it.

The best perfumes do the same thing: they're not just "good." They define their identity. And that's why they endure even when trends change.

While fashion is saying goodbye to Valentino today, perfumery remains one of the most tangible ways to understand what he left behind: an idea of ​​elegance that can be dramatic, yet never loses control.

← Back to the blog