Vendetta Pour Femme by Valentino c1991

Vendetta Pour Femme by Valentino, launched in 1991, arrived with a name as provocative as the scent itself. “Vendetta” is an Italian word—pronounced ven-DET-tah—which translates to “revenge” in English. Coupled with Pour Femme, French for “for women,” the name creates a powerful linguistic blend that suggests both danger and femininity, elegance laced with a threat. In a literal sense, Vendetta Pour Femme means “revenge for women,” but its deeper implications evoke a narrative of empowered allure, emotional reckoning, and romantic intrigue. The choice of this title seems intentionally dramatic, theatrical even—an olfactory femme fatale dressed in Valentino red.

Choosing such a name was bold, especially in the early 1990s, a time when women’s roles in fashion, work, and culture were shifting. This was the height of the “power woman” era, when shoulder pads, sharply tailored suits, and confident silhouettes ruled runways and boardrooms alike. Women were asserting themselves more visibly in politics, media, and corporate spaces. The perfume’s launch coincided with a cultural moment defined by self-possession, ambition, and transformation. In perfumery, the late 1980s and early '90s were saturated with bold, statement-making fragrances—think Dior’s Poison, YSL’s Opium, or Paloma Picasso’s Mon Parfum—scents that filled a room, left a trail, and announced their wearer’s presence with unapologetic flair.

In this context, Vendetta Pour Femme fits the mold yet carries a unique tension. Its classification as an intensely fruity floral gave it a lush, seductive character—likely a nod to the rich Mediterranean heritage that Valentino himself represented. While fruity florals were not new by 1991, the intensity of Vendetta, and its fierce, dramatic branding, set it apart from lighter, more innocent offerings. The name alone distinguished it in a sea of romantic or abstract titles, giving the wearer not just a fragrance, but a persona to inhabit.

The scent was created by IFF (International Flavors & Fragrances) in collaboration with Elizabeth Arden’s creative marketing team, marrying technical sophistication with savvy branding. In choosing “Vendetta,” Valentino wasn't merely naming a perfume—he was telling a story, creating a role.

And who better to deliver such a concept than Valentino Garavani himself, the Italian couturier known for dressing the world’s most glamorous women in romantic, sensual, yet classically refined fashion. Valentino was already synonymous with elegance and drama—his couture often gliding down runways in bold reds and flowing silks. Vendetta Pour Femme was, in many ways, the olfactory extension of his vision: feminine, powerful, and utterly unforgettable.

For the women of 1991, wearing Vendetta Pour Femme may have felt like putting on a veil of beautiful armor—a scent that celebrated confidence, mystery, and the kind of elegant rebellion that only Valentino could make desirable.

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? Vendetta Pour Femme by Valentino is classified as an intensely fruity floral fragrance for women.

• Top notes: Tunisian orange blossom, Dutch wild daffodil, Egyptian water lily, Guyana water hyacinth, Calabrian bergamot, aldehydes, green notes, Georgian peach and Chilean plum
• Middle notes: Manila ylang-ylang, Balkan calendula, Moroccan jonquil, lily, Turkish rose, Grasse jasmine, French narcissus, Swiss lilac, Indian carnation, Mexican heliotrope, Provencal honey, orchid, Florentine orris, Portuguese tuberose, North African marigold
• Base notes: Sudanese myrrh, Somali opoponax, Tonkin musk, Mysore sandalwood, Seychelles patchouli, ambergris, Siamese benzoin, Virginian cedar, Venezuelan tonka bean, Madagascar vanilla and Haitian vetiver 

Scent Profile:

To smell Vendetta Pour Femme by Valentino is to be swept into a rich, baroque world of extravagant floral opulence and sun-drenched fruit, laced with exotic resins and sensual woods. The composition unfolds like a grand opera—each note a soloist, each regionally-sourced ingredient a passport to a distinct landscape, mood, or memory.

The fragrance opens with a glittering burst of Calabrian bergamot, bright and effervescent, tinged with a slight green bitterness that sets the stage for what’s to come. Calabrian bergamot is prized for its vibrant clarity; grown in the warm Mediterranean sun and coastal breezes of southern Italy, it yields a more nuanced, less bitter oil than bergamot from other regions. Immediately, it is softened by the velvety succulence of Georgian peach, ripened in warm, humid valleys, its fuzziness captured not just in fruit but in texture—fleshy, dripping, golden. The Chilean plum adds a darker, wine-like sweetness, tart at the edges, hinting at skin and juice, while green notes and aldehydes shimmer above them like dew on leaves. The aldehydes (likely a blend of C-10 and C-11 compounds) give the perfume a sparkling, airy lift, enhancing the fresh florals with a fizzy champagne-like effect that lingers just long enough to feel luxurious.

Then the florals begin to bloom—first cool, aquatic blossoms from distant waters. Tunisian orange blossom, rich and honeyed, provides a creamy backdrop, while the rarer Egyptian water lily and Guyana water hyacinth lend a translucent, almost watery freshness, like floating petals in a mirrored pool. The exotic note of Dutch wild daffodil weaves through this bouquet with a green, narcotic edge—fresh, but faintly poisonous. Together, these top notes don’t sparkle, they gleam—as though lit from within.

The heart of Vendetta Pour Femme is dense and intoxicating, a lush garden drenched in the warmth of late afternoon. Manila ylang-ylang, grown in the Philippines’ tropical climate, is rich and custardy with a faint banana-like undertone, enhancing the honeyed facets of Balkan calendula and North African marigold—spicy, resinous, and slightly herbal. Moroccan jonquil and French narcissus, both part of the narcotic narcissus family, bring a soft animalic earthiness, blurring the boundary between floral and flesh. Grasse jasmine, legendary for its depth and warmth, is elevated by the sweetness of Mexican heliotrope, which introduces almondy, balsamic nuances—comforting and warm like sun-dried linen.

The bouquet becomes ever more complex with Turkish rose and Portuguese tuberose: one velvety and lush, the other waxy and almost carnivorous in intensity. Swiss lilac, delicate and powdery, tempers their weight. Hints of Provencal honey thread through the middle, softening the drama with golden syrupy sweetness, while the creamy powder of Florentine orris root and the spice-clove nuance of Indian carnation enrich the texture further. It’s a heart that is not merely floral—it’s operatic, symphonic, relentless in its seduction.

As the scent dries down, it plunges into a deep, resinous base. Sudanese myrrh and Somali opoponax, both prized since antiquity, unfurl with rich balsamic depth—smoky, sweet, and faintly medicinal. These ancient resins are balanced by Siamese benzoin, creamy and vanilla-like, binding the woods and sweetness with ambered smoothness. Tonkin musk—likely an interpretation through muscone or synthetic musks—adds a skin-like sensuality, warm and faintly animalic, but without heaviness. Ambergris, whether natural or replicated by ambroxan or similar aroma chemicals, offers a marine, slightly salty warmth, echoing the watery florals of the opening.

The base’s wood notes ground the fragrance in elegance. Virginian cedar lends pencil-sharp dryness, while Mysore sandalwood, with its creamy, almost milky quality, softens it like polished skin. Seychelles patchouli, sun-baked and less earthy than Indonesian types, introduces a spicy warmth, marrying perfectly with the subtle leatheriness of Venezuelan tonka bean and the spicy-vanilla of Madagascar vanilla. Finally, Haitian vetiver, known for its smoky, clean, and citrus-tinged edge, anchors everything with a dignified austerity.

The overall result is a fragrance that is rich, baroque, and unapologetically feminine. The natural ingredients are enhanced by synthetics that lift, brighten, or extend their lifespans—aldehydes, musks, and modern amber molecules amplify nature’s voice without distorting it. Vendetta Pour Femme is not delicate or fleeting; it is voluptuous and commanding, a floral-fruity composition that plays not on innocence, but on opulence, drama, and passion. It feels like stepping into a shadowed palazzo—shimmering silks, glinting chandeliers, sun-warmed fruit, and a whisper of danger behind the beauty.

Bottle:

Vendetta Pour Femme was not only a statement in scent, but also in design—a perfume meant to seduce the senses even before it was sprayed. Presented in a striking pleated crystal fan-shaped bottle, the flacon itself echoed the sophistication and sharp elegance of Valentino’s haute couture. The design was inspired by the plissé pleats often found in the designer’s luxurious garments—those knife-edge folds that capture movement and light, a signature of refinement in fabric and, here, translated into glass. The bottle looks almost like a sculptural fragment of a pleated silk gown, caught in motion and frozen in time.

Designed in 1991 by the renowned bottle designer Serge Mansau, the flacon channels both modernity and classicism. Mansau, known for infusing a sense of drama and movement into his creations, treated the bottle as more than just a container—it became a visual prelude to the intensity of the fragrance within. The choice of frosted crystal softened the form, giving it a velvety, diffused finish, much like the texture of the perfume itself: rich, lush, and full of nuance. The play of light on its ribbed surface evoked the delicate interplay of shadow and silk folds, capturing an almost tactile sense of luxury.

The bottle was manufactured by Pochet et du Courval, the historic French glassmaker with a reputation for executing some of the finest perfume bottles in the industry. Known for their impeccable craftsmanship and precision, Pochet's work allowed Mansau’s vision to be fully realized—every pleat sharp and symmetrical, every curve elegant and balanced. The result is a bottle that not only holds a fragrance but also tells a visual story of Italian fashion, French glass artistry, and the drama of high perfumery in the early 1990s. It's a flacon that feels couture in every sense of the word—both object and accessory, both art and allure.

In 1991, alongside the release of Vendetta Pour Femme, a special collector’s edition was created: the Signature Edition, a limited run of just 300 examples worldwide. This edition held 0.5 oz of pure parfum, offering the fragrance in its most concentrated and luxurious form. While at first glance the bottle mirrored the regular parfum presentation—retaining the same fan-shaped flacon, both at the base and the stopper—upon closer inspection, it revealed refined details that set it apart.

What distinguished this Signature Edition was subtle, yet intentional. Along the polished edge of the stopper, the graceful printed signature of Valentino appeared in elegant script—an understated but personal nod from the designer himself. It felt like the fragrance had been autographed by the couturier, as if imparting his final approval on the creation, a mark of authenticity and couture refinement.

Adding to its exclusivity, each bottle bore a unique identifier: the edition number, carefully inscribed on the underside of the base, indicating its position within the series of 300. This small numerical detail imbued the bottle with a sense of rarity and value, elevating it from a perfume to a collectible piece of olfactory art. Meant for connoisseurs and collectors alike, the Vendetta Pour Femme Signature Edition was less about mass appeal and more about luxury in its most intimate and numbered form—a rare jewel in the world of early 1990s perfumery.

The fragrance was available in the following:

• 0.5 oz Parfum
• 0.25 oz Eau de Toilette Mini Splash
• 1.6 oz Eau de Toilette Splash
• 0.5 oz Eau de Toilette Purse Spray
• 1 oz Eau de Toilette Spray
• 1.7 oz Eau de Toilette Spray
• 3.4 oz Eau de Toilette Spray
• 3.5 oz Perfumed Soap
• 5 oz Perfumed Bath & Shower Gel

Fate of the Fragrance:

At the time of Vendetta Pour Femme’s launch in 1991, the Valentino fragrance brand was owned by Unilever, one of the largest consumer goods companies in the world. Distribution fell under Parfums International, a specialized division created in 1989 when Unilever acquired the Elizabeth Arden company. To better manage its growing portfolio, Unilever split Arden’s operations into two segments: Elizabeth Arden remained the face of the cosmetic and skincare lines, while Parfums International oversaw the development and distribution of prestige fragrances, including those bearing the Valentino name.

During the 1990s, Parfums International became the steward of several high-profile designer perfume licenses, and the Valentino name was positioned alongside other European luxury brands such as Chloé, Karl Lagerfeld, and Cerruti. Despite promising packaging, strong branding, and the allure of Valentino’s haute couture world, Vendetta Pour Femme—like several other offerings under the label—struggled to gain a lasting foothold in the competitive and rapidly shifting fragrance market of the decade.

By 2000, Unilever chose to divest from the Elizabeth Arden name, selling it off along with popular fragrances such as Elizabeth Taylor’s White Diamonds and Red Door. However, Unilever retained its European designer licenses, including Valentino, and continued to manage these under the Parfums International umbrella.

In 2005, Unilever exited the fragrance business entirely, selling Valentino’s perfume license to Procter & Gamble, a move that marked a new phase for the brand. Just five years later, in 2010, Puig, the Spanish beauty and fashion conglomerate, acquired the Valentino fragrance license. Around the time of the Puig acquisition, Vendetta Pour Femme and several other vintage Valentino perfumes were reportedly discontinued.

Although the exact discontinuation date of Vendetta Pour Femme remains unconfirmed, it is understood to have occurred sometime before 2010. All original bottles of Vendetta, whether in eau de toilette or parfum form, can be identified by the Unilever/Parfums International markings on their packaging or glass base. These details serve as a timestamp from a specific chapter in the Valentino fragrance house’s complex licensing history—a period shaped by corporate transitions, shifting market trends, and the often fleeting nature of fragrance fashion.

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