Gush›Calvin Klein›for women
Calvin Klein for women
Calvin Klein

for women

Floral
Rose
Jasmine
White Floral
Iris
Fruity
Green
EDT · 1978 · womens

Calvin Klein's 1978 fragrance for women is a foundational chypre that helped define the DNA of the designer fragrance category. Released during the height of the house's minimalist aesthetic revolution, it remains one of the most recognizable fragrances ever created.

The composition opens with a bright aldehydic burst enhanced by peach and raspberry, backed by gardenia and hyacinth for a green, almost soapy floral top. The heart is a dense, powdery floral block of rose, jasmine, carnation, and lily of the valley with orris root providing a creamy iris tone. The base anchors everything with a woody-amber foundation of cedar, sandalwood, oakmoss, and musk, giving the fragrance its characteristic earthy, slightly masculine undertone that prevents it from becoming too sweet.

This is a versatile everyday fragrance that works for both professional and casual settings. While it carries feminine florals, the aldehydic opening and woody base keep it from feeling overtly girly, making it appealing to anyone seeking a balanced chypre. If you gravitate toward The Homesteader, The Tactician, or The Romantic, this fragrance shares key DNA elements worth exploring.

Adds to your fragrance profile · visible to the community

Not yet ratedYour Gush Score
$9Best · 90ml
Rate this fragrance
0255075100
—/100
Price Comparison1 retailers · updated daily
SizeUpdated 29099m ago
$8.95
at FragranceShop
Buy Now →
RetailerStockPrice
FragranceShop✓ PartnerBestIn Stock$8.95Buy

✓ authorized retailer · ⚠ verify seller · delta vs. MSRP · we earn a small commission

Alert me when the price drops
We'll notify you once. No spam.
Main Accordsreported by community
Floral
100%
Rose
22%
Jasmine
22%
White Floral
70%
Iris
22%
Fruity
80%
Green
30%
Aromatic
30%
Aldehydic
90%
Woody
91%
Earthy
30%
Musky
30%
Powdery
60%
Amber
30%
Warm Spicy
30%
Spicy
22%
Sweet
26%
Creamy
30%
Fragrance Notesbrand verified
Top · 0–30 min
Aldehydes
Aldehydes
The chemical family that created modern perfumery, aldehydes were first used prominently in Chanel N°5 (1921), adding a soapy, abstract, almost metallic sparkle that lifted the fragrance above anything previously possible. They don't smell like anything in nature; their effect is more textural than aromatic. Aldehydic fragrances feel luminous, sophisticated, and distinctly 20th century.
Gardenia
Gardenia
Intoxicatingly creamy and white-floral with a waxy, almost narcotic sweetness. Gardenia shares the heady indolic quality of jasmine and tuberose but with a fresher, greener edge from its glossy leaves. A challenging note to use well, too much overwhelms, but a well-handled gardenia accord is memorably beautiful.
Hyacinth
Hyacinth
Intensely green and floral with an almost sharp, piercing sweetness, hyacinth is one of spring's most assertive flowers. It has a cold, watery quality alongside its floral richness that makes it feel fresh and slightly dangerous. Polarising in perfumery because of its strength, but magical when well handled.
Peach
Peach
Ripe, juicy, and velvety, peach has a warm, slightly creamy sweetness that feels lush rather than childish in the right context. It adds a fruity sensuality to floral and oriental fragrances, and its slightly fuzzy quality can even play into tactile, skin-like accords. A note that feels like high summer.
Raspberry
Raspberry
Bright, tart, and slightly jammy, raspberry adds a vivid fruity pop that is harder and more energetic than peach or apricot. It's a signature note of modern fruity florals and adds an accessible sweetness that broadens a fragrance's appeal. Best used with restraint unless you're deliberately going for big and fun.
Heart · 30 min – 3 hrs
Carnation
Carnation
Spicy, clove-like, and slightly powdery, carnation is one of perfumery's oldest floral notes, with a warm, almost peppery character that distinguishes it from softer flowers. It has a vintage, slightly old-fashioned quality that is coming back into fashion. Think pressed flowers in an old book, warm and complex.
Jasmine
Jasmine
Intoxicating, heady, and slightly animalic, jasmine is one of the few flowers that smells as rich in a bottle as it does climbing a garden wall at dusk. It has an almost fleshy, indolic quality that stops it reading as purely 'clean.' Jasmine is a workhorse in both feminine and masculine perfumery, adding depth and soul.
Lily Of The Valley
Lily Of The Valley
Crisp, green, and dewy, this spring flower smells like rain on cool grass with a clean, soap-like clarity. It's one of perfumery's most requested scents despite being nearly impossible to extract naturally, so it's almost always recreated synthetically. The result is fresh, tender, and timelessly elegant.
Orris Root
Orris Root
Rose
Rose
The queen of floral notes and the most-used ingredient in fine perfumery. Real rose is simultaneously velvety, honeyed, and slightly spicy, nothing like the synthetic candy version. Depending on the variety used, it can anchor a composition or drift through it like a ghost, adding warmth without dominating.
Base · 3–12 hrs
Amber
Amber
A warm, resinous accord rather than a single ingredient, amber is typically built from labdanum, benzoin, and vanilla to create a rich, honeyed, almost solar warmth. It's the quintessential base-note family, adding a comforting richness that makes fragrances feel complete. The difference between a fragrance feeling cold and feeling alive.
Cedar
Cedar
Musk
Musk
The base layer of almost every modern fragrance, a soft, warm, skin-like scent that extends longevity and bridges other notes together. Natural musk was once derived from deer (now banned); today's musks are synthetic and range from clean and soapy to dark and animalic. The right musk makes a fragrance smell like 'you.'
Oakmoss
Oakmoss
The defining ingredient of classic chypre perfumery, damp, forest-floor earthy with a faint bitterness and incredible complexity. Real oakmoss is now heavily restricted by IFRA regulations, which is why vintage chypres smell so different from modern ones. When present, it creates a raw, outdoorsy anchor that no synthetic fully replicates.
Sandalwood
Sandalwood
Creamy, smooth, and milky with a soft, skin-like warmth that clings beautifully. True Mysore sandalwood is one of perfumery's most precious ingredients, simultaneously wood and skin, never cold or sharp. It rounds off sharp edges in any composition and makes the wearer smell subtly, irresistibly warmer.
Who Wears ThisScent DNA matches
🏡
The HomesteaderBest match87% match
Rooted, warm, and entirely self-sufficient.

Warm skin musks, sandalwood, soft cedar, clean vetiver. Grounding, intimate, unhurried.

📐
The Tactician85% match
Precision over excess. Always.

Crisp, dry, clean, worn close. Citrus, aromatic herbs, light woods, soft musks.

❤️
The Romantic84% match
Your fragrance is a love letter you never stop writing.

Warm roses, vanilla, amber, creamy musks. Soft, evolving, intimate.

Based on this fragrance's accord profile · Find your Scent DNA →
Community
Rate this fragrance
Rate this fragrance
0255075100
—/100
Most Popular with this Scent DNA Type?
🏡
The Homesteader
Rooted, warm, and entirely self-sufficient.
Warm skin musks, sandalwood, soft cedar, clean vetiver. Grounding, intimate, unhurried.
Discover your type →
Scent Profile
Floral100%Rose22%Jasmine22%White Floral70%Iris22%
Fragrance Family
Chypre
EDT

Calvin Klein for women— Prices, Coupons & Buying Guide

Best price today: for women is $8.95. Without a coupon the lowest price is $8.95. Gush tracks 47+ retailers updated every 2 hours.

Are grey market retailers authentic?

Yes. Jomashop, FragranceNet, and MaxAroma sell 100% authentic Calvin Klein fragrances through unofficial distribution channels. The fragrance is identical to department store stock. Grey market refers to the supply chain, not product quality. The price difference comes entirely from the distribution channel.

Frequently asked questions

Cheapest price for Calvin Klein for women? +
$8.95 at FragranceShop. Gush compares 47+ retailers updated every 2 hours.
What does Calvin Klein for women smell like? +
Calvin Klein's 1978 fragrance for women is a foundational chypre that helped define the DNA of the designer fragrance category. Released during the height of the house's minimalist aesthetic revolution, it remains one of the most recognizable fragrances ever created. The composition opens with a bright aldehydic burst enhanced by peach and raspberry, backed by gardenia and hyacinth for a green, almost soapy floral top. The heart is a dense, powdery floral block of rose, jasmine, carnation, and lily of the valley with orris root providing a creamy iris tone. The base anchors everything with a woody-amber foundation of cedar, sandalwood, oakmoss, and musk, giving the fragrance its characteristic earthy, slightly masculine undertone that prevents it from becoming too sweet. This is a versatile everyday fragrance that works for both professional and casual settings. While it carries feminine florals, the aldehydic opening and woody base keep it from feeling overtly girly, making it appealing to anyone seeking a balanced chypre. If you gravitate toward The Homesteader, The Tactician, or The Romantic, this fragrance shares key DNA elements worth exploring.
What are the notes in Calvin Klein for women? +
Top: Aldehydes, Gardenia, Hyacinth, Peach, Raspberry. Heart: Carnation, Jasmine, Lily Of The Valley, Orris Root, Rose. Base: Amber, Cedar, Musk, Oakmoss, Sandalwood.
What fragrance family is for women? +
Calvin Klein for women belongs to the Chypre fragrance family. It is an EDT.
What other fragrances smell like Calvin Klein for women? +
Based on shared notes, Paco Rabanne Calandre (Amber, Musk, Jasmine, Lily Of The Valley), Cartier Must II for women (Cedar, Musk, Carnation, Jasmine), Elizabeth Arden Sunflowers (Amber, Cedar, Jasmine, Orris Root), Rasasi Romance for women (Amber, Cedar, Jasmine, Rose), Elizabeth Arden True Love (Amber, Cedar, Jasmine, Lily Of The Valley) may smell similar to for women.
What is a grey market fragrance retailer? +
Grey market retailers sell authentic fragrances sourced through unofficial distribution -- typically excess inventory from authorized distributors. The product is real and identical to retail. FragranceNet (est. 1997), Jomashop, and MaxAroma are well-established with millions of verified reviews.

Gush earns a commission on purchases at no cost to you · Prices update every 2 hours · Coupon success rates based on affiliate feed data · Grey market = authentic, unofficial supply chain