Killing Eve: Is the Villanelle perfume real? Explained

In Killing Eve, Villanelle is a Russian serial killer being pursued by MI6 and she is popular for her eclectic taste in fashion and a perfume with her own name.

For fans who are curious to know if the product is real, here's the answer: 'La Villanelle' perfume portrayed in Killing Eve does not exist. However, there is a perfume known as 'Villanelle' by Kamila Aubre from Belgium that received considerable attention due to the show.

Although the two fragrances are not related to each other, a 2018 Racked article reported that sales of Kamila's perfume escalated as the show's fans confused it with the fictional one.

For the unversed, Villanelle taunts Eve with her perfume several times in the series. Season 1, episode 4 depicts a giant bottle of perfume called 'La Villanelle' that the assassin sends to Eve, along with an apology for killing her friend. Additionally, season 3 episode 3 also depicts Villanelle going to a London perfumery to make a new custom perfume that she later forces Eve to smell on her.

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The Villanelle perfume from Killing Eve: Details explored

Villanelle in a pink Molly Goddard dress (Image via BBC)

Starring Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh in leading roles, Killing Eve is based on a novel called Codename Villanelle by British author Luke Jennings. According to the book, the Russian killer Oxana Vorontsova chooses 'Villanelle' as her cover name after coming across a perfume in a store.

As she sniffs the fragrance, the shop assistant tells her:

"It was the favorite scent of the Comtesse du Barry. The perfume house added the red ribbon after she was guillotined in 1793."

Later in the book, the notes of the perfume are revealed by a different store manager who caught a whiff of Villanelle's perfume. It is described as:

"The sandalwood, cedar, amber, violet, rose, bergamotto... Freesia top note, I think. Base notes of amber and white cedar. Very unusual."

A still from 'Killing Eve' (Image via BBC)

On the other hand, 'Villanelle' by Kamila Aubre has its notes listed as "bergamot-petitgrain, marjoram, lavender, clary sage, vetiver, frankincense, labdanum" on its official website. As the Racked article suggests, the name of Kamila's fragrance was inspired by the Keith Douglas poem, Villanelle of Spring Bells.

The brand's website describes the perfume as:

"A poem, a song, a fragrance, a character, an identity… Villanelle blends a pastoral theme with an obsessive dark image of the subject."

The 'Villanelle' perfume (Image via Kamila Aubre)

Despite having very different notes, Kamila's fragrance was misidentified by fans as the Villanelle perfume from Killing Eve. This led to a considerable increase in sales for the brand after the show's release.

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Villanelle's other perfumes in Killing Eve

While 'La Villanelle' may be her signature scent, the cold-blooded assassin was revealed to possess other luxury perfumes on the show. In season 1 episode 8, a quick shot of Villanelle's vanity reveals two bottles of perfume from the luxury brand Kilian.

Belonging to Kilian's two different collections - The Narcotics Collection and The Smokes Collection - eagle-eyed fans believe that the perfumes could be 'Good Girl Gone Bad' and 'Back To Black,' among others.

Villanelle and Eve (Image via BBC)

Meanwhile, in season 3 episode 3, Villanelle visits the Floris store in London and demands a custom perfume.

"I want to smell powerful. I want to make people gag with it. Can you do that for me?," Villanelle asks the perfumer.

Although the perfume notes are never revealed except perhaps for being "woody," she adds:

"I want to smell like a Roman Centurion who’s coming across an old foe, who in battle once hurt him greatly. But since then, the Roman Centurion has become emperor, and is now powerful beyond measure."

Villanelle visits a Floris store in London (Image via BBC)

All four seasons of Killing Eve are available to stream or rent on Lionsgate Play, Amazon Prime and Netflix in the US.