HazelnutOpens with
CoffeeHeart
SuedeDries down to
Carine BouinThe nose · 1 fragrancesPortrait →Will you like it? Mark a few fragrances you own or love and we'll tell you.
Les Liquides Imaginaires · Sold as unisex
Belle Bete
The quiet intensity of a leather-bound book, its pages infused with the scent of warm spices and rich musk.
Full bottle: Luxury tier, typically $250+. Links open each seller's own page. We may earn a commission; it never changes the order.
Belle BeteLuxury · $250+
41%Similar accords, often for lessSharina · RasasiBudget tier, under $40 · shares 6 of its 13 notes8 matches →How it wears
From community votes · bars are each option's shareComposition & Character
Notes Pyramid
The story behind the bottle.
Launched in 2016 by Les Liquides Imaginaires, Belle Bête is a composition that weaves together musky, leather, and woody accords with an undercurrent of warmth and spice. Perfumer Carine Bouin has crafted a scent that reads as both animalic and comforting, with notes like hazelnut, red chilli pepper, iris flower, and saffron creating a complex interplay between sweetness and heat. The base of cashmeran, vetiver, atlas cedar, and suede adds depth, while the use of castoreum, civet, and musk ensures that Belle Bête remains distinctively earthy and intimate.
Apply Belle Bête in thin layers to allow the complex accords to unfold gradually. The top notes are particularly fleeting, so it's best to let the warmth of your skin help bring out the deeper, more enveloping base notes over time. This fragrance is better suited for cooler evenings or indoor settings where its intimate warmth can be fully appreciated.
Fig. 01 — Belle Bete, Les Liquides Imaginaires
Where to buy.
Wear it for a week first
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Carine Bouin
Carine Certain Boin (also credited as Carine Bouin) discovered her passion for perfume in childhood and trained at the Givaudan Perfumery School, going on to work with Givaudan for over a decade.
Designer Les Liquides Imaginaires
More from the house · France
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Chosen from what wearers say it smells like, what its fans also love, and its notes
Love it, not the $250+ price?
Matched by accords and notes. Sample first, then decide.
The originalBelle BeteLes Liquides Imaginaires · Luxury · $250+RasasiSharinaShares 6 of its 13 notesunder $40★ 4.17 (340)36%Match
Francesca Bianchi · 2022Unspoken MuskShares 4 of its 12 notes$100–250★ 3.93 (717)
With Les Liquides Imaginaires Sancti
Adds amber, aromatic and fresh spicy; shares musk and vetiver and 1 more note.
Suggested from accords and notes · not yet tried by wearers
What people
are saying.
Respected, if divisive: loved by 28%, disliked or hated by 30%.