Magnolia in perfumery (1)

If Chanel had to release a perfume for their collection Paris Moscou, now in stores in Paris, this would have been their vintage Magnolia. This is a rare vintage creation that shares the story evoked in the movie created by Karl Lagerfeld.
In 1929 Alexander Vertinskiy (Александр Вертинский), a Russian artist and poet, was recording Magnolia Tango (listen to the original), a song he wrote several years ago. He fled Russia in November 1920, toured Europe and by the mid 20's he was singing in Paris, performing in Montmartre cabarets. But why should we relate the common flower magnolia from his song to Russia and to Chanel? Because Vertinskiy knew Chanel and without question he liked her very much. Another song he wrote in 1925 called Злые духи (evil perfume) speaks about love but also about the scent from Paris that escapes from a Chanel bottle in the refrain (Что летят из Парижа на юг / Из флакона "Шанель"). In the song Magnolia Tango he speaks about "lemon and bananas", that by coincidence are 2 important notes of the magnolia - the flower is very lemony while the benzyl acetate (banana) evokes the white flower / jasmine exotic note. Lemon and banana would be the words used by someone who is not a perfumer to describe a very exotic type of magnolia, not the regular light one. And now comes even a more surprising fact. Is the Singapore magnolia from Vertinskiy's song a flower or a perfume? It might be very well a perfume. When he was singing his songs in Paris and Chanel was probably in public using a creation of Ernest Beaux, in Soviet Russia a very rare perfume was on the market. It was called Extrait Magnolia de Soukhoum (TEJE Moscou) and it was produced by the new cosmetic trust TEJE (ТэЖэ - "Tрест Жиркость") During the early 20's the first soviet perfumes were using both the formulas of Rallet / Brocard and the old bottles still in stock. This bottle of Magnolia de Soukhoum is a classic perfume bottle (like that one used by Coty for La Rose Jacqueminot) from the pre 1917 production while the label shows also a classic design in the old "bourgeois style", without the new revolutionary designs. Was Magnolia from TEJE the same as Magnolia from Chanel? Impossible to tell without comparing the 2 perfumes and the Russian is virtually impossible to find. But it is highly probable that both have the same perfumer behind. Ernest Beaux was using both his previous experiences and formulas (updating them with the new bases). Once I described the Chanel perfume that is less the classic magnolia type and more an opulent exotic.

The English version of Tango Magnolia starts with:
In banana-lemon Singapore, in storms,
When the ocean sings and cries
And drives in dazzling blues
A distant caravan of birds...
In banana-lemon Singapore, in storms,
When your heart is in silence,
You grieve alone,
Frowning you dark blue eyebrows.
Like all decadent artists of the period, Vertinskiy was addicted to cocaine (and even wrote a song for that). In the 20's the surname Coco was known more for the parties that Gabrielle Chanel threw in Paris (2 of her best friends, Cocteau and Misia became also "addicted" to cocaine and to coco). The beautiful Cartier / Van Cleef & Arpels powder boxes were famous less for their Art Deco design and more for their "new use" in the decadent flapper era.

The formula for Magnolia was not just very Coco, it was also very coco(nut) exotic and like Chanel perfumes it was addictive and sensual.
Karl Lagerfeld created a silent movie for the fashion collection Paris Moscou, but if it was a talkie the music would be Magnolia Tango and the scent in the room would be this forgotten Chanel perfume.
Later, Vertinskiy would join the community of Shanghai Russians where he would have met Shanghai Lily and maybe he smelled imaginary camellias like those depicted on Coco's Coromandel panels in her apartment.

Prastara, another Extra Vieille?

Another vieille European cologne is Prastara - produced before 1990 in Poland by the factory Florina and very known in the East European block. It was a classic eau de cologne note, similar in style with Farina. It came in this old style bottle protected by the woven basket - a protection that was invented centuries ago when large cologne bottles had to be transported on bad roads (from Grasse to Paris, of course).
Prastara came with another complex story from the same myth book of the fragrance history where monks, secret formulas and royal clients were the main characters. It's hard now to evaluate the real history of this nice cologne that was an important polish export article (examples of pre 90's bottles are still available on Russian sites for sale). Both the language and distance are tough obstacles for me. While the legend says that Prastara was created many centuries ago in 1682 (even before Féminis and Farina) it is hard to believe how this was possible in a region where citruses are not everywhere.
In the XIXth and first part of XXth century the German industry of perfumes and cosmetics was very strong. They lacked the prestige of French creations and they were more mass products. Many of them were sold in countries were the French economic influence was less important (Dralle perfumes were popular). Several major German producers had factories in all central and east Europe and after WWII they had an independent life (for this reason Nivea cream was produced until the 90's in Romania).
It is interesting to notice that while Florina was the polish producer of Prastara, Florena was another very well known cosmetic producer from East Germany and a large exporter in East Countries. It was one of the first German cosmetics companies (1852) though Florena was officially registered as a trademark in Munich only in 1920.
Florina, still a very known polish cosmetic factory in Krakow, was created just after WWII - between 1945 and 1947. I do not know exactly if there was a link between the german Florena and the polish Florina, though the economic context of WWII, the split of German trademarks and their factories might suggest a link.
To my knowledge, Prastara started to be produced in Poland after WWI, around 1920-1921 (the factory Pixin). Put in the context of the polish nationalism, the history of the very first cologne with deep roots makes sense.
Prastara is produced again in Poland and I've just checked their website. But the new Prastara is just a name and less the reproduction of the XVIIth century scent for a very simple reason - ylang-ylang, used in the new Prastara was not used in perfumes before the end of XIXth century.
One of the reasons to explain why so many "authentic" Eau de Cologne are not what they are is price. Classic Eau de Cologne are inexpensive products on the market now but all the original formulas contained an important amount of neroli. Neroli oil is very expensive today as it was 100 years ago when Eau de Cologne became a mass market fragrance and the natural product was replaced gradually with the new available synthetic orange flower notes.

How vieille is EXTRA VIEILLE?

Eau de Cologne is maybe the first product of modern marketing, avant la lettre, a product where facts, myths and public perception are mixed.
First an Italian creation based on local Italian products (citruses), aromatic herbs and some spices (so highly prized when Italian cities had the monopoly) and using the distillation methods perfected in Italy. Late XVIII and early XIX it suddenly become very … German and later it is very ... French. At the beginning of modern economy it becomes more than a simple formula (mix all ingredients in different proportion they will still smell very good) but a branded product. The 4711 & Farina story and later all the legal battles are more important than the formula itself. The real adventure of Eau de Cologne starts not in the time of royal houses but at very end of the XIXth century with the birth of modern perfumery. From a luxury product, the eau de cologne type will become maybe the first "mass market" perfume, less expensive (when bergamot was really cheap) and used by other "classes". Until the second revolution in perfumes after WWII, the Eau de Cologne will be the first to be produced and sold on a large scale. The number of ads for 4711 at the end of XIXth century is rather impressive. The same can be said about Jean Marie Farina Extra Vieille from Roger & Gallet.
But what is today sold under the name 4711 and Extra Vieille are NOT the original formulas from XIXth century. They are indeed old products but what you buy is a formula created after 1910. For the simple reason that neither hydroxycitronellal nor other orange flower synthetics (used for their fixation property) used in both formulas did not exist in the XIXth century. Also, what is original about 4711 and Roger & Gallet is that they were pioneers in selling a dream - the dream of history, of tradition and all the essential elements that now are widely used by fragrance brands, but were new more than 100 years ago. What is also different from the original Eau de Cologne and modern versions is their manufacture process. The first was a distilled product and not mixed. The importance of Eau de Cologne in the economy can be seen by the great number of papers & technical articles (many about the fixation of volatile citrus notes) published since 1910 up to WWII. Eau de Cologne was THE prêt à porter of the perfume industry. Also, Eau de Cologne had a different taxes.
4711 and Extra Vieille are not authentic products but their scent is authentic for the XXth century history because they are the reference / olfactory standard of what people think Cologne is.
Extra Vieille is maybe very old for us, but it is a "new" creation that Jean Marie Farina has never smelled. Synthetics were not there.

It is also maybe the first time when the expression "original eau de cologne" on the bottle has a different meaning, and the use of "coat of arms" design is pure decoration (and marketing). In the case of both product we must separate the brand (history and histories) and the scent. They are both different cases (like all brands based on monks & secret formulas in the romantic XIXth tradition).

Magnolia wood - the note in Wanted (Helena Rubinstein)

The central note of the new Helena Rubinstein fragrance that I discovered yesterday is a fantasy accord called "magnolia wood". The perfumers, Carlos Benaim and Dominique Ropion started to imagine the scent, not of the flower, but of a fantasy wood that would smell like the magnolia grandiflora. A fragrance between masculine and feminine concepts, between the aromatic and very fragile notes, not very sensual but slightly intoxicating in the end.

Carlos Benaim is describing the magnolia wood accord with these words:

"Je séjournais à l’hôtel Splendido qui est un des plus beaux du monde, à Portofino en Italie. En me promenant dans le parc, j’ai été fasciné par l’odeur des magnolias en fleurs. Les senteurs explosaient, exhalées par les différents arbres. Leurs parfums étaient très forts, très présents. Un magnolia particulièrement séduisant était planté sur un terrain en pente qui dévalait vers la mer. J’ai été irrésistiblement attiré par cette odeur indescriptible. Dans ce lieu magique, surplombant la Méditerranée, cela a été une fulgurance que j’ai gardé en mémoire. J’ai parlé de cette expérience à Dominique et nous avons travaillé pour comprendre comment l’odeur du magnolia était composée, quelles étaient ses différentes strates. C’est une fleur complexe."

and Dominique Ropion added:

"Dans notre imaginaire commun, bois-magnolia associe des notes assez abruptes, presque masculines et des accents plus épurés et sensibles. Même si elle n’est pas une fleur immédiatement sensuelle, le magnolia développe un parfum enivrant."

The ylang note used in the perfume is a special extraction done at LMR - IFF lab in Grasse. It is a fraction, very light and delicate. The idea was to bring lightness around the magnolia wood accord and the ylang fraction No9 acts both like a veil and like a ray of light before the magic of a creamy orris note - a powdery sensual and musky conclusion.

In the perfume I feel the light woody note but unlike in Elle YSL (considered a modern woody floral) for me Wanted is more a delicate floral perfume, like a breeze, and with a blurred line between feminine - masculine, and not opulent enough for my taste.

Wanted by Helena Rubinstein - pure white magnolia

Unlike the last perfume, Barynia in 1985 that celebrated the baroque side of Rubinstein adorned in her Indian jewels, Wanted is a perfume of lightness and delicacy, transparent like a veil of petals. It smells like the huge white petals of Magnolia Grandiflora, now in bloom in Paris, surrounded by those green and shiny leaves. It is a soliflore that evokes with accuracy the scent of the flower with its crisp lemony (lemon sorbet) shade transforming into a delicate white rose, a shy lily of the valley and then a soft musk. Light and not strong, almost evanescent and with a great proportion of top notes built around linalool, the perfume is unexpected for Dominique Ropion & Carlos Benaim, both known for rather opulent and multi textured fragrances. Green grass and light watery pear notes suggest the shy flower in the morning covered with dew. The right name for the perfume would be Magnolia Petal Dew - too delicate for the daylight, the breeze will caress the angels leaving you with the desire of a flower with more body.

Flower by Kenzo Essentielle - the divine flower

If Givaudan is known for innovation, Firmenich is synonym with perfection. Derivation and improvement are the best of the Swiss creative lab. When Firmenich gets a new original accord, they will make sure that this special idea not only will be everywhere, but will be improved until perfection is reached.
Flower by Kenzo Essentielle (François Demachy and Firmenich) is the perfect example of the art of being in the right place at the right moment. It is a miracle and not a simple flanker. A conclusion of best ideas in the past 10 months. The pink pepper in the woody light floral of Elle + the aldehydic freshness of Narcisso Rodriguez Essence + the oud rose at the right dosage + the new floral aldehydic interpretation of Chanel Eau Première. It is not a simple collage but an artistic vision in even a more difficult context - a derivative perfume, the already masterpiece called Flower by Alberto Morillas. Only a Leonardo of Fragrance Creation would have done all that well - here we have a work of genius. If you ever loved Kenzo Flower, you'll appreciate even more Kenzo Flower Essential. It is what J'adore Absolue is to J'adore.
This is a XXI century interpretation of Number 5 with all the qualities of pure perfection. Kenzo Flower, the original one was worked like a diamond - all new facets have no trace of imperfection.
If you ever loved the floral aldehydic perfumes of the 60's with their great style, now you have the perfect contemporary interpretation where rose, lily of the valley, modern musks and sweet notes are blended with laser precision. A classy perfume with the richness of meanings found in the modern minimalist architecture.
I was impressed from the very first molecule evaporated from blotter and from skin. Now, Kenzo Flower is so XXth century!

Dior, french politic correctness & Delon

Eau sauvage is given now a new promotion campaign in France (and a new formula!) with a photo with Alain Delon taken in the 60's. But the photo is not original being "censored". Delon was smoking a cigarette in the 60's in the same picture but Dior took it out. This is insane! The whole story is detailed in French in Le Parisien.
Do you remember what happened after Michelangelo's death? A pope thought that there were too many naked people in his paintings in the Sixtine Chapel, and so some were "dressed up" for ever giving headaches during the restauration of the chapel.
"En 2005, la célèbre cigarette de Jean-Paul Sartre avait aussi disparu sur une affiche de la Bibliothèque nationale de France, comme celle d’André Malraux en 1996 sur un timbre de la Poste. Certains font de la résistance, comme le distributeur de films Warner France qui, au printemps, a refusé d’enlever la cigarette des doigts d’Audrey Tautou en Coco Chanel"
More in Le Parisien and in Nouvel Obs (photos).

A previous press article in LeFigaro about the official campaign.

I do not care that much about campaigns but I'm surprised by that french law and its effects. The new Eau Sauvage is less contrasted and less radiant and is closer to Eau Sauvage Fraîcheur Cuir (than to the original creation).

Caron officially denies all reformulation accusations

Following an article I published in the past on my Romanian blog where I summarized the history of reformulations (when, why, how), I was contacted by the Romanian distributor of Caron fragrances. Because in my articles there were some references to several Caron Perfumes, I was sent 2 letters one, signed by Romain Alès and the other by Richard Fraysse. Here you have the one referring to Caron perfumes written in French where it is said that their perfumes are 100% authentic but also that they respect the contemporary European legislation on fragrances.

(I have also a pdf but I do not know how to upload it)

What a good occasion to put my nose this week into Caron perfumes, the brand that now is like "La belle au bois dormant" in the forest of new perfumes where no oak moss grows on the Iso E Super trees.

IFRA dreams for more power?

A forbidden fragrance ingredient gives headaches to IFRA.
"Of the 50 products randomly tested from around the world as part of the IFRA Compliance Program’s third cycle (May 2008 to April 2009) one finished product has been identified as containing a recently banned fragrance material. IFRA is now in contact with the finished product manufacturer in question to investigate the circumstances surrounding the presence of the fragrance material and whether or not it constitutes a case of non-compliance."
From the IFRA website
In their dreams of over regulating everything around the world IFRA hopes in my opinion to become a super power. Unfortunately for them there is no unique global government (yet).
Here you have a french report on the same story with some quotes from their general director:
En tant qu’organisation non gouvernementale, l’IFRA ne dispose pas de pouvoir coercitif, mais l’association a indiqué qu’elle « nommerait et dénoncerait publiquement » la société concernée si celle-ci refusait de se conformer à ses recommandations.
That's threat!!! (whoever the company and the product are) and this sounds familiar to me.
Never underestimate the quest for power when any organisation becomes bigger over the years.
Do not be surprised to see very soon either an "atack" or a clever media campaign against all the complains made by fragrance lovers in the past 5 years about the reformulated perfumes.
A "study" to prove that chypre perfumes with oakmoss were "toxic"? Pourquoi pas!
A "campaign" to show that we were wrong and reformulations were not justified, but needed? Today everything is possible, it's just a matter of strategy (and funds).

Water Lily (Helena Rubinstein) a forgotten australian symbol

Water lilies are a symbol of beauty and spirituality and they used to be a crucial element in the cosmetics of beauty visionary Helena Rubinstein. What the camellia flower is for Chanel, the water lily used to be for Rubinstein, though, from a design point of view it was not so obvious.
Her first cosmetics created and sold in Australia were not the claimed "secret central European beauty creams" but products based on local ingredients and maybe based on the some local aboriginal knowledge of plants. The first cream that made her success contained lanolin from sheep, pine bark extract, water lilies and some other aromatic elements. In fact, one of the very first beauty treatments performed in Helena Rubinstein salon was based on Australian native Water lilies, like those in Toowoomba.
It has been only recently discovered that water lilies contain some important healing elements and are a free radical scavenger boosting the immune system. Beauty treatments have been part of Egypt and India's culture for thousands of years and it is possible that Helena Rubinstein discovered them during her travels. With her huge jewels she was often compared to an Indian princess (she also had a great collection of Indian precious stones) and it is no surprise that one early fragrance was called Mahatma. The water lily extract was used in lotions and creams for its soothing properties. In one press picture taken before WWII, Helena Rubinstein is shown in her factory with women preparing a water lily extract.

In 1934 Helena Rubinstein introduced a perfume called Water lily in a black bottle with a lotus stopper. For an element so important in her beauty products it was a natural choice.
In fact what was special in her early cosmetics was the fragrance. It was not a common practice in the beginning of beauty creams to scent them, or to think very much about the importance of the sensual pleasure of the scent in the choice of cosmetics. She used in the beginning essential oils or plant extracts and their first mission was to cover the somehow unpleasant grease base not highly purified. But very soon all beauty products will be scented and later fragrance compositions will be incorporated to creams and lotions. One major standard in terms of cream fragrance was the scent used in the german Nivea cream. It is important to notice that since then, the lily composition became quintessential to all personal care products. For many decades (and even now, before the fruity era) the rose-violet-lily of the valley or "fantasy water lily" are the most used type of scents for creams. Today their odor is described as cosmetic. But all this history of cosmetic fragrances has started at the beginning of the century in Australia using the native water lilies.
The perfume created in 1934 was, like many perfumes of the house, a floral based on many synthetics. Helena Rubinstein was one of the first to advocate the massive use of synthetic ingredients in her perfumes for a very "rubinstein reason" - they were much cheaper. The creation was based on rose, lily of the valley (with some new discovered molecules), violet, cyclamen, ylang and some jasmine and there are not many bottles in the world.

You noticed that in the title I wrote an australian symbol. It's rather unusual for what was for centuries an egyptian/indian symbol but in XXth century, far from any cultural influence and with local products, the great history of modern cosmetics started around a pond with water lilies in Australia in a very hot climate.
Marlene Dietrich plays in 1932 in Shanghai Express the role of Shanghai Lily.

Homme Fatale - a new fragrance for Bruno?

The biggest Austrian superstar since Hitler, says Time magazine in a review about the latest movie - a "perfect hybrid of documentary and mockumentary". That's Sacha Baron Cohen! Blonde and pampered, the Austrian Fashionista might have been the perfect boudoir companion for Sissy, the empress, once a "fashion icon" for the girls in the pre-Ipod era. Seeing the movie, I tried to imagine what would be the fragrance of Bruno, or how would be a fragrance inspired by the movie now when every celebrity (real or fictional) gets her scent.

In his adolescence, Bruno would have used anything from Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male to Dolce & Gabbana. The choice is almost stereotype in Europe, from the bottle to the advertising. But very soon, as his particular interest in the glittering world of fashion would grow, Bruno would be very much tempted by any of Britney Spears fragrances. For a reason that I cannot explain, I've always made an association between the design of Britney Spears bottles, Barbie and Austria. Was it because Marie Antoinette was presented as a fashionista? I believe that Bruno has the entire miniature collection of either Britney Spears or Escada, the last being used also as a bath cocktail when tropical fruits are missing in Austria. The latest Diesel fragrance - Only the brave - was a big disappointment for him, maybe because the shape is too small - trop petit, sorry! One of the very first fragrances used by Bruno in Austria would be 4711 used by his fashionable grandmother who cooked for him delicious apfelstruddel.
Sooner or later, being in the heart of fashion world and in the digital era, Bruno would have heard that is more chic to have a niche / exclusive / rare perfume than any stereotype already mentioned and found in big mainstream Douglas shops. The first, more luxury and confidential perfume to be found in Wien is Puredistance. Unfortunately Bruno needs fairytales and more "special" bottles, not so minimalistic. He'd discover very soon Wienerblut Klubwasser, that new Austrian brand inspired by XIXth formulae. Because he thinks of himself as the Sissi of the new millennium he would persuade the owner of the brand to come up with an archive formula, once blended for the beautiful Austrian empress. Bruno loves romantic flowers and in the ad for the movie he poses surrounded by yellow flowers as if it was the new campaign for the male version of Daisy by Marc Jacobs (Marc would chose a pansy - Viola tricolor).

But the new perfume for Bruno and launched in a glitzy setting à la Schönbrun is more likely to be Edelweiss, that rare and delicate alpine flower.
The perfume Edelweiss is a clean gourmand. It smells of white skin, blue eyes, blonde hair. It is based on a note called Alpenveilchen or cyclamen (lily of the valley, jasmine, violet), very soft and delicate. The gourmand note is based either on those Mozart chocolate you buy in any Austrian airport or based on apfelstrudel (traditional Austrian apple pie).
The body line would come in 2 versions: an Edelweiss cream to make your skin whiter and a massage chocolate cream inspired by Austrian Sacher Torte. I think that after a chocolate massage in an Hungarian Spa, Bruno wouldn't mind to become a delicious dessert.
The bottle would be a Czech figural bottle showing the nude of Bruno - either as a stopper ( like in the so called Isadora bottle) or like a fragrance applicator (you insert Bruno in the perfume and then put it in your décolleté or elsewhere). There would be also the pomp version, so popular in Wien at the beginning of the XXth century in the those crystal decorated designs - very cornucopia in style.

All will be of course in pink and gold.

The Isadora bottle for a vintage Pierre Dune fragrance (first).Photos Ragoarts