Quelques fleurs created by Robert Bienaimé was not only a masterpiece of the beggining of modern perfumery but also one of the most beautiful floral bouquet ever created. It dissapeared long time ago from the market and what is to be found now in stores, "Quelques Fleurs l'Original", has nothing to do with the true perfume. It's not only a cheap re-edition but also it has no true ressemblance with the original. The closest in modern times to this perfume is maybe Chanel No22. The original can still be smelled at the Osmotheque, or with some luck through vintage bottles.
As the name says in the perfume… you have almost all flowers of the perfumery balanced in a remarquable way:
- lilac with two famous bases, one beeing Lilas VII (Givaudan) in a very important amount;
- rose, a red type with bulgarian rose oil, rhodinol, phenylethyl alcohol
- lilly of the valley, with hydroxicitronellal, used in an importan amount
- ylang-ylang (quite a lot!)
- violet, with ionones, violet leaf absolute, orris concrete
- hyacinth, with phenylethylacetaldehyde
- orchid, with amyl salycilate
- jasmin, absolute but also benzylacetate and indol
- carnation (isoeugenol, benzyl salycilate)
Though all the flowers create a unique bouquet, the most evident on the top is the ylang idea, that will be found later in Chanel No5, but also the drydown powdery orris-sandalwood.
A new and important note inside is the aldehyde C12 MNA, which later will inspire Ernest Beaux.
The floral bouquet is underlined by a strong musky note which made this a vivid perfume. Smell the perfume and you will have the image of a living 3 D bouquet sensual like a human presence. It is musk ketone but mainly natural musk and also civet. There is nothing that could be compared with a fragrance containing natural musk inside!
The fragrance is constructed with bases and it's rather difficult to reconstruct the smell with the individual raw materials because the equilibrum is quite delicate. In one reconstitution I did, I didn't pay attention to the rose… and I came with a Quelque Fleurs type that was quite close to the Paris (YSL) idea, though ingredients and squeleton are different. Not to say that I think that there is something also in White linen, in the woody floral part.
What is amazing with Quelque fleurs, once you split the original Houbigant formula with bases, is that you can rewrite it in so many ways, putting the accent on other flowers. You can start a Quelque fleurs idea from a hyacinth, from a light carnation, from an orchid…It's amazingly versatile.
I am quite sure that the original formula (with the musk and no other restrictions!) might still find some lovers in the niche brands.
As the name says in the perfume… you have almost all flowers of the perfumery balanced in a remarquable way:
- lilac with two famous bases, one beeing Lilas VII (Givaudan) in a very important amount;
- rose, a red type with bulgarian rose oil, rhodinol, phenylethyl alcohol
- lilly of the valley, with hydroxicitronellal, used in an importan amount
- ylang-ylang (quite a lot!)
- violet, with ionones, violet leaf absolute, orris concrete
- hyacinth, with phenylethylacetaldehyde
- orchid, with amyl salycilate
- jasmin, absolute but also benzylacetate and indol
- carnation (isoeugenol, benzyl salycilate)
Though all the flowers create a unique bouquet, the most evident on the top is the ylang idea, that will be found later in Chanel No5, but also the drydown powdery orris-sandalwood.
A new and important note inside is the aldehyde C12 MNA, which later will inspire Ernest Beaux.
The floral bouquet is underlined by a strong musky note which made this a vivid perfume. Smell the perfume and you will have the image of a living 3 D bouquet sensual like a human presence. It is musk ketone but mainly natural musk and also civet. There is nothing that could be compared with a fragrance containing natural musk inside!
The fragrance is constructed with bases and it's rather difficult to reconstruct the smell with the individual raw materials because the equilibrum is quite delicate. In one reconstitution I did, I didn't pay attention to the rose… and I came with a Quelque Fleurs type that was quite close to the Paris (YSL) idea, though ingredients and squeleton are different. Not to say that I think that there is something also in White linen, in the woody floral part.
What is amazing with Quelque fleurs, once you split the original Houbigant formula with bases, is that you can rewrite it in so many ways, putting the accent on other flowers. You can start a Quelque fleurs idea from a hyacinth, from a light carnation, from an orchid…It's amazingly versatile.
I am quite sure that the original formula (with the musk and no other restrictions!) might still find some lovers in the niche brands.
Did you enjoy my article? Sign up for updates about new fragrances, reviews of artistic perfumes and exceptional vintage masterpieces. I would be very happy if you would consider joining 1000 Fragrances, throughRSS feed,GoogleFriend connect, Facebook (more personal), or any other way that appeals to you.
Fragrance is the 8th Art - Octavian Coifan - Le Parfum est le 8ème Art
