Youth Dew, the first Estée Lauder big fragrance introduction was launched on the market in the 50's as a bath oil. For a very long period of time it was credited as Estée's big invention and the way he made a breakout in the fragrance industry - in USA. Also it was said and claimed by their endless marketing stories as a totally new/unseen method of putting a fragrance on the market with all the stories about American women … You know that for sure. But it's just a myth and not very true in the history of fragrance business.In 1934-35, a famous American fragrance company of that time, prince Matchabelli (known for his crown shaped bottles) put on the market a bath oil, very strong, called Abano. It was advertised quite a lot in Vogue (also the French Vogue). The next year, 1936, Matchabelli put on the market the perfume Abano and it was advertised again a lot. They insisted that the perfume was put on the market to offer the fragrance version of the strong and dark bath oil. It was said also that Abano the perfume was a fresh version of the oil (you needed only 2 drops in your bath to get perfumed all around) "delicate but strong, seducing but light". The advertising in Europe had a strong purpose: the big international Exhibition held in 1937.
In 1937 Vogue Paris an article dedicated to new perfumes said: "what Americans usually call foundation perfume is an oil exaggeratedly perfumed and only few drops mixed in the bath water are enough to form a fragranced base that will not leave you the entire day." (my translation from french)
Weil, a famous Parisian fragrance (and fur) house launched an entire line of bath oils fragranced with their perfumes (Cassandre, Zibeline, Noir, etc) and a very heavy fragrance oil called "Le Secret de Venus". All of course, for the American Market.
The came the War and everything changed. Estée Lauder came in the mid 50's with her sublime Youth Dew , and her "invention" the bath oil … and created an empire.
With time and small omissions marketing became the only truth, then the myth and when inexperienced writers put that in books it became "history".
The came the War and everything changed. Estée Lauder came in the mid 50's with her sublime Youth Dew , and her "invention" the bath oil … and created an empire.
With time and small omissions marketing became the only truth, then the myth and when inexperienced writers put that in books it became "history".
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Fragrance is the 8th Art - Octavian Coifan - Le Parfum est le 8ème Art
