Fragrance and literature - forgotten perfumes

Some perfumes were directly inspired by books or by plays that were famous in old days and now completely forgotten. In several cases those vintage perfumes named after a specific reference would take us into those glorious days. At the beginning of the century the number of theaters was huge in Paris. No surprise to find many perfumes in exquisite bottles named after the successes of the day. Thanks to perfumes we can back and rediscover books or authors. Here you have a list from my book with some of the cross references between fragrance and literature /plays.

La Vierge Folle - Gabilla (~1911) - play by Henri Bataille (1910)
Le Bois Sacré - Gueldy (1911) - play by Gaston Arman de Caillavet & Robert de Flers (1910)
Une Femme Passa - Plassard (1910) - play by Romain Coolus (1910)
La Phalène - d'Héraud (1919) - play by Henry Bataille (1913)
Le Minaret - Rosine / Paul Poiret (1913) - play by Jean Richepin (1913) (the couturier made the costumes)
Pour Etre Aimée - Gellé Frères (~1913) - play by M. Xanrof & Michel Carré (1901)
La route d'Emeraude - Isabey (1924) - play by Jean Richepin (1909)
Kismet - Lubin (~1921) - play by Edward Knoblauch (1913)
Nuit persane - Rosine / Paul Poiret (1911) - play by J.L.Vaudoyer (1911) (the author and the couturier were good friends)
Grégoria - Rigaud (1910) - play by Henri Falk (1910)
Amour en cage - Cadolle (1926) - play by André de Lorde & Jean Marsèle (1911) (but also reference to the corset)
Le vertige - Rallet (~1902) - play by Michel Provins (1901)
Minne - Gabilla (1912) - play by Colette and her husband Willy (1905) (there is no doubt between the choice of the name and the play, Gabilla and Colette were good friends and there is also Mon Cheri, a perfume with a close name to the character).
Blue Lagoon - Dubarry (1919) - novel by Harry de Vere Stacpoole

"Le parfum de la dame en Noir" written by Gaston Leroux and published (serial) in Illustration starting with 26.09.1908 became a perfume created by Lenthéric and launched for Christmas 1908. Now the book is still available on Amazon but the fragrance is a rare vintage jewel.
Edmond Rostand called Bichara "the poet of perfume" and the muse of this sirian perfumer in Paris was no other than the great Sarah Bernhardt.

Many times, writers worked with perfumers and wrote pamphlets and texts. The most famous is maybe Boutet de Monvel who wrote many texts for the fragrances of Paul Poiret / Rosine. Much later, Jean Cocteau made the graphics and poem for Arôme 3 (d'Orsay) around 1942.
One of the most astonishing collaboration between a writer and a perfume maker happened in Italy. Gabriele D’Annunzio was friend with the founder of the house Giviemme, count Giuseppe Visconti di Modrone. Some vintage creations include Contessa Azzurra, Dimmi di sì, Subdola, Nina Sorridi, Assalto (all before 1925).
The perfumes of Giviemme produced by Carlo Erba were rather special in Italy. The names were inspired by d'Annunzio in a time when he was very popular in Italy (and even more after WWI). Subdola was a special fragrance created before WWI and represented the ideal of the new woman. Unlike today, the perfumes were produced in a small quantity and the public was more the elite. One perfume called Acqua di Fiume, cologne type with citrus and ambery notes, was dedicated to him (the event in WWI) and later became his favorite cologne.
In Italy, d'Annunzio was also responsible for the name of another line called "I Profumi del Carnaro" (from the 1920's event) produced by L.E.P.I.T. Bologna (until WWII) and the motto "Cum lenitate asperitas". Here you have several names from this line: L'ardore del carso, L'Halala, La Brezza del Carnaro, Il Lauro di Laurana, Fiumanella. (there is even a letter handwritten by d'Annunzio with the names of the perfumes). All those beautiful Italian creations had magnificent bottles and advertising but today very little is known about the scent.

In the photo: Mon Chéri - Gabilla perfume in Baccarat bottle (c.1913) - a fragrance to scent the movie Cheri.

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Magnolia in perfumery (2)

Dominique Ropion describes the magnolia note as a perfect blend between jasmine, lily of the valley and rose with an aromatic note over a fragile floral accord:
"Les notes du magnolia évoluent entre des accents de jasmin, de muguet et de rose. Il existe non pas un magnolia mais des dizaines de magnolias différents ! L’accord « classique » de magnolia est composé de deux accents, l’un provenant d’essence de magnolia qui donne une note aromatique, l’autre, complémentaire, est un accord floral fragile" (the interview for Wanted - Helena Rubinstein).

The magnolia flowers (sometime highly scented, sometime very weak) have fascinated perfumers since the beginning of the modern perfumery. Unlike today, the essence was not available 100 years ago and not all the varieties of the flower were very known in Europe. Some bases built around the magnolia note were created and several were special and appreciated like Magnolys (very refined floral delicate), Magnolia & Magnolia R (with a mango fruity accent), Capitalia, Magnolia Floraison. Some modern molecules have names inspired or close to magnolia because of their special odor like Magnolan (or even Mayol). Magnolan is produced by Symrise and it has a light floral note (lily of the valley type) with woody bitter accents.
Some very old vintage perfumes based on this flower include: Magnolia (Delletrez), Magnolia (Parfumeria Gal), two Helena Rubinstein - Rose Magnolia and White Magnolia (1952), Majestic Magnolia (Houbigant) but also the exquisite Mon Boudoir (an oriental), le Début Noir (Hudnut), the very beautiful Magnolia (Lucien Lelong), also as a secondary note in Tendres Nuits (Lancôme). A classic Caron, Le Muguet du Bonheur, very different from Roudnitska's masterpiece, is in fact an harmonious accord of lily of the valley-magnolia-jasmine.

Magnolia accord was used very much in soaps and creams, no surprise that it became very popular and sometime associated with this clean concept. Several perfumes from Avon were built around different versions of magnolia (from the perfumery accord to the living magnolia type). There were also a magnolia perfume at Yardley and Yves Rocher (this one was very good). The magnolia accord is present in several creations of Sophia Grosjman, a perfect link between the rose and the lily of the valley. The magnolia flower note is present at the heart of 2 Amouage perfumes, but blended with oriental or more airy elements. In Le Jasmin and Un Matin d'Orage from Annick Goutal other elements of the opulent white flower are explored. Modern Chanel perfumes are less devoted to single flowers but, when Allure was launched in 1996 Jacques Polge presented one facet of the creation as an abstract meeting between magnolia, honeysuckle and nymphéa (a headspace of the 3 flowers under the same glass bell). From the same period 2 soliflores from Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier were also inspired by magnolia fragrance. One very good sweet magnolia soliflore was the first version of Lumière (Rochas, 1984 with white flowers and fruits but later in 2000 the formula was completely changed). Magnolan and magnolia accord were present also in In Love Again (YSL) where the woody grapefruit facet of the floral bitter molecule (and flower) were pushed to overdose by Jean Claude Ellena.
The magnolia essence became a signature for Maurice Roucel and an old interview in P&F explores the history of this (new) material and its relation with the perfumer over the years. But this note is present also in Julye (the confidential Jean Patou creation)

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The rival perfume

There is a very recent case presented at the European Justice Court about the counterfeited perfumes, or the famous tables that would present the correspondence between the original and the copy. The use of the words " formule, façon, système, imitation, genre, méthode…" is forbidden in France. But, Americans were far beyond the French Law, and this in the XIXth century.
This is an image / ad I found in the Library of Congress presenting a forgotten brand, late XIXth century. The way it was related to the classic Jean Marie Farina cologne is ingenious. Was it an imitation or just a comparative advertising as it was allowed in USA (and less in Europe)?
This is an early example about a clever take on the delicate matter of "inspired" perfumes. The Rival of Farina in an imaginary battle.

Under european laws, would this example be a new opportunity for counterfeiting?

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New fragrance in 2009: Accord Code 119 (Caron)

Caron became one of the most exclusive fragrance house in the true meaning of the word. They do not advertise very much, they do not press release their each movement and more … you do not know what they hide unless you enter their boutique.
Early this year I discovered 2 oud perfumes almost hidden in their shop. Now I discover another new and mysterious perfume. It is called Accord Code 119, presented like an eau de parfum.
Even the name is strange. Is it the real code of the perfume or is it a reference to 1919? Or is it a reference to the postal adress (Alès Group, 119 Rue Salvador Allende)?
The fragrance is a chypre floral fruity, delicate, dry lactonic and with 2 distinctive notes blackberry and peach over a dark woody and musk base. Unlike classic chypre perfumes, this one is less sensual, juicy and rounded but more "corsé" patchouli-spicy-herbs and it reminds me the accord from Gucci Rush played in the style of Francis Kurkdjian. It is a classic shape very soft on skin but without the power or the contrasts of classic Caron perfumes. After several hours some dark herbal notes would appear that suggest me the scent of those dried herbs like immortelle, hay or cannabis. The floral note inside is very delicate: jasmine Jasmophore- rose-lily.

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My 2009 top of perfumes (first part)

2009 has not ended and there are still plenty of launches to come. I made a selection from the first 6 months with the perfumes I consider the best or the most interesting in 2009. I made my choices only from the perfumes launched and available in 2009 and maybe I should have added Manoumalia and Un Matin d'Orage I've discovered before. I put them in a top.

Narciso Rodriguez Essence - the best poetic version of the "clean concept" in a very cold aldehyde universe like the liquid silver or space age atmosphere. I'm not at all a fan of clean notes but this creation showed me why: while many are just cheap detergent / soap formulas sold at high prices and so clean that no artistry was left, Essence is a perfume - modern, textured, contrasted, rich - though very white- clean.
Frederic Malle Geranium Pour Homme - the incandescent revolution called geranium + mint, a perfume that burns between fire & ice from the icy mint to the warm drydown.
Kenzo Flower Essentielle - already a classic with refinement and complexity shaped like a modern diamond out of a classic shape.
Hermes Eau de Pamplemousse Rose - the juicy grapefruit becomes a perfume, the perfect equivalent of the words lemonade or orangeade with brown sugar and some rose petals - the first time I desired to drink my perfume.
Christian Dior J’Adore L’Eau Cologne Florale - a flanker but with great floral delicacy and not cologne.
Chanel Cristalle Eau Verte - a neon interpretation in contrasts and dissonance.
Tom Ford Arabian Wood - retro 70's with galbanum and the best souvenir of Sikkim.
Creed Acqua Fiorentina - a delicate floral where the petals are made from fragile powder in the musk cocoa breeze.
Parfums DelRae Emotionnelle - an impertinent and shocking melon explosion - the color of the word shocking is no more fuchsia in 2009.
Juliette Has A Gun Midnight Oud - the heavy oud and rose note becomes wearable and light.
Nasomatto Black Afgano - heavy and breathtaking like hashish, a perfume that should be illegal because of its power and tenacity.
Le Labo Oud 27 - a heavy and animalic oudh note like the mould inside the wood that becomes a sensual balm scented with desires in a medieval bestiary.
By Kilian Arabian Nights Pure Oud - the oud becomes a pervert ink for an intimate tattoo.

The picture is a Dragon from Erté, an artist that I adore (and it looks like the letter of my middle name). Is 2009 the last year before the final stage of the cultural genocide over classic fragrances? Jasmine absolute and other good materials will be reduced for ever in an industry that became bureaucratic and commercial. But creativity is not dead at all and we have some very good new perfumes - niche and mainstream. I do not know how many of them will be around in 5 years when IFRA will come with even more death sentences.

The list will continue.

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The 9th Annual Basenotes Awards

Dear readers,
I've just heard that I have received the bronze award ar the The 9th Annual Basenotes Awards. Thank you all so much for your votes!

Gold Award: Now Smell This
Silver Award: Perfume Posse
Bronze Award: 1000 Fragrances

The Finalists
1000 Fragrances
Bergamotto e Benzoino
Bois de Jasmin
Now Smell This
Perfume da Rosa Negra
Perfume Posse
Perfume Shrine
Perfume Smellin Things
Scented Salamander
Sorcery of Scent

For the ocasion and for an high altitude feeling I will wear today En avion vintage from Caron.

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Fragrance is the 8th Art - Octavian Coifan - Le Parfum est le 8ème Art

The melissa oil scandal & IFRA

In the past I wrote several notes about the restrictions imposed by IFRA on melissa oil. I do not use the oil but during the examination of the IFRA standards the "forbidden" melissa kept my attention. I wrote at that time the absurd of this situation given the use of melissa oil in the history of european medecine and perfumery (like the famous preparation eau de carmes) although now I hardly know a modern formula using it (it is also quite expensive).
I did not go further but I've just seen that other started to dig into the reasons of IFRA (the unpublished toxicology reports) on the ban of this traditional ingredient in aromatherapy.
Cropwatch has now requested Robertet to make available the evidence on melissa oil for a further study.
"Melissa oil & extracts occupy an important place in aromatherapy and herbal medicine, Melissa oil is virtually unused in corporate perfumery. Nevertheless IFRA had previously seen fit to ban it as an ingredient on the basis of undisclosed evidence. There seemed to be no such body of evidence within the RIFM data-base to support such a ban, and it is a complete mystery to many of us how REXPAN could have come to such a conclusion. "
On Aromaconnection you have the entire article.
The only modern perfume with a light melissa note that I know is the lovely Temps d'une Fête from Patricia Nicolaï, but here I did not study enough the perfume to evaluate the origin of the melissa note. Patricia Nicolaï is one of the last perfumers in the traditional style and formulation that once made the glory of France.

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The very first Lolita perfume

Today Lolita is a successful and great perfume while the world Lolita is widely used. But it was a scandal when Vladimir Nabokov, the Russian American writer published his story in 1955.
The story from Lolita was first meant to take place in Provence but then, this Provence becomes a metaphor because Van Gogh is present in the novel through the reproduction of paintings cherished by one character. But inside this story is a secret code and a perfume. All the essence captured by the relation between the man and the very young girl has already been captured in a painting, in a strange word and in a very rare perfume. The secret of Nabokov is a perfume that escaped to all western critics because this was deeply buried in his early life and left almost no trace on the market, at least not on the American soil.
When the book was released in 1955 it was in the middle of the Cold War but with one single reference Nabokov told an invisible story that linked past-present, east and west.
Vincent van Gogh painted La Mousmé in 1888 in Arles and now the painting is in USA (Washington National Gallery) since 1929. The personal history of the painting and its journey Berlin-Paris-London and finally New York has surprising similarities with the Nabokov own exile.
"It took me a whole week...but I had to reserve my mental energy to do the mousmé well." This name, he explained, came from a character in a popular novel set in Japan. "A mousmé is a Japanese girl—Provençal in this case—twelve to fourteen years old." wrote Vincent to Théo.
What a surprising coincidence with the character from Lolita.
In his painting Van Gogh not only captured the emotion and the tension of a possible imaginary relation, but he also planted the seeds of a book. If in XIXth century Nature inspired Art in the XXth century and through the words of Nobokov, Art became Real and an untold history painted by Van Gogh becomes novel.
But the history of the first Lolita has not ended yet.
One of the most mysterious and forgotten Russian fragrances is called Мусмеа - Mousméa in French. In a Russian dictionary from 1910 I found exactly the same description as the one given by Van Gogh. The name, with a very French accent reveals nothing unless you dig deep in the history. The poetic name put on the label of a seductive perfume is the best metaphor for a decadent sin - the forbidden love with a young girl hypnotized by the power of fragrance. During La Belle Époque the fascination with Japan was not just about art / ikebana and Zen. For many it was an exotic dedication where forbidden pleasures were free for white men (as they were also in the colonies). Vintage pictures from that time shows the Japanese prostitution to a level that we could not understand today. No surprise that Madame Butterfly was written at that time.
Mousméa was an expensive extract in Russia and it was still produced when the soviets arrived. In fact, it is found in a catalogue of the trust TEJE (late 20's - there is as well a Cio cio san perfume).
Nabokov (also a synesthète) left us clues and the discovery of this perfume was one my greatest joy of the year.

The very first Lolita perfume was not a marketing creation but an untold story. The last drop left the earth decades ago and became a novel. No one knows the smell of the precious Мусмеа unless one day the formula will be resurected like in Sleeping Beauty.

Here you have the description of this rather strange french word, given by Marcel Proust in Le Côté de Guermantes: "C’est Loti qui introduisit ce mot en France. C’est un mot qui signifie jeune fille ou très jeune femme. C’est un des plus jolis mots de la langue nippone ; il semble qu’il y ait, dans ce mot, de la moue (de la petite moue gentille et drôle comme elles en font) et surtout de la frimousse (de la frimousse chiffonnée comme est la leur). Je l’emploierai souvent, n’en connaissant aucun en français qui le vaille."

The word in japanese would be musume (written mouzoumé in 1869 in french)

The was also an opera in 1909 with this name.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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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.

There is a very interesting DVD called The Powder and the Glory about the story of two of the first highly successful women in american cosmetic industry, Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein, showing special footage from archives.

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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.

There is a very interesting DVD called The Powder and the Glory about the story of two of the first highly successful women in american cosmetic industry, Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein, showing special footage from archives.

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Flower by Kenzo Essentielle (2009) New perfume review - 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!

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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).

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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.

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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).

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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.

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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

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Ricci Ricci, the new fruity sorbet from Nina Ricci

I love the name that sounds so italian and almost bling-bling. I love the bottle and its color. Ricci Ricci, a perfume created by Aurélien Guichard & Jacques Huclier from Givaudan, is said to be floral fruity (not another one!!!) created around a flower called "belle-de-nuit" night blooming flower analysed through GC (Mirabilis jalapa or ipomoea???). It contains bergamot, rhubarbe, rose centifolia, indian tuberose, sandalwood, patchouli.

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My Sin was loving you

Sometime the success of a perfume is pure destiny like many other things in life that cannot be predicted. It was also the case of a classic perfume from Lanvin - My Sin, a beautiful fresh white flower bouquet that was popular many decades after its mysterious creation.
Its creation is surrounded by the mysteries - a strange perfumer called Madame Zed and 2 very very young perfumers and rivals - André Fraysse and Paul Vacher. But My Sin created first for the American Market was many things at the same time and the evolution of its perception helped to establish its success.
The early 20's pre ArtDeco 1925 exhibition were very influenced by Chinese styles. Women collected Coromandel lacquer screens like Cécile Sorel and Gabrielle Chanel and they played a very prized society game called mah jong and attended a show in Paris where the main character had a similar name to Mai Sin - Mai Sung. Looking back into art & fashion magazines we have many clues to the artistic zeitgeist that lead to the creation of this beautiful perfume in its black and gold sphere bottle. But stronger than these Chinese connotations, was the image of the vamp from the silent movies. My Sin was the woman in black who smoked and wore as an accessory just a white flower. The flapper dress with the flower / bow placed very low had also an erotic connotation and here the fragrance of My Sin expressed that ideal - the girl that is both pure like a white pearl and very sensual. Unlike its name, My Sin was not the kind of the perfume a vamp would wear (there were other strong potions) but the dress for the debutante to become a woman during the night. The floral bouquet has similar elements with Narcisse Blanc (Caron) but the sensual jasmine-narcisse-orris-rose note create here a scent that is both fresh delicate (white soap) and narcotic sensual. The flower placed low in the middle of the beaded flapper dress had a pervert power.
Launched in this context and with a very strong concept that fitted the era, My Sin became in a few years a great success. But this time it was also because of 2 new coincidences.
Belle Baker, a popular American singer and actress, made from My Sin a hit around 1929 in nightclubs and on Broadway. My sin was loving you, says the song.


Several years later in 1931 a movie called My Sin is produced casting Tallulah Bankhead as a college-educated nightclub entertainer in a murder - melodrama.

If the name My Sin had nothing special in the beginning, thanks to several coincidences it became famous for the public. With a fragrance that was more delicate than the name, it was a perfect creation for the 30's and for the next decades and a perfect night partner for Amour Amour (Jean Patou). In France, with the name translated, it did not reach the same success because the other elements of the popular culture were not present.

The photo - Tallulah Bankhead in a very Chanel style dress

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Fragrance, Couture and Frédéric Mitterrand

After the Christian Lacroix couture show (maybe his last because the house is bankrupt) the French minister of culture Frédéric Mitterrand said that the disappearance of this couture house would be a "cultural disaster". He also expressed his desire to contribute with solutions to this problem.
But, if the French Minister of Culture is interested in the Couture why shouldn't he be concerned by the fragrances, or … let's say some of them, still on the market and that are also an artistic heritage, though not recognized. In this case I speak of course about the reformulations that took place and that in some cases were for me a cultural genocide. The cultural disaster in the couture is also the cultural disaster that has happened in France in the past 10 years when some masterpieces were simply replaced with "replicas" - pale modern versions. It's like replacing some paintings in the Louvre with some copies (or digital images) and letting the people believe they were original. The irony, maybe unknonw to Mr. Mitterrand, is that while Couture brought the prestigious image to France, fragrances were bringing both prestige and money.
Following what was said during the fashion week interviews Dior house is maybe the unique case where what Dior says for the fashion is completely undermined by what Dior does in the fragrance division. Speaking about the tradition, savoir faire and all the precious words we like to hear I could not stop thinking that Bernard Arnault was acting more like a politician. Reading the interviews and the cultural ambitions, and knowing on the other hand how Dior has mutilated Diorissimo and Miss Dior I cannot stop wondering about the differences between words and facts.
The idea of cultural disaster expressed by Frédéric Mitterrand and his desire to find solution for couture that is seen as an important element to French culture could have more effects in the future for the fragrances. Or let us hope that the ecuation will change.
Fragrances are not part of the French culture in France, not officially. But a pressure to consider some houses or some XXth century fragrances as part of the cultural heritage would have an enormous impact.
In fact, as I expressed it already in some very old posts, the moment when some fragrances will be officially art, the face of the industry will change for ever. First, it is a new dimension for the luxury. You can sell some perfumes more expensive not because they have a golden bottle but because they are art. Then, some perfumes could enter in a new tax dimension - selling consumer goods and selling art is rather different in terms of taxes (including their production). With Tabac Blond as a "important cultural artifact" Caron can enter the universe of subventions like any other small company that produces important products for the culture and has support from the state. Maybe the last and more important for us is that you cannot alter a great fragrance under any pretext (I heard so many justifications for the reformulations and none as really true). Many brand owners think today that is very normal to change / twist a perfume to fit the new fashions or tastes of the public, to update things to the desires of the contemporary consumer. But, if you place that item in a cultural aura, everything will change. You do not redecorate Louvre, place HD everywhere and lower the intellectual level of the descriptions just to fit the public. For this reason, Tabac Blond should be what it was in the original formula and if this is not possible, as happens also with lost/destroyed works of art, you should be able to buy a reproduction or the closest restitution. There is now a huge Rembrandt retrospective with all his works and many lost/damaged works that were restored through digital technique. Many "inventions" in art could be brought into the fragrance universe.
There are many beautiful and good things that can be done in the fragrance world, but people should see beyond accounts and bureaucracy. I do hope that one day some perfumes like Tabac Blond would be considered "historic monuments" and they would be treated with the same care and devotion as a gothic cathedral. For the same reason I think that the first modern brand to enter that new cultural approach is Serge Lutens

(and maybe it could be a clever strategy than re formulating even under the guidance of the Master - for those who do not know Paris at Palais Royal, there are about 30 meters between SL and Le Ministère de la Culture).

Photo - Le Roi Soleil - Schiaparelli bottle after Salvador Dali, Life photo late 40's

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New fragrance in 2009: Estee Lauder Private Collection Jasmine White Moss

An article about Jasmine White Moss in Vanity Fair with some insights on the creation of the latest Estée Lauder perfume and some personal photos from her archive:

"Unlike its predecessors, Jasmine White Moss took only a year for Aerin to develop. That’s because the fragrance was about three-quarters complete, having been worked on by her grandmother in the late 80s. After discovering the abandoned original formula in the Estee Lauder fragrance library, Aerin was moved to finish it. “Not only was it the perfect complement to what we already had available in the Private Collection,” she says"

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LesNez in Paris

LesNez fragrances are now available in Paris in a very special boutique called Les Beaux Draps de Jeannine Cros - 11, rue d'Assas (near rue de Rennes). So, it's easier to try, buy or find the new perfumes in the future. You have the description here.

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How Dior lost the battle with Chanel in 2009

Last night Karl Lagerfeld gave his final "coup de maître" at the Haute Couture show in the endless luxury "war" with Dior (the press in the 50's liked to imagine this kind of war). The collection was presented in a brilliant night setting at Grand Palais with big No5 bottles in the middle (they paid a lot for the new campaign!) while Dior show was presented in their small av. Montaigne salons, something unusual for their big settings in the past. Dior show was not about what they officially said but about losing the battle with fashion and time. John Galliano created some New Look pieces done maybe in a hurry from previous patterns and stock materials though the hats were amazing. No surprise, because Dior is not anymore about fashion but about bags, shoes and logos.
There is something else I discovered with a lot of sadness that showed me how far Dior is from 2009.
This year we commemorate 20 years from the end of Cold War and Berlin Wall, some art exhibitions were shown in Paris. Several days ago president Obama had a special meeting in Moscow setting for a new relation between USA and Russia. But 2009 is also the 100 years anniversary of Ballets Russes. Their style was quintessential to the relaunch of Dior in the mid 90's and quintessential to John Galliano's work (do you remember the collection shown at Opera Garnier?). The Kremlin ballet presents this years some masterpieces from that time …. shown on the theatre that is also on avenue Montaigne like Dior.
But 2009 has also another special event that Dior missed completely. In June 1959, 50 years ago, the Dior house was the first couture house after Poiret in 1911 (Poiret is also quintessential to John Galliano's style) to present in Moscow haute couture models for … 5 days. It was a special event in a country that first has banned the New Look and then, after Stalin's death adopted it. Many Russian ballerinas were shown in the late 50's in gowns inspired by Dior styles. Now, as a sign of irony, Chanel window shops in Paris show their collection "Paris Moscou" in a constructivist setting while the gray dresses have something of a "stalin look" as stated by Karl in a video interview in december. I've allways wondered why there is such a distance between Dior Fashion and Dior Fragrances. Fashion and fragrances are allways about NOW.

photo: Life

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Fragrance is the 8th Art - Octavian Coifan - Le Parfum est le 8ème Art

New fragrance in 2009: Helena Rubinstein Wanted

Finally Helena Rubinstein re enters the fragrance universe after many years (the last being Barynia in 1985) with a special creation featured by Demi Moore and created by 2 sacred monsters of modern perfumery from IFF - Carlos Benaim and Dominique Ropion - and based on magnolia. Magnolia is a note that has already been present in at least 3 vintage perfumes from Madame Rubinstein, many of them very rare.
Photos of the shooting campaign / movie are on Puretrend.

A small note - if you google the fragrance you'll see that there is an error. In 1905 she has just started her adventure in cosmetics in Australia and that year is also the date for the trademark of her first beauty pamphlet. There was not even the thought of a fragrance in 1905. Too early.

The launch photo for Wanted, the fragrance by Helena Rubinstein :

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Fragrance is the 8th Art - Octavian Coifan - Le Parfum est le 8ème Art

Scarlett Cacharel (2009) - the wrong soap, a fragrance review

Futile "home-made soap" fragrance with an amazing bottle. It seems that Cacharel team either had a sniff preview of Narcisso Rodriguez Essence or they got the wrong soap (not the classy one). It smells exactly like that brown product made out of pork fat and sodium hydroxide in traditional villages. If you really want to smell like a natural soap, I propose you a more affordable version - wash your clothes with Persil Savon de Marseille, use l'Occitane soaps and olive body creams, use a simple white musk oil.

After a very obvious pear note, the perfume goes straight into a honeysuckle-orange flower bouquet that has an 80's twist - it might remind you some popular notes as seen in the Carolina Herrera (the polka dot). It has a very poor tenacity and while on the blotter it turns into the cheap soap shampoo with a honey aromatic twist, on the skin it lasts less than 1 hour.
3 perfumers have the credit to Scarlett Cacharel, a creation that is so close to what Magritte would have said "ceci n'est pas un parfum". The Narcisso Rodriguez twist is not an accident, both are from Firmenich, but Scarlett is NOT a variation of Essence (rather a floral pear shampoo). The honeysuckle-light orange flower-jasmine has common elements with the Burberry version but can be related as a distant cousin to Chèvrefeuille (Annick Goutal)

A big disappointement after another Cacharel fiasco - Liberté (that one was soooo low, in terms of design, quality and cheap fruity floral patchouli)

The perfume Scarlett is described as a white-floral bouquet with sweet gourmand notes of honey and pear.

Official main ingredients for Scarlett: tea leaves, citrus, lavender honey, pear, jasmine, orange blossom, honeysuckle, white musk, sandalwood.

Scarlett by Cacharel starring Skye Stracke and I Love the picture of the campaign (if the fragrance was at least a decent creation).

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Fragrance is the 8th Art - Octavian Coifan - Le Parfum est le 8ème Art

New fragrance in 2009: Bvlgari Blv Eau de Parfum II

Today I discovered on Champs Elysées the latest creation from Bvlgari called Blv Eau de Parfum II, featured by the model Laetitia Casta and presented in a blue-gray packaging that seems a sky version for the classic Blv. But it was almost impossible for me to smell the perfume! The scent is so delicate and evanescent, lost into the blue sky that I had a very strange sensation. It smells like a 0,1% dilution of the classic Blv with a small and graceful violet on top, a 0,01% (or even less) dilution of Aimez moi (violet-licorice) plus an airy, almost invisible, raspberry breeze flower effect like Féerie (Van Cleef&Arpels). I'm not sure what this perfume is all about except the Firmenich musks (I'm not anosmic to any of them). On my skin it is very weak and after less than an hour I was not sure if the very "thin" smell is from the fragrance or from the shower I took before the walk. To my surprise, even the face tonic lotion I use is stronger than this creation.
For me, this Bvlgari is everything but not a fine fragrance. It is the pure expression of the nonsense in our society. Why should I buy a luxury brand perfume that smells less than my delicate personal care products?
If the idea of the perfumer Jacques Cavallier was to express a "modern vision of the colour blue", he did it perfectly. It smells like the infinite sky where all fragrant molecules are lost and there is nothing out of the blue. The perfumer also said he wanted something more opulent and less transparent. At least there was a dream because to me it seems the lightest Bvlgari perfume (except for the children version).

Narciso Rodriguez Essence, a great metaphor of the clean scent, was done more or less at the same time at Firmenich, so no surprise if some of you will feel inside this Blv II a soft breeze from the amazing silver bottle with a "floral" raspberry on top.

Change the name into Essence d'Azur and you have a perfect and correct picture of the Versailles sky that gave once the color Blue Trianon. Attach a blue ribbon and a saphire, do it 10 times stronger and you have a neo Marie Antoinette creation. But with Bvlgari Blv Eau de Parfum II named so uninspired like Gucci Eau de Parfum II, there is no concept behind to explain why this is actually not a fine fragrance.

Official main ingredients in Bvlgari Blv Eau de Parfum II: Violet, Mandarin Orange, Star Anise, Licorice , Iris Absolute, Patchouli Blossom, Vetiver, Benzoin, Ambergris, Cistus Rockrose, Musks. The main flower seems to be a transparent violet over a soft oriental woody base.

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Fragrance is the 8th Art - Octavian Coifan - Le Parfum est le 8ème Art

Cream passionel

Today I was watching an entire Agatha Christie collection of crime movies and something was constantly on my mind. The first was what often was said by Mr. Hercule Poirot … that no all crimes are like in France … "crime passionnel" (the myth of French love that can lead to death) and then … the many desserts that Poirot was eating each time.
I decided it was time to invent something for the weekend so I came up with a dessert called "Cream passionel".
Based on cheese cake and those creamy cold cups, the main part is represented by an immaculate white shape in the form of a reversed Paulina Borghese cup (molded after her breast). On top there is a perfect strawberry like the stopper of Amour Amour fragrance by Jean Patou. It is served in a "bloody bath" of cherry syrup (with some gelatin) with several drops on the white sphere and some cranberry + blueberry confiture. On one side a small butterfly made of caramelized sugar (dentelle caramel) like in the representations of Amor and Psyche.
Inside the simple white shape there are several "hidden" layers: puffed rice (riz soufflé), cheese cream - mousse, a cherry and a amaretto icecream, just a hint of hot spices (to contrast the cold icecream). It is served cold and it should suggest the almond note used in poisons (like in the perfume Borgia).
When served, you should wear a rose perfume like Rose absolue or Rose de Nuit. The red ocean like the blood of love can be flamed with some liqueur.

Photo - Erté, Ruby

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Fragrance is the 8th Art - Octavian Coifan - Le Parfum est le 8ème Art

Holly Shampoo

The last decade was all bout long and straight hair with shades between the blonde and the brownette. We can see it everywhere, in fashion magazines, cosmetic or fragrance ads, like the recent Gucci Flora movie and Lancôme Hypnôse Senses. But there is something more here and I'm not very happy to notice it. In the recent launches (since about 2007) I noticed that many feminine fragrances share something like a shampoo note (the fresh fruity type). Some of them are very "thin" in terms of odor and seem to me rather shampoo fragrances than fine fragrances. I do not dislike the shampoo effect in a fragrance. There are some great creations like Estée Super or Azurée (and even in No5 Eau Première) where this note is very pleasant and rich and blends perfectly with the natural feminine scent. They are divine when sprayed on hair. Narciso Rodriguez for her has a wonderful trail in hair and you can try also some drops of the musk oil (the same with Bronze Goddess or any tiaré salycilate perfume).
But all these are good fine fragrances and scenting the hair comes as a natural gesture. Being inspired by the scents of shampoos can be useful but bringing their "poor" quality into the universe of fine fragrances, without richness can be a dangerous and deceiving exercise.

Photo OldJapan

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Fragrance is the 8th Art - Octavian Coifan - Le Parfum est le 8ème Art

Serge Lutens Export

Vetiver Oriental and Fumerie Turque are now in the export line, I've seen them this week at Le Bon Marché (Paris) on sale. It's surprising how many other fragrances they have inspired since their first introduction.

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Fragrance is the 8th Art - Octavian Coifan - Le Parfum est le 8ème Art

New fragrance in 2009: Eau de Fleur de Prunier Kenzo

In the delicate line dedicated to flowers and uncomplicated beauty Kenzo brought the secret of another flower, after the magnolia, the silk flower and the tea. The plum flower, under the name Eau de Fleur de Prunier is the latest introduction featuring the scent of a very particular tree.
Like the others, the fragrance is very light, very easy to wear and very airy, almost evanescent. It is built around a very fresh rose with a light juicy pear green top that goes into a warm heart very fruity like nectarine peach with almost a deep honey and quince note and something light powdery. In the first moments it is very close to the scent of natural apple blossom but then the light fruity elements take control over the composition and even the light almond note (present in the kernel, not the flower) is featured.
It seems less a perfume and more a pleasant body spray for a light veil of a delicate scent, similar to the flower rain of petals when plum trees are in bloom in Japan.
The plum flower is featured in many oriental teas (mixed with green tea) as well as an extract used in medicine. The alcohol made from the fruits (eau de vie) could be used in a perfume instead of regular alcohol to bring more particular notes.
My only critique is that this beautiful idea reminds me the scent of a precious shampoo.

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Fragrance is the 8th Art - Octavian Coifan - Le Parfum est le 8ème Art

La conclusion

Dear readers,
I wish to announce you that this week, Mme Sylvaine Delacourte on the behalf of Guerlain team send me their excuses and regrets for the incident that has happened last week.
You can read a very nice interview she has recently given on perfumeshrine about the modern house, her job and the new challenges.

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Fragrance is the 8th Art - Octavian Coifan - Le Parfum est le 8ème Art

Allergy from fragrance in pharmaceutical products

One reader send me today a link that changed my day. It'a about an article that describes the allergies to fragrance ingredients contained in topical pharmaceutical products, a study from 1978 to 2008. My surprise was that I've never thought that pharmaceutical products would contain fragrance ingredients (in order to correct their scent I suppose like it is the case for flavors in sirups) and less to the amount indicated in the study.
The conclusion of the article : Fragrances, the presence of which is in most cases unnecessary, do contribute to iatrogenic allergic contact dermatitis. Moreover, sensitized patients have difficulties in avoiding their specific allergens because standardized labelling of the ingredients in pharmaceutical products is lacking.

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Fragrance is the 8th Art - Octavian Coifan - Le Parfum est le 8ème Art

New fragrances in 2009: Anthology Penhaligon's

From their archives, Penhaligon's brought us some special creations, now available in their Paris boutique. They come in a very beautiful black box with the history of the perfume written in black. I do not know the vintage versions but they seem very faithful to a classic style of perfumery.
Gardenia (1976) is a sleeping beauty, a flower so delicate, nostalgic and special that I can only regret that it was not available so many years. It is also a moment of history because the creation stands somewhere between 2 periods - it is a perfect balance of 2 styles, the classic traditional gardenia note and the more modern example. In fact, the gardenia is wrapped with magnolia petals, lily and lily of the valley and a very soft ylang. The gardenia - magnolia reminds the idea of Un Matin d'orage but it is not so contrasted and opulent. I would say that the perfume is a perfect balance between the green top note of gardenia (with a strong styralil acetate), the creamy lactonic side, the jasmine-white flower petal note and the mushroom effect that is very well dosed. The drydown of the perfume is even more spectacular, very lily and musky, sensual and slightly woody mossy. To me it has an effect recalling Anais Anais but remember that Cacharel's fragrance was launched after. The very soft and almost cosmetic drydown shows a delicate beauty.
Extract of Limes (1963) is a classical note very popular in UK and USA where it had a great reputation since the XIXth century. The lime note dominates the cologne accord in a very pleasant, fruity-green-citrus context. The drydown is very soft with crystalline orange flower - neroli notes, some light balsams and maybe even a woody-mossy effect. It is a creation built in the pure XIXth century style like the lemon eau de cologne in France, and the additional notes are here to fix the evanescent crisp freshness.
Eau de Verveine (1949) Verveine was again a very popular cologne in the XIXth (with Melissa) but also it can be found in the catalogues of some XXth century brands under this name or just as a major note (before the 70's). The fragrance from Penhaligon's is not the evanescent fresh lemony cologne but a perfume, light but long-lasting, built on a fougère almost chypre base. It belongs to those creations before 1960's when gender was still not so clear. I feel inside the jasmine-soft chypre elements from some popular perfumes (like one Italian creation I will soon review) but also the herbal-coumarine-oak moss note from the chypre perfume Chanel pour Monsieur (1956). If Penhaligon's had a wider distribution and the fragrance a different name, I believe that this would have been great success. The drydown is sweet, woody and milky-musky. It is less a verbena note and more a metaphor built around this beautiful note. It reminds already the first masculine colognes that later, after the 60's became successful notes in aftershaves and deodorants. I would say that this creation is almost an archetype and I was happy to discover it.
Night Scented Stocks (1976) is a curious and strange perfume that is less the image of a very popular British note based on cloves and more a "fantaisie" creation. Some would see in it an ancestor of Cuir Améthyste and other soft leather modern patchouli notes. The orris - iralia note is well present inside, wrapped in lily of the valley, sweet woody notes with a soft musky trail. It's rather a soft violet-heliotrope and very light clove fragrance. But those notes are very well blended and would not stand out. The scent of stocks was a type of floral (Matthiola sp.) close to carnation often a mix of mimosa-violet-heliotrope with some anisic notes and sometime with a tobacco flower elements or hawthorn.

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Fragrance is the 8th Art - Octavian Coifan - Le Parfum est le 8ème Art