Stunning perfumes that we still dream about...
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Stunning perfumes that we still dream about...

27 september 2013

Legendary perfumes, best-sellers, classics, and veritable Proust’s madeleines for some of us… These are some of the many ways we can refer to those mythical fragrances that make their mark on an era. Osmoz looks back over the context that made these perfumes such stunning successes.

 

Chanel N°5: A taste of eternity?

The iconic symbol of luxury the world over, glamorized by Marilyn Monroe in the 1950s and the theme of an exhibit at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris last May, N°5  is as attractive today as it ever because it’s still topping the charts, almost a century after its creation, in 1919. While this “women’s perfume” owes much of its success to the quality of the floral essences that compose it (May Rose and Jasmine from Grasse), it is also thanks to the overdose of aldehydes, which was very innovative for the time, chiseling a fascinating, powdery modern feel. Lanvin’s Arpège, Estée Lauder’s White Linen, Hermès’s Calèche and Van Cleef & Arpels’ First are some of its many worthy descendants….

Guerlain’s Shalimar: An ode to love that’s as spell-binding as ever.

This is the perfume devised by Jacques Guerlain in 1925, in homage to the boundless love of a Mogol Emperor for his late wife – a legend whose spirit can be found on screen in the new film about it. Shalimar’s magic comes from the overdose of bergamot over a bed of vanilla, plus addictively sensual powdery and animalic notes. Ethylvanilline, a new molecule, granted a powerful roundness to this composition, which is not unlike its predecessor, Jicky. While Shalimar is the founder of the oriental family, its sensuality means that it is still a timelessly seductive perfume today.

Dior’s Eau sauvage: Simplicity, a recipe we never tire of.

Echoing cologne’s classic citrus style, Edmond Roudnitska added a twist of virility with aromatic notes (basil, rosemary, lavender and more). But it was also the fact that it was the first fragrance to use hedione, a synthetic molecule made from jasmine, that made Eau Sauvage so modern. Granting freshness and an innovatively airy trail to this “cologne,” nowadays hedione is frequently found in perfumery. As for Eau Sauvage, it has become so successful that women have even started wearing it too.  

 

Opium: And God invented marketing.

During the post-War boom, the American market opened up to perfume, particularly with Estée Lauder’s Youth Dew. Twenty years later, that successful scent inspired Yves Saint-Laurent to launch a perfume that would be an oriental like Shalimar, but as tenacious and long-lasting as Youth Dew, so that it would last through a night of partying. To emphasize the idea, the provocative name and baroque bottle were launched at a VIP party in 1978. The idea would overturn perfumery’s codes: it would no longer be enough to simply compose a “juice,” you had to have a concept. Like Youth Dew, Opium is a spicy-oriental (clove, cinnamon) dominated by patchouli, but refreshed with fruity notes (peach, plum) and a floral heart (ylang-ylang). Other creations, like Coco de Chanel would follow in its footsteps.

Angel by Thierry Mugler: Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

A best-seller for 20 years now, this perfume is practically a textbook case at this point. Panned for its “edible” side when it was first released, it was launched without any advertising at all, just the designer’s customers’ word of mouth, before turning into the huge success it is now. What made it so unusual at the time was the introduction of ethylmaltol – a molecule with a praline-caramel scent – paired with a strong dose of patchouli and a fruity facet. The recipe became a bandwagon that the whole world of perfumery would soon be jumping on. Judging by the current market, the trend won’t be slowing down any time soon, although some of its descendants, like Lolita Lempicka and Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle, have become classics in their own right.

Sophie Normand

Sophie Normand

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Even though I’ve been fascinated by perfume since I was a teenager, I still studied first law and then journalism. I started writing professionally, and then about three years ago I thought of doing a blog about perfume. Alongside that, I share my passion for perfume through other media as...

  • 10 november 2013

    Chacun des parfums de la sélection a marqué l'Histoire de la parfumerie. Le N°5 de Chanel reste tout de même emblématique et est une référence.

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  • 06 november 2013

    gracias por su bienvenida

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  • 06 november 2013

    en años anteriores era enamorada del perfume ming opium, los aromas muy dulces son mis preferidos, pero a los que no puedo dejar de usar a diario ea base de mirra maria.arje

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  • 21 october 2013

    Deja veces quisiera uno ambiar de perfumes pero los perfumes e antaño te cautivan tanto que es imposible sacarlos y guardarlos , pero tambien es bueno probar todos los nuevos perfumes que salen ya que a veces hay algunos que te vulven a enamorar con romas nuevos e inspirciones que dices me encanta

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