Series 1 :: Series 2 :: Series 3 :: Series 4 :: Series 5 :: Series 6 :: Series 7 :: Series 8 :: Series 9 :: Series 10

I am continuing my 100 Fragrances That Influenced Perfume History Series with a look at the next 10 great trendsetting perfumes. In this series I would also like to focus on the creators. In some cases, I want to highlight perfumers who were fascinating and flamboyant; in others, I wish to pay homage to those who not only influenced perfume trends with their work, but also broke set stereotypes, mentored a new generation of stellar perfumers or introduced new ways to think about fragrance creation. In many ways, their fragrances were also a fascinating reflection of their personalities and their predilections.

The list is in a chronological order. M indicates a fragrance intended for the masculine market.

11. Joy (Jean Patou, perfumer Henri Alméras, 1930)

Sometimes more than the perfumes themselves, it is the perfumers who are fascinating. This is definitely the case with Henri Alméras, the creator of Joy, who by all accounts was quite a character: very creative, brilliant and dashingly handsome to top it all off! Another great perfumer, Guy Robert, tells that one day he went into Alméras’ lab and found him in some distress. He showed Robert a new perfume he had made which was quite interesting. “I made a perfume to impress a beautiful blonde, and now she is gone, but I do not know how to recreate it. I did not take any notes!” exclaimed Alméras.

Continue reading →

By Elise Pearlstine

The bee bumbled out of nowhere in the early morning light, heading straight for the intense purple of the hyacinth. Not the white and not the pink but the dark, luscious, spicy, intense color and scent of the purple hyacinth. I had a selection of pink, white and purple beauties lined up for the photograph you see above; as I arranged the shot the bee was getting drunk on “her majesty of the dark purple”. A comparison of the scents reflects the three colors. Purple hyacinths are in-your-face floral, spicy, sweetly green yet with a bite. White is floral, slightly elegant and refined, while pink is pretty with just a bit of spice and quite lovely.

Continue reading →

L’Occitane spring launches are all about flowers. Pivoine Flora, which is set to be launched in May, explores a sheer rose-peony note accented with citrus. Notes include: grapefruit, bergamot, green notes, peony, violet, magnolia, cedarwood, vanilla and musk. It will be available as both Eau de Parfum and Eau de Toilette and will have a whole range of matching bath and body products.

There is also a limited edition fragrance called Fleurs de Brignoles (Plum Blossoms). L’Occitane describes it as: “In the Provencal village of Brignoles, the plum blossom season is always a time for celebration. The Plum Blossom EDT is a tribute to the white blossoms of the plum trees, which fill the air with a liqueur-like scent, with hints of bitter almonds.” Notes include pear, berries, plum, rose, sandalwood, musk. Fleurs de Brignoles/Plum Blossom is available as Eau de Toilette and includes a wide range of scented bath and body products.

Pivoine Flora news via Cosmoty and Fleurs de Brignoles via L’Occitane.

Following the classical trends of the spring, some of which I described in my Trend Watch yesterday, Clinique has released a limited edition version of their 1972 iconic fragrance Aromatics Elixir called Aromatics Elixir Perfumer’s Reserve. It has a stronger white floral accent of jasmine sambac and tuberose set against the mossy-woody structure of the fragrance.

It includes notes of bergamot, orange blossom, verbena, clary sage, jasmine sambac, rose, tuberose, patchouli, myrrh, vetiver, dark woods, labdanum, resins.

The original Aromatics Elixir includes notes of geranium, orange blossom, verbena, chamomile, clary sage, jasmine, rose, tuberose, ylang-ylang, patchouli, vetiver, oakmoss, amber, civet. It was created in 1971 by perfumer Bernard Chant.

Are we safe from more oud? I certainly hope so. There has been a scattering of oud launches that lagged behind the recent onslaught, but so far there have not been many announcements of new fragrances focused on that now clichéd theme. As I survey the market, I mostly see a tendency towards classical themes this spring, with interpretations of either traditional genres or classical raw materials. I am eagerly anticipating the launch of Hermès Jardin Sur Le Toit and Tom Ford Lavender Palm (see more details about these new fragrances below); both from houses which never fail to offer something interesting. So here is another installment of my trend watch report which continues my earlier thoughts on perfume trends in 2011.

More White Flowers : Orange Blossom

Continue reading →