Timeless: Chanel # 5, Poison, Caleche and other iconic fragrances

Year of construction: 1921

Perfumer: Ernest Bo

Pyramid composition:

top notes – aldehydes, neroli, ylang, bergamot, lemon;

heart notes – iris root, lily of the valley, iris, jasmine, rose;

base notes are amber, patchouli, civet, sandalwood, musk, vanilla, oakmoss, vetiver.

The legendary perfume was created nearly a hundred years ago. Coco Chanel turned to Ernest Bo, the former court perfumer of the Romanov family, with a request to create something unusual – “a perfume for a woman that smells like a woman.”

At that time, only natural ingredients were used in the creation of perfume compositions: flower extracts, musk, amber. The fragrances were very similar to each other and did not differ in persistence. Bo created 10 compositions that used previously unused aldehydes. Mademoiselle Coco’s choice fell to option number five.

The presentation of the perfume was also revolutionary. At that time, women’s perfumes were packed in bottles that were pretentious in shape and design. Coco Chanel settled on a simple design, similar to a men’s cologne bottle, with a white label and faceted cork.

Coco gave Chanel No. 5 to all her friends in high society. They ensured a huge success for the bottle – everyone wanted to smell like ladies in high society.

Today this fragrance is presented in different versions: classic perfumes are complemented by eau de toilette and eau de parfum, body emulsion and even hair mist.

Year: 1925

Perfumer: Jacques Guerlain

Pyramid composition:

top notes – citrus notes, tangerine, cedar, bergamot and lemon;

heart notes – iris, patchouli, jasmine, vetiver and rose;

base – leather, sandalwood, opopanax, musk, civet, vanilla and incense.

The author of the masterpiece, Jacques Guerlain, said that this fragrance is the victory of feeling over reason. To create a perfume composition he was inspired by the love story of the great ruler Shah Jahan and the beautiful Mumtaz Mahal. When the beloved of the emperor passed away, Jahan built the majestic Taj Mahal in her honor, as well as the beautiful Shalimar Gardens.

Shalimar by Guerlain is one of the first truly oriental fragrances, sweet, tart, sensual and noble at the same time.

Ernest Beaux, creator of Chanel No. 5, later said: “If I used so much vanilla, I would have made an English custard, and he, Jacques Guerlain, created Shalimar.”

Over the years, the bottle of Shalimar perfume has been renewed more than 50 times. But some design elements remain unchanged: the shape reminiscent of the bowls of water in the famous Shalimar gardens, the colored cork (at the very beginning it was dyed with mercury) and a silk brush that wrapped around the neck, which was combed by hand.

Meanwhile, the formula of the fragrance remained in its original form until 2001. Then the perfume house decided to create a lighter version of the perfume.

Year: 1961

Perfumer: Guy Robert

Pyramid composition:

top notes – aldehydes, cypress, orange blossom, tangerine, neroli, bergamot and lemon;

heart notes – iris, gardenia, jasmine, ylang-ylang, lily of the valley and rose;

base – sandalwood, tonka bean, amber, musk, oakmoss, vetiver and white cedar.

The Hermes brand, which has almost two hundred years of history, did not immediately come to the creation of fragrances. Initially, the fashion house serving the French aristocracy was concerned only with the manufacture of high-quality clothing and shoes for riding and horse bridles (hence the emblem in the form of a harnessed chariot). Later, Hermes expanded its range. This is how wristwatches, silk scarves and jewelry appeared in the collection. And perfume appeared much later.

The creation of the first perfume was a difficult and risky business – at that time the house was in a difficult financial situation. But the owners of Hermès have made the right decision. The fragrance was a huge success!

Caleche is the very essence of classicism. The seductive beauty of being

The first Hermes perfume was created in 1950 and was a unisex fragrance. The composition Caleche, which appeared 11 years later, became the first exclusively feminine fragrance.

Caleche fell in love with contemporaries for its character: restrained, noble, refined, concealing in its name the memory of the origins of the brand.

The famous French minimalist perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena defined this fragrance as follows: “Caleche is the very essence of classicism. The seductive beauty of being. “

Year: 1967

Perfumer: Gerard Goppy

Pyramid composition:

top notes – peach, violet, bergamot;

notes of heart – rose, jasmine, lily of the valley;

base – sandalwood, amber, tonka, vetiver.

The Climat fragrance, despite its French origin, was well known to our mothers. For some time it was produced on the territory of Poland, thanks to this fact, the perfume became the first that was allowed to be sold on the territory of the USSR.

Despite its “vintage”, the fragrance is popular among both established women and young girls, primarily due to its floral, fresh sound.

In 2005, the Climat experienced a rebirth. In honor of the 70th anniversary, Lancome re-released the legendary fragrance, and the perfumers emphasized that the composition has not changed a single note.

Year: 1985

Perfumer: Edouard Fleshet

Pyramid composition:

top notes – coriander, plum, wild berries, anise and rosewood;

heart notes – cloves, jasmine, orange blossom, tuberose, opoponax, cinnamon, incense, rose and white honey;

base notes are vetiver, musk, sandalwood, Virginia cedar, amber, vanilla and heliotrope.

Poison appeared unexpectedly in 1985 and won the hearts of lovers of French perfume. Despite the fact that the famous Miss Dior was released almost 40 years earlier than Poison, the second immediately became a hit.

The scent was created by perfumer Edouard Fleshet. The provocative name Poison translates as “poison”, “poison”, which also played a role in the life of the iconic fragrance, and a few years later the perfume received the prestigious FIFI award. The name of the fragrance was invented by Fleshet, who was inspired by the words of the famous French poet Paul Valari: “Perfume is a poison to the heart.”

The fragrance became so popular that laws were passed in the United States, which prohibited in some places from appearing in the “poisoned perfume”, and the perfumer admitted that he would hardly ever be able to create anything superior to Dior Poison.

The first flanker (this is the meaning of the fragrance with some changes that may affect the notes, concentration and appearance of the bottle) appeared only in 1994 – Poison Tendre Dior. The perfumer added fresh green notes to the oriental composition.

In just 30 years, 14 variations of this fragrance have been released. The original, Poison Dior, is still in production today.

Year: 2006

Perfumer: Geza Shoen

Pyramid composition: note – Iso E Super

The compositions created by the creative German perfumer Geza Schoen rocked the world. Molecule 01 was born only in 2006, but did not go unnoticed. A fragrance without a scent, as the perfume positions itself, was built on a single note (a specially developed compound Iso E Super, which has the properties of a strong pheromone).

Schoen created perfumes without taking into account the classic perfume pyramid, consisting of top, heart and base notes. This is why the smell of wood, musk and flowers in Molecule 01 can first appear and then disappear from the skin and reappear after a few hours.

Perfume with pheromones Molecule will always be fresh, woody, but always with animal notes, so that others would want to “hunt” you

Fans of this fragrance note that it always tastes differently. It is believed that Geza Schoen managed to understand what a woman wants and captured it in the fragrance.

“Perfume with pheromones Molecule will always be fresh, woody, but always with animal notes, so that others would want to ‘hunt’ for you, and not just eat and throw away the candy wrapper,” Geza Schoen shared his secret in an interview. – I make scents that don’t get on your nerves. At the same time, one cannot pass by their owners calmly. “

Year: 1977

Perfumers: Jean Amique and Jean-Louis Suzak under the direction of Yves Saint Laurent

Pyramid composition:

top notes – citrus notes, mandarin, cloves (spice), Indian laurel, plum, coriander, pepper, jasmine, bergamot;

heart notes – cloves, patchouli, cinnamon, orris root, peach, lily of the valley, rose, sandalwood;

base notes – labdanum, tolu balsam, opoponax, coconut, benzoin, incense, myrrh, amber, cedar, vanilla, vetiver.

The fragrance, created by Yves Saint Laurent, is considered one of the historical markers of the 70s and 80s, which focused on female sexuality and freedom.

The working name of the fragrance was Ichi (one), but upon seeing the created bottle, Yves Saint Laurent immediately came up with a name for the future legend – opium. Naturally, defending the shocking narcotic name of the perfume, the designer had to explain himself more than once and insist on the original name. Opium caused a wave of outrage among Chinese immigrants in America, who demanded to rename the perfume and make a public apology, since the drug opium, imported in the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries by Anglo-American colonists into China, caused numerous deaths among the local population. The name remained, but for a long time the sale of the fragrance was prohibited in China and some other Asian countries.

Opium was created by perfumers Jean Amique and Jean-Louis Suzak. Their task was to create an unsurpassed fragrance that could please the great Chinese empress, the “jade orchid” Cixi. The author of the bottle, Pierre Dinand, was inspired by the Japanese inro boxes (lacquered boxes in which the personal seal was originally kept, and then used for aromatic herbs, tobacco and medicines).

20 years later, in 1998, the brand decided to launch a flanker of the Opium fragrance – the Opium Fraicheur d’Orient eau de toilette, and since 2002 Yves Saint Laurent began to expand its assortment with collectible and limited versions of Opium.

Year: 1992 year

Perfumer: Thierry Mugler

Pyramid composition:

Top notes – melon, coconut, mandarin, Chinese cassia, jasmine, bergamot and cotton candy;

heart notes – honey, apricot, blackberry, plum, orchid, peach, jasmine, lily of the valley, red berries and a rose from Nepal;

base notes are tonka beans, amber, patchouli, musk, vanilla, dark chocolate and caramel.

Once Thierry was asked to lie down on the sofa and tell what he would like. The perfumer imagined the sky, the aromas of vanilla and cookies baked by his mother … And he realized that women should smell like angels.

So the idea came to release my own fragrance. The perfume became revolutionary as soon as the composition became known: there was not a single floral note in it.

The second surprise was the bottle: the legendary blue star was specially created by glassmakers from Brosse Master Glassmakers. The fragrance immediately became a hit and even surpassed the sales of Chanel No. 5.

Angel first changed its formula in 2007. The scent was aged in cherry wood barrels for 12 weeks, resulting in a caramelized scent. This version was called La Part des Anges – the share of angels.

Every year, the brand releases limited edition bottles studded with Swarovski crystals, entwined with silver threads or complemented by steel details.

Year: 1992

Perfumer: Issey Miyake

Pyramid composition:

top notes – kalon, rose water, cyclamen, white freesia, melon, rose, lotus;

heart notes – lily, carnation, lily of the valley, water peony;

base notes – white cedar, tuberose, exotic woods, sandalwood, amber, osmanthus, musk.

Issey Miyake was created in 1969 by Japanese designer Issey Miyake. Like most fashion designers, over time he came up with the idea of ​​releasing perfume. In 1992, L’Eau d’Issey appeared – the purest, according to Miyake, fragrance in the world.

Issey Miyake was an attempt to recreate the smell of water on pure female skin – an innovation for those times, because most often the perfumes were heavy and rich.

Year: 1995

Perfumer: Franco Moschino

Pyramid composition:

top notes – bergamot;

middle notes – cyclamen, jasmine, peony, rose, violet;

base notes are amber, orchid, vetiver, musk, iris, vanilla.

Since its inception, Moschino has positioned itself as a brand that produces fashionable clothing and luxury accessories. The first fragrance appeared in 1987 and received a name similar to the Cheap and Chic clothing line launched a few years earlier.

Many girls immediately liked the unique floral scent. Still would! He was impressive even at the stage of examining the bottle. Moschino packaging is bright, cheerful and cheerful.

According to the creators, this is exactly what they were striving for, because you have to wear not what is fashionable, but what you like. The Moschino brand exists under this motto.

Later, brothers and sisters appeared in the fragrance, resulting in a whole line, in which there is certainly a fragrance for every girl’s liking.