What Makes a Perfume a Classic?

What are the perfume classics and why are they classics? Do they have something in common that has made them "the classics"? What exactly makes something a classic? Like in other areas of art, there is a finite number of options.

*innovation/echoing the zeitgeist

*timeless beauty

*endurance/longevity, so that it becomes a reference point

An objet d’art should express its times (or pre-empty the future) with such tremendous force and conviction that it should be on the vanguard of an entirely new direction. This is usually done through technical and artistic innovation. For instance Coty’s Chypre [with its streamlined formula and the archetypal harmony of bergamot (a citrus) ~cistus labdanum (a sweet resin) ~oakmoss (a bitter, earthy lichen)], as well as Chanel No.5 (with its abstract impression and huge dose of synthetic aldehydes, unusual at the times) and Dior’s Eau Sauvage (a citrusy-mossy cologne for men with a floral heart of hedione, i.e.green translucent jasmine note) have paved the way for hundreds of upstarts, thus swaying the direction of perfume-making for decades. To bring a musical analogy: “The first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band.”

Something could also be harmonious in an eternally beautiful way, pleasant to an 18th century patrician and a 21st century city-slicker alike, like a bust of Aphrodite. Like a concerto for violin by J.S Bach endures because it creates an inner sense of harmony with the universe, while a tune by Milli Vanilli is ultimately forgettable. Some fragrances possess a timeless appeal, removed from vagaries of trends. Joy by Jean Patou, predominantly built on the nectarous qualities of very expensive raw materials, the best rose and jasmine essences, is not particularly innovative, but beautiful all the same. The Jean Marie Farina Eau de Cologne formula is also such an example of timeless appeal. Simultaneously the Eau de Cologne is the mother-mould of all light, citrusy and herbal “eaux” to follow. Humans tending to find olfactory pleasurable what is familiar to them, the second criterion meets the first (innovation that gets imitated and therefore becomes familiar) and is interwoven with the third (market endurance).

Since perfume as a sold commodity has market considerations beyond the merely artistic, a perfume cannot survive the passage of time without enough people buying it in the first place. It needs a continued sustenance on the real market, and often a best-selling status as well, to establish itself as a true classic. Several of the classics we refer to as such nowadays, such as Guerlain’s Shalimar, Chanel No.5, Lanvin Arpège, Miss Dior, Nina Ricci L’Air du Temps, Lauder Youth Dew, Clinique Aromatics Elixir, YSL Opium, have been huge best-selling fragrances in their times and continue to circulate in one form or another to this day.
It doesn’t matter if Iris Gris by Jacques Fath or Nombre Noir by Shiseido might be more beautiful than L’Air du Temps (roughly contemporary with the Fath fragrance); precious few people have ever smelled the former two to establish them as a yardstick.

One thing we need to differentiate is between classic and dated: “Dated” is a fragrance that has ceased to be in dialogue with the needs and aspirations of the times. The violet and rose waters of the Victorian times now seem obsolete, simplistic and without touch with the zeitgeist. Some of the fragrances of the 1930s, like some in the Jean Patou Ma Collection perfumes series, are decidedly old-fashioned, with a retro halo. Sometimes a sense of nostalgia, or, more poignantly, the desire to nostalgize about that which we have not personally known, overwhelms the perfume lover who then explores these retro fragrances with gusto. It’s human nature: we always think the past held greater passion and glamour than it actually had.

What about YOU: What do you appreciate in a classic perfumes and what makes a perfume classic to you?

photo of Greta Garbo via planetsipul.blogspot , photo Robert Mapplethorpe and the Classical Tradition

Optical Scentsibilities: When Perfume Becomes... Foundation

Homage or "clopyright"? [This is a pun from the Greek, from "κλοπή/clopy" -pronounced clo-PEE- which means...theft]. You be the judge, what do you think?

Paris Perfume Shopping Addresses: Quick Index

In the interests of supplementing the Paris Shopping Guide on these pages (replete with Parisian memoirs on shopping & browsing at the mecca of perfumery, including visits at Guerlain, Caron, F.Malle, Serge Lutens, L'Artisan Parfumeur etc.) I am including a few specific addresses with underground directions for anyone going to Paris for a St.Valentine's vacation or just for reference, in alphabetical order.

Abdul samad Al Quarashi, 45 Avenue George V. 75008 Annick Goutal, 14 rue de Castiglione, 1st. Metro: Tuileries.
Arabian Oud, 63 Champs Elysees (perhaps the only place in Europe outside of London where one can find good arabian oils)
By Terry 10 Avenue Victor Hugo Metro Station: Charles de Gaulle L'etoile, and at 36, Passage Vero Dodat. Metro Station: Palais Royal - Musee du Louvre. [Except By Terry' products, the store also stocks Patyka]
Caron, 90 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore, 1st. (in front of the Presidential Palace) Metro: Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Chanel 31 Rue Cambon, Tuilleries, Madeleine. According to Chanel's website, Les Exclusifs fragrances are also sold at 42 Avenue Montaigne and at 9, Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honore
Cire Trudon candles 78, rue de Seine - 75006 Metro: Mabillon
Colette, 213 rue Saint-Honore, 1st. Metro: Tuileries. [eclectic niche selection]
Comme des Garcons23 Place du Marche Saint-Honore. Metro Station: Pyramides
Cote Bastide, 4, Rue de Poissy Metro Station: Maubert Mutualite
Detaille 10, Rue St Lazare. Metro Station: Notre-Dame de Lorette
Des Filles a la Vanille, 150 Boulevard Saint-Germain. Metro Station: Mabilon
Dior, 30 Avenue Montaigne. Metro Station: Franklin D. Roosevelt
Diptyque, 34, boulevard saint germain, or 49 Avenue Victor Hugo
The Different Company, 10 rue Ferdinand Duval, 4th. Metro: Saint-Paul.
Etat Libre d'Orange, 69 rue des Archives, 4th. Metro: Rambuteau.
Etro, 66 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore. Metro Station: Champs Elysees Clemenceau, Madeleine.
Frederic Malle, Editions de Parfums, 37 rue de Grenelle, 7th. Metro: Rue du Bac.
Fragonard, 51, Rue Francs Bourgeois. Metro Station: Rambuteau, Saint Paul
Fragonard Museum & Shop 39, Boulevard des Capucines (opposite L'Olympia). Metro Station: Opera, Madeleine
Guerlain, 68 avenue des Champs-Elysees, 8th. Metro: Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Hermès24, Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore. Metro Station: Madeleine. Also at 42, Avenue George V. Metro Station: George V and at 17 Rue de Sèvres. Metro Station: Sevres Babylone
Indult102 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore. Metro Station: Saint-Philippe du Roule
IUNX at Hotel Costes [Olivia Giacobetti fragrances], 239 rue Saint-Honore, 1st. Metro: Tuileries.
JAR, 24 rue de Castiglione, 1st. Metro: Tuileries.
JEAN PATOU PARIS, 5, rue de Castiglione 75001 (very close to the chanel boutique at place Vendôme)
Jovoy, 29 rue Danielle Casanova, 1st. Metro: Pyramides/Opera.
Jo Malone, 326 Rue Saint-Honoré, 75001
L'Artisan Parfumeur 32, rue du Bourg Tibourg and 34 Rue Francs
Les Bains de Marais, 33 Clos des Blancs-Manteaux. Metro Station: Rambuteau
Les Beaux Draps de Jeannine Cros, carrying Les Nez fragrances, 11, rue d'Assas 75006 Paris. Tue. - Sat.11.00 AM - 13.30 PM 14.30 PM - 19.00 PM Closed on Monday
Le Prince Jardinier, 39, Rue de Valois (Palais Royal). Metro Station: Palais Royal - Musee du Louvre, Bourse
Les Parfums de Rosine,105, Galerie de Valois, Palais Royal (close to Serge Lutens at Le Palais Royal). Metro Station: Palais Royal - Musee du Louvre, Bourse
Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier, 5 rue des Capucines, 1st. Metro: Opera.
Les Nereides, 5, Rue Bourg l'Abbe. Metro Station: Etienne Marcel.
Maison Francis Kurkdjian, 5 rue d'Alger, 1st. Metro: Tuileries. Custom-made scents by appointment, phone +33 142 774 033.
Martin Margiela, 23 Rue de Montpensier Metro Station: Palais Royal - Musee du Louvre
Mariage Freres, teas and delicatessen, 30 rue du Bourg-Tibourg, Paris 4e
Marie Antoinette, Place du marché Sainte Catherine -75004
Miller et Bertaux, 15, Rue Ferdinand Duval. Metro Station: Saint-Paul, Pont-Marie
Montale Tanelli 26 place Vendome
Olivier Durbano, 34 Rue des Francs Bourgeois Metro Station: Saint Paul . Workspace; by appointment only.
L'Osmothèque, 36, rue du Parc de Clagny. Note: Reservation required.
Parfums de Nicolai (Patricia de Nicolai), 28 rue de Richelieu, 1st. Metro: Palais Royal and 69 rue Poincare (m.Victor Hugo)
Parfums de Rosine, Jardin du Palais Royal, 105 Galerie de Valois, Metro: Palais Royal.
Reminiscence, 22, Rue du Four. Metro Station: Saint-Germain-des-Pres, Mabillon
Salons du Palais-Royal Shiseido [Serge Lutens fragrances], 142 Galerie de Valois, 1st. Metro: Palais Royal.
Sens Unique [niche selection], Rue du Roi de Sicile 13, 75004 which carries a selection of Amouage | by Kilian | David Jourquin | Etat Libre d'Orange | Evody | Hilde Soliani | Honoré des Prés | Huitième Art | Humiecki & Graef | ICONOfly | Laboratorio Olfativo | Maison Francis Kurkdjian | MDCI | Odin | Olfactive Studio | Parfumerie Generale | Poiray | Stéphanie de Saint Aignan | Technique Indiscrète | Undergreen Natural Perfume | Von Eusersdorff
Teo Cabanel, 23, Boulevard du General Leclerc /23, Boulevard du General Leclerc, Fontainebleau
Tocca, 44 Rue Etienne Marcel. Metro Station: Sentier

A selection of niche perfumes (including Lubin) are also found at Le Bon Marche (24 rue de Sevres, 7th. Metro: Sevres-Babylone) and on the ground floor of Printemps de la Beaute (64 Boulevard Haussmann, 9th. Metro: Chaussee d'Antin). Sephora on the Champs-Élysées (next to the Guerlain flagship store) carries a quite wide variety of niche offerings (Lutens, Different Company, etc.)


Worthy of note as well:
Arty Dandy, 1 Rue de Furstemberg. Metro Station: St-Germain-des-Pres or Mabillon. Brands: Histoires de Parfums, Juliette has a Gun, Linari, Six Scents, The Scent of Departure
Belle de Jour, 7, Rue Tardieu. The store specialized in old perfume bottles and Art Deco objects. (Sells E.Coudray and Jardin de France).
BHV, Acqua di Parma, Annick Goutal, Atelier Cologne, E.Coudray, Evody, Esteban, Etat Libre d'Orange, L'Artisan, Molton Brown, Molinard, Serge Lutens, Teo Cabanel etc.
Nose, 20 Rue Bachaumont. Metro: Sentier. Carries: Acqua Di Parma, Atelier Cologne, By Kilian, biehl. parfumkunstwerke, Cale Fragranze d'Autore, Costume National, Cowshed, Cire Trudon, Diptyque, D.R.Harris, Floris, Frapin, Heeley, Histoires de Parfums, Juliette has a Gun, Keiko Mecheri, Lorenzo Villoresi, L’Artisan Parfumeur, Linari, Mark Buxton, Miller Harris, Maison Francis Kurkdjian, Odin, Penhaligon's, Robert Piguet, The Different Company, The Laundress, Ulrich Lang.
Pharmacie du Palais des Congres, 2 Place de la Porte Maillot. Metro Station: Porte Maillot. Brands: Acqua di Parma*, Comptoir Sud Pacifique, Menard, Molinard, ROGER & GALLET, Rigaud

Add your own if you have them in the comments, so I can keep this up to date!

source,, photo via hipparis.com

Definition: Resinous & Balsamic Fragrances

One of the most elusive terms in fragrance terminology appears to be -according to readers' comments- "resinous" and "balsamic", as relating to perfumes. The raw materials falling under the umbrella of resins and balsams are among the most ancient components of perfumes, often the basis of the Oriental family of scents and lending their soothing opulence and depth to other families, such as the Chypres. They make their appearence known in any category though: florals, fougères, hesperidics also benefit from a touch here and there.

The distinction between resin and balsam is one of form, on a fundamental level: Simply put and generalising, resinous materials come in the form of solidified, gum-like "tears" seeping from the elixir vitae circulating into the bark of big trees, such as the Boswellia Carteri (which produces frankincense). Balsams on the other hand are trickly materials, not necessarily tree secretions, often coming as they do from flower pods or bushy twigs (such as vanilla orchids or the Mediterranean rockrose). But there are exceptions to every rule: Opopanax, though resinous smelling itself, actually comes from a herb, opopanax chironium.
So the real focus when referencing balsamic and resinous terminology is how the materials actually smell and how they're different or common in scent, rather than what their origin is. 
Therefore, for ease, resinous & balsamic materials are classified into 3 distinct olfactory profiles according to their aromatic properties first and foremost.

Soft balsamic smelling ingredients include:

• vanilla (from the vanilla orchid, the rich pod having a more complex rum-like note than the popular synthetic ethyl vanillin)

• benzoin gum (from Styrax Tonkiniensis with a sweetish, caramel and vanillic facet; benzoin Siam or benzoin Sumatra are used in perfumery)

• Peru balsam (coming from the Myroxylon, ~literally "fragrant wood" in Greek~ or Quina/Balsamo, a different species of which also produces Tolu balsam)

• Tolu balsam (close to Peru balsam, but a little sweeter and fresher)

• cistus labdanum (leathery, ambery, deep, coming from the rockrose bush and traditionally harvested from the hairs of goats who had grazed on the rockrose).

These materials have a gentle tone, while at the same time they're softly enveloping and have a pronounced character. They fix flowers into lasting longer and thanks to their properties when used in large quantities produce the semi-Orientals or the florientals (in conjunction with rich floral essences). 
A great example of a fragrance featuring copious amounts of Tolu balsam is Tolu perfume by Ormonde Jayne. The opulence of the balsamic note mollifies the rest of the composition, giving the golden sheen of a multi-faceted citrine. Tolu also makes floral notes more candied: in Fracas by Piguet it acts on the tuberose, on Gold by Donna Karan it enhances the ambery lily.
Compare and contrast with the balsamic base of Guerlain's Vol de Nuit which features a generous helping of Peru balsam; the oriental accord gives it its opulence under the green top note. In Ambre Sultan by Lutens, Peru balsam pairs with its traditional counterpart, an oriental amber accord. Elixir des Merveilles is another one which features balsam of Peru for its sweetly grounding qualities.

For labdanum, grab Donna Karan Labdanum, L'Air du desert Marocain by Andy Tauer, La Labo Labdanum 18 or Madame X by Ava Luxe: they're full of it.
The purest incarnation of benzoin in non gum form is Papier d'Armenie, the traditional scented little papers in a cute notebook, which burnt produce a clearing, anti-microbial atmosphere to one's home. Short of that, if you don't travel to Europe often, you can get a sample of Bois d'Armenie by Guerlain, or Prada Candy. Benzoin is very versatile spanning the fragrance families from citrus to woods and florals and its heft is therefore used frequently as it complements the other notes beautifully. Chanel's Coromandel fuses the vanilla-cinnamon notes of benzoin with a white chocolate note to render a delicious and sophisticated gourmand fragrance. Both benzoin and Tolu balsam make up the surprisingly monastic backdrop of Bal a Versailles by Jean Desprez, allied to the austerity of cedar.

If you are seeking a lush balsamic composition with multi-nuanced orientalia, seek no further than Mecca Balsam by La via del Profumo; it features labdanum, real oud and franckincense as well, so it's a composite that allows one to see how categories can be combined.

Vanillic fragrances are of course widely understood by everyone, so another article of a different scope, focusing on their merits and faults, is in order.

Resinous balsamic smelling ingredients include:

• opoponax/opopanax (also called "sweet myrrh" ~though no relation~ from the Opopanax chironium herb, scented between lavender & amber)

• frankincense/olibanum (the lemony-top, smoky smelling "tears" of the Boswellia carteri tree, called lubbān in Arabic)

• myrrh gum (a waxy oleoresin with a bitterish profile from the Commiphora myrrha)

• birch tar (from "cooked" birch wood, tar-smelling)

• elemi (a peppery, lemony, pine-like yellow oil coming from the steam-distilled or treated with volatile solvents resin of the Canarium Lizonicum)

• styrax (resin from the Liquidambar Orientalis tree, with a scent reminiscent of glue and cinnamon)

Valued since antiquity, resins have been widely used in incense and perfumery. Highly fragrant and antiseptic resins and resin-containing perfumes have been used by many cultures as medicines for a large variety of ailments. It's no coincidence that the three Magi gave baby Jesus the gifts of Frankincense, Myrrh and Gold. Traditionally used to make incense (King Solomon regarded opoponax as the noblest incense gum), even nowadays in the Middle East and the Mediterranean basin frankincense and myrrh "tears" are the incense par excellence still. These materials are deeper, with a lingering trail which adds originality and projection to a composition. Since they themselves typically come from the bark of trees in the form of crystalised resin "tears", they pair very well with woody scents.

If you want to get a taste of how some of the more "esoteric" of these smell, , say opoponax grab yourself the Diptyque Opopanax scent in either room spray or candle, as well as their Myrrh candle. They provide the scent in isolation. The iconic Shalimar as well as the masculine counterpart Habit Rouge owe their "flou" hazy effect in opoponax allied to orange blossom. For myrrh, Myrrhe Ardente in Les Orientalistes line by Annick Goutal and La Myrrhe by Serge Lutens provide two nuanced and quite different "readings" of the myrrh gum in complex compositions.
Athonite frankincense in the black variety is pure frankincense/olibanum gum (it's pliable when you rub it, like chewing gum), rising in clean, citrusy-smoky ringlets on the air; I burn it on small coal tablets regularly. There are many frankincense fragrances in the niche market, the truer perhaps being Avignon by Comme des Garcons, but the whole Incense Series is to be explored for the truly interested perfume lover.
Tauer's Incense Extrême is a good starting place for frankincense variants, based as it is on the Boswellia serrata (Indian incense) at a 25% concentration.

Birch tar is easily detected in compositions of the Cuir de Russie type (from Chanel Cuir de Russie to Piver's and Guerlain Cuir de Russie). This is also a material that can be classified in the sub-group of phenolic smells. It is pungent and dark.
Elemi is often used in masculine blends to give at the same time cooling piquancy and warmth thanks to its peppery top note: try Gucci by Gucci, notice the top note of L'Instant pour Homme (Guerlain) and the unique Eau de Naphe by Comptoir Sud Pacifique. For styrax, remember that the resin has a leathery facet with incense tonalities (and has been an important supporting player in "Cuir de Russie" compositions, such as Chanel's). Notice it in the drydown of Carven's Ma Griffe, in Poivre 23 by Le Labo and in No.11 Cuir Styrax by Prada. Lutens uses it beautifully in several of his scents, notably in the base note of Tubereuse Criminelle and Cuir Mauresque.

Nota bene that even though fir, pine and copal essences come from coniferous trees themselves,  I am not including them in the resinous and balsamic classification as they're really terpenic-smelling (a perfume definition to be elaborated on in a subsequent article).

There is also a sub-set of powdery balsamic smelling ingredients which do not come in resin or balsam form, therefore they are not classified into this category via origin at all, but rather via their scent profile alone. This includes: orris root (the Iris Pallida rhizome and also the synthetic irones-rich reproductions), several musks of synthetic origin, and carrot seed oil (which can give an orris scent in itself).
Amber mixes (refer to what amber is and its difference from ambergris on this link) can also be powdery balsamic smelling: the inclusion of benzoin (which gives a sweetish, baby talc note) and vanilla in the mix of ingredients in amber is the culprit. In French terminology/classification of orientalised perfumes they're refered to as "parfums ambrés" (even when not entirely focused on amber). For instance Obsession, the original Magie Noire (not the reformulated which is greener, more chypre) or Moschino by Moschino (again the original from 1987) are examples of perfumes "ambrés". It is important NOT to confuse between a balsamic/ambery powdery ambience (which is typically sweeter) and one which is powdery/dry (such as in Aromatics Elixir, Ma Griffe, Flower by Kenzo, DK Cashmere Mist): the two terms though very close are not interchangeable.

In concluding, the necessity of establishing a common language for scent among people who talk about the same perfumes increasingly arises. Even though we commonly use subjective terms to denote our feelings, the proper terminology, in accordance to how perfumers talk among themselves, aids a thorough understanding  and enhances our communicating our impressions on an immediately graspable context. It is this need which we try to address with our articles on Perfume Vocabulary and Definition on PerfumeShrine. If you haven't caught up with our relevant articles, here's what you might have missed:

• Definition: Indolic vs. Non Indolic
• Definition: Lactonic, Creamy, Milky, Butyric
• Definition: Powdery & Dry in Fragrances
• Definition: Soapy in Fragrances
• Definition: Phenolic, Terpenic, Camphoraceous scents
• Definition: Which Material Produces Which Note/Effect?

Photo of resin drops, some rights reserved by flod/flickr, censer pic via St.Dunstan's Priory

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Capri: new fragrance

A new introduction, a limited edition in the Bronze Goddess summer editions by Lauder. A solar oriental inspired by the wiles of Capri island off the Italian coast named... Bronze Goddess Capri. Exotic waters, long golden days, soft, sultry nights...enough to make you dream!
 

Notes for Lauder Bronze Goddess Capri:
Top: lemon leaves, blackcurrant leaves, mandarin
Heart: peony, lily of the valley, Sambac jasmine
Base: patchouli, vanilla, musk, amberwood

Limited edition 2012 Bronze Goddess Capri will be available as 100 ml Eau Fraiche in travel retail from February 2012, alongside last year's Bronze Goddess.

The Lauder Bronze Goddess line-up has so far included:

Bronze Goddess Eau Fraiche Skinscent 2008
Bronze Goddess Eau Fraiche 2010
Bronze Goddess 2011
Bronze Goddess Soleil 2011
and the Azuree Soleil from 2007 under Tom Ford's tenure (The formula was renamed Bronze Goddess with minimal change due to Ford's contract coming to en end, but the fragrance being a mega-success for the company who was eager to preserve it).


We have done a side by side comparison of Bronze Goddess Soleil with the previous editions on this review and a comparison between Azuree Soleil and Bronze Goddess on that review.