Youth Dew by Estee Lauder c1953

Youth Dew by Estee Lauder was launched in 1953.

When you think of Youth Dew, you probably think of the Bath Oil that has been popular since the 1950s. But there were a whole range of ancillary products that followed.

The Beginning:

According to Estee Lauder, “I never knew I was a “nose”. It took until 1953 to find out what being a nose really meant. All I knew was that I couldn't stand seeing all those bottles of perfume gathering dust, evaporating, being saved for occasions, and resting unused on the elegant dressers of my friends. I knew what the trouble was. Perfume was the perfume gift. That was killing it. Only a rare woman would walk into a department store and buy perfume for herself. Traditionally, women in America were passive about smelling wonderful. It was proper to wait for your loved one to present you with a bottle of something he liked, or something that he thought you might like. How could I get the American woman to buy her own perfume? I would not call it perfume. I would call it “Youth Dew”. A bath oil that doubled as a skin perfume. That would be acceptable to buy, because it was feminine, all-American, very girl-next-door to take baths, wasn't it?"

Success was born:

The bath oil that doubled as a perfume took the cosmetics industry by storm. The company made over $50,000 that year just on Youth Dew itself. By 1984, that figure had jumped to over $150 million a year. “Youth Dew is the largest selling fragrance in the world,” Evelyn Lauder said in 1985. “It has sold more than Chanel No. 5. More than Arpege."

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? It is classified as an ambery spicy oriental fragrance for women. This full bodied oriental has a rosy undertone with notes of spices, woods and fruits. Top note of bergamot, chamomile and geranium with jasmine, rose, lily of the valley and ylang ylang. Background contains sandalwood, vetiver and patchouli.

• Top notes: spicy notes, chamomile, geranium, bergamot, peach, aldehyde, orange
• Middle notes: lily of the valley, ylang ylang, cloves, cassie, ylang ylang, cinnamon, rose, orchid, jasmine
• Base notes: spices, sandalwood, amber, tolu, benzoin, cloves, vanilla, patchouli, oakmoss, frankincense, musk, vetiver, civet

Products &  Bottles:

“I had another idea. I wouldn't seal the cap of the Youth Dew bottle as the French perfumers did. Why should I make my creation inaccessible? If the bottle were unsealed, a browsing customer could unscrew the cap( as every customer secretly wishes to do), take a whiff, and by the time that occurred, she would have the essence on her hands. Now the customer might well leave my counter, but she would be smelling Youth Dew wherever she went. Chances were excellent that she would return to the source, the scent leading the way, and buy that source for her very own," stated Estee Lauder in an interview.

A 1953 article talks about Estee Lauder’s new Youth Dew products: 

“The head of a cosmetic house has created a line of bath products for head to foot beauty. More than a fragrance accessory, the emollient Youth Dew bath oil is intended by the manufacturer to keep the body supple and smooth. A bath lotion de sachet infused with the same clinging fragrance is meant for shower addicts or as an after bath skin toner. Others in the bath product quartet are a soap in a pale Fragonard blue, and the velvety finish of bath powder."

The Youth Dew Bath Oil came in three sizes: 1/2oz, 1 oz and 2 oz.

The skin perfume was more highly concentrated than the bath oil, it was the purest concentration of essences and was meant to last longer than normal perfumes.

This is not an antique Victorian  scent bottle as I often see it described, it is actually from 1969, a 1/4 oz French glass bottle of Youth Dew perfume, seldom seen with the tag on it.

The eau de parfum bottle with the blue bow wrapped around the center was first introduced in 1968. It was called the boutique spray.

Contrary to popular belief, this was not made by Lalique, it was made by Verreries Brosse in the 1970s. The photo is by etsy seller antiquariansdaughter.

I have scoured vintage newspaper and magazine articles to create a complete list of the Youth Dew products and the years they have been introduced. Please understand that some products may have come out years earlier than the dates given. You can use this guide to help you date any Youth Dew product you have.



The Youth Dew eau de parfum, bath oil and other bath products are still available, but most of the items below are discontinued.

The Youth Dew Products:

• 1951 Youth Dew Estoderm Cream
• 1953 Youth Dew Facial Cleanser
• 1953 Youth Dew Facial Mask
• 1953 Bath Oil
• 1953 Bath Soap
• 1953 Estoderm Concentrate
• 1953 Talcum powder
• 1953 Sachet Lotion
• 1953 Youth Dew Foundation
• 1953 Dusting Powder
• 1953 Bath Powder
• 1954 Youth Dew Emulsion
• 1954 Skin Lotion
• 1955 Lotion de Heat
• 1956 Youth Dew Face Powder
• 1958 Eau de Parfum
• 1958 Youth Dew Dewy Freshener
• 1958 Flowing Emulsion
• 1959 Body Satinee
• 1959 Aerosol CoolSpray Bath Powder, a spray on talc
• 1961 Creamy Milk Bath, rich grains of fragrance to smooth and soften the skin
• 1963 Scented Shampoo
• 1963 Cologne
• 1965 Hair Set
• 1965 Skin Perfume
• 1964 Spray Shower Oil
• 1964 Bath Oil Spray in aerosol
• 1964 Hand Cream
• 1965 Hair Spray
• 1965 Antiperspirant
• 1965 Cream Sachet
• 1965 Parfum de Sachet, a liquid sachet to dab on
• 1966 Scented Candle
• 1966 Room Spray
• 1966 Lingerie Pellets
• 1966 Drawer Liner paper
• 1966 Chiffon de Parfum cream perfume
• 1967 Moisture bath
• 1968 After Bath Friction Lotion
• 1970 Bath Crystals
• 1978 Lovenote Necklace filled with Youth-Dew Solid Perfume