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Thursday, May 9, 2013

Molinard Concreta

In 1925, Molinard created the first solid perfumes, called concreta. These solids were the genuine wax from the flowers. This alcohol free formula, is a very guarded secret and has even been patented by Molinard. It is more concentrated than any other perfume, and will last a lot longer as well. Even vintage concreta still retains a strong scent.Each sphere holds the equivalent of 1 liquid ounce of French perfume.

"The genuine wax of the flowers, used directly as a perfume, Just a touch behind the ear, in the hair, on the eyebrows, on the linings of your coat, quite enough to be perfumed.", states a vintage Concreta advertisement.

The tops of concreta pots are handpainted, usually with flowers or figures. The labels on the base tell you which perfume is inside. 

These vintage pieces are presented in little bakelite balls, berets (French sailor hats), books, dice and in flowerpot shaped containers.

photos by vanity treasures



photo by ebay seller dcoo2109





Concreta was also available in wooden or bakelite dice containers, called Le Poker, probably around the 1940s onward. The oldest concreta are the ones that have the ball shaped lids, the later ones are flowerpot or dice shaped. In the 1940s, all three shapes were offered in an advertisement. 


photo by ruby lane seller jeri schwartz antiques


photos by allofscent

 In 1938, a very rare set of concreta was introduced, it is known as the "Les Diamants de la Couronne", this set had five cubes of white bakelite which was swirled with red, green, orange, blue or black, they were housed in an oval box.

1
photo by Perfume Bottles Auction


Concreta make awesome little collectibles as each one is one of a kind, you might find a tropical scene, Spanish ladies, castle, Flapper girl smoking, flowers, butterflies, or any other motifs on the little pots. Some sellers on ebay even sell little display stands for solid perfumes. In addition to the concreta pots, there are plenty of Molinard Concreta advertisements out there to add to your collection too!













The vintage Concreta that you will come across came in many scents including:
  • Mimosa
  • Iles d'Or
  • Chypre
  • Jasmin
  • Ambre
  • Calendal
  • Heliotrope
  • Rose
  • Parfums de Parfums
  • Gardenia
  • Carino
  • Muguet
  • Orval
  • Tout les Alpes
  • Pois de Senteur
  • Oeillet
  • Tout le Provence
  • Baiser du Faune
  • Madrigal
  • Sketch
  • Xmas Bells
  • Habanita
  • Violette
Molinard's Concreta is still being produced today and sells for $65 retail, comes housed in a beautiful goldtone compact and beautifully packaged, they come in some old favorites as well as newer scents:
  • Ecoute Moi
  • Habanita
  • Iles d'Or
  • Gardenia
  • Vanille
  • Verveine
  • Nirmala
  • Un Air de Molinard
  • M de Molinard





1 comment:

  1. So interesting and informative! Exactly the info I needed. Thanks so much.

    ReplyDelete

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