Detchema by Revillon c1953

Detchéma by Revillon: launched in 1953 and named for the Tibetan sorceress of joy. The perfume was specially blended by Léon Hardy at IFF to perfume furs, its component extracts included from essences from India and from Ceylon.

Original Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? It is classified as a soft, rich aldehydic floral oriental fragrance for women. It begins with sparkling, fruity top notes including lime blossom, married to an opulent heart of rose, layered over warm tones of musk and sandalwood.

• Top notes: hawthorn, amaranth, aldehydes, lime blossom, daffodil, neroli, bergamot, hyacinth, angelica and peach
• Heart notes: Indian spices, Chinese gardenia, tuberose, jonquil, oriental rose, clove, pepper, Florentine iris, Bulgarian rose, Grasse jasmine, lily, Madagascar ylang-ylang, hyacinth, lily of the valley and carnation
• Base notes: aloeswood, myrrh, resins, styrax, castoreum, Massif oakmoss, African patchouli, orris root, frankincense, leather, ambergris, Sumatran benzoin, Abyssinian civet, sycamore, Mysore sandalwood, tonka bean, vanilla, natural Tibetan musk, balsam of Peru, ambrette and Andean and Ceylon vetiver

First Impression: (precious sweet) due to: jasmine, oriental rose, daffodil, hyacinth, lily.

Warm Note: due to: sandalwood, Indian spices, amaranth, sycamore, lime blossom, Peruvian balsam.

Powdery note due to: Oak moss, ambrette, angelica, coumarin.

Final accord (tenacious and powerful) due to: natural musk from Tonkin, Abyssinian civet stabilizing the previous notes.

Combat, 1955:

"Detchema perfumed water with Revillon extract - here, incense and gums from the virgin forest, mixed with spices brought back by a ship that would serve Cythera via the Bay of Bengal, mix exoticism with jasmine. And castoreum, which as the insidious base of this scent, directs its adventurous quest towards sensuality."

Combat, 1959:

"Revillon, gave this sensual perfume, suitable for fertilizing winter nights, the name of a small goddess of Asian mythology Detchema, of her pubescence rubbed with aromatics mixed with the powerful intoxication of aloes, frankincense and myrrh that the Crusaders brought back from the Holy Sepulchre, emanates the scent of the reproductive quest of Tibetan musk, confused with the tawny tufts of the coats that the trappers gave to the caravanners. But already the little goddess, steeped in the Orient, is intoxicated in the olfactory whirlwinds of our Augusts: rose, lily, tuberose, with a hint of peppery carnation."

Mademoiselle, 1963:

"An exotic meld of fruits and jasmine laced with roses, sandalwood and lime blossoms — Detchema de Revillon (perfume, 2 oz., $55)."

Bottles:

Detchema was available in various bottles over the years. Detchema parfum was originally available in the "brandy snifter" flacon. 

The numbers below are found on the boxes to denote size of bottle. I have taken the liberty of deciphering the numbers for you and their corresponding bottles so if you have a sealed box and don't wish to open it, you'll have an idea of what bottle is inside. This is not a complete list, I will add more as I find them.

• No. 301 - 1/2 oz Parfum (Brandy Snifter Flacon)
• No. 300 = 1/3 oz Parfum  (Brandy Snifter Flacon)
• No. 302 = 1 oz Parfum  (Brandy Snifter Flacon)
• No. 3007L - 1/4 oz Parfum (Spiral Flacon)
• No. 304 - 4 oz Parfum (Brandy Snifter Flacon)
• No. 321 - 1/2 oz Parfum (screwcap bottle)
• No. 323 = 2 oz Parfum
• No. 32101 C - 1/2 oz Parfum (Black Box)
• No. 355 - 1/8 oz Parfum Bibelot
• No. 3492 = 2 oz Parfum de Toilette Spray
• No. 1010 = 1 oz Parfum (Brandy Snifter Flacon)
• No. 1110 = 1 oz Parfum (screwcap bottle)
• No. 1102 = 1/2 oz Parfum (screwcap bottle)
• No. 1104 = 1/4 oz Parfum
• No. 1113 - 1/8 oz Parfum
• No. 1254 = 1/4 oz Parfum (spiral flacon)
• No. 1294 = 1/4 oz (purse spray)
• No. 1402 = 2 oz Parfum de Toilette (screwcap bottle)
• No. 1404 - 4 oz Eau de Toilette 
• No. 1498 = 8 oz Parfum de Toilette (screwcap bottle)
• No. 1451 Parfum (creation cadeau "gift")
• No. 1602 = 2 oz Eau de Cologne (screwcap bottle)
• No. 1604 = 4 oz Eau de Cologne (screwcap bottle)
• No. 1831-900 = 1 oz Bath Perfume (screwcap bottle)
• No. 1832 = 1/2 oz Bath Perfume (screwcap bottle)
• No. 1877 = Parfum Solide (solid perfume compact)
• No. 3004 = 8 oz Eau de Toilette
• No. 321007 = 1/4 oz Parfum (Serge Mansau bottle)
• No. 321030C = 1 oz Parfum (Serge Mansau bottle) in luxe velvet case
• No. 321016C = 1/2 oz Parfum (Serge Mansau bottle) in luxe velvet case
• No. 32105C = 1/2 oz Parfum  (Serge Mansau bottle)
• No. 322050V = 1.7 oz Parfum de Toilette Spray (Serge Mansau bottle)
• No. 322120C = 4 oz Parfum de Toilette Splash
• No. 421008C = 1/4 oz Parfum (Serge Mansau bottle)
• No. 51407 = 1/4 oz Parfum de Toilette mini
• No. 105.3404 = Parfum de Toilette mini

Detchema was available in parfum extrait, parfum de toilette, eau de cologne, eau de parfum, powder and bath & shower gel. It also came in two sprays, one large one for the dresser and one for the purse.

 

Fate of the Fragrance:

Detchema was given a makeover in 1978 with a whole new bottle design and packaging designed by Serge Mansau in 1977. The bottles were produced in France by three firms:  Pochet et du Courval, Saint Gobain Desjonqueres and Verreries Brosse. As you can see, the bottles are chunky glass with chunky black stoppers.

The fragrance was reformulated at this time. The Eau de Parfum was composed by Claudine Aubert. The Extrait (parfum) was composed by Leon Hardy.

• Top notes: peach, apricot, bergamot
• Middle notes: rose, iris, jasmine, ylang ylang
• Base notes: sandalwood, musk, amber, oakmoss, patchouli

Detchema is an extremely feminine perfume, characterized by the profusion and richness of the essences used: rose, iris, woods, amber, musk. Rose and iris constitute the keynote of this composition of rare luxury: facet at the top with sensual notes of yellow fruits (peach, apricot), the accord becomes voluptuous to better captivate in the heart with jasmine and ylang ylang, before settling into a chypre base note, with warm and mysterious accents of woods, amber and musks. Detchema is a precious perfume for very feminine women who like to deploy all their seductive assets, to charm with the most refined attributes: perfumes, jewelry, furs...

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 Detchema was created in 1953, at a time when women of the world and stars were adorning themselves with sumptuous fashion. This was the time when sables and minks were all the rage, generally worn with magnificent jewelry. The perfume had to be dazzling to further demonstrate the ease of the person wearing these finery. Detchema is in the tradition of what we call a "fur perfume," that is to say a rich, enveloping, silky, powerful perfume. These are fragrances with very animalistic and warm notes, which fully blossom in the warmth of fur. Here evoking magic and the Orient, femininity and luxury, a whole captivating universe aimed at femme fatales.

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Fate of the Fragrance:

Detchema was discontinued sometime around 1990. It was reformulated and relaunched in 1994 in both eau de toilette and eau de parfum concentrations.

Newest reformulated version:

• Top notes: aldehydes, bergamot, hyacinth, neroli, peach
• Heart notes: carnation, jasmine, lily-of-the-valley, rose, ylang-ylang
• Base notes: amber, orris root, leather, musk, sandalwood, tonka bean, vetiver

Detchéma Long Time, an eau de parfum, was introduced in 1984 and discontinued shortly afterwards.

So what does it smell like?

• Top notes: aldehydes, peach, rose, bergamot, apricot
• Middle notes: iris, jasmine, lily, violet, ylang ylang
• Base notes: sandalwood, oak moss, vetiver