Lou Lou by Cacharel c1987

LouLou was launched by Cacharel in 1987. It was created by perfumer Jean Guichard of Givaudan-Roure.

"Unlock the mystery of seduction..."

The perfume's name is derived from the seductive, provocative, flirtatious, yet innocent heroine, LuLu played by beloved jazz age film star Louise Brooks in G.W. Pabst's 1928 silent film classic, Pandora's Box. With her bobbed haircut and bewitching ways, she became "the modern myth of eternal seduction - a sensual innocent - a romantic rebel - a seductive trap" so said Jean Cacharel. The perfume is not exactly named after her, if you note the spelling, but it is meant to invoke her femme fatale image.

For it's Australian launch at the Sydney State Theatre, the 300 guests were showered with fake snowflakes impregnated with the fragrance.

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? It  is classified as a soft floral oriental fragrance for women. It begins with a fruity green top, followed by an exotic floral heart, resting on a sweet, powdery base. A soft oriental floral with musk and heliotrope at its heart, plus essences of tonka bean and vanilla, incense and sandalwood. The top note is composed of jasmine, orange blossom, cassia and ylang ylang.

• Top notes: orange, bergamot, violet, plum, mace, tagetes, anise, mimosa, cassia
• Middle notes: orange blossom, lily of the valley, jasmine, tuberose, lily, orris, ylang ylang, coriander, rose
• Base notes: heliotrope, benzoin, cedar, vetiver, tonka bean, incense, balsam, musk, vanilla, frankincense, sandalwood

Bottles:

LouLou is housed inside a blue opaline glass flacon with a beveled finish and topped with a red cap, designed by Annegret Beier and inspired by the Art Deco designs of the 1920s and 1930s. I believe it was directly inspired by the flacons used in Richard Hudnut's Le Debut perfume line.

The colors of the flacon were inspired by a Matisse painting of a reclining, semi nude odalisque whose red pants contrast with the blue background of a decorated wall. The painting known as Odalisque in Red Culottes, was painted in 1921. Matisse went through a period where he painted images of exotic odalisques, during a wave of Orientalism that swept through the 1920s.

Click HERE to find Lou Lou by Cacharel

LouLou was available in the following products:

• 0.5 oz Parfum
• Voile de Parfum 
• 3.4 oz Eau de Parfum Spray
• 1.7 oz Eau de Parfum Spray
• 1.0 oz Eau de Parfum Spray
• 3.4 oz Eau de Parfum Splash
• 1.7 oz Eau de Parfum Splash
• 6.7 oz Perfumed Body Lotion
• 6.7 oz Perfumed Body Shampoo
• 5.25 oz Perfumed Body Cream
• 3.5 oz Perfumed Dusting Powder
• 3.5 oz Perfumed Bath Soap

The success of LouLou brought forth a flanker, LouLou Blue, a fragrance aimed at the younger female crowd.

 How Old Is Your Lou Lou Fragrance?

This guide was made specifically to help you date your LouLou perfume, so the dates given will be after 1987, acknowledging the date the perfume was first introduced. For other Cacharel fragrances, check my blog.

• Does it have a bar code? If no, then it dates prior to 1990. If yes, how is the barcode placed? If it is placed vertically, it dates from 1990-1992. If it is placed horizontally, it dates to after 1992.

• Does it have the "greendot" recycling symbol? If no, then it dates prior to 1992. If yes, it dates after 1992.

• What is the address on the box? If it is "14, Rue Royale, Paris" then it dates from 1978 to 1992. If it is "16, place Vendome, Paris" it dates to after 1992.

• Who is the distributor? If your label or box is marked "distributed by Cosmair USA" this means it was used from 1987 to about 2000-2001. If it is marked "distributed by "Luxury Products LLC" then it dates from 2001 and onward.

• How is the Cacharel logo designed on your box? If it is enclosed inside of an elongated ellipse, it dates from 1987 up to 2002-2003. If it is no longer enclosed, it dates to after 2003.

• Where is the Cacharel name located on your box? If it is placed at the bottom right corner, it dates from 1978 to the early 1980s. Your LouLou packaging should not display the logo at this location.

• How is long is the ingredients list? Prior to 2004, a short list of ingredients appears, generally something like" "Ingredients: alcohol, water, fragrance." After 2004, a longer list of ingredients appears on the box. It was at this time, fragrance manufacturers were required to disclose ingredients used in their products. This is due to regulations imposed by IFRA in part to certain aromachemicals and natural ingredients classified as allergens or harmful. 

• Now remember, companies often tried to use up existing packaging stock even when introducing new packaging styles, so you may see overlapping of addresses, barcodes, etc.

• Your bottle and box should be marked with a batch code denoting what year and month the product was made. From 1987 to 1992, your Lou Lou fragrance should display either a 4 digit batch code. From 1992 onward, it should display a five digit batch code.