Welcome!

Welcome to my unique perfume blog! Here, you'll find detailed, encyclopedic entries about perfumes and companies, complete with facts and photos for easy research. This site is not affiliated with any perfume companies; it's a reference source for collectors and enthusiasts who cherish classic fragrances. My goal is to highlight beloved, discontinued classics and show current brand owners the demand for their revival. Your input is invaluable! Please share why you liked a fragrance, describe its scent, the time period you wore it, any memorable occasions, or what it reminded you of. Did a relative wear it, or did you like the bottle design? Your stories might catch the attention of brand representatives. I regularly update posts with new information and corrections. Your contributions help keep my entries accurate and comprehensive. Please comment and share any additional information you have. Together, we can keep the legacy of classic perfumes alive!

Friday, December 6, 2013

Tabac Blond by Caron c1919

Tabac Blond: created in 1919. Pronounced "TAH-BAH-BLAWN", its name means "blond tobacco " in French. Created by Ernest Daltroff. It was a unique perfume, because at that time it was the only the only feminine fragrance with tobacco notes.




The Pharmaceutical Era, 1924:
"But even the old perfume houses are introducing new odors from time to time- to meeting the shifting tastes of the public. ... N'Aimez Que Moi (love only me) is the next popular brand in the Caron lines, with Tabac Blond in close pursuit."


Fragrance Composition:



So what does it smell like? It is classified as a dry leather chypre fragrance for women. It begins with fresh top notes, followed by a classic floral heart, resting on a powdery, tobacco base.
  • Top notes: bergamot, clary sage, mandarin, linden, orange blossom, and lemon
  • Middle notes: rose, carnation, orris, vetiver, ylang ylang, and jasmine 
  • Base notes: tobacco, leather, musk, patchouli, vanilla, cedar, amber, civet, benzoin, and oakmoss

1966 advertisement:
"Tabac Blond by Caron, a woodsy fragrance, exotic and smoky" 

"CARON cools you as the summer surf with luxurious lotions" reads a 1950s ad...these lotions are not like the body moisturizers we think of lotions of  today, the older "lotions" are sort of like cologne splashes only they seem to have more of a lasting power, perhaps due to a higher concentration of perfume oils and less or no alcohol the their composition.

My friend Tina sent me a lovely sample of the Tabac Blond Lotion, this probably dates to around 1947, when the lotions were first introduced. What a heavenly, intoxicating fragrance. This is what a good perfume should smell like, expensive and very high quality.

The perfume starts off with a delicious shot of orange blossoms, one of my favorite odors of all time, resting upon sun drenched lemons, spicy carnations, delicate  linden blossoms and irises, heady jasmine and ylang ylang,  this is warmed by luxurious amounts of tobacco, musk, civet and ambergris which give this a decidedly sexy sueded leather edge. The dry down is thick with woodsy and mossy notes of oakmoss, cedarwood and patchouli.

Bottles:

Presented in a flacon designed by Félicie Vanpouille. Also in a flacon by Cristalleries de Baccarat, design #572.

Tabac Blond was available in parfum extrait, cologne, bath oil, lotion, dusting powder, talcum powder, face powder, toilet water (eau de toilette).



Photo from worthopedia




Fate of the Fragrance:


Tabac Blond, thankfully, is available today in various forms, with the parfum extrait the most coveted.


1 comment:

  1. I just got a bottle of the Lotion.
    Is there a way to date it based on the bottle and the label on the box?

    ReplyDelete

All comments will be subject to approval by a moderator. Comments may fail to be approved if the moderator deems that they:
--contain unsolicited advertisements ("spam")
--are unrelated to the subject matter of the post or of subsequent approved comments
--contain personal attacks or abusive/gratuitously offensive language

Featured Post

Faking Perfume Bottles to Increase Their Value

The issue of adding "after market" accents to rather plain perfume bottles to increase their value is not new to the world o...