Parfums de Cherigan

Cherigan, established by Ota Polacek at 120 avenue des Champs-Elysées, Paris in 1927, also had an outlet in Havana, Cuba. The best known Cherigan fragrance was Fleurs de Tabac, released in 1927.

I have wonderful news to all my fellow fans of Cherigan Paris, on July 17, 2023, the United States site for Cherigan will be launched! All US buyers will pay in US dollars for a US to US delivery, no customs, no hassle. Also being launched is the newest fragrance, Fiesta Habana!!

The perfumes of Cherigan:

• 1927 Fleurs de Tabac
• 1928 Mascarades
• 1929 Chance
• 1945 Chypre
• 1945 Jasmin
• 1945 Bleu Impériale
• 1945 La Habana Cuba
• 1945 Or Impériale
• 1946 Vers la Chance
• 1947 Fleur de Cherigan
• 1966 Parisienne
• Historie de Fleurs
• Jupon

Bottles:

Cherigan housed its wonderful fragrances in beautiful bottles worthy of adding to your collection. The most common of the bottles are the later bottles used for the ever popular Fleurs de Tabac. The more rarer of the Cherigan bottles are those that are of the luxurious opaque glass. My favorites are the horseshoe bottles that were used for Chance. These are quite unusual bottles and they were available in either black, blue, jade or red opaque glass, the molded horseshoe was accented with silver enamel. I think it is a very clever idea to wear a "lucky charm" on your skin in the form of Chance perfume. 

Mascarades: Presented in a black bottle with a most unusual golden face under a rain of gold dust front decoration. The face is actually part of a mask that a hand is holding up, hence the name Mascarades. Flacon by Cristalleries de Nancy. 

Fleurs de Tabac was launched in 1929 and was originally presented in a black glass bottle, with applied gold metal leaves and gilt serigraphy. Bottle stands 2 3/4" tall. Also available in a clear glass version with the applied leaves. Bottles designed by Andre Jollivet.

 A small round, disk shaped purse bottle was also used, this bottle had a brass overcap inscribed with "Cherigan", it was housed in a black velveteen pouch this bottle also came with an ivory enameled or plastic cap and hosed in a tan suede pouch. Note: these disk bottles were also used for Chance.


Fleurs de Tabac was classified as a light oriental fragrance for women.

• Top notes: tobacco, bergamot, tarragon, anise
• Middle notes: jasmine, spices
• Base notes: tobacco, vanilla, ambergris, vetiver, leather, sandalwood

Chance: Presented in a black glass, green glass, blue glass or red glass bottle with a silver horse-shoe motif. Bottle was designed by Andre Jollivet. Other bottles were also used for Chance over the years, although they were not as fancy.

Chance was classified as an oriental fragrance for women.

• Top notes: bergamot, lime
• Middle notes: rose, jasmine, carnation, orris
• Base notes: ambergris, sandalwood, musk, oakmoss, vanilla, tonka bean

The ad below mentions that "Cherigan of Paris makes "Chance" perfume for the equestrienne to wear in her glamourous moments - to add charm to dinner table discussions of her favorite sport. In a clever gilt horseshoe bottle." This bottle retailed for $12.00 in 1929, according to an inflation calculator, that same bottle would be equal to about $192.50 in 2021. Quite expensive for a bottle sold at the brink of the Great Depression. 

In 1930, the Depression was in process and retailers were desperate to recoup some profits, so stock was sold at reduced prices. The Chance perfume was offered at $7.50, this is equal to $123.19 in 2021. they also offered Fleurs de Tabac at just $4.00 ($65.70 in 2021). Newspaper ads in the 1930s often misspelled Cherigan as Cherrigan. I did not see any other American newspaper ads for Cherigan after 1934, so I believe that importation was stopped just prior to the Second World War, whether due to the Depression or the war.

The newspaper ads for Cherigan fragrances available in the US resumed in 1945. Post-wartime production saw Chance being sold in less expensive presentations, no doubt due to not being able to procure the necessary bottles from certain manufacturers, but nonetheless, the perfume was still a luxury item that not just anyone could afford. 

In 1945, a bottle of Chance sold for $18.50, which the inflation calculator says is equal to about $281.93 in 2021. Contrast that with a bottle of Chanel No. 5, the so-called most wanted perfume in the world, which was selling at $10.00 an ounce, equal to about $152.39.

Other ads offered the perfumes cheaper, but I do not know the sizes of the bottles.

Billboard, 1951:

"N. Sure Company announces lines of imported Cherigan perfumes and colognes at prices insuring good profits. Nationally advertised, the perfumes — Chance and Fleurs de Tabac- — come in bottles ranging from quarter ounce to two ounce capacity. Cologne bottles have capacity of 2 to 16 ounces. Packaged with bright, striped wrapping over square, heavy glass bottles with stopper, the items have eye appeal. N. Sure's Twin Paks of perfume for gifts combine the scents in bottles mounted in a hand tailored suede finish box. Prices on request."

Fate of the Brand:

I have knowledge that Cherigan was owned by Marguerite Rose Monassa, doing business at 18 Rue de Prony, Asnières, France as Parfums Cherigan. She established her business in 1930 under the name Etablissements Capa, which was renamed Parfums Cherigan in 1932. She had worked out a sale of Cherigan goods in 1935 with the Paris agency for American business owner,  John Wanamaker. These goods would have been shipped from Paris to the United States for sale in John Wanamaker's department store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (not far from where I live today, only about 15-20 minutes). In the following year, 1936, Monassa made its first shipment to Cuba to one Isidoro Abravanel y Varon, who was the Cuban agent for Monassa. Shipments of goods from France to Cuba were not possible due to the war period starting in 1940. Abravanel took advantage of this fact and decided to fraudulently register the name "Cherigan" in Cuba in his own name in 1941.

The Cuban registration No. 62,829 was issued to him. In 1944, Abravenel transferred ownership of Cherigan to Perfumes Habana, SA. It was then that Perfumes Habana, SA registered the Cherigan name and was assigned registration No. 420,830.

During this time, Perfumes Habana was producing Cherigan perfumes and colognes in Cuba and not France. Each bottle was individually packaged, labeled and identified by a lot number, net contents and marked "Made in Cuba." From 1944 to 1947 Perfumes Habana also started to trademark the perfume names Deseo, Chance and Fleurs de Tabac (Tabac de Fleurs Cherigan, Tabac de Cherigan) in Cuba and the United States. 

 It seems that Perfumes Habana started using the name "Perfumeria Cherigan" for the Cherigan line, its address still at Perfumes Habana headquarters located at 316 San Lázaro, Havana 

In 1945, Perfumes Habana had the importing agency called "Cherigan Distributors" export the Cherigan perfumes to the United States. This company was located at 105 West Adams Street, Chicago, Illinois. I found evidence that this agency was being used as early as 1939.

In 1945, an order with the Division of the Federal Register and pursuant to section 21 of the Maximum Import Price Regulation, it is ordered: The order established maximum prices at which retailers may sell Cherigan perfumes and colognes made in Cuba and imported by Cherigan Distributors. The prices listed below stated the maximum price that retailers could sell the Chance and Fleurs de Tabac perfumes and colognes prices:

• 1/4 oz Parfum - $5.00
• 1/2 oz Parfum - $10.00
• 1 oz Parfum - $18.50
• 2 oz Parfum - $35.00
• 2 oz Cologne - $2.00
• 4 oz Cologne - $3.75
• 8 oz Cologne - $6.00
• 16 oz Cologne - $10.00

This list helps us to understand the sizes of the perfumes or colognes and the retail prices they were being sold at.

At the end of the war, Monassa, not knowing about Abravanel's fraudulent actions and Perfumes Habana's ownership, attempted to resume shipment. Parfums Cherigan goods from France to Cuba and the United States in the form of two shipments. However, this was impossible, as the both shipments were refused entry due to Perfumes Habana now owning the Cherigan name and constituted a bar against such shipments.  

As a result in 1951, Monassa sued the new owners of Cherigan, Perfumes Habana, SA. The Cherigan perfume trademarks Chance and Fleurs de Tabac were registered and owned by Perfumes Habana , S. A., Habana, Cuba in 1945. The examiner of Trade-Mark Interferences affirmed that the registration, 420,830 be canceled in favor of Monassa, as she was the legal owner of the Cherigan name, and that Abravanel had no legal right to acquire and sell the brand due to the fact that he was merely a selling agent working for Monassa and not in any position to register the brand under his own name. 

At the end of 1951, Monassa regained complete control over the business and the name Parfums Cherigan was reused. The company was renamed Parfums Guilhene in 1963. 

"PARFUMS CHERIGAN, SARL with a capital of 3,000 Francs Perfumery. Head office was still at18, rue de Prony, in Asnières. New name: Parfums Guilhene (deliberation of June 18, 1963)."

Société Francaise des Parfums Guilhene was established in 1930 at 77, Boulevard de Clichy, Paris as a limited liability company Capital: 100,000 francs. The company conducted sales, manufacture and purchase of perfumes.

What is interesting to note is that in 1944, Perfumes Habana filed to have the name Branel trademarked, but a year later, Chanel, Inc filed for opposition saying that the same sounded too similar to Chanel. However, this later turned into a new venture for Perfumes Habana called Parfums Branel. Parfums Branel is an obscure brand, the earliest mention I could find of them is 1954. In 1964, Parfums Branel, doing business as Branel, Inc. New York City,  trademarked the name Fleurs de Tabac, and the labels looked identical to Cherigan's. They claimed first use in 1960. Parfums Branel did release a men's fragrance in 1964 called Beau Geste.

Men's Wear, 1960:

"For after shaves, colognes and the like, check with Fleurs de Tabac by Branel. This new scent, from Cuba, is available in three sizes and is packed in a glossy black box with gold decorations. The 8- and 16 - oz . sizes are equipped with atomizers."

Harper's Bazaar, 1961:

"Ladies and Gentlemen — for both of you, a cologne with a woody scent that is aimed to please. Fleurs de Tabac is a product of Parfums Branel. 16 oz - $16.45, 8 oz - $9.85."

Perfumes Habana was sued by not only Chanel, but also Cheramy and Coty in the 1940s. In 1949, Cheramy sued Perfumes Habana, who at the time, owned Cherigan's name and fragrances, namely Chance. Cheramy stated that Cherigan sounded too close to Cheramy and that customers would get confused. Coty said Cherigan was too similar to the name of their perfume L'Origan. Chanel sued them because they felt the name Cherigan and the perfume name Chance were going to confuse customers. The Assistant Commissioner stated categorically that the marks "neither look alike nor sound alike.”

Breathing New Life into an Old Name:

The Cherigan fragrances were discontinued for almost 60 years, but luckily for us, in 2021, the brand was resurrected! 

 From their website www.cheriganparis.com:

"Avant-garde from birth, Cherigan's spirit is awakening and exhilarating again. In its wake, the 1920s twist and their unparalleled creative emergence. Lively cafes, spectacular music halls and fiery dance halls punctuate Parisian life.

One hundred years later, its effervescent atmosphere still transports us to this crazy atmosphere, essential today. Our artisan perfumes bear the golden imprint of a timeless, joyful, daring elegance. Echoing the desire to live contemporary, they are part of the emancipation wind of a roaring decade.

Driven by a modern and respectful vision, they are made up of at least 90% natural ingredients. A high perfumery, signature of a know-how, made accessible."

Unusual for most brands, the various reborn Cherigan fragrances are presented in a luxurious extrait de parfum concentration, in a generous 100ml size bottle and a cute 15ml touch tip bottle perfect for the handbag or travel.

I was fortunate to receive samples of the newly created Cherigan fragrances and wanted to share my thoughts about them with my readers. Please keep visiting for more reviews and updates.

As of this posting, the exclusively luxurious Cherigan fragrances are ONLY available through their website. So, you will not be finding these in your local mall or beauty shop, available to just anyone and everyone. Be unique. Wear Parfums de Cherigan.

Good news for those living in the USA, Cherigan has recently launched a website for us! Visit https://cheriganparis.us.com/ to see what's new and to make a purchase! 

Not sure what you purchase first? Get the sample kit of seven fragrances and discover your new favorite. Contains: Fleurs de Tabac, Edo Park, Adhara Oud, Iris Coffee, Or des Iles, The Purple Bar, Lovers in Pink.

For the purchase of this sample kit, you obtain a €7 reduction code valid for 2 months on the purchase of the perfume that will have captured your heart. In order to receive the discount code, you must be subscribed to the Cherigan Paris newsletter. Add 2 sample kits to your cart and only pay for one (no code needed). Don’t hesitate to take advantage of this to share with anyone you want! 

 

The Beautifully Modern Cherigan Paris Fragrances:

Fleurs de Tabac

Fleurs de Tabac is the reissue of the 1929 success, using a modernized formula embellished with exceptional materials. The success and timeless energy that characterize Fleurs de Tabac make its reissue a necessity. When vaporized, its richness and depth rediscover the colors of a dazzling era. Launched in 1929, it is one of the first “tobacco” in perfumery, a symbol of elegance and impertinence. Its notes of iris and pipe tobacco, oak moss and tonka stir in the hot air of Parisian cabarets. We have analyzed and reconstructed its formula, choosing the finest qualities of raw materials - giving the creation back to its original fabric. Jazz rhythms, frenzied dancing, uncompromising chic - suddenly the 20s are roaring again. Made from 90% natural ingredients.

• Top notes: Italian bergamot  
• Middle notes: jasmine, rose
• Base notes: Siamese benzoin, Virginia cedar, sandalwood, tonka bean, labdanum, vetiver, musks 

The Purple Bar

The Purple Bar sings the Parisian nights of the time; a sweet, fruity and spicy cocktail to make Paris a party again. The Purple Bar celebrates the crazy atmosphere of Parisian nights, in the heart of the 1920s. In the pages of Anaïs Nin and Henry Miller, the desire to live becomes a quest for pleasures. Crossing basements, cafes, bars, the evening is in full swing. A syrupy cocktail with orange zest trembles to the pulsations of the music, spreading its fruity and caramelized scent of davana, and its spicy notes of cinnamon and cloves. It mingles with warm, animal and vanilla skin, where a drop of patchouli still diffuses. If Paris is a party, The Purple Bar is its olfactory embodiment. Made with 97.5% natural ingredients.

• Top notes: orange, davana, almond
• Middle notes: cinnamon, clove, candied fruits
• Base notes: benzoin, vanilla, patchouli, labdanum

I have tried The Purple Bar and it is hands down, my favorite so far. The glorious top draws its pungency from fresh orange peels, exuding the bright scent of orange oils. This is followed by a heart of precious davana absolute, a rare, aromatic herb, distilled to bring an illusion of a basket of dried, candied tropical fruits. Encircling the narcotic davana is a perfect marriage of sizzling cinnamon and pungent cloves, all of which help to create a syrupy, spiced caramel effect, and giving the wearer a recollection of an orange pomander studded with cloves and rolled in cinnamon dust, the scent of Christmas past. Emerging through the honeyed center are high quality patchouli leaves, the ancient aroma of the East, evocative of the paisley shawls brought back from India. The earthy patchouli lends its distinctive aroma to temper the sweetness of a resinous base blending creamy vanilla and the rich, balsamic touch of labdanum and benzoin. The extrait lingers on the skin, its drydown leaving a soft and powdery, trace of patchouli. I think it will now replace my old vanilla standby - Shalimar. The Purple Bar has so much more than Shalimar could ever dream of. It is extremely long lasting. I absolutely  NEED a full bottle for sure. I want to wear this every day.

Lovers in Pink:

Inspired by the work of Chagall, crazy about his muse, Lovers in Pink is breathed like a bouquet offered to a loved one, sparkling like a glass of champagne. This Paris of all possibilities is the chosen land of many artists, who find there the source of an abundant impetus. Marc Chagall is one of them, and it is in tribute to his work that we created Lovers in Pink . Inspired by a series of portraits of his wife and muse Bella in shades of red, pink and blue, the composition invents a color with a thousand shades. Like a champagne bubble, it sparkles under a blackcurrant - lemon - ginger effect. On a woody background, a bouquet of roses, peonies and jasmine is offered. A declaration of love for art in all its forms. Made with 90% natural ingredients.

• Top notes: blackcurrant buds, Madagascar ginger, citrus essence
• Middle notes: jasmine absolute, rose, peony
• Base notes: cedar, moss

Iris Coffee

Iris Coffee pays homage to the drink invented in the 1930s: between intoxication and comfort, it imparts a stimulating sweetness. To warm up passengers on transatlantic flights, Joseph Sheridan, owner of an Irish café, created a hot and invigorating drink in the 1930s: Irish coffee. The scent recalls that moment when the traveler finds stimulating comfort. The freshness of bergamot and cardamom gives way to a powerful sensation, between bitterness and sweetness, transcribed by notes of coffee, tonka, iris and jasmine. A sweet and fiery sip. Made with 90% natural ingredients.

• Top notes: bergamot, cardamom
• Middle notes: jasmine, iris
• Base notes: tonka bean, coffee, white musk

Edo Park

When the Orient inspired the European avant-garde of the time, Edo Park is the olfactory image of Japan. Osmanthus in majesty meets subtle woods. The world is opening up, cultures are discovering each other, embracing each other, getting closer. The Orient inspires novelists and painters, philosophers and perfumers. Edo Park is the olfactory image of Japan in the eyes of Europe. Obviously: osmanthus. Mythical flower of Asian culture, it is at the center of the composition. The woods call for elevation, illustrate the traditional temples. Notes of citrus and Siberian pine paint the atmosphere of the prints, where immense landscapes spread out silently. Edo Park praises this distance, yet so close, perceptible, palpable. Made from 90% natural materials.

• Top notes: citrus, Siberian pine
• Middle notes: osmanthus alcohol extract, freesia
• Base notes: amber wood, Virginia cedar

Or des Iles

Or des îles concentrates the entire invitation to travel painted by Gauguin, a dream of solar and floral exoticism, under a hint of vanilla. Another exoticism is told in the bottle of Or des Îles , paradisiacal, burning. Like a kaleidoscope of fantasy offered by turquoise seas, immersed in the thick air of lush vegetation. Painted by Gauguin at the turn of the century, the Tropics are the occasion for a renaissance of art. This island dream inspired a creation with a citrus opening, marrying ylang and jasmine with voluptuous, musky, lively vanilla. A tribute to Joséphine Baker's famous wild dance on the Champs-Elysées. Made with 99% natural ingredients.

• Top notes: citrus, bergamot
• Middle notes: jasmine, ylang ylang, rose
• Base notes: vanilla, white musk

In testing this fragrance, I found it very similar in scent to Annick Goutal's lovely Songes perfume.

Adhara Oud

Adhara Oud returns to the original use of perfume, mystical and sensual, in a case of rose and leather. In the original use of perfume, incense elevates and purifies. Majestic, mysterious and seductive, oud wood is its most precious essence. It is found in the way of Japanese incense - Kodo - but also in Middle Eastern rituals. In Adhara Oud , the star material meets rose absolute and geranium leaf, intensified by a leathery accord and patchouli. An intoxicating, bewitching power, like an echo to the history of perfumery and its most luxurious materials. Made with 98% natural ingredients.

• Top notes: citrus, saffron
• Middle notes: rose absolute, geranium
• Base notes: leather, oud accord, patchouli

Fiesta Habana:

Fiesta Habana is inspired by Ernest Hemingway, the most French of American writers in the Paris of the Roaring Twenties, published in 1926, Fiesta - The sun also rises, a story of passion, a tribute to absolute love and the pleasure of unlimited parties between France and Europe. Spain. Soon after, he moved to his favorite house on the Florida Keys, just across from Cuba, the libertine paradise of vibrant nightlife, casinos and partying in the 1930s, where CHERIGAN was already one of the favorite perfume brands of the local jet set.

Fiesta Habana is an ode to the vibrations of the night, a free and bewitching fragrance, enveloped in a swirl of Cuban rum and sweet tobacco, enhanced by a bewitching vanilla, preceded by an illicit trail, which takes you to other heaven. It is described as "Warm, amber, illicit."

Made up of 90% natural ingredients: Pure essence rum, davana, elemi, tolu, iris, immortelle, santamanol, tobacco, Madagascar vanilla, tonka bean, patchouli, orcanox. 

In case you are wondering, Orcanox is a molecule developed by the perfumers at Mane. Orcanox serves as an equivalent to ambroxan, which in turn, replaced ambergris after the ban on sperm whale hunting. It possesses a deep woody/amber scent with sensual musky and powdery tones. Santamanol, also created by Mane, replicates the creamy lusciousness of precious sandalwood, without having to utilize the endangered species.

Bleu Imperial -  Parfums Cherigan has released a special limited edition. "Launched in 1945, designed in the 1930s, B;eu Imperial is the perfume of the world before, witness to the glory days of Art Deco, the last emblematic creation of a carefree art of living, Bleu Imperial is one of these fragrances eternal ones that carry you away whatever the era. there is little information on this perfume and it is truly fortunate that two bottles, found among passionate collectors, have reached us intact. Bleu Imperial is a pillar of perfumery, anchored in the great tradition of chypres from the 1930s and 1940s. it is now available in Extrait de Parfum, in an exceptional limited edition."says Luc Gabriel, founder.

From Cherigan:

"For this reissue of BLEU IMPÉRIAL, CHERIGAN has chosen a limited edition of 1,000 worldwide. The bottle, in glass hand-cut by a French glassmaker, is topped by an emery-polished stopper for improved contact and a perfect seal. The perfume is kept away from light in an aluminum vial with a small funnel. These elements are presented in a presentation box covered with a high-end textured paper inspired by that of the period, and featuring the original imperial crown and eagles in gold hot stamping."

Perfume notes:

94% natural ingredients.

• Top notes: Italian bergamot, neroli, mandarin, lemon
• Middle notes: tuberose, orange blossom, orris, jasmin sambac, upcycled carrot
• Base notes: olibanum, musk, amber, patchouli, sandalwood,  leather notes

INGREDIENTS : ALCOHOL DENAT, PARFUM/ FRAGRANCE, AQUA/ WATER, ALPHA-ISOMETHYL IONONE, LIMONENE, COUMARIN, LINALOOL, CITRAL, BENZYL BENZOATE, FARNESOL, GERANIOL, EUGENOL, BENZYL SALICYLATE

A unique code is included in each box, enabling users to order refills and extend the pleasure of this exceptional fragrance without limit.

CLICK HERE TO FIND VINTAGE BOTTLES OF CHERIGAN PERFUMES ON EBAY