Choc de Cardin by Pierre Cardin c1981

Choc de Cardin by Pierre Cardin: launched in 1981. Created by Françoise Caron. The name of the perfume means "shock" in French.

Pierre Cardin hosted a party in 1981 at Maxim's restaurant in Paris, which he owned, for the launch of his new perfume "Choc" and to celebrate his fashion show that morning, including a parade of exotic hats. At that time, he was planning on opening three Maxim's restaurants, including one in Manhattan.

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? It is classified as a fresh fruity floral chypre fragrance for women. It begins with a citrusy, spicy top note punctuated with exotic fruits, followed by a light floral heart, resting on a warm, woody, mossy base.

• Top notes: aldehydes, green notes, peach, basil, mango, passionfruit, lychee, papaya, bergamot and lemon
• Middle notes: violet, orchid, ginger, cardamom, honey, orris root, jasmine, lily-of-the-valley and rose
• Base notes: vetiver, sandalwood, amber, patchouli, musk, civet and oakmoss

Bottle:

Presented in a bottle shaped like two joined spheres with a round black stopper which was matched by a dramatically stark advertisement. The bottle was designed by sculptor Serge Mansau in 1981. The bottles were produced in France by Pochet et du Courval.

The original fragrance was packaged in a navy and mauve  box accented with a lively hot pink color, very reminiscent of fashion designer Schiaparelli's vivid "Shocking pink", a nod to the name of her famous perfume "Shocking" and translated into a modern "Choc" by Cardin.

Choc was originally available in 

• 1.7 oz Eau de Parfum Splash
• 0.25 oz Eau de Parfum Purse Spray
• 1 oz Eau de Parfum Spray
• 1.7 oz Eau de Parfum Spray
• 3.3 oz Eau de Parfum Spray
• Bath & Shower Gel
• Body Lotion

The Eau Tonique was introduced in 1990. It was a cologne suitable for summer that blends harmoniously with the body, while at the same time it refreshes and perfumes it.

Fate of the Fragrance:

Choc was has been reformulated and repackaged. Jacqueline Cochran, Inc., Shulton's fine fragrance subsidiary, division of American Cyanamid Co., was the distributor from 1981 to 1990. Cardin was unable to regain control over his product, and name, until the license expired in 1991. The license was reassigned to Tsumura International, Inc. who also held the license for Cardin's other fragrances. the fragrances were initially launched with limited distribution in Europe but were later expanded to the United States. In 2000, the fragrance licensing agreement and distribution rights were acquired by Reckitt Benckiser and was distributed under their Coty Beauty division, a subsidiary of Coty Inc. This is when the box changed into a modern white design and the bottle had its black plastic cap replaced with a gilded cap.

CLICK HERE TO FIND CHOC PERFUME BY CARDIN