KL by Karl Lagerfeld c1982

KL by Karl Lagerfeld: launched in 1982. Created by Roger Pellegrino of Firmenich.

What are Woody Fragrances?

Fragrances can be classified by certain olfactive families, or themes, or accords.

Woody:

fragrances derive their scents from aromatic woods such as sandalwood, patchouli, aloes, cedar, agarwood (oud), rosewood, cypress, tobacco, tonka, pine and scents like oak moss which are reminiscent of the odor of the forest floor. Usually accompanied by other notes such as citrus, herbs, spices, incense, and balsamic notes like vanilla or benzoin. Animalic notes such as ambergris, leather, musk, castoreum and civet often give depth to woody fragrances and enhance their longevity.

The subdivisions of classifications in this family are:

Woody Amber

Woody Aquatic

Woody Aromatic

Woody Chypre

Woody Floral 

Woody Floral Musk

Woody Hesperidic Coniferous

Woody Oriental

Woody Spicy

Woody Spicy Leather

Auzière

Auzière of Paris and Marseille, France; launched a range of fragrances from c1920 to 1950’s, also had an office in Nashville, TN.

Envol by Ted Lapidus c1980

Envol by Ted Lapidus: launched in 1980, in USA by 1981. Envol means "flight" in French. "I gave it that light name, spacious and airy, because it is the perfume of space, of night and time,” Ted Lapidus.

Alix by Gres c1981

Alix by Gres: launched in 1981, in USA by 1982. Sometimes the bottle will be marked "Alix Gres" other times it will simply say "Gres".

Cacharel Parfums

A division of the Parisian fashion house Cacharel; established by Jean Bousquet in 1962; born in 1932 in Nimes. Bosquet originally studied men's tailoring but found it too limiting. In1956, he began his apprenticeship with a small ready to wear shop in Paris,, and within five years was known as a pioneer of fashion.

Mystere de Rochas c1978

Mystere de Rochas: launched in 1978. Created by Nicolas Mamounas of IFF who used nearly 200 ingredients to complete the formula.

Lace by Yardley c1982

Lace by Yardley: launched in 1982. Created by Dominique Ropion.

Nettie Rosenstein Perfumes

Nettie Rosenstein of New York City.

Ann Haviland Perfumes

Ann Haviland of Haviland Laboratories. Established by Ann Haviland in 1909 at West 57th Street in. Ann Haviland reportedly learned the art of perfumery in far off Smyrna, Turkey, where she lived as a girl.

Torrente by Parfums Torrente c1977

Torrente by Parfums Torrente: launched in 1977, in USA in 1978.

 

Y by Yves Saint Laurent c1964

Y by Yves Saint Laurent: launched in 1964. Created by Jean Amic. 'Y' is properly pronounced in the French manner ‘Ee-grek’.

Havoc by Mary Quant c1974

Here are some questions from readers that I thought you might enjoy.

Q. "I have a bottle of Havoc perfume that I have been holding on to for any years. I often pop off the top and take in that lovely scent that I so loved back in high school! It evokes such great memories!! I would love to wear that wonderful scent once again. Is it possible to find or duplicate the scent I long for? Please let me know so I can stop searching. My daughter is in London presently and I am thinking of sending her to the Mary Quant shop. Please tell me if this search is futile. Thanks in advance for your efforts!"

Maitresse by Agent Provocateur c2006

Maitresse by Agent Provocateur: launched in 2006, created by Azzi Glasser.

From Agent Provocateur:

AP Maitresse is an intoxicating Eau De Parfum with the passionate top notes of White Lotus Petals and delicate nuances of white Ylang Ylang, caressed by the pure essence of Osmanthus core, and immersed deep into Jasmin Sambac...the scent of seduction.

So what does it smell like? It is classified as a floral aldehyde fragrance for women.

• Top notes: aldehydes, white lotus petals, ylang ylang and violet leaves
• Middle notes: osmanthus, jasmine and rose
• Base notes: iris, amber, musk, patchouli and white suede

The egg-shaped (bomb-shaped) bottle is finished in rich gilding.

Click HERE to purchase Maitresse 0.25 oz Eau de Parfum Purse Spray
Click HERE to purchase Maitresse 1 oz Eau de Parfum
Click HERE to purchase Maitresse 1.7 oz Eau de Parfum
Click HERE to purchase Maitresse 3.3 oz Eau de Parfum
Click HERE to purchase Maitresse 6.7 oz Seductive Milk Body Wash 
Click HERE to purchase Maitresse 2pc Coffret: 1 oz EDP and 2.5 oz Luxurious Body Eixir 
Click HERE to purchase Maitresse 3pc Coffret: 3.3 oz EDP, 0.34 oz EDP Roll On and 5.07 oz Luxurious Body Elixir 


The success of Maitresse by Agent Provocateur spawned a flanker scent: Maitresse Eau Provocateur.

From Agent Provocateur:

Provocative and enigmatic, this modern interpretation of Maitresse will leave you wanting more. Here lie fragrant accords of Rose, Jasmin Sambac and Iris with delightfully light, green notes of Acacia (a thorny shrub). A green note of Granny Smith Apples makes this lingering scent so fresh and floral. A delectable base of Amber, Sandalwood, Tonka and gourmand elements complete this floral feast.

So what does it smell like? It is classified as a floral fragrance for women, with a dominant note of iris.

• Top notes: rose, Sambac jasmine and iris 
• Middle notes: granny smith apple and acacia
• Base notes: amber, sandalwood, tonka bean

Click HERE to purchase Maitresse Eau 1.7 oz Eau de Toilette

Ambush by Dana c1955

Ambush by Dana was launched in 1955. It was reportedly created by Jean Carles.

It was available in parfum and eau de cologne.

L'Institut de Beaute & Klytia Perfumes

L'Institut de Beaute, of 26 place Vendome, Paris. A beauty salon established in 1895 by Victor Francois Merle with Elise-Marie Valentin Le Brun. The beauty salon sold cosmetics, toiletries and some of the finest limited edition perfume presentations, most likely only available at the Paris salon. The salon later moved to 222 rue de Rivoli, Paris. They sold products to the USA under the name Klytia, as this was an affiliated company established in 1895 by Merle.

Madame Valentin Le Brun had royal appointments from the Khedive of Egypt (possibly Abbas Hilmi Pasha), the Queen of England, The Queen of Spain (possibly Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg), Princess Eulalia (Princess Eulalia Maria Antoine Eleonore of Thurn and Taxis) and others. She was also awarded the (Silver Palms medal) as an Officier d'Academie de France.

Klytia is still producing skin care products today, under the Klytia label and the L'Institut de Beaute label (here's a hint for anyone interested in trying their products, I have found plenty of L'Institut de Beaute products at the discount stores Marshalls, and TJ Maxx, all items are priced half or lower of what they retail at higher end stores.)

The perfumes of Klytia:

• Bonheur du Jour 
• Bouquet de Mai 
• Bouquet du Roy
• Cleo 
• Corté Impériale de Russia
• Deliria de Calvi
• El Jazmin
• El Radinu
• El Secret de Astarte
• Elika
• Jardin de Mohana
• Jasmin
• Le Porte-Bonheur
• Le Prefere de Rejane
• Le Vertige de Simone
• Les Fiancailles
• Mon Bonheur
• Mond Fetiche
• Mon Fol Amor
• Mouchoir de Khedive
• Perfume de Madame Recamier
• Perfume Klytia
• Perfume Principe Jaime
• Rêve de Quatre Cœurs
• Rose de 4 Cœurs
• Souverain Perfume
• Tamara
• Violette de Montagnes

The perfumes of L'Institut de Beaute:

• 1895 Bouquet de l'Empire
• 1907 Klytia
• 1910 Bouquet L'Empereur
• 1911 L'Amour Antique
• 1920 Elyane
• 1925 aube
• 1925 Exquis Printemps
• 1930 Eulalia 
• 1931 Le Bouquet du Khedive (named after the Khedive of Egypt)
• 1931 Parfum Djavidan

Harem Life - Page 245, 1931:

".. in the market as I am when I order Le Bouquet du Khedive or the Parfum Djavidan from the Institut de Beaute, in Paris."

Harem Life - Page 245, 1931:

".. in the market as I am when I order Le Bouquet du Khedive or the Parfum Djavidan from the Institut de Beaute, in Paris."

Fragonard Dupes of Popular Perfumes

For many years, both the French perfume companies Molinard and Fragonard created their own versions of popular perfumes.

What are Leather or Animalic Fragrances?

Fragrances can be classified by certain olfactive families, or themes, or accords. In this guide I will briefly discuss the various themes.

Leather/Animal: 

These notes are characterized by their warm, heavy and persistent quality. These fragrances are comprised of blending honey, tobacco, synthetics, cassie flower & bark, cade oil, myrtle, and wood tars such as birch tar to create the scent reminiscent of leather. Musk, ambergris, civet and castoreum are animal notes. Most animal odors used today are made of synthetics. Leather and animal notes have been used as aphrodisiacs for centuries.

Ambergris (the synthetic is known as amber in the perfumery world) is a substance excreted by the sperm whale after eating cuttlefish, and found in lumps of varying size floating in tropical seas or washed ashore. Ambergris must be weathered for at least three years before use. Although ambergris was used for centuries as a perfume, no one knew the exact source until more recent times.

Amber notes are typically found in Oriental type fragrances. Ambergris has a sweet, woody odor.

True ambergris has not been used in perfumery in over thirty years due to the concerns of whale farming and is considered unethical and cruel. Plant sources such as labdanum resin, Tolu balsam, Peru balsam and ambrette seed have been used in place of true ambergris. Synthetic substitutes such as Ambrox, Ambrarome, Lorenox, Ambretone, Cetalox and Kephalis are used in today's fragrances to impart the coveted amber scent.

Civet is a butter like secretion taken from a pouch in the glands under the tail of the civet cat, found in Ethiopia Burma and Thailand. This odor is used to impart a musky fragrance in perfumes. Synthetic substitutes are often used in today's fragrances as the natural harvesting of castoreum is considered unethical and cruel.

Castoreum is a creamy reddish brown secretion taken from sacs in the glands on the beaver, it was first used by Arab perfumers since the 9th century AD. It is used to impart a leathery odor in perfumery. Castoreum has often been described as sharp, birch tar-like, resinous, warm, musky and slightly fruity. Synthetic substitutes are often used in today's fragrances as the natural harvesting of castoreum is considered unethical and cruel.

Musk grains are collected from a walnut sized pod in the glands of the male musk deer of the Himalayas. The strongest fragrance of all, it is said that a single drop left on a handkerchief can last 40 years. Today, most musky fragrances are made using synthetic substitutes as the natural harvesting of musk is considered unethical and cruel. Chemicals such as Cashmeran, Iso E Super, Muscone and Nitromusks lend a long lasting musk tone to many fragrances today.

Hyraceum is the petrified and rock-like excrement composed of both urine and feces excreted by the Cape Hyrax, (Procavia capensis), commonly referred to as the Dassie. After aging and petrifying over hundreds, if not thousands of years, it is a sought-after material that has been used in both traditional South African medicine and perfumery. The material hardens and ages until it becomes a fairly sterile, rock-like material (also referred to as "Africa Stone") that contains compounds giving it an animal, deeply complex fermented scent that combines the elements of musk, castoreum, civet, tobacco and agarwood. The material is harvested without disturbing the animals by digging strata of the brittle, resinous, irregular, blackish-brown stone; because animals are not harmed in its harvesting, it is often an ethical substitute for deer musk and civet, which require killing or inflicting pain on the animal.

Beeswax and honey are also used in perfumery to impart subtle musky, animalic amber notes accented with tobacco and hay like balsamic sweetness, soft traces of powdery pollen and just a whisper of delicate flowers. This ingredient is often used to enhance certain facets in a perfume, such as flowers and citrus notes. Different flowers produce honey with particular characteristics. Herbaceous flowers produce camphor-like or mint-like honey. Clover honey has a sweet, spicy carnation-like essence. Both honey and beeswax absolute are also known to have a slight urinous odor due to certain chemicals present in their make up. Because bees are in no way harmed during the collection of honey or the beeswax, these two perfume ingredients can be considered ethical.

There are subdivisions of classifications in this family and they are:

• floral leather
• tobacco leather
• soft amber fougere
• floral amber fougere
• leather chypre
• woody spicy leather
• musky
• woody amber
• floral spicy amber
• citrus amber
• soft amber

Perfumes which are classified as Leather/Animal notes are:

• Tabac Blond by Caron
• Cuir de Russie by Chanel
• Scandal by Lanvin
• Baume Tolu by Esteban 
• Feminite du Bois by Shiseido
• Miss Dior by Christian Dior
• Tigress Musk by Faberge
• Caleche by Hermes
• Antaeus by Chanel
• Cabochard by Gres
• Musk by Jovan
• Moss Breches by Tom Ford
• Bandit by Robert Piguet
• Equipage by Hermes
• Miel de Bois by Serge Lutens
• Bel Ami by Hermes
• Diorama by Christian Dior
• Khiel's Original Musk
• Bal a Versailles by Jean Desprez
• Desert by Fragonard
• French Lime Blossom by Jo Malone
• Film Noir by Ayala Moriel
• Oud Cuir D'Arabie by Montale 
• Aramis by Aramis
• Avant Garde by Lanvin
• Chypre Noir by Ava Luxe
• Piroguier by Comptoir Sud Pacifique
• Cuiron by Helmut Lang
• Intreccio No. 1 by L'Artisan 
• Boucheron by Boucheron
• Myrrhe Ardente by Annick Goutal
• Zadig by Emilio Pucci
• Chai by Robert Piguet
• Cuirelle by Ramon Monegal
• Royal English Leather by Creed 
• Spellbound by Estee Lauder
• Cuir de Lancome
• Mon Numero 10 by L'Artisan
• Gendarme by Carriere
• Jovan Musk
• Dzing! by L'Artisan
• Jolie Madame by Balmain
• Wild Musk by Coty
• Givenchy Gentleman
• Derby by Guerlain
• CK Be by Calvin Klein
• Empreinte by Courreges
• Daim Blond by Serge Lutens
• Cuir Beluga by Guerlain
• Persian Leather by Caswell Massey 
• Jules by Christian Dior
• Knize Ten by Knize
• Marquis de Sade by Histoires de Parfums
• Cuir Mauresque by Serge Lutens 
• Feuilles de Tabac by Miller Harris
• Jicky by Guerlain
• Romeo Gigli by Gigli
• Woman by Jovan
• Dunhill by Dunhill
• Sung by Alfred Sung
• Peau d'Espagne by Santa Maria Novella 

What are Gourmand Fragrances?

Fragrances can be classified by certain olfactive families, or themes, or accords. In this guide I will briefly discuss the various themes.


Gourmand: 

Gourmand notes are another newly added member to the fragrance family. These notes are characterized as edible, dessert like, citrus, sweet, vegetable, nutty, sorbet, candy-like, tea, fruits, almonds, cupcake, whiskey, or coffee scents. Many scents used in gourmand perfumes are vanilla, chocolate, creme brulee, milk, cotton candy, honey, maple syrup, pumpkin, hot milk, brown sugar, date, marzipan, caramel, hazelnut, cream, butter, coffee, nougat, praline, custard, cognac, licorice, cinnamon, gingerbread, toffee, marshmallow, marmalade and others.

Related olfactory groups include: citrus gourmand, fruity gourmand, floral fruity gourmand

Perfumes which are classified as Gourmand are:

• Alien Essence Absolue by Thierry Mugler
• Ambre L’Occitane en Provence
• Amour Nocturne by L’Artisan
• Angel by Thierry Mugler
• Anima Dulcis by Arquiste Parfumeur 
• Aomassai by Parfumerie Generale 
• Aoud Café Mancera 
• Arabie by Serge Lutens
• Bergamot Truffle by Payard
• Black Star by Avril Lavigne
• Blue Agave & Cacao by Jo Malone 
• Bois Farine by L’Artisan 
• Brown Sugar & Fig by Bath and Body Works
• Cacao by Aftelier Perfumes 
• Café Noir
• Candy by Prada
• Casual Friday
• Cocoa Tuberose by Providence Perfumes
• Comptoir Sud Pacifique’s fragrances
• Delicious by DKNY
• Delicious Cotton Candy by Gayle Hayman
• Dinner by BoBo
• Doolciiisssimo by Hilde Soliani
• Downtown by Calvin Klein
• DSH perfumes
• Eau De Charlotte by Annick Goutal
• Elixir des Merveilles by Hermes
• Extraordinary by Avon
• Fabulous by Isaac Mizrahi
• Fancy by Jessica Simpson
• Fancy Choco by Alice & Peter
• Fantasy by Britney Spears
• Figue Amere Miller Harris 
• Five O'Clock Au Gingembre by Serge Lutens 
• Forbidden Euphoria by Calvin Klein
• Haram by Brecourt 
• Hungry, Hungry Hippies by smell bent
• Hypnotic Poison by Dior
• Histoires de Parfums - 1969
• Ici by Coty
• Intoxicated By Kilian
• Juicy Couture by Juicy Couture
• La Petite Robe Noire by Guerlain
• Le Couvent des Minimes Cologne of the Missions-
• Lemon Tart by Jo Malone
• Lolita Lempicka by Lolita Lempicka
• Loukhoum by Ava Luxe 
• Magic Circus by MiN New York ‘Scent Stories’ 
• Mackie by  Bob Mackie
• Milk by Ava Luxe 
• New Haarlem by Bond No. 9 
• Nina by Nina Ricci
• Nutmeg & Ginger Jo Malone 
• NYC by Sarah Jessica Parker
• Or du Sérail by Naomi Goodsir 
• Philosykos Diptyque 
• Piment Brûlant L’Artisan 
• Pink Sugar by Aquolina
• Plaisir by Laura Tonatto
• Pomegranate Noir by Jo Malone 
• Pretty Petals by Ellen Tracy
• Provocative Interlude
• Pure Purple
• Rahat Loukhoum Serge Lutens 
• Rock-N-Rebel by Flirt
• Sensuous Nude by Estee Lauder
• Sepia by Aftelier
• Sire des Indes by Jean Patou
• Spark by Liz Claiborne
• Spiriteuese Double Vanille by Guerlain 
• Star Flower by Anya`s Garden
• Sugar by Fresh
• Tilda Swinton Like This by Etat Libre d’Orange
• Too Too by Betsey Johnson
• True Religion Love, Hope, Denim
• Un Bois Vanille Serge Lutens 
• Unbreakable Bond by Khloe Kardashian
• Vanille Aoud by Parfums M. Micallef
• Vanilla Fields by Coty
• Vanilla Grapefruit by Lavanila
• Vanilla Musk by Coty
• Vetiver Tonka
• Vince Camuto by Vince Camuto
• Wakely by Abercrombie & Fitch
• Wish by Chopard
• Womanity by Thierry Mugler
• Wonderstruck by Taylor Swift
• many of Demeter's Pick Me Up sprays are gourmand

Reve D'Or by LT Piver c1889

Reve D’Or by LT Piver was originally launched in 1889 as a woman’s cologne.

Its French name translates as “dream of gold” or "Golden Dreams" and was named after the particular breed of roses with butterscotch and cream petals.

In 1905 it was slightly reformulated and incorporated methyl aldehyde to give it a sparkling top note. The parfum extrait was reformulated in 1926 by Louis Armingeat.