The Three Glorious Decades A new kind of perfumery is born February 12, 1947, Christian Dior’s light of fashion, with the pace being first collection premieres to set by Chanel, Jeanne Lanvin, Nina resounding applause in the Grey Ricci, Marcel Rochas as well as rising Salon in Paris. The “New Look” was stars like Pierre Cardin and Hubert born. de Givenchy. While Piguet, Rochas, Compositions made from the new Balmain, Carven, Ricci, Fath, synthetic substances and the natural products of the late 19th and early 20th century established modern perfumery. The perfumes of the day, for example, are Chypre by Coty, Shalimar and Vol de Nuit by Guerlain, Tabac blond by Caron, “No. 5” by Chanel and Tabu by Dana. Balenciaga and Dior characterized From the end of the Second World the late 1940s, Grés and Givenchy War to the mid 1970s, France was are creating the perfumes of the the origin of direction-setting fra- new decade. grance compositions The scents of the 1950s are like taking a walk through a garden full In 1945, the songs of liberty can be of lily of the valley. Typical of these heard in the voice of Charles Trenet The Fifties: fragrances are: Vent Vert by Pierre and the American sound of Glenn The scent of lily of the valley is “in” Balmain, Muguet du bonheur by Miller’s orchestra. And even though The Soviets end the American Caron, Premier muguet by Bourjois France regains her creative standing, nuclear monopoly by detonating and the enchanting Diorissimo by the 1940s see Europe on the wane their first atomic bomb, and fears of Dior. The masculine scene is and America’s star rising, although a Third World War grip even the dominated by strict, elegant root nobody knows it yet. post-war generation. France is and wood fragrances, with Carven, Following these years of privation, confronted with the Indochina War, Givenchy and Guerlain offering up the French anticipate a return to the Algerian War and, finally, the vetiver. abundance, while the future Suez Conflict. At the same time, consumer society is still in its infancy. new consumer goods appear: Citroën’s “Ugly Duckling,” the 2CV, Refrigerators, washing machines is ready, and the off-the-rack and television sets, which are soon clothing market emerges. Marcel found in virtually every home. In Boussac, an industrialist with an 1950, there are 3,500 TVs, by the interest in Haute Couture, joins end of the decade over a million. forces with Christian Dior, and on Paris reasserts itself as the guiding 1 The sixties: In 1966, Christian Dior launches Eau social environment, plays an decisive Musk oil is a smashing success Sauvage, which immediately be- role. Beginning in 1960, culture in- comes an international success. Yves St Laurent’s marketing strategy creasingly comes to encompass the With its simplicity and strictness, this is to express desires, fantasies and consumer goods sector – the leisure eau de toilette rejuvenates the field passions in signs and symbols, and society has arrived. The Hippie wave of fine fragrances, brings in- to create an object. Opium breaks that is spreading throughout the numerable variations in its wake and the taboo of nonconformity and United States is counterpoint to the sparks the development of femi- drugs. Possessing it means gaining nine, masculine and unisex eaux de access to life on a higher spiritual toilette. plane in the quest for the absolute. Opium, “an addictive scent,” is the advertising slogan. 1973 also sees the first oil shock. For perfume manufacturers, 1973 marks the introduction of appli- cations technology, the appearance of systematic testing, imitations of thoroughly researched natural products, the birth of headspace analysis, the classification of perfumes – in particular with the “H&R Genealogy” from Haarmann & Reimer – as well as the demand cultural policy. Incense sticks are for perfume concentrates that are burned, and the skin is perfumed 50 percent less expensive. Like with sandalwood, musk or pat- “Nouvelle Cuisine,” the new chouli. These strong scents, which perfumes shed the fatty, thick, rich seem to always reappear during and soft character of their times of libertinism, will follow us all predecessors. Tradition pales in the the way to the 1980s. face of the demise of absolute At the end of the decade, banners values and the increased appear in American drug stores employment of synthetics. proclaiming that “We Have Musk Young perfumers abandon the Oil.” This concept, which Jovan white laboratory coat and reject the pursues in Musk for Men and Musk image of a technician or chemist. for Women, is a smashing success They utilize the technique of and marks the final breakthrough of chromatography to understand the synthetic musk, with its sweet- The seventies: archetypes of the past and the syrupy scent, in perfumery; from Opium, “an addictive scent” theories developed by perfumer now on, musk usage rates of 10 to In the early 1970s, the American Roudnitska. Thus, their creations 30 percent will be typical of way of selling is all the rage. The lead to a new simplicity, to an numerous perfumes in the United idea of selling what’s been produced elaboration of a single theme, for States. is old-fashioned; manufacturing which they then provide an olfactory In addition to Haute Couture and more and better products, shaping interpretation. A new kind of the mass-market, off-the-rack consumer motivation and planning perfumery is born. segment, Prêt-à-porter, ready-to- product development to satisfy the wear, clothing comes on the scene consumer – that’s what marketing is with creations by Yves St Laurent, all about. For luxury perfumery, followed by the first designers, like scientific marketing, which analyzes Daniel Hechter, Cacharel and Mary the competition and the market, as Quant, who invents the miniskirt. well as the cultural, economic and 2.