7 Scents Through the Decades

As time marched on, fragrance became more accessible to people besides Kings and Queens. In the early 1900’s – 1910’s, fragrance was transformed by placing precious liquids in to various styles of flacons (bottles). Francois Coty introduced the first chypre fragrances (named after the island of Cyprus they are inspired by). Some of the most iconic and revolutionary fragrances launched in the 1920s: Jean Patou’s Joy  and Chanel No5 which introduced the first use of synthetic blends in fragrance, leading to decades of popular main stream fashion fragrances. The popular men’s fragrance Old Spice was put in men’s Dopp kit’s (toiletry bags) during World War II.

Here are some of the other iconic trends and fragrances across the last 100 years:

1930’s – 1940’s

The post Great Depression era was all about Hollywood glam. Fragrance leaned more feminine and light. Miss Dior & L’Aire du Temps were amongst the most popular scents.

1950’s – 1960’s

This era launched the green movement, an era of green notes  (healthy ingredients). Givenchy’s L’Interdit (Audrey Hepburn’s signature scent) became released to the masses. And Old Spice was finally released in drug stores.

1970’s 

Fashion house fragrances and advertising saturated print and television media. The popular woman’s fragrance Charlie had the first advertisement showing a woman in slacks. This era launched Yves Saint Laurent’s Opium, Ralph Lauren’s first ever dual launch of both a men’s (Polo) and women’s (Lauren) fragrances, Chloe by Chloe, and so many others.

1980’s

The decade of self-indulgence and individualism, women’s fragrances celebrated the femme fatale while men’s honored masculinity. Drakar Noir, Dior Poison, the provocative advertising of Calvin Klein’s Obsession, and the rise of Calvin Klein’s Eternity all came out of the 80’s.

1990’s

Tribe culture defined the 90’s. The first of it’s kind gourmand fragrance with an almost edible quality began with the launch of Mugler’s Angel. Elizabeth Taylor’s White Diamonds was the first celebrity fragrance to ever launch. And Giorgio Armani’s men’s fragrance Acqua di Gio began it’s 16 year hold as the #1 men’s fragrance on the market.

2000’s

The 2000’s were filled with flower power! Viktor & Rolf’s gourmand fragrance Flower Bomb exploded on to the market after having only been exclusive to their fashion shows. Marc Jacob’s Lola launched with the face of Dakota Fanning. Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle brought the chypre fragrance to the modern era.