YSL KOUROS: 5-batches blind test (year 2013)

Don't waste so many words. KOUROS is one of the Myths: unique, hated and loved, beyond any measure.
About Kouros reformulations, volumes have been written, but this is not the place to talk about it. In this test we want to compare the last decade of Kouros editions, from 2003 to 2013, to check if the heavy perfume reformulations occurred during recent years, ruined or improved, or didn't have effect at all, on this superb scent.

Low-cost perfumes, anyone?

So many, many discussions about it, just take a trip on Google to find a lot of infos. We are speaking about the famous-infamous "supermarket perfumes beating designer scents".

In summary, a well-known supermarket brand decided to produce their own scents, with only one rule: producing a perfume with a final price "less than five Euros" (4 UK pounds, or 7 US dollars), all inclusive, and on-par (same quality) with well-known designer scents.

The maximum of the trick was a sort of "blind tests" using original designer scents, asking a group of volunteers "what's the best perfume?". Well, the results was that at least 50 % of people said that best perfumes were the supermarket ones (the designer scents used for blind tests were Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel, and Hugo Boss Bottled , both with a considerably higher price than "supermarket" ones). 

Well, let's make the same thing. 

In this test it was decided to repeat the same experiment: on the first side there are the two supermarket perfumes, namely Suddenly Madame Glamour and X -Bolt (total cost: less than ten Euros), on the other side there are samples of Chanel and Hugo Boss.

Dior Homme Intense: updates.

I'm in France, and this afternoon I entered in a Dior boutique, where I find on the shelves both Dior Homme and Dior Homme Intense testers, just arrived, unboxed, batched 3X02 (October 2013).
( about "batch-numbers", see here  for "Christian Dior")
I was a bit perplexed:  the Homme Intense juice seemed significantly lighter than the Homme.
I asked permission to shot a few pictures with a whiter background, a neutral, and a darker background.
Dior Homme Intense appears very clear, almost transparent.
Dior Homme is Green-Yellow.
I'm concerned by the DHI color.
*apparently* smell like the previous "year 2013" batches, i.e very good.
Unfotunately I coudn't have an accurate test inside the boutique, so I'll prepare a thorogh review soon. I'm only a bit perplexed with all these variations.

Thought of the Day (December 16th, 2013)

"Bear in mind, I have been off the radar screen for several years, since 2008. Part of the reason I felt like I had to, you know, get away from it for a while was the tremendously depressing impression that perfumery was a field of ruins (...) on the one hand, the great classics were being systematically destroyed—for no good reason. And on the other hand, the new creations—with notable exceptions, of course—were cut and paste compositions that imitate the competition. It all converged into a sort of blah nothingness." 

(Luca Turin)

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"Sono stato lontano dalle scene per diversi anni, dal 2008 in poi; e parte del motivo è stato che mi volevo allontanare, almeno per un pò, da quello che mi sembrava il panorama deprimente di una profumeria ridotta ormai un cumulo di rovine (...) da una parte i grandi classici venivano sistematicamente distrutti senza una vera ragione, dall'altra parte i nuovi profumi -con qualche eccezione- parevano ideati lì per lì per imitare altri profumi concorrenti. E così facendo, sembrava che tutto fosse vacuo e futile, nel mondo della profumeria" (Luca Turin)  

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OPIUM pour Homme EDP: still in production.

How many times we heard: Oh, the beautiful Opium pour Homme, Eau de Parfum version (not the EdT), what a great perfume! now sadly discontinued...
WRONG.
Opium pour Homme EdP is still in production as you can see in this picture ( I am the photographer ) shot inside a Yves Saint Laurent boutique. It's a 62Kxxx batch, so = year 2013. The EdP version is still on production but only in limited quantities. Strangely, it is availble only in the tiny 50ml (1.7 oz. ) bottle.
(how to recognize YSL perfumes: see here )
What about smell? Well, I was in a hurry and didn't test it thoroughly, but it seems not with the same strenght and potency as in the older vintage versions. Sorry to say this, guys, the 2013 EdP is not a bad perfume, but it seems much lighter than the original.

Opium pour Homme, EdP version
 = still in production, year 2013

BULGARI BLACK: it's not discontinued.

Bulgari Black, discontined or not? Available? Not available?
Here's the proof, you can see a sealed box and bottle of "Black", with the batch-number sporting the letter D. It means year 2013.
(how to recognize Bulgari perfumes: here )
So, it's still in production, although in limited quantities.
Note the long "list of restricted ingredients" is not listed anymore on the sticker, but on the side of the box.
What about smell? Luckily, for the lovers of this fragrance, it's still "Black", but it's a bit watered down in a side-by-side confrontation with the original from 1998.

Bulgari Black, batch number with letter D
=year 2013

How to recognize "VanCleef & Arpels" perfumes.

                        Van Cleef & Arpels
"Van Cleef&Arpels" is a "Great and Complicated" (at the same time) Perfume House. 
"Great" because produced great -really great- perfumes: "First" (1976), "Pour Homme" (1978), and "Gem" (1987), to name the most famous.
But it is "complicated", too, because there are some difficulties in recognizing date of production of perfumes, especially the older ones. Box and labels can be sometimes really hard to understand, batch numbers have 3,4,5 or even more digits. Sometimes there is no label on the bottle, and you can get some clues from boxes.
Here are some useful tips to date "Van Cleef&Arpels" perfumes.

High cost perfumes, and what about packaging?

CHRISTMAS 2013

Creed perfumes on exhibition in a perfumery shop (picture)
Can you imagine the opinion of the casual buyer, looking for perfumes?
If I have to pay big money for a perfume, can I at least ask for labels that don't detach?
Next step for high perfumery: good quality self-adhesive labels.
(Picture shot on Friday 6th, december 2013)

Detaching front labels on perfume box.

Christmas 2013...

Here you can see what happened during Christmas when perfumes have poor sales.
Overwhelmed with heavy discounts (prices in Euros)

Quantifying the amount of a perfume.

Quantifying perfume inside bottles: a practical method.
You bought a perfume or a tester in a non-sealed bottle, or an "used" one.
Or you bought online a perfume sold as "new" and "mint", and you want to check it.
Is the perfume you bought really "new"? Or, if it's "used", how much perfume does it remain in the bottle?

Thought of the Day (26th Nov 2013)

"When I started my interest in perfumes, I remember people said: 'Guerlain? Ah, these Guerlain scents, today.... are not as good as they used to be'. Well, this happened in 1975.
Today, a perfume by Guerlain dated 'year 1975' could be considered as liquid gold".
(Luca Turin)

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"Quando cominciai ad interessarmi di profumi, ricordo molto bene che si diceva: Guerlain? Eh, i suoi profumi non sono più buoni, come quelli di una volta....
Era il 1975. Oggi, un profumo di Guerlain del 1975 è da considerarsi oro liquido." (Luca Turin)

Guerlain LIDGE: reformulated? A 5-samples blind test.

L' Instant De Guerlain Extreme pour Homme (i.e. LIDGE), is the "Eau de Parfum
 version" of L'Instant de Guerlain (LIDG), two men's fragrances contending the "Trophy of Rivalry" with "Dior Homme" highly-acclaimed twins. But let's face it, both Dior and Guerlain are excellent, and none is better than the other.
What we want to investigate about, however, is the (alleged) "LIDGE reformulation", which (allegedly) took place at an unspecified time, around 2011 or 2012. True or false ?

The Art of (Vintage) Layering

" Layering " is the action of "putting layers" (or stratifying) on top of something else.
In perfumery we speak about "layering" when we want to achieve new effects or even "create" new perfumes, simply applying a perfume, and then another just over the previous different scent.
You can "layer perfumes" by adding some sweet to harsh, dry scents, resulting with (theoretically) infinite combinations.
But "Layering" is an amazing resource for another reason, namely to "simulate" , with excellent results, vintage perfumes. How it works? It 's quite easy .

The Art of Progressive Smelling

Does a simple way to study the evolution of a fragrance exist?
Of course it exists, and it does not require any special equipment but the perfume, a clock and some patience.
The technique of "Progressive Smelling" involves spraying perfume at different times and in different places....but smelling it at the same time.

"DIOR HOMME" : 9-batches blind test

For the DIOR HOMME INTENSE tests see here
For the batch-numbers code ("Christian Dior"), see here
For the "Year 2014" update, see here.


Dior Homme, the Eau de Toilette launched in 2005, had a lot of controversies similarly to its bigger brother EdP "Homme Intense", because of a "reformulation" that took place during previous years (as in the "Intense" version) and sparked speculations of all kinds (and hoarding, and obviously price increases).
In this article, an analysis of the alleged differences between the various years of "Dior Homme" will occur, using a total of NINE different bottles from 2005 up to 2013.

How to recognize BVLGARI Perfumes

HOW TO RECOGNIZE BVLGARI PERFUMES.

Previously we recognized, batch-by-batch, year-by-year:
-GUERLAIN perfumes ( here )
-YVES SAINT LAURENT perfumes ( here )
-CHRISTIAN  DIOR perfumes  ( here )
-ARMANI Perfumes ( here ) 
-CHANEL ( here )
Now we will consider another House: Bulgari

CERRUTI pour FEMME (1987)

from Parfumo.net

Year: 1987

Top notes: coriander, bergamot, plum; 

Middle notes: carnation, jasmine, ylang-ylang, tuberose, rose, honey; 

Base notes: vetiver, musk, sandalwood, oakmoss, cedar, vanille.

Longevity: at least 7 hrs. Sillage: very high.

Rating: 9.5/10

ABSTRACT Sadly discontinued -and very hard to find now at decent prices- it was considered by connoisseurs as a luxury alternative for Dior's Poison (1985); but at the same time it was considered -by detractors- only as an elegant "spin-off" from Clandestine (by Guy Laroche, 1986) 

In any case, luxury and elegance were qualities typical of "Cerruti pour Femme" (1987).

Thought for the Day.

"Today, in 2013, there are more people writing about perfume than about wine. That is shocking. It's become a sort of minor industry."   (Luca Turin)

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"Oggi, nel 2013, c'è in giro più gente che scrive a proposito di profumi di quanta ve ne sia a scrivere sui vini. E' una cosa incredibile; sta diventando una sorta di professione." 
(Luca Turin)

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How to recognize GIORGIO ARMANI perfumes.

HOW TO RECOGNIZE ARMANI PERFUMES
Previously we considered how to recognize, batch-by-batch, year-by-year:

-GUERLAIN perfumes ( here )

-YVES SAINT LAURENT perfumes ( here )

-CHRISTIAN DIOR  perfumes  ( here )

-VAN CLEEF et ARPELS perfumes ( here )

-CHANEL perfumes ( here )

-BVLGARI perfumes ( here )

-HERMES perfumes ( here )
-VERSACE perfumes ( here )

now we'll consider another great House: Giorgio Armani Parfums.

From Splash to Spray.

At the end of the Fifties the first spray bottles appeared, gas-powered, ( called "atomiseur", or "gas-propellant sprays") , but the real success of this innovative system arrived only in the Eighties, with the advent of "natural spray" system, which did not involve artificial gases, prohibited by law.

Since the Eighties “splash” bottles experienced a gradual decline, until disappearing -almost completely- at the end of the Nineties. In 2000s splash bottles were very rare, except for the aftershaves, and now virtually extinct, except for special cases (usually limited edition bottles).

MITSOUKO year 2013: does the Empress strike back?

ABSTRACT
Mitsouko, the "Mysterious", the Empress of Perfumes.... it's one of the true "legendary" perfumes, produced by Guerlain since 1919.
Superb, immediately recognizable, Mitsouko was subject to many reformulations, including a particularly critical one that took place around 2007-8, which significantly changed the perfume.

DIOR HOMME INTENSE : 4-batches review.

Dior Homme, in the EDP ("Intense") version, launched in 2007, had a lot of controversies in the past two years , when it was said that this perfume had been "drastically reformulated".
The fact took place in second half of 2011: in that year there were slightly changes in outer packages, and some details of the bottles changed, too.
The "reformulation" news sparked a wave of frenzy and rushes to buy bottles of  "vintage" Dior Homme Intense ("vintage" is an unusual term here, since we're talking about a perfume launched in 2007... ), resulting in increased prices and speculations of all kinds.
In this article, a possibly accurate analysis of the alleged differences between the various "vintages" of Dior Homme Intense will occur, using two bottles for the period alleged "pre-reformulation ", and two for the same period post-reformulation .

MISSONI (The original) by Missoni,1982.

YEAR: 1982
Top: Bergamot, Hyacynth, Cassia, Aldehydes, Raspberry
Middle: Rose, Geranium, Ylang-Ylang, Iris, Jasmin
Base: Honey, Oakmoss, Civet, Amber, Patchouly, Styrax.
Longevity: at least 10 hours
Sillage Great.
Season: Autumn/Winter
Rating: 9/10

ABSTRACT
"When the colors become scents" "Do something colorful" " said advertisement from the Eighties.
Ah, those marvelous taglines: other times, other perfumery.

VENDETTA pour Homme (Valentino, 1991)

Year: 1991
Top:  Verbena, Neroli, Lavender, Bergamot, Basil, Coriander, Aldehydes
Middle: Clove, Geranium, Jasmin, Cedar, Vetiver, Cinnamon, Bay-Rum
Base: Patchouli, Oakmoss, Musk, Labdanum, Musk, Amber, TonkaBean, Benzoin
Parfumeur: Edouard Flèchier
Longevity: about 5-6 hours
Sillage:: high. 
Rating: 8.5/10

Famous stylist and designer Valentino is known  in perfumery, according to some, as "the one who missed the boat ". Terms may be too drastic to indicate a Maison which, while other scents hit the market repeatedly, remained motionless and almost detached from the games.

BEL AMI (Hermès,1986)

Year: 1986
Top: Lemon, Cardamon, Sage, Orange, Bergamot
Middle: Ylang-ylang, Iris, Basil, Carnation, Jasmin, Patchouli, Cedar
Base: Vanilla, Sandalwood, Vetyver, Leather, Coconut, Oakmoss, Amber, Styrax
Perfumer: JeanLouis Sieuzac
VOTO: 10/10


ABSTRACT: There is no need to ask Guy de Maupassant : even without the encouragement of the famous French writer , BelAmi has been a fabulous scent of the '80s, with rare elegance, still in production (although reformulated).

How to recognize GUERLAIN perfumes.

(disclaimer: these pages are not for commercially purposes; we are truly, genuine fragrance lovers examining hundreds of perfumes to understand the "meaning" of batch numbers, and here are the results)

Here we are going to investigate the -historically- most famous perfume house: Guerlain.
It's a bit difficult task, because Guerlain adopted several "letters and numbers", different boxes, and complicate batch-codes,  indicating "Years" and "Months". So, we should have a look at: boxes, labels, symbols and perfume "launch date", simultaneously, to obtain an additional help.

RUMBA (Balenciaga,1988)

Year: 1988
Top: Bergamot, Raspberry, Plum, Orange Blossom, Peach, Basil
Middle: Honey, Gardenia, Tuberose, Carnation, Heliotrope, Marigold, Jasmine, Magnolia, Orchid
Base: Styrax, Leather, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Musk, Amber, Cedar, Oakmoss, Patchouli.
Perfumers: Ron Winnegrad and JeanClaude Ellena
VOTO: 9/10


ABSTRACT  -"Blast from the Past" - This is a female fragrance by Balenciaga launched during 1988. Did I say "fragrance"? Let's be honest, this was not just a perfume: this was an olfactive cannon shot.
If you want to go unnoticed, Rumba definitely is not the perfume right for you; but if you want the whole world to turn towards you, this is the scent.

How to recognize CHRISTIAN DIOR perfumes.

Now, let's consider another great perfume house.

Christian Dior's are among the most famous (and counterfeited…) scents in the whole world and, unfortunately, will give you some trouble when you want to determine the manifacturing years.

Difficulties derive from the unusual batch code system - and to the fact that until 1995 Christian Dior in many cases did not carved or printed serial numbers on the box, as many other houses did, but only by printing it on the external cellophane/wrap membrane. This means that when you remove the cellophane, the batch number is lost. 
Plus, consider that printed numbers on cellophane are easily erased......
Fortunately, the " batch-code" , i.e. the serial number , was also printed on the bottom of the bottle.

As always, the most important thing in “guessing a date” on a bottle is not knowing the exact month and year , but the historical period.
Old perfumes were usually made using the best materials, and without being subject to restrictions whatsoever. 
As commonly said, "the older, the better"

QUIPROQUO, Grès (1976)

Year: 1976
Top notes: Citrus
Mid notes: Spices
Base notes: Woods
Parfumeur: Robert Gonnon
VOTO : 8/10

Abstract: Created by Robert Gonnon, one of the most famous noses of the seventies (AnaisAnais by Cacharel, Empreinte by Courregès, Metal by Paco Rabanne, Sikkim by Lancome, O de Lancome....), this almost unknown scent of the house Grès has a name very apt: "Quiproquo" (it's Latin for "swap two things each other "): in fact, despite being classified as "for women", is a perfume quietly ... masculine. It's perfectly unisex.

The Magnificent 26: "The Last Warning".

(Abstract:
During 2003 the EU announced the New Cosmetics Directive (the Old one dating from 1976) to make it more in step with the current times. In the New Directive, namely the "Directive 2003/15/EC" (amending Directive 76/768/EEC) is the rule of mandatory labeling for 26 substances potentially involved with allergies.

BALENCIAGA "Cialenga" (1973)

                           

YEAR: 1973

Top notes: citruses, black currant, green notes;

Middle notes: iris, jasmine, ylang-ylang, clove, rose, lily;

Base notes: Vetyver, sandalwood, patchouli, oakmoss, virginia cedar.

Perfumer: Jacques Jantzen


(ABSTRACT: 

"Cialenga", by Balenciaga: forty years tribute (1973-2013)

Probably it was not the most celebrated women's fragrance by Balenciaga, comparing with LeDix and Quadrille, but it was a wonderful scent. Moreover, when it comes to Balenciaga, any scent is wonderful and remarkable.
Many times we hear -speaking about fragrances- "vintage" lovers are always exaggerating, talking nonsense about alleged "Golden Age" that in fact never existed. Well, Cialenga, as virtually all the old Balenciagas, is an excellent demonstration of the contrary.

How to recognize YVES SAINT LAURENT perfumes

Opium , Kouros, Paris, YSL pour Homme... What about Yves Saint Laurent classic perfumes?

Well, you should look at the labels, the stickers, the technical symbols, and batch-code numbers.

The problem -especially for Yves Saint Laurent- is the confusing amount of many different labels, numbers, symbols, boxes and codes.

To recognize YSL scents, it is necessary to know the history of the House, because boxes, labels, symbols, etc., reflect the different historical periods.

This should be pretty simple, but it isn't: actually the labels, the stickers and the boxes, were messed up during transition periods, and made things difficult to understand.
So let's go and try to solve the mystery.

ADAM, Eau de Bruyère/Bruyère (1973-1985).

(ABSTRACT The story of ADAM is an unbelievable one: one of the most famous Italian perfume factory , based in Parma , active since the Thirties, still in the early '70s was one of the most famous and noble houses. ADAM ceased all activities in 1985, and since then -literally- disappeared . Even today, you can hardly find any information about ADAM, even surfing on the web.

VERSACE The Dreamer ("Nebula edition", 1996)

VERSACE, The Dreamer
Year 1996
Notes: - variable according to the source-

ABSTRACT: The Dreamer" was practically the last scent directly supervised by Gianni Versace before his death in 1997, along with "Jeans". Around this scent everything has been said, and the opposite of everything: many talks about its olfactory pyramid (on the web you will find the most diverse compositions for this perfume!), its relative similarity with Dolce & Gabbana pour Homme, that came out two years earlier; about the tobacco-or-not-tobacco discussion, until to the "ruining" reformulation happened in 2008. Leaving aside all these useless discussions, The Dreamer was a prominent male-flowery scent, with "smoky" elements, and a strong inclination towards the tobacco leaf (not the classic pipe-tobacco note). Some people founfd it a malancholic  scent; others descrided it as sex-in-a-bottle. As you can see, it's a real Dreamer: you can have all dreams you want.
After the application, the first few minutes are rough and harsh, then turned in a warm and smooth aroma. Very nice box, and a marvelous crystal bottle, a real piece of art. Here is reviewed the first bottle produced in 1996: the "Nebula" version, both AfterShave and Eau de Toilette.

HOW TO MAKE A (serious) BLIND TEST

(ABSTRACT: A "blind" test is essential to really understand what you're smelling.

That is, your target is to recognize, in a incontrovertible way, if there are differences between the scents you are considering; or no difference at all.

Are we smelling the same scent? and in the same intensity, nuances, and strength ?

LEONARD pour Homme (1980)

LEONARD Pour Homme
Year 1980
Creator: Ron Winnegrad
Bottle design: Serge Mansau
TopNotes: Thyme, Petitgrain, Majorane, Lavender, Bergamot, Basil.
Middle: Cinnamon, Cedar, Carnation, Artemisia, Vetiver, Patchouli, Iris, Jasmine.
Base: Oakmoss, Labdanum, Leather, Castoreum, Musk, Amber.

BULGARI "Black" (1998).

Topnotes: Tea, Bergamot, Jasmine

Middle Notes: Cedar, Sandalwood, Leather

Base Notes: Amber, Musk, Vanilla

year: 1998 

Created by: Annick Menardo

Bottle:  Thierry de Baschmakoff

TRUSSARDI "Donna" (1982).

"GLI ANNI OTTANTA NEL LORO GRANDE SPLENDORE."


(ABSTRACT:
THE EIGHTIES  IN ALL THEIR GLORY. One of the cornerstones of the "Italian Wave" of the Eighties, "Trussardi Donna" (in Italian: Trussardi for woman") went on sale in 1982, in the same period of the two giants Armani and Versace, and, along with "Trussardi Uomo", made ​​the fortune of the ICR laboratories. The two Trussardi perfumes, male and female, had an overwhelming success all over the world.
Feminine/unisex scent, really rich, opulent, concentrated, in the tradition of the Eighties, when perfumes had to be similar to "smell bombs," is unmistakable, and with its leather notes can be suitable also as a masculine scent.
Duration and sillage at the highest levels.
Completely reformulated in 2005 by Selective Beauty, in a manner completely different from the original, you can not even say that it is "better or worse", since it's simply another perfume.
Wonderful bottle with the appearance of "skin crocodile.")


TRUSSARDI DONNA (year 1982)

Top notes: aldehyde, green herbs, bergamot, hyacinth, galbanum, coriander.

Heart notes: geranium, jasmine, tuberose, ylang-ylang.

Basenotes: leather, styrax, amber, cedar, sandalwood, patchouli and vanilla. 

Made by: ICR (Industrie Cosmetiche Riunite)

Bottle: Nicola Trussardi.

YEARS 1982-2010.  Completeley reformulated in 2005.

GREEN DOT

Il simbolo GreenDot, che può essere di vari colori.

Il simbolo "Green Dot", che potremmo chiamare simbolo di riciclaggio, è stato adottato a partire dal 1992 in molti paesi europei. E' un logo, non obbligatorio, stampato sulla superficie esterna della scatola, utilizzato per segnalare un sistema di smaltimento degli imballaggi dei beni di consumo. Dal punto di vista legislativo, è stato regolamentato solo a partire dal 1995. Alcuni stati non lo adottano, quindi è possibile non trovarlo stampato sulla scatola.

BAR-CODE

Il codice a barre per stimare la data di produzione di un profumo è di grande importanza.
Ecco due flaconi di Versace l'Homme, uno dei più splendidi capolavori della profumeria maschile, in produzione fin dal 1984. 
Apparentemente sembrano molto simili.

però, se andiamo a vedere gli altri lati della scatola, troviamo una piccola differenza...

GUERLAIN "Derby" (1985)

nome: DERBY
produttore: GUERLAIN

anno: 1985
Classificato come leather chypre.
Topnotes: lemon, bergamot, artemisia.
Middlenotes: peppermint, pepper, mace, pimento, rose, jasmin.
Basenotes: leather, sandalwood, patchouli, vetiver, oakmoss
Creatore: Jean-Paul Guerlain
STATUS: ancora in produzione in quantità limitata.


Secondo il critico Luca Turin, Derby è stato "uno dei dieci migliori profumi maschili di tutti i tempi". Probabilmente è stato un profumo che non ha avuto la visibilità che meritava, risultando infatti troppo "vecchia maniera". Fu lanciato sul mercato in un periodo storico dove il mondo della profumeria andava dirigendosi verso una direzione differente. E' la stessa disavventura che capiterà, circa quindici anni più tardi, a un altro grande profumo maschile di Guerlain, che a ben vedere ne sarà la "continuazione", e cioè "Coriolan".
La leggenda racconta che Jean-Paul Guerlain si trovasse nel 1981 in Tunisia, visitando le antiche rovine romane, e rimase 

HOW TO KEEP OLD "SPLASH" PERFUMES.

ABSTRACT: At least in theory it should be easy to keep a perfume; just keep it away from light, holding it inside his own box, and stay away from heat sources. 

Unfortunately it's not enough.
The biggest enemy of a perfume is the ' evaporation , a phenomenon that affects indiscriminately any old perfume, even in the presence of its cap.
Only at the end of the Fifties appeared the first sprayers, but their presence on the market for many years was very small. One of the advantages of the system was the sealing the bottle, preventing thus the evaporation (unless sprayer breaks, very frequent in early versions, when they used some kind of propellant gas.) 

LET'S START!

WHY "RAIDERS OF THE LOST SCENT" ?

Another blog about perfumes?

Yes, but it is a particular blog, that wants to show perfumes different from the usual, and in a different way from the usual. 

But what perfumes are we talking about? We are talking about two categories of perfumes: the first are those that no longer exist, that are now part of the past, since they are no longer in production.

And the others are those that "are no longer the same as before".

In fact, those who are passionate about perfumes will have noticed for a long time that current perfumes are different "from those of the past", even if apparently, reading their name, they are the same.

This blog is therefore dedicated to the discovery, or rather the re-discovery, of those splendid perfumes from many years ago, which "seemed so different". Was it just a memory, or were they really "different"?

Unfortunately, it is not just our youthful memories, there is also something true: today's perfumes are very different from those of yesterday, for a whole series of (complicated) reasons.

We could write entire books about it, but what we are interested in now is hunting for lost perfumes.

And this blog also wants to show the details, the boxes, the bottles, to appreciate their aesthetics, to see how the perfumes were made, to understand which is the best version to choose from among the many produced.

Happy reading, have fun!

Andrè

July 1st, 2013.

RAIDERS OF THE LOST SCENT

"Tabac Blond" picture by Matthias Kristiansson.