Fragrance through the decades
The 1960’s began the explosion in the USA
In the 1960’s more people began to buy perfume, especially in duty free shops, as travel retail offered a vast array of European perfumes which were previously not as well-known or readily available to Americans. The heady floral Madame Rochas which was inspired by Chanel No 5, had a modern feel with the addition of Lily of the valley. The bottle was a replica of an 18th century antique bottle designed by Pierre Dinand, with whom I had the pleasure of working on the Tiffany and Burberry fragrances. The perfume still retains its allure and fascination today as a ‘classic’. The era of the 60s was filled with rapid and irrevocable change, causing a new interest in lighter, less cloying scents. As the influence of the French perfumery grew, the American Fragrance industry began in the 60’s and eventually flourished as a result of more and more American companies entering the category and designers added fragrance to their product portfolio. The first American designer, who was known as the ‘American Balenciaga’ for his couture techniques was Norman Norell and his perfume was Norell by Norell, launched in 1968 and created by Josephine Catapano. It was a green, woodsy, chypre fragrance and could als be considered unisex in a way. What would the 60’s be without Twiggy? She epitomized that era with her Mini Skirts, and musk and patchouli became very popular as the scents of choice for hippy generation, since it was thought to deflect the smell of marijuana.
How Perfumes changed in 1970’s
The 1970’s were called the Me Decade. It was a trend-laden, fad happy decade and people did as they pleased. It was the decade of disco, mood rings, pet rocks, bellbottoms, hip huggers, the leisure suit, platform shoes, designer jeans and string bikini. While the 60’s were full of political and cultural movements, the 1970’s shifted away from the social issues and more towards self-examination. So what did people turn to ? The 1970’s were full of musky fragrances. It is the decade that saw an increase in unisex fragrances and the creation of the first natural and organic perfumes which were made by Aveda. Fragrance advertising was revolutionized with the launch of ‘Charlie’ perfume, a peachy, fruity fresh, aldehydic composition, with the Charlie girl striding down the street, defining the decade of the emancipated woman. Now seen as a reflection of the working girl. Jovan launched a musk oil which positioned itself as a sex appeal adherent. The perfume gates had opened commercially. Yves St Laurent launched Opium which was a bold modern spicy concoction with distinctly recognizable cinnamon notes and the name caused a furor! The 70’s also saw fragrances from other designers such as Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Carolina Herrera and many others.
Perfumes in the 1980’s linger on and on and on…
The most recognizable fragrance of the 1980’s was Giorgio Beverly Hills which was bold, decadent, flamboyant, reflected wealth, opulence and the luxurious lifestyle of the Hollywood and Beverly Hills. It became the biggesr designer fragrance in the 1980’s and it was the popular TV Show ‘Dynasty’ with big hair, shoulder pads, gorgeous clothes and beautiful, sexy woman. It was designed on the supposition that everybody wanted that movie star lifestyle. The perfume was so powerful and recognizable that some restaurants asked women to refrain from wearing it, and even printed the request on their menus. The other powerful perfumes at the time: Poison by Dior was distinctive, provocative and sexy with a strong blackcurrant fruity, honey and amber. Obsession by Calvin Klein with dep spicy, amber and musky notes. And for men? Stetson (smells like sweet alcohol) and Brut (for men) were popular men’s cologne at the time, proving some brands never die.
The 90’s became lighter, watery, transparent and unisex
The 90’s saw a new trend which came as a reversal and a backlash to the opulent, over-the-top 80’s. this became the time of minimalism, transparency and conspicuous excesses outmoded. Issey Miyake’s ‘L’eau d’Issey’ appealed to both men and women, changing the direction from heavy florals to light, breezy, ozonic notes and are still popular today. Reflecting the denunciation of consumerism and recession, CK One telegraphed that one secretly longed to be a part of the goth and at least stoner crowd but wasn’t ready for it. As women entered the workforce, Clinique Happy was for those who became lawyers but might really want to be a mom. Tommy Girl was for serious girls with a playful personality, longing to fit in. One iconic fragrance of the 90’s was Angel by Thierry Mugler – the first ‘edible gourmand scent’, which reflected childhood memories: Caramel, candy floss, chocolate and his mother’s nail polish remover!
2000’s celebrity fragrances continue to launch
After the successful introduction of Elizabeth Taylor’s perfumes, the celebrity fragrance category proliferated! The 2000’s saw the rise of celebrity fragrances, with almost every celebrity launching fragrances. The most popular and enduring is still Jennifer Lopez with her GLOW fragrance since its launch in 2002 and PROMISE being the 25th addition to her $2billion franchise. And there’s Paris – of Hilton fame. Paris Hilton has been in the beauty industry since 2004, when she launched her first fragrance.
Since then, her brand is estimated to have done $2.5 billion in fragrance sales. Her most recent perfume is called Electrify, meant to capture the rush Hilton feels when she is DJ’ing. You would think that Lady Gaga and Madonna would have successful perfume brands, think again! Both mega superstars introduced their fragrances in 2012 and despite their fame, neither were the commercial successes that they had been projected to be and landed up in Macy’s clearance sale (fragrances are never discounted at stores!). Surprisingly, in a ‘whisper’ campaign, in 2015, Lady Gaga introduced yet another fragrance, Eau de Gaga, which had minimal shelf life.
The world of fragrance is ever-evolving, reflecting the cultural and social shifts of each era. From the musky rebellion of the 70s to the light and airy minimalism of the 90s, perfume continues to be a powerful tool for self-expression. What trends will emerge in the future? Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure: fragrance will continue to be a fascinating journey through scent and history.
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Happy Summer!
Scentfully,
Sue Phillips