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The Death of a Classic Perfume (terrible news)

post #1 of 19
3/18/10 at 9:00pm
Thread Starter 
Today is a black and horrid day within the galaxy of perfumery. One of the pillars and hallmarks of the fragrance industry has come to its end. See link below as to which it is.....

http://sorceryofscent.blogspot.com/
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post #2 of 19
3/18/10 at 9:17pm
Our very own Dimitri's blog - an excellent one too. Thanks for this.
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post #3 of 19
3/18/10 at 9:28pm
Behold yet another regrettable, utterly mindless decimation of another classsic by big business, unfortunately not without precedent. These are troubled times for those of us who rely on the availability of cherished fragrances. What folly it is to destroy works of art in the name of greed and profit. There appears the specter of imminent fragrance extinction on the horizon each day it seems. Hoarding appears to be our only tool to assure continuing appreciation of the perfumers art in our life time. Just as the bell tolls for thee so it tolls for classic fragrance. Eat, drink and smell wonderful for tomorrow we die.
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post #4 of 19
3/19/10 at 1:56am
Thank you Atlanta1... I am pleased you found this article and hopefully it will move some members to obtain at least a couple of bottles of the pre-reformulated stuff. Fortunately there's no cause for panic just yet though, as there seems to be a lot of original Opium still out there.
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post #5 of 19
3/19/10 at 2:13am
Can anyone point us to photos of the new packaging?
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post #6 of 19
3/19/10 at 2:44am
The last picture in my blog article Noggs is the new bottle. You will see it prominently at point of sale.
I am looking on the web for a packshot of the packaging but havent found one so far.
As I recall the EDT is packaged in a bordeaux red (almost square) box, and the EDP in a brushed gold box of the same shape and size.
If I find a photo I will post it here.
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post #7 of 19
3/19/10 at 2:54am
What a pity, also considering the fact that Opium four femme nearly had an unisex potential
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post #8 of 19
3/19/10 at 2:58am


OK, this is the best I can find.

This is the new EDT packaging (lifted from an ebay listing).
The EDP packaging is identical, but the colours are reversed (bordeaux logo and bamboo motif on a brushed gold box).
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post #9 of 19
3/19/10 at 3:48am
I have been telling my girlfriends that love Opium to stock up now before the new formulation becomes the norm

Its another of those frags that my mum used to love back in the late 70's and early 80's , Id hate to think how it smells now they screwed around with it
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post #10 of 19
3/19/10 at 4:05am
They're probably going to make it an aquatic before long.
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post #11 of 19
3/19/10 at 4:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pour_Monsieur View Post

I have been telling my girlfriends that love Opium to stock up now before the new formulation becomes the norm

Its another of those frags that my mum used to love back in the late 70's and early 80's , Id hate to think how it smells now they screwed around with it

P_M, I urge you to try it next time you are in a fragrance hall... I think you might find it rather shocking.
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post #12 of 19
3/19/10 at 4:28am
Reformulation for the wrong reasons seems like a ( terminal,wasting ) disease to me . I cannot imagine what they were thinking when they re did Opium EDT and EDP. I guess they will be doing the extrait next. Do they think they are modernising it ,are their demographics telling them their customers are dying off, deserting the perfume , or is it dollar signs ?
( Now , have I killed this thread ? )
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post #13 of 19
3/19/10 at 5:01am
I would like to point out that Opium has been frequently reformulated before. The amount of increasingly expensive and unobtainable naturals was systematically reduced time and again, just as in the case of the once santalum album-drenched Guerlain Samsara. Mr. Johann Maria Farina, who knows the perfume and essential oil business from the inside, discussed this with me in our interview.
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post #14 of 19
3/19/10 at 5:43am
I guess that if they can keep the aroma and personality of Opium 'intact' then reformulation is fine but I think what is being said here, is that Opium smells like Opium, no more.
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post #15 of 19
3/19/10 at 5:54am
I don't deny that the formula will have changed over the years, as is inevitable. But with this new repackaging, Ruggles and I have both noted a disappointing change... I would love to hear others opinions as well. I opened a thread in the Women's Fragrance Discussion board a few weeks ago, if anyone would like to add something.
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post #16 of 19
3/19/10 at 7:36am
Sad news, indeed. All too often when House ownership changes hands, reformulations and cheapenings follow. You know it's bad when an icon and powerhouse like Opium falls to the bean counters' axe.
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post #17 of 19
3/19/10 at 12:19pm
I noticed the change in Opium before Christmas in the Paris Sephora of the Champs-Elysées, and actually let out a yelp of surprise when I smelled the strip. I even sought out another tester bottle to check if somehow there had been a mistake. Opium has been thoroughly gutted and is now barely recognizable.

As I never wore it (when it was launched, I suffered from overexposure and could never erase the memories), I had to procure a sample from a friend so that I could show my students at the London College of Fashion what it was like -- they'd have never understood the impact it had in 1977 with the new, watered down version.

I think it got spayed for two reasons: one is that many ingredients, incluing the clove note (eugenol) in the carnation are now very restricted, and the other is that with customers wanting "light" and "fresh" it was no longer deemed marketable.

After smelling the new version I happened to spot Pierre Bergé in a restaurant where I was having lunch. I almost went up to him to tell him what a pity it was that a part of Yves Saint Laurent's heritage had been so badly disfigured. But he's not really the kind of gentleman whose meal you interrupt, so I swallowed my lament.
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post #18 of 19
3/19/10 at 4:35pm
Thanks carmencanada for your post. How tempting it must have been to speak to Pierre Berge !
I think at this stage, I will keep my Opium collection for posterity ,give some to my dearest Mom and move on to other fragrances.
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post #19 of 19
3/19/10 at 5:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by the_good_life View Post

I would like to point out that Opium has been frequently reformulated before. The amount of increasingly expensive and unobtainable naturals was systematically reduced time and again, just as in the case of the once santalum album-drenched Guerlain Samsara. Mr. Johann Maria Farina, who knows the perfume and essential oil business from the inside, discussed this with me in our interview.

And how did it compare? There might still be some of the next to last Opium at a drugstore somewhere, but is it worthwhile?

Pity.
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