What was the first fruity floral?
I'm trying to figure this out - where did the fruity-floral trend come from? (In terms of genealogy of perfume, though I am thinking of the question in more general terms too).
What was the first, or which were the first fruity-floral perfumes?
I know Escada brought out some in the 90s; there was the famous Calyx and of course fruity notes in fragrances go far, far back to Mitsouko (peach) and Femme (plum), but I'm talking about the kind of scent here that smells more like bubble gum/alcopop/shampoo...
Re: What was the first fruity floral?
I can't help wonder if the popularity of Poison helped kicked off the modern trend. It has infinitely more depth and heft than the average fruity floral, but it has that weird and patently synthetic grape-pop accord that separates it from the more subtle fruities like Mitsouko, Vol de Nuit, Femme, et all.
Re: What was the first fruity floral?
I like your question, Nukapai. And I'd be keen to hear opinions on the perfumers' rationale. If what I read is correct, these frags have their source and biggest audience in the US. They, reportedly, are much less popular in Europe. Why would a certain number of American women be so keen (very very generally speaking here) on such odors as bubblegum? Does this represent a very young demographic of fragrance buyers?
Re: What was the first fruity floral?
In terms of the intended creation of what's popular today, there was a series of MPG's in the late 80's where he specifically set out to create interesting mixes of fruit and floral notes. They still smell quite modern today and could easily pass for a Britney Spears celebuscent. But I'll second that none of this could have happened without Poison's sticky sweet grape soda smell being unbelievable popular for years in the 80's (and bonus points to Joop's similar sticky sweet cherry soda for men).
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Re: What was the first fruity floral?
One of the first, if I recollect properly, FF that i remember which was quite a different path of scent when it cam out was Deci Dela by Nina Ricci and Champagne by YSL. There may have been others, but I recall these being very different than what was out prior.
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Re: What was the first fruity floral?
Robert Piguet Visa came out in 1945. However, I only know the modern reformulation and I have read (probably in Luca Turin's book) that it is different from the original.
Re: What was the first fruity floral?
The earliest fruity florals smelled nothing like bubblegum, more like alien landscapes. Creation (1984) is like stepping onto another planet. I have never smelled anything like it. Aspen for Women (1990) and Tresor (1992) carry on that style in a demure way. Poison (1985) is spacy too. Calyx (1986), Rumba (1988), and Red (1989) are somewhat like Poison and Creation, though more feminine. Fantasme (1992) is made by the same house as Creation. Yvresse (1993) is unique and very feminine, probably the most feminine of them all. Dalissime (1994) is a more relaxed Yvresse.
I've never smelled a fruity-floral that smelled like bubblegum. Bath & Body Works in America did start to release a line of fragrances in the early '90s, with names like Country Apple, Sun-Ripened Raspberries, and Pearberry, that were popular with girls. Maybe that started it.
Re: What was the first fruity floral?
I raised the same question on Facebook at a fragrance group there - and got a reply from Calice Becker: "Chiffon Sorbet Escada. It was a seasonal fragrance (the 1st one!)"
Re: What was the first fruity floral?
l was going to say Deci Dela too!Originally Posted by Brielle87
Also, l recall the Body Shop's Dewberry being extremely popular in the late '80's/early '90's.
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Re: What was the first fruity floral?
"Champagne" was the original name of this scent by Yves Saint Laurent
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Re: What was the first fruity floral?
that's an interesting observation, pk116. i will look into that. and i've directly purchased a cheap miniature of lapidus' creation (there are two others with the same name), you make it sound intriguing.
Re: What was the first fruity floral?
I feel Guy Laroche's Clandestine ( 1986 ) deserves a spot on this thread - it's a rather alarming pineapple, at least on my skin, though it has depth to it.
Re: What was the first fruity floral?
I know that in the late 1960s, I loved using the trendy Love's Fresh Lemon. The 'fresh fruit' trend was in tandem with the 'natural'/ hippie craze at that time, and everyone was wearing it. It was mostly and strongly LEMON, but there was a slight floral component to it, if I recall. I don't think it was the first of it's kind, but fruity scents were a very strong fad in the late 60s and early 70s.
Last edited by Nymphaea; 16th June 2011 at 06:22 PM.
Re: What was the first fruity floral?
Calice Becker, said that? That's a pretty good authority, I'd say
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Re: What was the first fruity floral?
Actually, if I had to label the first fruity floral, I'd probably pick a surprise choice: Guerlain's Nahéma (1978). Yes it's primarily a rose fragrance, but it has a significant passionfruit note that grows over time and seems to be the precursor of other tropical-fruit scents such as Calyx's guava accord. It's sophisticated and a far cry from the airheaded fruity-florals of today, which smell more like artificial fruit than real fruit, but I actually do think that this frequently overlooked fragrance was far more influential in perfumers' world than in consumers'.
Calyx, Deci-Delà, and Champagne are also good noteworthy examples. I think this shows that there's nothing inherently wrong with the fruity-floral approach. The problem is frequently in the execution.
Re: What was the first fruity floral?
I'd hate to argue with Becker (and she's probably right), but I wonder if Yves Rocher preceded Escada with some of their earliest Les Plaisirs fruit perfumes.
I recall buying their 'fraise' and 'framboise' perfumes in the very early nineties, and they weren't really any different from the apple-berry-gum scents of today.
Last edited by Hillaire; 17th June 2011 at 11:48 PM.
Re: What was the first fruity floral?
Exactly. I think the fruity-floral category only has a bad reputation due to numerous bad examples of it. I personally love a well done fruity-floral... Things like Peche Cardinal are heavenly.
Re: What was the first fruity floral?
Creation is definitely a fruity/floral, not the Escada type but FF none the less. Clandestine also, nice example. last night I wore Filly by Capucci which is most definitely a FF. Quartz also has some FF to it.
I think Calice B. was giving us the reference point for the first of the candy/sweets/gooey/edible FF types.
Big difference than scents containing true fruit notes, such as Nahema, Colony, Femme, Mitsouko, Fête, L'Eau des Merveilleuses, Petite Cherie, Royal Bain de Champagne, etc... Along with fruit themed scents i.e. Yves Rocher Plaisirs range.
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Re: What was the first fruity floral?
To my nose the fruity Les Plaisirs scents smelled just like the fruity Escadas, and just like the candy-sweet fruit scents of today. They reminded me of lifesavers at first. Which is why they came to mind.
Re: What was the first fruity floral?
An ancillary question would be which fruity floral caused the genre to explode in popularity? I nominate J'Adore.
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