The Surprising French Girl Secret to an Alluring Signature Perfume

Lipstick and perfume are long-standing must-haves for la Parisienne. Less well known, however, are the olfactory ties that string these staple beauty products together. Rose, violet, musk, and vanilla are all classic notes found in both traditional French fragrances and vintage cosmetics, explained legendary “perfume publisher” Frédéric Malle, who launched the scent Lipstick Rose as part of his core collection more than 15 years ago. Recently, however, these “retro” notes have experienced a resurgence that extends far beyond the French girl’s dressing table. Everyone from Prada to Chanel to Maison Margiela have released scents that evoke not just the powdery aroma of lipstick, but the universal feelings of nostalgia and decadence attached to it.

“We all [know] the smell of lipstick—it is a very familiar scent,” said Daniela Andrier, the renowned nose behind Prada’s unisex Olfactories range. “We taste it with our lips; we smell it with our nose; there is a multisensory experience and we all associate it with the idea of putting on some glamour.” For Andrier, the memory of her mother’s Dior lipstick is one she holds dear, while “kissing a pretty girl at a party in Paris” as a teenager instantly comes to mind for Malle. The intimate task of digging through a handbag to unearth a tube of lipstick is the olfactory picture Olympia Le-Tan set out to paint through her collaboration with Diptyque, while the opulent atmosphere of the Palais Garnier and the scent of stage makeup wafting through the wings during the days of the Ballets Russes served as a jumping-off point for Chanel’s house perfumer, Olivier Polge.

Producing a fragrance that simultaneously evokes memory and modernity challenges perfumers to put a fresh spin on old-fashioned accords. Byredo’s Loose Lips candle features a hint of tangy Morello cherry among rose and rice powder notes; Chanel’s Misia balances delicate Grasse rose, iris, and violet with heady tonka bean and benzoin at its base; vibrant orange blossom mingles with luxe leather in Dior’s Cuir Cannage; and the blend of red fruit, rose, and violet found in Prada’s Tainted Love is as unexpected and playful as the iconic lip pattern that inspired it. When combined, these unexpected elements capture that ever-mysterious je ne sais quoi French girls are known for. Here’s to capturing that signature allure with a single spritz.

 

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