The History of Modern American Perfumery

When most people think of fragrance, they associate great perfume with the French. The USA has a long history in perfumery from the early part of the 20th century to the present. All were pioneers in their day and brought to perfumery their distinctive style. Their perfumes have become legendary, worn by discerning fragrance lovers throughout the world.

American perfumery began in 1939 with Tuvache, a company started by a woman, Bernadine. Not only was fragrance dominated by business men, It was during a time when everyone wanted French perfumes, so she created a fictional name and character MadameTuvache. The most iconic is Jungle Gardenia, once declared the sexiest perfume of its time. Old Hollywood movie stars loved it. Barbara Stanwyck, Joan Crawford, Joan Bennett, Annette Funicello, Natalie Wood, and Fay Wray wore it while filming King Kong. It’s rumored that Frank Sinatra wore Jungle Gardenia and Michael Jackson was also a fan. Jovan, another great American company bought Tuvache and their Island Gardenia is a beautiful rendition of the original heady white floral.

The beauty company Revlon was founded by Massachusetts born Charles Revson in 1933 who turned a $300 investment into a billion-dollar beauty industry. Although   Norman Norrell’s fashion designer perfume Norrell was the Revlon’s first fragrance, In 1973, the company introduced Charlie, named after its founder, which catapulted Revlon’s fragrance business within one year, selling over $500 million. Charlie represented the modern woman who was independent and had a great job. The kind of woman who bought her own perfume, which could be worn every day and not just for special occasions. The ads were revolutionary and featured actress Shelly Hack who sent a message of empowerment, striding in her pantsuit and tie.. Charlie Blue is very much like the original; a floral with sparkling aldehydes, peach, carnation and spices.

Elizabeth Arden introduced Blue Grass in 1934, and this clean floral classic is still going strong She. famously opened the Red Door Salon on Fifth Avenue and has a perfume created of the same name (the company is now owned by Revlon). Red Door, composed in 1989 is a lush floral with notes of orchid, jasmine, wild violet, orange blossom, and lily of the valley.

In 1938 Helena Rubenstein’s first perfume Apple Blossom debuted, but it was Heaven Scent (now the company is owned by Dana) in 1941 that created the buzz. She launched the perfume by dropping balloons containing perfume samples from her Fifth Avenue penthouse. Heaven Scent is an innocent fresh floral bouquet with notes of bergamot, lemon, orange, neroli.  rose, carnation, lily of the valley, patchouli, vetiver, sandalwood, oak moss, musk.

Estee Lauder, whose real name was Josephine Esther Mentzer was born in Queens, NY. She caused quite a sensation with her first fragrance Youth Dew, a spicy ambery fragrance with notes of jasmine, clove, peach and vanilla launched in 1953. In order to get the buyer’s attention at a department store in NYC she dropped a bottle of Youth Dew Bath Oil on the floor and women shoppers started to clamor for it. Within few short years Youth Dew sold $800 million and it is still one of the company’s best sellers and is rumored to be worn by Madonna. Estee Lauder is also famous for introducing Aramis, in 1966, a spicy leather cologne with Artemisia, bergamot and geranium. Named for the character in The Three Musketeers, Aramis which was the first prestige male fragrance launched in department stores and won a Fragrance Foundation Award in 1995. It is one of the great modern classics in men’s cologne history.

Oleg Cassini reigned over American fashion in the 1960s. He dressed Grace Kelly and Hollywood movie stars, but his fame rose when First lady Jackie Kennedy chose him to be her personal couturier. He was born in Paris but The US became his home in the 40s after World War II when lived in Manhattan. His elegant style is present in Cassini Cologne, an ambery woody fragrance with notes of citrus, musk, patchouli and vetiver.

It was the years of Disco and Studio 54 and if there wasn’t a Halston they would have  had to invent him. He began as a milliner and then began a career as a designer dressing all the stars Babe Paley, Anjelica Huston, Gene Tierney, Lauren Bacall, Margaux Hemingway, Elizabeth Taylor, Bianca Jagger and Liza Minnelli. Born Roy Halston Frowick, the legendary clothing designer of the 1970s created an iconic perfume Halston in 1975 and the bottle was famously designed by his friend and jewelry designer Elsa Peretti (Tiffany’s).  Halston is a chypre/floral. Citrus green leaves, and peach combine with bold florals including carnation, iris and jasmine. The dry down of incense, sandalwood, amber is feminine and unforgettable.

Calvin Klein was another controversial designer. Also born in the Bronx, and known for minimalism in his fashion, he dressed many celebrities including Caroline Bessette Kennedy. But it was his sexy ads that got the headlines. In 1980, he featured 15 yr. old Brooke Shields in a Jeanswear ad that proclaimed suggestively, “Nothing Comes Between Me and My Calvins”. In 1994, he marketed the first gender-fluid fragrance CK1, a clean and fresh fragrance with subtle floral and musk notes that include Pineapple, green notes, mandarin orange, papaya, bergamot, cardamom, musk, moss and lemon.

Ralph Lauren was also born in the Bronx, to immigrant parents. He served in the military in the 60s and upon his return turned his attention to designing ties. More than any other designer, Ralph Lauren created an idealized American world in fashion and fragrance that emulated the American upper-class in their sports clubs, on safaris and in their country homes. Later, he developed his Polo line with the signature polo player logo that was both affordable and in demand by men and women. Polo, created in 1978 is a classic cologne for men, very complex; without any florals. It is a power scent with notes of tobacco, leather, juniper, and oakmoss.

More recently, Demeter was founded in 1993 by Christopher Brosius who worked as a taxi driver in NYC and Christopher Grable. It was the first company to capture realistic smells, marketed as gender-fluid and  that were mean to be linear Dirt, Grass and Tomato  debuted at  NYC department store Henri Bendel’s in 1996. In 2002, Brosius sold Demeter to Mark Crames, CEO of The Freedom Marketing Group who has offices in Great Neck, Long Island. Today, the collection has over 300 fragrance and is now called the Demeter Fragrance Library. Some of the more popular scents are Thunderstorm, Baby Powder, Funeral Home and Pineapple.