Chypre is the name of a family of perfumes that are characterised by an accord composed ofcitrustop notes, a middle centered on cistuslabdanum, and a mossy-animalic set of basenotes derived from oakmoss. Chypre perfumes fall into numerous classes according to their modifier notes, which include but are not limited to leather, florals, fruits, and amber.
History
The term chypre is French for the island of Cyprus. Its connection to perfumery originated with the first composition to feature the bergamot-labdanum-oakmoss accord, François Coty's from 1917, whose name was inspired by the fact that its raw materials came predominantly from Mediterranean countries. Although perfumes in a similar style had already been created in the 19th century (such as Eau De Chypre by Guerlain and Shipr cologne, and "chypre powder" had beed known centuries prior to those, feminine Chypre by Coty was so influential that it inspired many descendants, becoming the progenitor of a whole family of related fragrances sharing the same basic accord, which came to be known as "chypres".
Marya -- the protagonist of Jean Rhys's semi-autobiographic debut novel, Quartet -- asks a young woman in the Paris demimonde she frequents whether she wears the Coty fragrance Chypre.
In Dashiell Hammett's novel The Maltese Falcon, the character Joel Cairo carries a chypre-scented handkerchief as part of his homosexual persona.
In Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, the main female character, Lenina Crowne, “dabbed herself with chypre” after drying off from a bath.
Raymond Chandler's The Lady in the Lake also mentions a chypre-scented, monogrammed handkerchief.
Style, concept
The chypre concept is characterised by the contrast between the fresh citrus accord and the woody-oakmoss base; often patchouli is considered an indispensable element as well. The chypre accord is used in both male and female perfumery. Modern chypre perfumes have various connotations such as floral, fruity, green, woody-aromatic, leathery, and animalic notes, but can easily be recognized by their "warm" and "mossy-woody" base which contrasts the fresh citrus top, and a certain bitterness in the dry-down from the oak moss and patchouli. The accord consists of:
The composition is usually enhanced with a floral component through rose and jasmine oil. Animalic notes such as civet can be added to this accord to provide richness, but are less popular in modern perfumery. The most common modifiers to this basic accord include patchouli, bergamot, vetiver, ambergris, sandalwood and labdanum resin.
Sub-families
The chypre fragrances generally fit into the Oriental and Woody family of fragrance wheel classification. They can also be classified into several styles:
Floral chypres, such as "Calèche" by Hermès, Knowing by Estée Lauder, 1988.
Fruity chypres, such as Femme by Rochas, 1944, Mitsouko by Guerlain, 1917, and Y by Yves Saint Laurent, 1964.
Green chypres, such as Givenchy III by Givenchy, Aliage by Estée Lauder, 1972 and Cuvée Spéciale by Charvet.
Woody-aromatic chypres, such as Aromatics Elixir by Clinique, 1972.
Fresh-citric chypres, such as CK One by Calvin Klein, 1994.
Notable examples of chypre-type perfumes
Krasnaya Moskva is a feminine chypre perfume made in USSR in 1925, known for its strong, excessive sillage.
One of the most popular chypre perfumes was the originalMiss Dior, a floral chypre launched by Christian Dior in 1947. However, formula was later changed, likely due to issues with the ingredient oakmoss.
Since the mid-1980s, Karl Lagerfeld cologne, orange in color, called "Lagerfeld" is a modern chypre scent for both men and women.
Pre-1917 chypres
Eau De Chypre is a fragnance made by P. Guerlain in 1840, inspired by poudre de chypre
"Shipr" cologne is a masculine chypre cologne by Brocard and Co.. . Apparently, said cologne is mentioned in 1909 poem "Отъезд Петербуржца" by Sasha Chorny.
