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Monday, March 11, 2013

Heliotrope by Guerlain c1870

Héliotrope by Guerlain: first created in the 1870s. There were other fragrances by Guerlain like Aroma di Heliotropio from around the same period.

Heliotrope is a sweet-scented plant which is called Heliotrope because it follows the course of the sun. After opening it gradually turns from the east to the west and during the night turns again to the east to meet the rising sun. The Ancients recognized this characteristic of the plant and applied it to mythology.



A rage in the 19th century perfume. At Louis Vuitton's requirements, Aimé Guerlain should spray the inside a suitcase with Heliotrope perfume to keep the clothes fragrant with its light and lasting scent.





Fragrance Composition:


So what does it smell like? It is a soliflore based on the scent of white heliotrope, probably made possible by using heliotropin (piperonal). It possesses a delightful clinging odor of the white heliotrope flower, and mixed with alcohol its 2% solution with coumarin and oil of jasmin forms a fragrant "heliotrope extract.

Heliotropin was discovered in 1869 by Fittig and Mielk who synthesized it and thus made the 'cherry pie' note of the heliotrope flower, for which it is named, available to perfumers for the first time - it was already in use in fragrances by the early 1880s.

Heliotropine occurs naturally in a range of botanicals including dill, violet flowers, black pepper and others and is used for vanilla or almond accords to bring a balsamic character and also has powdery, floral aspects. Despite having acquired the name heliotropine for its similar scent to that of the heliotrope flower this chemical does not itself appear in the flower scent and so cannot be extracted from those flowers.

  • Top notes: heliotropin, terpineol, benzyl acetate
  • Middle notes: ylang ylang, rose, jasmine, tuberose
  • Base notes: vanilla, musk, Peru balsam


Bottles:


Presented in the quadrilobe bottle (extrait), the flacon carre (extrait), flacon Amphore (extrait), and the flacon Goutte (eau de toilette)











This bottle dates from 1930s-1950s.. photo by ebay seller lejolicheval








Fate of the Fragrance:

Discontinued, date unknown.

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