Aux Bon Vieux Temps c1890

Au Bon Vieux Temps, launched in 1890 by Jacques Guerlain, is a name steeped in sentimentality and rich, nostalgic imagery. Translated from French, Au Bon Vieux Temps means "In the Good Old Times." This phrase immediately conjures a longing for the past, for an era of elegance, tradition, and simpler, more gracious living. By naming the perfume this way, Guerlain taps into the collective yearning for the romance of a bygone era—a time when life was more measured, and beauty was found in the everyday, such as in the scent of potpourri wafting through homes or the musk-soaked fabrics of the previous century.

The name evokes the warmth and comfort of a time when homes were adorned with sweet jars filled with dried flowers, herbs, and spices, known as potpourri. These jars released gentle, lingering scents throughout rooms, making them a constant presence in the domestic life of the 18th and early 19th centuries. Potpourri was a means of keeping the home fragrant, long before modern perfumes or air fresheners existed. The scent of potpourri was often layered with spices, dried petals, and herbs, delivering a rich, earthy aroma that could be sweet and spicy or powdery and floral, depending on the blend. This nostalgic connection to the home, with the comforting smells of potpourri, would have resonated with women of the late 19th century, particularly as they navigated a rapidly changing world.

Au Bon Vieux Temps would be interpreted in scent as a return to these comforting, familiar smells—those of leather-bound books, musky perfumes, and richly decorated interiors. It likely captured the essence of a room filled with potpourri jars, combining woody, musky, and sweet floral notes in a way that invoked a sense of warmth, stability, and timelessness. For women of the time, this perfume would represent a connection to their heritage, recalling the old-world charm of grand homes, lush gardens, and the slower pace of life from their mothers' and grandmothers' generations. It would embody a sense of elegance rooted in tradition, and wearing such a fragrance would be a way to express refinement and an appreciation for the past.

The perfume was launched at the cusp of the Belle Époque, a period in French history from the late 19th century into the early 20th century, known for its cultural flourishing, technological advances, and artistic innovation. Though forward-looking, the Belle Époque also had a strong sense of nostalgia for the past, particularly for the aesthetics and customs of earlier centuries. During this period, there was a great fascination with the opulence and elegance of the 18th century, which influenced everything from fashion to interior design, and Au Bon Vieux Temps would have fit neatly into this trend of romanticizing the past.

Women of this era, amidst new opportunities and the onset of modernity, still held tight to the charms of tradition. A perfume called Au Bon Vieux Temps would allow them to indulge in this sense of nostalgia, carrying with them a scent that felt timeless, grounding, and intimately familiar. The scent would likely invoke feelings of warmth, history, and memory, as if it were capturing not just an aroma but an entire way of life. It might blend comforting, powdery notes with deeper, more intense accords such as leather and musk, mimicking the fragrances worn by the elegant women of past centuries. It would appeal to women seeking a connection to heritage while simultaneously embracing the beauty and sophistication that perfumery offered.

Potpourri played an essential role in this olfactory landscape, as it was a staple of genteel households and an important element in creating an inviting atmosphere in homes. These blends of dried botanicals, often enhanced with essential oils, were placed in decorative jars and used to scent rooms in an era when perfumed environments were associated with health and well-being. The idea of bottled scent, such as Au Bon Vieux Temps, was a natural evolution from this practice, capturing and containing the essence of these nostalgic, homey aromas into something that could be worn on the skin.

In summary, Au Bon Vieux Temps by Guerlain is not just a perfume—it’s an ode to a world gone by, a fragrant window into the past, rich with emotion, history, and sensory memory. It invites women to experience the warmth and comfort of an older era, wrapped in the elegant complexity of musk, florals, and the faint echoes of sweet, spicy potpourri. For the women of the time, wearing Au Bon Vieux Temps would be a subtle yet powerful way to carry the past with them, a reminder of the heritage and traditions that shaped their present.

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? It is classified as a unisex, deep oriental chypre with violet, rose, (potpourri jar scents) and amber notes. It was described as very "musky".

• Top notes: bergamot
• Middle notes: violet, rose
• Base notes: ambergris, oakmoss, labdanum, patchouli, musk

Sweet jars, or potpourri jars as we call them today often contained a mixture of dried flowers and spices, including rose, orange blossom, orris root, cinnamon, cloves, lavender, verbena, geranium, bay leaves, myrtle leaves, syringa blossoms, violet, carnation, nutmeg, lemon thyme, marjoram, benzoin, storax, Seville oranges stuck with cloves, jasmine, angelica root, laurel leaves, balm of Gilead, frankincense, myrrh, patchouli leaves, bergamot, mace, peppermint, sandalwood, heliotrope, mignonette, rosemary, allspice, anise, musk, and other flowers and herbs.


Country Life, 1902:

"In the foyer there was a whiff of Guerlain's Le Bon Vieux Temps that recalled a summer breeze laden with the hearts of flowers. It is I hear the latest pleasure of Madame la Mode."

Rapports, 1902:

"The list would be too long of all specialties of the Guerlain house dating from 1788. We only mention among the many products that contained his living room the old creations: Excellence, Héliotrope Blanc, Impérial Russe, Pré D'automne, Eau de Cologne Impériale, la Poudre de Cypris, la pâte royale, and among all the recent creations La Gavotte, summer scent, very fresh, Jardin de Mon Curé, Le Bon Vieux Temps, l'Eau de Cologne Hégémonienne, l'Extrait de Pot Pourri aux Plantes Marines, Voilà Pourquoi J'aimais Rosine.  All these fragrances were exposed on consoles and pedestal tables and presented for some naked to show the intrinsic value of the products. Guerlain manufactures exclusively luxury perfumery. 

Awards to previous exhibitions: 

• medal, London 1862 
• medal, Paris 1867 
• hors concours, Jury Member, Paris 1878 
• hors concours, Jury member, Antwerp 1885 
• hors concours, Jury Member, Paris 1889 
• Grand Prize, Brussels, 1897."

La Semaine de l'Hippique, 1903:

"What a divine fragrance, my dear," I remarked, instantly recognizing the familiar scent of Bon Vieux Temps—one I know all too well, as it's a personal favorite of mine.

"Ah yes, my own unique blend," she replied with a touch of condescension, clearly basking in her supposed originality.

"My compliments to your exquisite taste, dear friend. It's simply flawless. And what about mine?" I added, delicately waving my lace handkerchief, also infused with Bon Vieux Temps.

Her cheeks flushed as she murmured, "Oh, it’s wonderful," realizing she had been caught in her own pretense.

"And I suppose there's no hiding where you got it, knowing I never wear anything but Guerlain," I teased with a smile."

La Ilustración española y americana, 1903:

"Guerlain, with Bon Vieux Temps, has masterfully solved a delicate puzzle—creating a fragrance that perfectly aligns with modern tastes, while tempering its intensity with a soft, refined, and irresistibly gentle aroma. It is these rare and distinctive qualities that have elevated Bon Vieux Temps to immense popularity, making it a favorite among the Parisian aristocracy, who have embraced it with enthusiasm."

 The Atlantic, 1917:

"Here is another perfume with the charming name Le Bon Vieux Temps. Are there more words needed to create for you great grandmother's time with its potpourri jars and its hoopskirts its little elegancies and its faded sweetnesses?"

Stage, 1937:

"With his most respectful compliments Guerlain calls the attention of his fashionable customers to the following list of his productions Parfums pour le Vaporisateur: Eau de Cologne Hégémonienne, Quand vient l'été, Eau de Cologne,  Eau de Toilette Gardénia. ... Après l'Ondée, Sillage, Bon Vieux Temps, Jicky, Chypre de Paris, Tsao-Ko.. Sapoceti, savon pour la toilette. Crème de fraises."

Scent Profile:

As you first encounter Bon Vieux Temps, the top note of bergamot greets you with a sharp and radiant citrus burst, like the first cut into a fresh, slightly bitter fruit. It’s lively and crisp, with a hint of sweetness that soon mellows into something softer, akin to the warmth of sunshine on a cool morning. The brightness of the bergamot fades gracefully, giving way to the delicate, powdery elegance of violet.

The violet note unfurls with a soft, nostalgic quality—its floral scent is both velvety and earthy, reminiscent of old-fashioned violet-scented sachets tucked away in wooden drawers. There is a whisper of sweetness here, faintly reminiscent of candied petals, adding a graceful fragility. 

As the violet lingers, rose begins to bloom beside it. This rose is not overly sweet or dewy, but instead carries the rich, complex scent of a well-aged bouquet—deep, velvety, and slightly spicy, evoking the scent of dried petals in a potpourri jar, steeped in memories of long-forgotten summers.

As the fragrance deepens, the base notes emerge with a sultry, resinous warmth. The ambergris wraps itself around the florals, lending a musky, almost salty sensuality that anchors the lighter notes. It feels like the lingering scent of skin, warmed by the sun, with an animalic undercurrent that is both seductive and comforting. The oakmoss weaves through the composition like the scent of a damp, forest floor after rainfall—earthy, green, and slightly woody, grounding the fragrance with its natural depth.

The richness of labdanum brings a balsamic sweetness, with hints of leathery warmth and a resinous complexity that feels almost smoky. It blends seamlessly with the earthy patchouli, which adds a rich, spicy earthiness—damp, dark, and slightly sweet, like the smell of aged wood or dried leaves crushed underfoot. 

Finally, the base hums with the warm, intimate scent of musk—deeply animalic, warm, and enveloping, it leaves a lingering, skin-like quality that completes this exotic, chypre fragrance with a sense of lingering mystery.

Bottles:

Housed in the Empire flacon (parfum), the Louis XVI flacon (parfum), and the Goutte flacon (eau de toilette).

Fate of the Fragrance:

"Au Bon Vieux Temps" was relaunched by Guerlain in 1901 under the slightly modified name "Le Bon Vieux Temps." This shift, though subtle, may have been intended to reflect a more contemporary perspective on the nostalgic elements the fragrance embodied, suggesting a refreshed take on the past. Despite the rebranding, the perfume retained its core essence: a tribute to bygone days, evoking the elegance and warmth of earlier eras.

The fragrance continued to charm well into the 20th century, with records showing it was still sold as late as 1946. Its longevity in the market attests to the timeless appeal of its composition, a blend that managed to capture the hearts of multiple generations. However, its discontinuation date remains uncertain, leaving an air of mystery surrounding the final chapter of this storied scent. The name itself, "Le Bon Vieux Temps," translates from French as "The Good Old Times," invoking images of a golden past filled with refinement and grace—perfectly aligning with the fragrance’s nostalgic allure.

The perfume’s association with potpourri and musk, two staples of 18th and 19th-century fragrance culture, connected it to a tradition of home and personal scenting that was deeply rooted in society. In an era when potpourri was an important decorative and fragrant element in many homes, "Le Bon Vieux Temps" symbolized this romanticized connection to the past. For women of the time, wearing such a perfume likely evoked memories of tradition, family gatherings, and the enduring elegance of past generations.