The chypre family
The classic Chypre note is a mix of bergamot, jasmine, rose, patchouli, tree moss, labdanum and some animal notes. This olfactive family can be associated with different facets, but a chypre fragrance is by definition always woody.
The characteristic of perfumes from the chypre family
The facets of a chypre perfume
You can dress up a chypre perfum e as you please:
- with a green facet, as in Miss Dior the original from Dior.
- with a fruity facet, as in Guerlain's Mitsouko or Femme de Rochas.
- with a musky facet, as in Narcisso Rodriguez's For Her.
- with a leather facet, as in Cabochard de Grès.
- with a floral facet, as in Clinique Aromatics Elixir with its rose note.
In contemporary chypre fragrances, oak moss and labdanum cistus have been replaced by patchouli following IFRA's ban on the use of these materials.
The special feature of chypre fragrances
Chypre scents are fragrances with character. Their top and heart notes are rather discreet but then their base notes are intense. These fragrances are ideal for charismatic and original personalities who wants to wear unique scents (cf. Testing a perfume).
A little history about the chypre family of perfumes
The origin of the word "chypre”
The term Chypre is French for the island of Cyprus. The island is associated with perfume and the term appears as early as 1588. Indeed, the island of Cyprus, famous for its gloves scented with oak moss, was at the centre of the perfume trade in the Orient. But in reality, the exact origin of the word chypre perfume is rather vague.
Chypre formulations
There are no specific formulations of the original chypre perfume because very few recipes about them have been referenced. We only know that the raw materials used for chypre perfumes varied little until the 19th century (cf. How to preserve your perfume?).
The forms and uses of chypre
Chypre can either be powders, burning materials or perfumed waters whose formulations vary according to the times.
Hair powders or wig powders for example, were called "chypre". Their formulations were very similar. They contained musks, amber, civet combined with oak moss, iris and souchet.
Chypre as burning materials, called "chypre birds", were used as early as in the Middle Ages and whose recipes are still known. Theses types of chypres are called trochisques, they are a kind of solid material in the form of tablets, cones or cubes that were thrown into the fire to receive a pleasant smell and correct the malignancy of the air. As they burn, the trochisques give the impression that they gradually fly away like birds. To prepare this chypre, the apothecary Nicolas Lémery in the 17th century used willow charcoal, tragacanth gum, rose water, labdanum, musk, civet, ambergris, styrax, benzoin, Rhodes wood and essences of cinnamon, clove and elemi.
Finally, chypre waters contained mostly musk, civet and amber. Moreover, Dejean mentions, in the 18th century, that chypre water is distinguished from other waters by the musk and amber.
Chypre perfumes over time
Transitional Cyprus
We talk about “Cyprus transition” between the end of the Second Empire and the Great War. This period of scientific, technological and industrial progress led to the discovery of organic synthesis. Perfumers then gradually had new molecules at their disposal: vanillin in 1874, coumarin in 1878, ionones with violet notes around 1884, and nitrated musks in 1888 (cf. Sylvaine Delacourte's Musk Collection), in particular. New extraction techniques were also used during this period of discovery. As a result, many extracts called "chypre" were created, distinguishing themselves from the old chypre while preserving a vague basic chord.
Some chypre perfumes from this period :
- circa 1850: Eau de Chypre by Guerlain
- 1893: Cyprus of Temptation by Roger and Gallet
- 1894: Cyprisine by Guerlain
- 1898 : Cyprus by Lubin
- 1909 : Cyprus of Paris by Guerlain
François Coty: Breaking with the tradition of the chypre
While perfumes remained elitist and limited in distribution until the Great War, François Coty broke the tradition in 1917 with his Chypre perfume. It became the first blockbuster perfume known to the general public and had an exceptional impact. François Coty was the first to do marketing without knowing it! Indeed, he succeeded to do remarkable publicity for his chypre perfume.
Chypre and the emancipation of women
Women during this period are ready to wear more "masculine" fragrances. First, they replaced men during the war, performing tasks usually reserved for them. Then, they cut their hair "boyish" style, drove cars, and wore pants for convenience. Chypre perfumes fit perfectly with this new style of femininity: it was the beginning of emancipation. These were very different from pre-war perfumes, often floral and powdery (cf. Testing a perfume, Choose a perfume for a gift, Choose a perfume for a wedding).
Chypre perfumes and the beginning of contemporary perfumery
Several dozen perfumes with the "chypre" name were created until around 1950, at the beginning of contemporary perfumery.
Oak moss was banned by the IFRA (International Fragrance Association) because of its allergenic nature in 2012. It can sometimes be replaced by a natural tree moss, or by a synthetic product, evernyl. When oak moss is substituted for patchouli, the chypre accord gains in modernity.
How do you describe the sensation of a chypre note?
The term 'chypre family' is quite enigmatic for a customer. It can evoke scents of undergrowth, woods and autumn scents (cf. Sylvaine Delacourte's scented candle collection, Equinoxe d'automne). These notes are often imbued with mystery. Magnetic, they are also charismatic, yet can be described as feminine or masculine.
Chypre perfumes
Women's chypre perfumes
To conclude, here are a few examples of perfumes from the chypre family for women:
- Miss Dior Christian Dior
- Mitsouko Guerlain
- Femme Rochas
- Cabochard Grès
- Aromatics Elixir Clinique
- Coco Mademoiselle Chanel
- For Her Narciso Rodriguez
- Diva Ungaro
- Eau du Soir Sisley
- Gucci Rush Gucci
- Coriandre Couturier
- Ysatis Givenchy
- Nomade Chloé
- 31 rue Cambon Chanel
- Rose Rouge Van Cleef & Arpels
- Si Fiori Armani
- La Panthère Cartier
And more examples of chypre scents for men:
(cf. The leathery facet: masculin fragrances with a leathery facet)
- Aramis Estée Lauder
- Polo Ralph Lauren
- Anteus Chanel
- Kouros YSL
- Yatagan Caron
- Halston Z14 Halston
Sylvaine Delacourte fragrances
Discover Sylvaine Delacourte's brand with her Orange Blossom, Musks and Vanilla Collections. You can try them thanks to the Discovery Boxes (5 Eaux de Parfum x 2 ml) and rediscover these raw materials as you have never smelled them before.
More articles
The citrus family
The citrus family or citrus perfumes is one of the 6 olfactory families, that are used to classify perfumes, according to the classification of the Comité Français du Parfum (CFP). Here are the 6 olfactory families that exist : The citrus family The floral family The amber or oriental family The chypre family The woodland family The fougère family
The floral family
There are 6 different olfactory families in perfumery, which allow to classify the perfumes (citrus, floral, amber or oriental, chypre, woody and aromatic). The feminine floral family is certainly the richest and broadest family that exist. Floral fragrances are also highly appreciated and popular all over the world.Floral notes, which can be described as "figurative" or "abstract" notes, are numerous and differ a lot from each other. Thus, it is impossible to love all the floral fragrances, as their scents are varied and specific, it often happens to appreciate a particular category of flowers.In perfumery, there are also "soliflores" or "floral bouquets". These floral notes can be found in all olfactory families and are more likely to be found as heart notes in a perfume. Here are the different categories of flowers in floral fragrances: Green / spring or vegetal flowers White or sensual flowers / solar flowers Powdery flowers Spicy flowers Roses Atypical flowers
The woody family
The woody family is one of the six olfactory families used to classify perfumes into categories according to the classification of the Comité Français du Parfum (CFP). Here are the six olfactory families that exist : Citrus family Floral family Amber or oriental family Chypre family Woody family Ferns family Each fragrance is composed of an architecture of 5 to 10 components that fit together. As in music, this is called an "accord". The main theme of a perfume will be given by this main accord, which in a way represents the soul of the fragrance. Each main theme (such as woody, floral, or citrus) can be dressed in one or more facets by the perfumer-creator, in order to make the architecture of his fragrance more complex (the more faceted a fragrance is, the more complex it will be).
The fougère family
A perfume has an architecture, it is built around an assembly of 5 to 10 components. This is called "a chord", just like in music. The main chord gives the theme of a perfume. In a way it is its soul. The olfactory families make it possible to classify the perfumes according to the French Committee of the Perfume (CFP). Each main theme, such as woody, floral or citrus, for example, can be dressed in one or more facets. The fragrances of the fougère family, also known as the fern family, do not have the scent of the plant called "fern”.
The oriental family
Before defining the oriental family, it is important to understand the orchestration of a fragrance. All fragrances consist of an architecture of 5 to 10 components, which together form an "accord". The main accord will give the fragrance its full personality. This precise orchestration has made it possible to distribute fragrances according to a rigorous classification (defined by the Comité Français du Parfum - CFP), distinguishing them into olfactory families. There are 6 different olfactory families: The citrus family The floral family The amber or oriental family The chypre family The woody family The fougère (or ferns) family Each family can then be complexified and dressed with several olfactory facets.