Jean Couturier's Coriandre was my first true signature fragrance. I started wearing it in junior high school (middle school, to many of you) and I stuck to it for rather a long time, although at some point I started wearing Chanel Cristalle on the side, and later still I switched over to Christian Dior's Diorissimo. Nobody else I knew wore Coriandre, which made it the perfect signature scent, and to my then-very-young self, it seemed almost extraordinarily sophisticated.
Coriandre launched in 1973, just a year before Cristalle. Susan Irvine's Perfume Guide lists the notes as coriander, angelica, orange blossom, aldehydes, rose, geranium, jasmine, orris, lily, ylang ylang, patchouli, oakmoss, vetiver, sandalwood, civet and musk; and Irvine describes it as a fragrance “For a red-headed Raymond Chandler heroine. Or an anchorite”. I am neither of those things now, and was arguably less so back in junior high, but I simply adored Coriandre. It was highly diffusive and I could not stand it sprayed, so I always bought the splash Eau de Toilette (and always in the smallest size as its shelf life was very poor) and dabbed a little on my wrists and temples. I did not know the term chypre then, but that is what Coriandre was, and I remember it as sharp, dry, and very green (it had a nice bitter leafy edge), with a spicy-herbal kick and an earthy dry down.
I can't say exactly when I stopped wearing Coriandre, but I know I had stopped buying it by the late 1980s. As I mentioned the other day when I picked up a bottle, I've been avoiding trying it again as I figured the likelihood of it smelling like I remembered was about a zillion to one*. First off, memory is funny, isn't it? Second, of course, everything on earth has been reformulated. According to Irvine, Coriandre was redone in 1993, and as we all know, it is hardly likely that it has made it from then until now without further adjustments. And third, as near as I can tell, Coriandre is now a direct-to-discount fragrance. I bought my 33 ml bottle for $7.99, and the 50 ml can be had for around $12. I don't know who currently holds the license to produce Coriandre, but it's a pretty good bet that they're not investing a huge amount in the raw materials.
So I don't know what made me pick up a bottle this past weekend, but I did, and you can probably already guess where this is going. I do recognize this stuff as Coriandre, but it is a mere ghost of the Coriandre I remember. The opening, which I remember as sparkling and vibrant, is now very “fresh”, and the greens are pale and soft, with no bite to them. The mid-notes seem rosier than I remember, although that might be because at the time I first wore it, I didn't know or notice (or care) that it had rose at all. The dry down has more powder than I remember, and the earthy notes seem tamer and smoother. It is still highly diffusive, I'll give it that, and it isn't unpleasant, but it isn't what I'd pick for a Raymond Chandler heroine (or an anchorite).
I'm very sorry I tried it at all. As I said above, memory is funny, so for all I know it is remarkably similar to its original self; but it isn't at all how I remember it, and I don't adore it in the least. As a side note, for years I've been hearing people say how similar the original Agent Provocateur fragrance is to Coriandre, and I always thought those people were crazy. Now I see their point, but the Coriandre I remember was only vaguely similar at best.
Jean Couturier Coriandre is easily found online, and can frequently be found at TJ Maxx. It appears to be sold in 33, 50 and 100 ml Eau de Toilette; so far as I know, other concentrations are no longer in production (there used to be Parfum de Toilette and Parfum).
* I should mention that two very kind people have sent me vintage samples, neither of which smelled at all familiar to me.
Note: image via Parfum de Pub.
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From your Coriandre episode till now, you've smelled so many other, often high quality fragrances, that maybe Coriandre has lost it's first magic to you?
Your nose has been so spoiled since then…
Have some good news regarding Cristalle: it is still available as EdT as well as EdP. The testers in the stores are the EdP's. It's good to know that they are quite different.
Possible, but as I know it has been reformulated, I think it is more than just that
I'd probably like it better if I was smelling it under a different name, who knows?
Have smelled now at least 2 vintage versions, and thought they were both more different from the original than this new bottle. It never kept well, so not surprising. Ah well. I don't want the style perfected, I want my old Coriandre
Understandable!
I'm truly bummed out for you. They (those forces that decide to update and cheapen perfectly nice perfume) did the same to my signature sometime in the 90's. I still wear it, but it's just not the same.
It's like looking up your best friend from school, only to find you have nothing in common anymore. Just kind of sad.
Sometimes you can find the EdT testers in summer.
Well I was very stupid to buy it all, wasn't I? I knew it was a bad idea. Curiosity killed the cat, and all that
What was your signature, if you don't mind telling?
Robin, read about your high school fragrance on the internet, and it must have been a good one.. Why on earth would anyone want to change a good fragrance?!!?
Chypres are also my favorites, have been and probably will be.
The original Bill Blass for women (1978). I've only smelled it on one other person, and I wanted to, but didn't, demand that she wash 'my perfume' off! LOL! It was bright and crisp and clean (but not in a laundry way) – the overnight dry down was warm and sexy. I've never smelled anything quite like it since, and the reformulation just doesn't quite make it. I've tried looking up the notes and sometimes what's listed out there isn't consistant. Basenotes thinks it's not even being made anymore (?). Here's one I found that sounds right (except for pineapple, I don't remember anything fruity or sweet about it), but nothing can describe the proportions of a perfume and what made it unique.
…………………………………………………..
Year Introduced: 1978
Scent Type: Floral
Top Notes: Galbanum, hyacinth, pineapple, greens, bergamot, geranium
Heart Notes: Iris, tuberose, carnation, ylang-ylang, orris
Base Notes: Amber, sandalwood, benzoin, cedarwood, oakmoss
From American designer Bill Blass comes a classic floral bouquet. Like his clothing designs, the fragrance is subtle, elegant…uniquely Blass.
A feminine scent, featuring sweet fruits, florals, amber, and wood notes. Pineapple, bergamot, and greens pave the way for a heart of iris, tuberose, and carnation. A soft base of amber, sandalwood, and oakmoss will imprint itself upon your memory.
An excellent choice for daytime or light evening wear. ©
- Perfume Profile by Jan Moran author
Fabulous Fragrances II © 2007 -
I've never tried it, but know that feeling about smelling it on someone else! I don't “do” signature scents these days (obviously) but it used to be important to me that everyone else not be wearing what I was.
I don't know if it is still in production, but would guess not — when they launched the latest Bill Blass scent, they went w/ a new company, and at the time their designer said…
“Vollbracht added that he wanted to “divorce” the company from past Bill Blass fragrances and “come out with something fresh.”" (via Women's Wear Daily)
Fragrances are reformulated all the time, for a variety of reasons — to modernize, because older materials are now too expensive or forbidden, etc.
It absolutely is best, and what is annoying is that I *knew* it was best!
Wonder if it is true that men's scents get radically reformulated less often? You might be right, I really don't know.
Adding — of course that doesn't mean it was discontinued, just doesn't sound like a scenario in which they are celebrating their back catalog, if you know what I mean
Help, I estimate that my last bottle of Coriandre must have been bought around 1993/94…so who knows whether it's old or new formulation? It was from a small, backwater place with not much turnover of fumes, I shouldn't think, so perhaps it was old stock? But then, if it was new stock and I liked it anyway, perhaps it was the new formula I had all along. Oooooh, the confusion… I think all perfume bottles ought to carry an identifier that tells you those details. A special code for perfumista/ers! The we could sound even more nerdy, as we parsed '0107CFT67/LD' for the exact date, laboratory and type of jasmine!
I think it's assumed that men aren't slaves to what is *new* and in fashion the way that women are. I think they have it half right. Men aren't that fickle, but neither are a lot of women. Besides, when they are pumping out 200+ new frags a year, why do they need to mess with the ones already out? If you want to try something new there is plenty to choose from!
In the case of my BB (which has gone from being $55 for a small bottle to $15 for a large over the course of 20 yrs) I think they just went with cheaper synthetics of the same notes. (and knowing more about perfume now, don't the notes just *sound* heavenly?) It's the same familiar song, only now it's elevator music. sigh.
So sorry this didn't work out, R. I loved Cristalle back in the day and got reacquainted with it last summer. I still like it, but when I smell it – and my high school love Norell – I miss oakmoss.
Oh, I am sorry
It's like meeting an old love by accident ..and he has changed, you have changed, and you wish all you had were still just the happy memories…
That would be ideal – and I'm nerdy enough to embrace it without hesitation. Bring on the product codes!
I can so relate to this. I fell in love with Estee Lauder's Aliage when i was in college – sniffed it, had to have it, even on a student's budget. I wore the perfume, had a candle – it was recognizably “my scent.” When I saw some in a shop a couple of months ago, I was thrilled…gave myself a big spritz…Pew! I had to wash it off. I wonder now – did it change or did I?
Oh, “now it's elevator music” is a perfect description of what they've done to so many perfumes.
Ah, betting you got an old bottle, but who knows.
I still have an old bottle of Cristalle, although it will go bad soon enough and I'll have to replace it
Oh, what a disappointment! I can't even remember Aliage, although I know I tried it years ago. Thinking it was a very green one, right? Will go off to check now…
Oh, this pains me, too! In college, the scents I wore most were Coriandre and Calandre. The way they've both been adulterated is such a shame. I associate them (well, what they used to be) with that buoyant, romantic, F. Scott Fitzgerald time of my life…I am thankful for this blog which has helped me discover so many terrific new scents, and this week, the northern cold having descended, I am comforting myself with Guerlain's Vanille Double Spiritueuse…but your post has brought on a mournful remembrance of scents past!
Naming the year of production would be an excellent idea, so that we connoisseurs would know which vintage to select. Just like with wine – as in “I so prefer the Coriandre1992 to that of 1997″ !
Ida
Robin, a question from overseas: is oakmoss banned or forbidden in perfumes? Was looking for info about this on the internet but did not find anything particular, meaning in The Netherlands, France etc.
Or has oakmoss become a rarety and is it being protected?
Mousse de chene is still being used frequently…. guess I missed something while reading?
Annunziata, I only tried Calandre fairly recently, so happily (for me anyway) I've no idea what they've done to it. Wish I was still in ignorance about Coriandre as well.
I am so sorry your recently purchased bottle is but a shadow (if that) of its former glory! I loved Coriandre (and Cristalle edt) back in the day and have had two recent brushes with it. The first was about 18 months ago and in an old french town – a perfumerie there had Coriandre and it was as lovely as I remembered but stupidly I didn't buy. Then a few weeks ago I tried it on a weekend in Lille and oh the bottle I tried – it was horrid – as I said before – a shadow. (So was Vent Vert and Rive Gauche). I'm so sad though I will cling to wonderful memories and try to block recent events…
It is not banned, but has been declared an allergen and so to comply w/ IFRA regulations can only be used in very small amounts.
We are lucky, I guess, to have Cristalle relatively unscathed. Vent Vert is a favorite of mine because I didn't try it until AFTER it was redone — in other words, I know it isn't as good as the original, but at least I have no emotional attachment to the original. Very sad about Coriandre
I have worn Coriandre since 1978. It is definitely my signature scent, with all the significance of such. I originally purchased it in Bloomingdales, then could find it in Rochester, NY near where I lived, at the better department stores and a specialty shop. Eventually, only at Marshalls, and then, only on line. Alas, the most recent bottle of spray EdT which my husband just gave me for the holidays is nothing like the Coriandre I have used for nearly 30 years. I no longer detect the lily of the valley scent, and it is now heavy and spicey. I just e-mailed the distributor but have not heard back as yet. It is upsetting, although I suppose an opportunity to practice non attachment, or at least, less attachment. But it was a scent that truly gave me and others great satisfaction- such an intriguing combination of lightness and mystery.
Do you have any suggestions as to how I could go about searching for another scent in a similar category? Thanks.
I wonder if you ought to try Estee Lauder Knowing, which Tania recommends above. Agent Provocateur by Agent Provocateur is often compared to Coriandre, but as I said above, it is only slightly like — not exactly the same thing at all. My personal advice would be to look for something entirely new — if you're anything like me, looking for something to “replace” a beloved scent just doesn't work
thanks- good advice on all counts- it's just hard to let go-
I look forward to the quest, and will keep you posted.
i wore and loved Coriandre in the early 80's and loved it. have not worn it in many years…..fast forward to now, and i am wearing Montale White Aoud. i was given a sample in the mail from a Make Up Alley member and this scent has been “singing” to me for the past few days, haunting me like the ghost of a scent i once loved, bringing me back in time. this morning, after having the White Aoud on for 2 hours it hit me like a slap- it is Coriandre. i have been all over the scent blogs/boards trying to compare the notes/accords, but there is no doubt in my mind. White Aoud is Coriandre….or at least my memory of it. NowSmellThis, can you help with your expertise and knowledge of notes, tell me I'm not crazy!
Most interesting — and so much for my expertise, I didn't notice that at all, and I've reviewed White Aoud. They've both got the roses & spices & a bit of powder. Did not remember WA being that green, but will have to drag it out and test it again.
well i could very well be crazy. i just kept sniffing the White Aoud on my wrist thinking “what is this? why do i know this?” and as i can spend days obsessing about scent in the back of my mind, it stayed with me. scent memory and all that. they are both green and “dry” on the top, an “airy dry” accord, then they both have a woody spicy warmth in the drydown. i think the genius in both of these scents is the balance. never too sweet, spicy or green. i always found in Coriandre it was difficult to nail down individual notes, and i am finding the same in White Aoud. btw, thank you for your wonderful articles and your consideration of this ghostly scent
You know, I always find it hard to pin down notes in Coriandre too, and I think that is at least partly the aldehydes, which tend to soften & blend everything else. Anyway, have added “White Aoud vs. Coriandre” to my “to do list”, which is unfortunately rather long
Thanks for the kind words!
Wow. This was such a rare gem, the bite so intense and original.
It was a true classic; I bought my original from NM, and nothing really could throw your olfactory system into overdrive like the complexity of the original. So dense, so heady, so green, so over the top and biting, it just made all things roses and florals seem like wanna bes.
It wasn't for the shy. And it was a true chypre. I have many times thought of it as the grandmama of all chypres, outdoing some of the most notable ones for sheer boldness, spiciness and bite. Having loved my “chypres” for many a moon, this always seemed to me the strongest and most confident of the bunch, which is exactly what a chypre is about.
Thanks for the review of this long beloved companion, which time and circumstance has frequently separated me from, except for the occasional visits to the very back of the fragrance closet, now cluttered with too many other companions accumulated over the years.
I feel like I've learned of an old friend who met an untimely demise, and it pains me immeasurably.
Sounds like you loved it as much as I did. Take my advice and don't even try the new one — if you're anything like me, it will just depress you.
In an odd, now lucky, way, I ceased to wear fragrances in the late 1980s. I found that I could not stand to ride in an elevator with Opium or Giorgio. I married late, had children late, and did not want to raise my children in a world where the “18-wheelers” were a normal factor. And so, my Coriandre – along with Halston, Mary McFadden, Fidji, Norell, Estee, Ivoire and L’Heure Bleu – a bakers dozen in all have slept 20 years, untouched, hidden in a dark, cool (and ugly storage) place.
I found the Turin/ Sanchez book by chance in an airport store and have read it (much of it – not the Paris Hilton part) uncountable times. Since then, I have travelled to Saks where I searched – with eventual luck – for Arpege; to Neiman Marcus where I paid a Texas-sized fortune for Vol de Nuit (and sniffed all the Tom Ford bottles). I bought Tommy Girl at Target. Then I opened up the storage cupboard and pulled out my baker’s dozen bottles including Coriandre — and all the little samples vials of odds and ends of unheard of ancient smells, too. And I have been wearing the stuff ever since.
Today, the green malachite metal canister has everything-Coriandre that all of you have ever referenced. That bitterness and sharpness, the chypre, the redolent florals. One of my two bottles, the smaller one, not in the canister, has lost its ability to be squirted: I suppose I will shatter the bottle and drain Coriandre into a glass lab bottle. But never toss it out. Although the Coriandre body lotion is harsh,
Would I center today on Coriandre? I am years older and live in a very different world. I do wear it when I am not in elevators (I wear it now) and will for as long as the archeological samples last. But I am glad that Turin/Sanchez didn't have the chance to educate me about the short comings of such an antediluvian scent.
SheAin’tWhat SheUsedToBe
Worth trying on the non-working Coriandre: depress the sprayer hard with the side of your hand (essentially, bang on it) five or six times. Sometimes that works, I don't know why. And enjoy your old bottles — I wish I'd tucked some Coriandre away for the future!
And, of course, welcome back to perfume