Paris by Coty: launched in 1921, named after the famous city, and introduced to the USA in 1922. It was created by perfumer Vincent Roubert, and was a floral perfume inspired by the successful Quelques Fleurs by Houbigant.
Another ad reads "For Brilliant Sophisticated Temperaments of the "delicately imperious" women of the world, Coty offers Paris."
Other perfumers advised women to seek out perfume based on their personalities or moods rather than their looks. These marketing techniques worked and thousands of bottles of perfume were purchased, probably by those who needed to buy gifts for others or were unsure of what perfumes to wear.
Some early bottles were made by Rene Lalique and Baccarat. But most bottles made after 1920 were made by Coty’s own glassworks in Pantin and his flacons were fitted with presentation cases made at his boxing factory in Neuilly.
Parfum Flacons:
The first bottles used were made for the Parfum (Extrait) and were made by Rene Lalique and Baccarat. Soon these proved to be too expensive for Coty to purchase, so he adapted the designs and had them made in his own glassworks in France, these bottles will be marked with "Coty France" on the base.
Moth Stopper Parfum Flacon:
One of the first bottles used was the Rene Lalique designed bottle that featured the double moth frosted glass stopper. This bottle was originally designed by Lalique for the Coty fragrance Muguet in 1912, but was later used for almost all of the Coty fragrances.
This bottle was also made by Baccarat in 1913, mold number 241. These bottles should be acid marked Baccarat on the base. The Baccarat bottle can be found standing at 3.25' tall.
This was later made by Coty's own glassworks and will be marked "Coty" on the base. The Coty marked bottle holds 1.6 oz of parfum and stands 3.25" tall, it was housed inside of a green leather covered box.
This bottle was adapted for travelling by the usage of an inner glass stopper and a brass screw cap, this bottle was made by Baccarat, model number 291.
Roseraie Package:
In 1927, Coty brought out a pretty new packaging design for the moth stoppered bottle. The bottle was now housed in a box covered with a brown suede like effect. This presentation was used for the perfumes Emeraude, L'Origan, Paris and Chypre. Newspaper ads differed on how much the bottle actually held as I found 1 1/3 oz, 1 3/4 oz, and 1 1/2 oz being noted. Errors in ads were numerous at the time.
Flat Frosted Stopper Parfum Bottles:
Introduced around 1928 was a square crystal bottle with a flat, but faceted frosted glass stopper. This bottle held 1 2/3 oz of parfum and was used for Emeraude, Paris, Chypre and L'Origan.
Purser Flacon:
Gold-tone case holds a glass bottle and has a green plastic cap and base. It appeared in the 1937/1938 Coty catalog.
Baroque Flacon:
Eau de Toilette Flacons:
The early Eau de Toilette flacons followed the designs used for the Parfum, elegant and beautiful, often with colorful lithographed or silver foil paper labels. Later bottles were much more simplistic in design.
The early 1920s Eau de Toilette bottles had a tall, square shape with a flat cut glass stopper. The bottle came in two sizes. One bottle stood 4 3/4" tall. The bottles are marked with Coty France on the base and were made at Coty's own glassworks.
In 1926, both a 1 1/5 oz and a 3 oz bottle for the Eau de Toilette were introduced that had patented metal sprinkler tops that allowed one to shake out only a few drops at a time when needed. These bottles were designed for traveling and were non-refillable.
Parfum de Toilette:
Coty's Parfum de Toilette, first introduced in 1960, was equal to today's Eau de Parfum strength fragrances. A happy medium between eau de toilette and parfum. The Emeraude Parfum de Toilette was housed in various bottles over the years.
Fragrance Composition:
So what does it smell like? It was classified as an aldehydic floral fragrance for women. Gay, light, sparkling with lilac and spicy carnation, hyacinth, rose and jasmine overtones.
The perfume is described as heavy fruity, honey, spicy, with a cherry-vanilla sweetness, with balsamic nuances with waxy, rosy, floral, powdery, musky, animalic notes in the dry down.
- Top notes: aldehydes, hyacinth, carnation, spices, violet
- Heart notes: lily, peach, lilac, ylang ylang, heliotrope, Bulgarian rose otto, honey
- Base notes: Tibetan civet, Mexican vanilla, Indian musk, incense, ambergris, oakmoss, Siamese benzoin, tonka bean
The New Yorker, 1938:
"Coty’s perfumes are so universal and inexpensive that people tend to forget that they are still events, yet his Paris is as chic and sophisticated an odor as you can find. "
In the 1920s and 1930s, it was customary for perfume companies to introduce the idea that women of certain complexion or hair color would be better suited to particular perfumes. Incidentally, perfumers said, blondes should wear light perfume, brunettes, heavy Oriental perfumes.
- For Blondes: Paris, L'Aimant, L'Effleurt, La Rose Jacqueminot & L'Or.
- For Brunettes: L'Aimant, L'Origan, Emeraude, Chypre, Ambréine, Fougeraie au Crépuscule, or Styx.
- For Red-Haired Women: Emeraude, Paris, L'Origan, L'Ambre Antique, Iris & Cyclamen.
Other perfumers advised women to seek out perfume based on their personalities or moods rather than their looks. These marketing techniques worked and thousands of bottles of perfume were purchased, probably by those who needed to buy gifts for others or were unsure of what perfumes to wear.
- For the Woman of Sunny Joyous Type: L'Effleurt, Muguet & Violette.
- For the Woman of the Dreamy Elusive Type: Jasmine de Corse, La Jacinthe & Lilas Blanc.
- For the Exotic Types: Chypre, Violette Pourpre, Ambre Antique
- For the Mysterious Types: Ambre Antique, Styx & Cyclamen
- For the Brilliant Sophisticated Temperaments: Emeraude, Paris, L'Origan
Bottles:
Paris was housed in numerous bottles over the years depending on what type concentration the fragrance was made: Parfum, Parfum de Toilette, Cologne, Eau de Toilette, or Eau de Parfum.Some early bottles were made by Rene Lalique and Baccarat. But most bottles made after 1920 were made by Coty’s own glassworks in Pantin and his flacons were fitted with presentation cases made at his boxing factory in Neuilly.
In the early 1920s, a slim, but wide, square shaped crystal bottle was used to hold Paris parfum. The bottle had a frosted glass stopper molded with stylized flowers. The bottle was made by Coty's own glassworks. The bottle was housed in a fancy blue and silver presentation box with a pull out drawer that featured a silky tassel. This was a 2 oz cut crystal flacon. This bottle was only used for Paris.
Parfum Flacons:
The first bottles used were made for the Parfum (Extrait) and were made by Rene Lalique and Baccarat. Soon these proved to be too expensive for Coty to purchase, so he adapted the designs and had them made in his own glassworks in France, these bottles will be marked with "Coty France" on the base.
Moth Stopper Parfum Flacon:
One of the first bottles used was the Rene Lalique designed bottle that featured the double moth frosted glass stopper. This bottle was originally designed by Lalique for the Coty fragrance Muguet in 1912, but was later used for almost all of the Coty fragrances.
This bottle was also made by Baccarat in 1913, mold number 241. These bottles should be acid marked Baccarat on the base. The Baccarat bottle can be found standing at 3.25' tall.
This was later made by Coty's own glassworks and will be marked "Coty" on the base. The Coty marked bottle holds 1.6 oz of parfum and stands 3.25" tall, it was housed inside of a green leather covered box.
This bottle was adapted for travelling by the usage of an inner glass stopper and a brass screw cap, this bottle was made by Baccarat, model number 291.
Roseraie Package:
In 1927, Coty brought out a pretty new packaging design for the moth stoppered bottle. The bottle was now housed in a box covered with a brown suede like effect. This presentation was used for the perfumes Emeraude, L'Origan, Paris and Chypre. Newspaper ads differed on how much the bottle actually held as I found 1 1/3 oz, 1 3/4 oz, and 1 1/2 oz being noted. Errors in ads were numerous at the time.
Etui a Cigarette Presentation:
Also introduced in 1927, was the Etui a Cigarette presentation. Bottle stands 3 1/8" tall and is molded with Coty France on the base as it was made at Coty's own glassworks.
Metal Case Parfum Bottles:
A nice purse size bottle set was created and presented in a hinged metal case around 1928. The bottle used was the banded bottle with the frosted glass stopper. The case stands 2 3/4" tall. These containers were discontinued in 1933.
Banded Bottles with Frosted Stoppers:
The bottle has an embossed band along the upper part and a frosted glass stopper molded with flowers and ridge details. People have mistakenly attributed this bottle to both Lalique and Baccarat, however, the bottle does not appear in either companies catalogs and was not one of their molds. It was made by Coty's own glassworks in France.
The parfum bottle was available in three sizes: 1/4 oz, 1/2 oz and 1 oz. The 1/4 oz bottle itself was discontinued in 1934.
Bottles stand:
Larger sizes of this bottle were also created for the boudoir, standing at 6" tall, 7.25" tall and 8" tall and hold Eau de Toilette. These bottles were also used for other Coty perfumes: Eau de Coty, L'Origan, Chypre, Paris,, La Rose Jacqueminot and L'Aimant.
The bottle has an embossed band along the upper part and a frosted glass stopper molded with flowers and ridge details. People have mistakenly attributed this bottle to both Lalique and Baccarat, however, the bottle does not appear in either companies catalogs and was not one of their molds. It was made by Coty's own glassworks in France.
Bottles stand:
- 2.25" tall - 1/4 oz
- 2.75" tall - 1/2 oz
- 3.75" tall - 1 oz
Larger sizes of this bottle were also created for the boudoir, standing at 6" tall, 7.25" tall and 8" tall and hold Eau de Toilette. These bottles were also used for other Coty perfumes: Eau de Coty, L'Origan, Chypre, Paris,, La Rose Jacqueminot and L'Aimant.
Louvre Parfum Flacon:
The "Louvre" parfum flacon made it's debut in 1929 and featured an arched shape with sloping shoulders and was fitted a frosted glass stopper with a molded stepped design. The bottle held 1 2/3 oz of Parfum and as you can see in the ad below, it was housed in a faux reptile skin covered presentation box. The bottle was still being used in 1930 for Emeraude, L'Origan, Chypre, Paris, and La Jacee. This flacon isn't exactly "new" as it was advertised as it appears to be the "Lilas Pourpre" flacon made by Rene Lalique first used for Coty's Lilas Pourpre perfume in 1911.
Crystal Bottles with Gilt Cap:
In 1928, flat, square shaped crystal bottles with inner glass stoppers and gilt brass caps were available in French leather cases. These bottles held Emeraude, L'Origan, Chypre and Paris.
Flat Frosted Stopper Parfum Bottles:
Introduced around 1928 was a square crystal bottle with a flat, but faceted frosted glass stopper. This bottle held 1 2/3 oz of parfum and was used for Emeraude, Paris, Chypre and L'Origan.
Also in the 1920s, Baccarat designed a tall, square based bottle that had a flat topped square frosted glass stopper. Coty adapted the design and refigured the stopper to include a foliate design with incorporated the name "COTY" at each corner. The stopper has blue applied staining to highlight the molded details. This bottle stands 4" tall with a 1-1/8" square base. The base of the bottle is acid stamped with "Coty France".
Gold-tone case holds a glass bottle and has a green plastic cap and base. It appeared in the 1937/1938 Coty catalog.
This is what I call the "Baroque Flacon". Paris was presented in a superb flacon fitted with a frosted glass stopper in the ornate rococo style. The packaging reflected the rococo style and as you can see from the ads below, Paris was also available in Toilet Water, Air-Spun face powder, dusting powder, bath salts, sachet and talcum powder. This bottle was only used for Paris and stands 3.25" tall x 1.25" wide x 5/8" thick.
Modern Packaging - Volume 22, 1949:
"The rich baroque style of the Louis XV period is revived in the new package designs for Coty's Paris scent. Elegance of the packages is typified by the perfume box. The cover paper, printed in two shades of French blue, is decorated with embossed gold baroque scrolls and spray design."
Tide: The Magazine for Advertising Executives - Volume 23, 1949:
"An excellent example of product identity through the use of color is in the packaging operations of Coty, Inc. over the years Coty has had four basic lines: Paris, always in blue, L'Origan always in gold, Emeraude always in green and L'Aimant always in red. Three of four years ago it then added a fifth, Muguet de Bois, in delicate pink. While the shades of these colors change in repackaging jobs from time to time, the company hammers away at the same basic colors to achieve strong product identity.
Coty changes packages entirely on "artistic intuition," whenever it feels something more appealing has been produced. For example, the company finished repackaging the Paris line last September, the first change in 10 years. In the operation Coty changed from a teal blue to two tones of French blue , one richer than the other, but it was careful throughout to keep away from anything faddish in either color or design so that the package would have a long life for promotions, store displays and advertising. "
Eau de Toilette Flacons:
The early Eau de Toilette flacons followed the designs used for the Parfum, elegant and beautiful, often with colorful lithographed or silver foil paper labels. Later bottles were much more simplistic in design.
The early 1920s Eau de Toilette bottles had a tall, square shape with a flat cut glass stopper. The bottle came in two sizes. One bottle stood 4 3/4" tall. The bottles are marked with Coty France on the base and were made at Coty's own glassworks.
In 1926, both a 1 1/5 oz and a 3 oz bottle for the Eau de Toilette were introduced that had patented metal sprinkler tops that allowed one to shake out only a few drops at a time when needed. These bottles were designed for traveling and were non-refillable.
Parfum de Toilette:
Coty's Parfum de Toilette, first introduced in 1960, was equal to today's Eau de Parfum strength fragrances. A happy medium between eau de toilette and parfum. The Emeraude Parfum de Toilette was housed in various bottles over the years.
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