Hello and welcome! Please understand that this website is not affiliated with Coty in any way, it is only a reference page for collectors and those who have enjoyed the classic fragrances of days gone by.

The main objective of this website is to chronicle the history of the Coty fragrances and showcase the bottles and advertising used throughout the years.

However, one of the other goals of this website is to show the present owners of the Coty perfume company how much we miss the discontinued classics and hopefully, if they see that there is enough interest and demand, they will bring back these fragrances!

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Also, this website is a labor of love, it is a work in progress and is always being updated with new information as I can find it, so check back often!

Monday, January 19, 2015

A'Suma by Coty c1934

A'Suma was launched in France in 1934 by Coty.  Subtitled "Fantaisie Japonaise." It was jointly created by Francois Coty and  Coty's chief perfumer Vincent Roubert..  The sensuous perfume was inspired by a mysterious moonlit tropical beach in Bali.







Fragrance Composition:


So what does it smell like? It is classified as an semi-oriental floral fougere fragrance for women. It is a light and airy fern odor. Exotic top notes are included in this warm, piquant spicy perfume.
  • Top notes: aldehydes, Calabrian bergamot, mint and Chinese camphor
  • Middle notes: carnation, Tunisian orange blossom, French lavender, Omani incense, May rose, Grasse jasmine, tuberose and Dutch heliotrope
  • Base notes: French labdanum, Mysore sandalwood, leather, Tyrolean oakmoss, Singapore patchouli, Mexican vanilla, Venezuelan tonka bean, Tibetan civet, vetiver, patchouli, ambergris, Tonkin musk

Advertisements of the era described the perfume as "A fragrance even more opulent than the mode, "A Suma" by Coty has the sensuous allure of a siren's song."

It was also touted as "reckless", "strange", "languorous", "smoky", "luxurious", "rich", "intriguing", "mysterious", "sensuous", "alluring", and "entirely individual."

"Exotic as the South Seas; mysterious as moonlight; alluring as a siren's song; it comes in an amusing lacquered case paneled with Chinese Decor."

The fragrance was available in parfum, cologne and eau de toilette concentrations.

Bottles:


The A'Suma parfum was housed inside a frosted glass sphere with a ball stopper. The bottle was decorated with molded chrysanthemum flowers. Some people mistake this as a Lalique bottle, but Lalique had nothing to do with it, it was designed by Coty himself and manufactured by Coty's own glass works.

Coty also drew upon the advice of potential design hiree, Pierre Camin. During a three-hour interview, Coty carefully studied Camin's sketches and kept one. Camin let it slip that he had known virtually nothing about bottles. Coty stated that "A bottle is for wine. Flask is the word we use here." Knowing that the A'Suma flacon needed something else, and as a final test, Coty showed Camin a drawing of the round bottle, asking him his thoughts of the sketch. Camin succinctly replied that it needed "a pedestal". Coty happily agreed and hired Camin on the spot just a few months before his death.


The smaller A'Suma bottle rests on a black Bakelite pedestal and is housed inside an Oriental style black, gold and red presentation box, covered with Asian natural motifs. The deluxe size rests luxuriously on ivory satin, in a case of red Moroccan leather.

The Extrait (parfum) came in various sizes:
  • 0.13 oz stands 1.5" tall
  • 0.42 oz stands 2" tall
  • 0.84 oz stands 2 1/8" tall (2.25")
  • 1.45 oz stands 3" tall
  • 1.68 oz stands 4" tall
  • 3.36 oz stands 4.25"tall

In 1934, prices or A'Suma parfum retailed for $10 in the fancy Chinese deco box and $35 in the red Morocco leather box.


1934 Coty A Suma perfume bottle and stopper in clear/frost glass, sealed, label, stand, box. 2 1/8 in. Photo by Perfume Bottles Auction

1920s Coty A'Suma perfume bottle and stopper, frosted glass, box. Bottle 2 3/8 in. Photo by Perfume Bottles Auction






c1930s A'Suma by Coty deluxe crystal perfume bottle with frosted stopper, brown patina, and embossed label, in fine condition, in its red fabric box with a yellow mirror mounted inside. Height  5 1/4 in. Photo by Mastro Auctions. This presentation was also used for Emeraude.

The New Yorker, 1934:


"The veteran M. Coty has a new perfume called A Suma. An exotic little Oriental box holds a lush scent that makes you dream of going a bit too far on some coral strand or other. It should also be a help in finding a partner for your straying."

Harper's Bazaar, 1934:
"A fragrance even more opulent than the mode, "A Suma" by Coty has the sensuous allure of a siren's song. Ask for "A Suma" at the smart shops. "A Suma" is ready in two sizes - each a flower-embossed frosted glass sphere, pedestalled on ebony and scarlet. The $10 size boasts a handsome octagonal gold and black lacquer-like case, or $35, the deluxe size rests luxuriously on ivory satin, in a case of scarlet Morocco."
The Delineator, 1935:
"See what Coty's — "A Suma'' does to you. (It's in that morocco case.) A drop on the ear lobes, one on the nuque (that's the hair-line tip at the back of the neck) and a drop on your wrists will further almost any romance."

The New Yorker, 1935:

"Presented in a charming, lid -cover treasure box,  Coty created A'Suma, the exciting, new European perfume sensation in a glass sphere that rests in splendor on an ebony pedestal."



Fate of the Fragrance:


By 1957, it was discontinued.


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