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!

Please leave a comment below (for example: of why you liked the fragrance, describe the scent, time period or age you wore it, who gave it to you or what occasion, any specific memories, what it reminded you of, maybe a relative wore it, or you remembered seeing the bottle on their vanity table), who knows, perhaps someone from the current Coty brand might see it.

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!

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Sophia by Coty c1980

Sophia is a Coty fragrance inspired by the famous Sophia Loren. Created by James Bell.






It it took Coty three years of research to find a name and image that appealed equally to women and men of all age groups. Focus interviews, a marketing research tool, showed that women admire Loren very much. "They like her career, her life, her role as a mother, and that she has remained married to one man," said Marjorie D'Ambrosia of Coty.

Coty invested $5 million in network tv and print marketing campaigns for the fragrance.

The commercial for the perfume was filmed at the convention hall at the Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas on April 28, 1980. Two hundred and fifty Coty executives and salespeople were invited to watch the filming and live presentation introducing the new perfume. A single spotlight was poised over a single crystal bottle of the parfum. You can watch the commercial below.



Sophia Loren made appearances behind velvet ropes at various department stores such as Famous-Barr in St Louis, to help promote her fragrance and to sign autographs. Sophia Loren said that "It is earthy, warm and loving. Everything that being a woman means."

The Sophia line was immensely successful. Stores such as Carson Pirie Scott in Chicago sold $600 worth of Sophia products in one hour, while JC Penney in one district wanted re-orders of $10,00 PER store. The huge Sears network had an overall increase of 15% in all fragrance volume during October, the month of its launch in 1980.

The Sophia fragrance line was priced at the high end of the moderate market. The 0.25 ounce perfume retailed at $22.50.




Fragrance Composition:


So what does it smell like? It is classified as an oriental floral fragrance for women. It begins with an aldehydic top note, followed by a spicy, sweet floral heart, layered over a warm, sweet, balsamic, powdery base. A floral bouquet with oriental undertones, punctuated with rare spices combined with delicate flowers, rich woods and rare mosses with a lasting note of amber.  
  • Top notes: spice oils, galbanum, star anise, grapefruit, pineapple, mandarin, orange, aldehydes, bergamot, lemon
  • Middle notes: orris, lavender, rosemary, geranium, mimosa, violet, ylang ylang, orchid, clove, cinnamon bark, jasmine, lily and rose
  • Base notes: oakmoss, patchouli, Siamese benzoin, ambergris, Mexican vanilla, Tibetan musk, leather, incense, vetiver, Mysore sandalwood


Bottle:


The bottle was manufactured in Millville, New Jersey, by Wheaton Industries, who also made other bottles for various perfume companies. The carton design was by Deskey, and the carton production was by F.M. Burt of New York.







Fate of the Fragrance:


Discontinued. Still being sold in 1990.

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