Paloma Picasso
Few perfumes from the 1980s have aged as well as Paloma Picasso Eau de Parfum, and almost none of them are still this uncompromising.
Carnation is the first thing you notice, dry and peppery and hot, and that is unusual: most perfumes open on citrus and apologise later. Here the spice comes first, with coriander adding a seedy sharpness beside it. Amalfi lemon and bergamot do arrive, bright and bitter, and neroli brings a clean white petal lift, but angelica cuts under all of them with a cold, earthy, almost celery like bitterness that tells you this is not going to be pretty. Rose sits in the top too, dark and already serious.
The middle is thick. Hyacinth is green and slightly rubbery, jasmine and ylang ylang are creamy and heady, mimosa adds a powdery sweetness, and patchouli is already pushing up through them with damp earth.
Then the base, which is the reason the perfume has a reputation. Oakmoss is bitter, damp and genuinely mossy. Civet and castoreum are the animal materials, used at a level you can smell, warm and faintly dirty in a way modern perfumery has largely given up on. Vetiver adds dry roots, sandalwood and amber a little warmth, musk a softening. It is severe, elegant and not remotely sweet. Francis Bocris composed it in 1984. At eau de parfum strength it is enormous, so one spray will do a day and leave a trail on a coat for longer. Autumn, winter, evenings, and a wearer with some confidence.
Her name is on the bottle and her own work is in jewellery, cosmetics, china and accessories. The perfume is a separate licensed operation handled by another company entirely, and this 1984 composition is still what the name means to most buyers.
Please note: images are a guide only. Packaging and bottle design may occasionally differ from those shown due to manufacturer updates or promotions.
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