Milestone perfumes

I’m really starting to appreciate the perfumes with a bit of heritage, the real milestones. I’ve recently acquired a full bottle of Fougère Royale (2010) Eau de Parfum . Don’t know if it’s anything like the original from the 18th century but is it nice or what? It’s like discovering The Beatles after only having listened to bands that owe their inspiration from them. Pure, raw, straight to the point.

What’s your favorite milestone perfume? What makes it special for you? What makes it a milestone?

I’m not a huge fan of vintage fragrances (pre-1980) but I think two more modern examples that are going to be eventually considered milestones are Fierce Cologne and Baccarat Rouge 540 Eau de Parfum. Fierce essentially started, or at least popularized the “blue” trend that dominated men’s perfumery over the next couple of decades at least. And like it or hate it, I think the BR540 DNA created a new “genre” in perfumery similar to fougeres and chypres.

Oh and I also think Echt Kölnisch Wasser Eau de Cologne still holds up pretty well to this day, but it’s so weak it’s better to use as an aftershave splash than a fragrance.

I'm not a huge fan of fragrances from the far, far past either (Which for me includes any fragrance pre 1990).

If I think of milestones I think of fragrances that cause other brands to jump in ASAP because another fragrance dared to do something different or soared in popularity in the mass market.

Such perfumes would be:

- Acqua di Giò pour Homme Eau de Toilette / Cool Water Eau de Toilette : The aquatic perfumes

- Spicebomb : Spicy fragrances

- Fierce Cologne / Bleu de Chanel Eau de Toilette : The blue scents

- 1 Million Eau de Toilette / Eros Eau de Toilette / Le Mâle Eau de Toilette The sweet club scents

- Sauvage Eau de Toilette / Invictus Eau de Toilette / Boss Bottled Eau de Toilette Swiss army knives for year-round usage

- Dior Homme Original (2011) Eau de Toilette / Dior Homme Intense (2011) : The lipstick (or powdery) fragrances

Also the ones that are prone to be cloned by others because their scent profiles are so hyped for clear reasons:

-Angels' Share Eau de Parfum

- Aventus

- Baccarat Rouge 540 Eau de Parfum

- Erba Pura

These also set trends for future fragrances to follow up on (or did in the past TO DEATH and still, such as Aventus because the original was already reached and appreciated by a wide audience)

I could also include A*Men for the gourmands. Thank god they created better gourmand after that monstrosity.

Great topic!

My favorite milestone perfumes are:

Shalimar Extrait – the benchmark reference amber. Technically, Emeraude Parfum came first, and Guerlain pretty much copied or cloned it—but Shalimar was more successful. I love both: the “mothers” of amber fragrances.

Angel Eau de Parfum – the first gourmand. Angel was just so iconic, the first perfume that smelled edible, like chocolate. I love me some patchouli, too. It was also groundbreaking because it was strong, with immense projection and trail, totally different from the clean, aquatic frags that dominated the ’90s.

I think pretty much everything Francois Coty made counts as a milestone perfume — revolutionary in its time. Same with the Guerlain classics. Vol de Nuit Extrait , Samsara Extrait, etc... And if we’re talking fathers of modern niche, that title goes to Serge Lutens. Everything he made fits the bill, with some truly iconic creations like Féminité du bois , Ambre sultan Eau de Parfum, Chergui Eau de Parfum, ........... (all of them!!!)

Everything Germaine Cellier created was groundbreaking as well. Unconventional and ahead of its time. From Fracas Eau de Parfum (the tuberose bomb) to Vent Vert (1947) Parfum (crisp galbanum done like no one else), her work reshaped modern perfumery.

Chanel classics? Yep, but I don't like them...

Oh god I feel old while reading this 🤣 I consider things like Baccarat Rouge 540 Eau de Parfum, Sauvage Eau de Toilette and Aventus as newer milestones, and I have to say I strongly dislike all three. I appreciate them as works of art though. However I can't stand it how all popular brands nowadays have their own version of these - for goodness sakes why can't you just invent a unique fragrance of your own without cloning others' popular formula, it's so boring to find a new fragrance with amazing notes only to find out it's another BR540 version, sigh... Same with La Vie est Belle L'Eau de Parfum about 10 years ago, while I actually really like it, I got bored because back then even all shower gels and body lotions smelled like it. Seems that Cheirosa '62 is new "La Vie Est Belle" at the moment because now all cheaper skincare brands make their own "Brasilian yummy cream" whatever lol so as much as I love the original, I'm now a bit bored. All rant aside, my personal favourite milestone perfumes would probably be:

✔️ Echt Kölnisch Wasser Eau de Cologne. Absolutely timeless all year round masterpiece. So simple but so clever and gorgeous.

✔️ Poison Eau de Toilette and Opium (1977) Eau de Toilette. I love their marketing and how they were causing strong emotions during their time. Also they both smell very timeless and unique.

✔️ Cool Water Eau de Toilette / Cool Water Woman / L'Eau d'Issey Eau de Toilette. They started the fresh aquatic fragrance trend which is one of my favourite fragrance genres.

✔️ Angel Eau de Parfum. The mother of unique gourmands.

✔️ Tommy Girl and Happy Perfume. Started the light fresh spring floral trend in women's fragrances after an era of super heavy cloying spicy trend.

✔️ CK One Eau de Toilette. Reminded the perfume industry that smells don't belong to any gender and that fragrance marketing doesn't have to be gendered.

✔️ Le Mâle Eau de Toilette and Classique Eau de Toilette. The house of Gaultier always stood strongly defending lgbtqia+ rights and women's rights and made it visible in their perfume marketing.

✔️ Alien Eau de Parfum. Amazing advertising, amazing bottle, amazing masterpiece of a fragrance having minimalistic notes but being one of the most complex things I've ever smelled at the same time - true to its name. If I should pick only one favourite milestone fragrance, this would be it. Can't believe it's already 20 years old, doesn't feel like that at all. 😅 I don't know if I should also mention Shafali Fleur Rare Eau de Toilette here though because it was like Alien 10 years before Alien. So ahead of its time that it got discontinued and forgotten. I'm grateful to own a vintage bottle.

Great suggestions on those milestones. For real, a lot of advertising from designers did a lot to build up these “dreams” that perfumes are actually selling. Dreams as in, you want to smell like that great looking guy on the beach, so you buy into Cool Water Eau de Toilette . When in fact it’s a continuation of Green Irish Tweed , Cool Water is the one we remember.

How about the whole eastern perfumery movement that’s going on? Any milestones in that regard that sparked it?