How to recognize a fougere fragrance ?

After the heavy and animal perfumes, Napoleon establishes a new fashion with the Eaux de Cologne. It is the era of the cleanderness which will dominate the masculine perfumery, up to the year 1960. A new accord will see the day with the famous Fougere Royale from Houbigant. But how do we recognize this family ? Which are the first perfumes to appear ? Just as many questions as to understand better this family ; recognize its perfumes and know if you like them and why !…

Place of birth of this fougere family !

It all begins with the Fougere Royale from Houbigant,concieved by the perfumer, Paul Parquet. The latter imagined it, initially for women, but in the end it will be the men who will show very quickly a preference, due to the coumarine notes mingled with the lavander and the geranium.In fact, Paul Parquet will take the opportunity to use the first applications of the organic chemistry, so to imagine this perfume, and its accord that will become the emblem of this family.One must mention that this accord contains a bergamot,lavander, geranium coumarine and oak moss.

What are its charateristics ?

The lavander plays as the main actor of this accord with the bergamot and the geiranium so to give more deepness. But, how soften this accord ? That is exactly where Paul Parquet got the genius idea of using the coumarin, the main odour of the tonka bean witk its mild smell of the harvested hay.

You will have undersiood… the fougere does not smell ! Exactly like the Chypre family, this olfactive family takes birth with the name of a fragrance. This olfactive atmosphere became appreciated, immediately by the dandys of the day. In fact, one could recognize the familiar odours of the the smell of the wood and the lavander at the barber’s shop. It is a well-known fact that Guy de Maupassant was a real fan of Fougere Royale ! with its grooming and after shave effect, which is, partially due to the presence of the benzin salicylate that one can find into the sun cream. But let’s not forget that the fougere accord sublimates the lavander, according to Christophe Raynaud, who is perfumer-creator at Firmenich.

Short reminder of what the fougere accord contains :

• The lavander, a flower with fresh notes and a wink in the eye to the barber cleanderness
  

  Voici de la fève tonka

• The bergamot, a fruit with tonic notes
• The geranium, a leaf with fresh and rosy notes.
• The oak moss, a lichen with earthy and underwood notes.
• The coumarin, a synthetic product extracted from the tonka bean

What is the DNA of this family ?

Let’s not forget that the men became fond of perfume because of shaving ! It’s only in the sixties , that the men’s perfumery grows. But, it will follow the olfafive canons of the virility by responding with the words such as freshness,cleanderness and tonus,which echoe with either citrus notes or erither woody notes recognized as tonic after sport and the shower.

Then, Brut from Faberge will mark a turning point in 1964 … but above all in the minds. This perfume offers a floral and amber fougere note. It represents such an instituition in this fougere family says to me, Ghristophe Raynaud, while adding that in view  of such a success, it’s note is even present in the shaving creams, the shower gels and the deodorants… For that matter it brought a prejudice to the fougere perfumes ! But it is a fact that the fougere family has not disappeared, it has evolved on the other hand. The hygiene side is not so much there.

According to Christophe Raynaud who reminds us precisely, freshness has become the key of the men perfumes.The lavander is still present under the form of lavandin,which is just as good while less expensive, along with other notes. This is how other perfumes appeared, with R from Paco Rabanne, Azzaro for Men, Drakkar Noir… with the dyhdro mencenol, a powerful synthetic note to stimulate the fougere note !

A turning point operates with the Male from Jean-Paul Gaultier and the 1 Million from Paco Rabanne without the oak moss ; but with the woods along with a more warming amber note.This how a base note evolves as the time goes,by changing some ingredients in order to modernize an olfactive familly.

Who are the leaders of this family ?

According to Symrise genealogy a creating company, I introduce you with the archetype perfumes( they are the perfumes with olfactive structures inorder bring a real olfactive innovation) of this family, just as much in the women perfumes as in the men perfumes. Symrise with the French Perfumers Society, the oldest olfactive classifications.

The men fragances

• 1882 vanilla, Fougere Royale from Houbigant.
• 1910 floral, English Lavender
• 1934 oriental, Pour un homme from Caron
• 1937 amber, Old Spice
• 1946 woody, Pino Sylvestre
• 1958 woody, Balafre from Lancome
• 1964 amber, Brut from Faberge
• 1978 woody,Azzaro for Man
• 1982 chypre, Drakkar Noir from Guy Laroche
• 1988 woody, Cool Water from Davidoff
• 1995 aromatic, Dolce Gabbana for men
• 1995 musky, Le Male from JP Gaultier

The women fragances

• 1936 aromatic, Dana from Canoe

For what reason do we appreciate them ?

The fougere family perfumes are appreciated for their powerfulness and their diffusion. To day,they are not as marked by their past of cleanderness,but the presence of more woods and of notes with warming facets or sometimes leather ones make them more elegant. They are just as much virile and may be less considered as virile !

Introduction of the stars

• Fierce Abercrombie

If the fougere note has moved away, it has made its great come back in 2002 with Fierce ! There, the aromatic note is a sage with a lavender, along with a fruity note of apple, on an amber and woody base and the ambrox. There is there, an overdose of woody notes..

• 1 Million from Paco Rabanne

One finds an methyl anthranilate note, which is present also in the Male from JP Gaultier and Cool Walter from Davidoff. That is why Christophe Raynaud has explained to me, that he has used an absolute of rose, in great quantity, instead of the geranium, which has a connotation of the past. You must realize that the geranium has the rosy facets of the rose. Christophe has also added dry and warming woods for the base.

• Bleu from Chanel

This perfume starts on a sparkliing citrus note minged with pink bay leaves and peppermint. Its heart is warm with the cedar along with the vetiver, without forgetting a floral touch of jasmin. The ginger amplifies the light bitternes with a perfect accord s of the grapefruit. In order to conclude, woody smells of the sandalwood join the patchouly and the insense. It is a beautiful fragrance with a perfect accord. It is the typical example of how to do without some in gredients in order to modernize the fougere accord.

• Invictus from Paco Rabanne

Invictus reveals two facets that are opposite : on of which is fresh with the greatfruit,the marine accord and the laurel leaf while the other one has the sensuality produced by a woody-amberaccord of the galac wood,the patchouly and the amber gris. It is the typical example to modify a fougere by introducing a marine note.

• Sauvage from Christian Dior

François Demachy, perfumer-creator at Dior, gives us his own vision of a fougere fragrance with his new perfume. According to him, Sauvage has an overdose of all the said elements of the Male while adding a pop-corn note that is so appreciated by the young generation. It starts on a fresh note with the Calabrian bergamot on a warm and wood base, due to the presence of the ambroxan.

What is the future of this family ?

Men are fond of the fougere family. These fragrances reappear regularly just as a Phoenix tells me Christophe… One can’t go without them ! For him, the fougere and the Chypre fragrances represent the most abstract accords but are the most concrete olfactively.