Irise (1923)

Irisé by Lanvin was introduced in 1923, a time when the house of Lanvin was expanding its creative identity from couture into perfumery. The choice of the name Irisé is particularly evocative. In French, the word irisé (pronounced ee-ree-zay) means “iridescent,” describing the shifting play of colors seen on a pearl, soap bubble, or dragonfly’s wing. The name alone conjures an image of delicate luminosity, something refined, feminine, and ephemeral. It suggests not just color but also movement and atmosphere—an effect that feels both luxurious and poetic. For women of the early 1920s, a perfume called Irisé would have embodied elegance, refinement, and the promise of beauty enhanced by subtle radiance.

The early 1920s were part of what is known as Les Années Folles (“The Crazy Years”), the French counterpart to the Roaring Twenties. Paris was alive with artistic experimentation, the Jazz Age was in full swing, and women’s fashion was undergoing a dramatic shift. Jeanne Lanvin herself was designing gowns that mirrored these new ideals: slim, fluid silhouettes embellished with embroidery, beading, and iridescent effects that caught the light in movement. Perfume at the time was also evolving, moving away from the heavy, opulent perfumes of the Belle Époque and embracing more modern, stylized compositions. To name a perfume Irisé in this moment was perfectly aligned with the trends—it captured the glamour, modernity, and new freedoms of the decade.

The scent itself, created by perfumer Madame Marie Zede, was constructed around an accord of iris and violet. This choice was elegant and sophisticated, as iris had long been considered one of the most luxurious raw materials in perfumery, associated with powdery refinement. Violet, meanwhile, lent a delicate sweetness and a nostalgic charm. Madame Zede is thought to have employed Iralia®, a pre-fabricated Firmenich base of methyl ionones that helped create a woody-floral violet-orris note. This was cutting-edge at the time, as methyl ionones became essential in the development of the powdery, violet-like accords so fashionable in the 1910s and 1920s. Iralia® gave perfumers a reliable way to construct the sophisticated, velvety iris-violet notes that consumers found alluring.

In the broader context of 1920s perfumery, Irisé was both timely and distinctive. Powdery iris and violet perfumes were in vogue, reflecting the cosmetics boom of the decade when face powders, rouges, and lipsticks became daily accessories for modern women. Yet the name Irisé elevated Lanvin’s fragrance beyond a simple “violet” or “iris” scent—it suggested a shimmering, prismatic interpretation rather than a literal floral soliflore. While it resonated with contemporary tastes, it also distinguished itself with a poetic concept that linked fragrance to light, texture, and visual beauty, echoing Lanvin’s own mastery in couture.

For women in 1923, Irisé would not have been just a fragrance but a statement of modern femininity—luminous, refined, and perfectly in step with the spirit of its age.

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? Irisé by Lanvin is classified as a floral fragrance for women. It was built upon an accord of iris and violet. 

• Top notes: Calabrian bergamot, Sicilian neroli oil, anisaldehyde, Jordanian bitter almond oil 
• Middle notes: Tuscan violet leaf, methyl ionones, Veronese iris concrete, Iralia, Grasse rose absolute, rhodinol
• Base notes: Florentine orris root, Mexican vanilla bean tincture, vanillin, Venezuelan tonka bean tincture, coumarin

Scent Profile:

From the very first breath, Irisé opens like sunlight spilling across silk. The brightness of Calabrian bergamot sets the stage, its effervescence carrying the purest sparkle of citrus. Bergamot from Calabria, grown on the southern Italian coast, is prized for its balance of zest and sweetness, its oils kissed by sea breezes and Mediterranean sun. Unlike other citrus fruits, it offers not sharpness but radiance—luminous and smooth, the perfect overture to what follows. Alongside it blooms Sicilian neroli oil, distilled from the bitter orange blossoms of orchards that have flowered for centuries. Neroli from Sicily is famed for its tender green freshness, a delicate bridge between fruit and flower that lends a silken, almost honeyed quality to the opening.

Threaded through this luminous curtain comes anisaldehyde, a delicate synthetic with a whisper of sweet, spicy warmth, recalling crushed anise seeds dusted with sugar. It lends the top accord a subtle sparkle, like tiny crystals refracting light. Then, a more exotic note deepens the texture—Jordanian bitter almond oil. Harvested from trees rooted in ancient soils, it carries an almond’s creamy richness yet tinged with dry, almost smoky austerity. Together, these top notes shimmer like a jewel held to the light, each facet catching a different gleam.

As the perfume unfurls, the heart becomes a soft, velvety expanse of flowers and greens. Tuscan violet leaf introduces a verdant crispness, a breath of green air that feels both cool and nostalgic. It carries that faint cucumber-like freshness unique to violet leaves, balancing sweetness with a dewy clarity. Into this comes the modern alchemy of methyl ionones—aroma molecules that revolutionized perfumery in the early 20th century. They capture the essence of violet in a way nature alone cannot provide, lending the perfume its powdery, tender sweetness, yet also a luminous, woody dimension. Where natural violet can feel fleeting, ionones create permanence—like a photograph that preserves a fading moment.

At the heart lies Veronese iris concrete, distilled from rhizomes painstakingly harvested in the fields of Verona. True iris is among the most costly materials in perfumery, requiring years of aging before its noble, powdery-woody fragrance can be coaxed forth. Here it reveals itself as cool and aristocratic, carrying whispers of suede and the faint dryness of parchment. To this, Madame Zede added Iralia®, a Firmenich base built upon methyl ionones, designed to enhance the natural iris with greater richness. While iris root can be elusive, Iralia® acts as a prism, magnifying its violet-floral facets while anchoring them with a velvety, woody undertone. Grasse rose absolute joins the chorus with its lush, honeyed richness, unmistakably deepened by the Provençal terroir—sun, soil, and centuries of cultivation lending this rose an opulence that feels like velvet petals pressed between the pages of a book. Supporting this is rhodinol, a key aroma molecule drawn from geranium and rose oils, which accentuates the floral core with a smooth, rosy brightness, ensuring the heart feels radiant and seamless.

The base is where Irisé finally settles, like dusk washing the sky in soft violets and golds. Florentine orris root reveals its deeper side here—dry, buttery, and almost talc-like, yet with a faintly earthy dignity. It grounds the perfume in an almost tactile softness, like the inside of a finely milled powder box. Mexican vanilla bean tincture follows, warm and narcotic, its richness far more complex than synthetic vanilla alone. Real vanilla carries facets of balsam, spice, and dried fruit, its lush sweetness enriched by the volcanic soils of Mexico where it first flowered. Yet paired with vanillin—the pure synthetic isolate of its sweet core—the note becomes brighter and more focused, as though the natural material has been polished to a gleam.

Completing the foundation is Venezuelan tonka bean tincture, resonant with almond, hay, and tobacco-like nuances, its warm balsamic facets enhanced by coumarin, the crystalline molecule that was first isolated from tonka in the 19th century. Coumarin reinforces that almond-hay sweetness but adds a lightness, lifting the richness so that the base never becomes too heavy. Together, they create a smooth, golden warmth that blends seamlessly with iris and violet, carrying the fragrance into a powdery, luminous drydown.

In Irisé, every element—whether rare natural or ingenious synthetic—is chosen not simply for itself but for how it reflects light onto the others. Just as the word irisé suggests an iridescence of color, so too does this perfume shimmer with layers of scent: airy citrus, delicate florals, luminous powders, and soft warmth. The result is a fragrance that feels timelessly elegant, capturing in scent the play of light across silk, the sheen of a pearl, the fleeting glow of a twilight sky.

 

Fate of the Fragrance:

Discontinued around 1926.