Le Chypre (1923)

In 1923, Jeanne Lanvin introduced Le Chypre, one of her earliest perfumes and an important statement of her entry into the world of fine fragrance. The name she chose, “Le Chypre,” comes from the French word for “Cyprus” (pronounced “luh SHEEP-ruh”). For French speakers, the word instantly calls to mind the fabled island in the Mediterranean, long associated with exoticism, trade in resins, and the ancient cult of Aphrodite. To contemporary listeners of the 1920s, it would have suggested romance, mystery, and refinement—an alluring name that promised a sophisticated scent in keeping with Lanvin’s couture aesthetic.

The perfume was launched at a pivotal moment in history. The year 1923 falls squarely in the Années folles (“crazy years”) in France, or what Americans called the Roaring Twenties. Post-war Europe was brimming with energy: jazz was flourishing, Art Deco was becoming the dominant style, women’s fashions were shifting toward shorter hemlines, looser silhouettes, and a freer lifestyle that symbolized independence. Perfumery, too, was in a transformative era, with great houses experimenting boldly with new fragrance families, synthetic notes, and luxurious presentations. For a woman of the period, wearing a perfume called Le Chypre would have felt sophisticated and worldly, a way of connecting to both tradition and modernity. It suggested a scent that was complex, cosmopolitan, and unmistakably French.

The chypre itself is one of the oldest and most enduring fragrance structures. Its name derives from the island of Cyprus, where aromatic resins, mosses, and herbs had been used since antiquity. In perfumery, a chypre is generally defined by a balance of fresh citrus top notes (often bergamot), a floral heart, and a base anchored by oakmoss, labdanum, and patchouli. Nearly every perfumery of the 19th and early 20th centuries produced its own interpretation of the theme, so well-established was the form. Recipes for chypres appeared in formularies throughout the 1800s, but each house sought to make its own version stand out, whether by emphasizing florals, spices, or animalic nuances.

Lanvin’s Le Chypre, created by Henriette Gabilla, founder of Les Parfumeries de Gabilla, was classified as a floral chypre. This meant it took the classic chypre structure and enriched it with an opulent bouquet of rose, jasmine, violet, and orris, softening the mossy bitterness with sensual florals. By 1923, this was not an entirely radical composition—many houses were releasing their own chypres—but it was nonetheless a sophisticated choice for Lanvin’s first collection of perfumes. It demonstrated her awareness of fashion in fragrance: to begin with a chypre was to align her brand with timeless elegance, while still offering her clients a modernized formula suited to contemporary tastes.

What made perfumes of this period distinct was the growing role of modern chemistry. Whereas earlier chypres relied solely on natural tinctures and infusions, by the turn of the 20th century perfumers were enhancing or replacing costly natural materials with synthetics such as coumarin, vanillin, and vetiveryl acetate. These innovations not only made perfumes more affordable to produce but also gave compositions greater brilliance, longevity, and stability. Lanvin’s Le Chypre reflected this evolution: it retained the spirit of the traditional chypre but benefited from modern perfumery’s expanded palette.

In this way, Le Chypre by Lanvin occupied a meaningful position. It was not the first chypre of its kind, nor the boldest, but it was a refined and fashionable reimagining of a historic fragrance form—launched at precisely the moment when women were embracing new freedoms, new fashions, and new ways of expressing themselves through scent.

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? Le Chypre by Lanvin is classified as a floral chypre fragrance for women.

• Top notes: Calabrian bergamot, Guinea sweet orange oil, Sicilian neroli, citral, Hungarian clary sage
• Middle notes: hydroxycitronellal, Tunisian orange blossom, Grasse jasmine, Turkish rose, Bourbon geranium, geraniol, Tuscan violet, Florentine orris, ionone
• Base notes: Mysore sandalwood, Venezuelan tonka bean, coumarin, Mexican vanilla, vanillin, Siam benzoin, Maltese cistus labdanum, Persian galbanum, Penang patchouli, Tyrolean oakmoss, Java vetiver, vetiveryl acetate, Peru balsam,  Indian musk ambrette, ambergris, Abyssinian civet, Tonkin musk

Scent Profile:

The opening of Le Chypre is like stepping into a Mediterranean orchard at sunrise. Calabrian bergamot, prized for its sparkling clarity, bursts forth with a bright, slightly bitter citrus zest, cleaner and more elegant than other bergamots. It is quickly joined by the juicy sweetness of Guinea sweet orange oil, a warmer, more sun-drenched citrus note that softens the tartness with a honeyed glow. From Sicily comes neroli, the distilled blossom of the bitter orange tree, carrying a green, dewy freshness that feels almost silky against the sharper bergamot. Citral, a crystalline aroma molecule, lends a lemony brilliance, sharpening the natural citrus notes so they gleam with greater intensity. Threaded through this luminous top is Hungarian clary sage, an herbaceous, slightly leathery-green accent that grounds the opening sparkle with a touch of aromatic depth.

As the fragrance unfolds, the heart blossoms into an opulent floral symphony. Tunisian orange blossom adds warmth and sensuality, fuller and more honeyed than the neroli of the opening. Grasse jasmine, from the French Riviera’s legendary fields, breathes in its creamy, narcotic richness—more velvety and complex than jasmines grown elsewhere. The voluptuousness of Turkish rose follows, deep and slightly peppery, its crimson character woven together with the fresher, minty edge of Bourbon geranium. Geraniol, a naturally occurring aroma molecule, extends this rosy facet, ensuring its vividness lingers. Tuscan violet imparts a delicate powdery sweetness, while Florentine orris adds an aristocratic coolness—earthy, buttery, and tinged with violet nuance, one of the most luxurious raw materials in perfumery. Ionone, an early synthetic discovered in the 19th century, amplifies the violet accord with an airy radiance, giving a violet impression far more persistent than nature alone can provide. Together, the natural flowers and their synthetic counterparts merge into a heart that is both lush and meticulously polished.

The base is where Le Chypre reveals its true character, anchored in the mossy, resinous depth that defines the chypre family. Mysore sandalwood from India unfurls first, its creamy, sacred woodiness unmatched in richness by other varieties. Venezuelan tonka bean and its sweet, hay-like coumarin bring warmth and softness, binding the composition with a gourmand undertone. From Mexico, vanilla adds its dark, balsamic sweetness, while vanillin sharpens and extends it, creating an almost crystalline halo of comfort. Siam benzoin introduces resinous warmth, its golden balsam adding a soft ambered sweetness. Maltese labdanum brings depth—sticky, leathery, and rich—while Persian galbanum cuts through with sharp green bitterness, a resin that feels like crushed stems and sap. Penang patchouli layers in its earthy, camphoraceous shadow, grounding the perfume with exotic darkness.

Then comes the mossy core: Tyrolean oakmoss, cool, mineralic, and forest-like, intertwines with Java vetiver, whose smoky, rooty dryness adds backbone. Vetiveryl acetate, a refined derivative, smooths out the rough edges, highlighting the woody elegance of vetiver with modern clarity. Peru balsam seeps through with its sweet, vanilla-balsamic depth, uniting resins and woods. Animalic notes heighten the sensuality: Indian musk ambrette, with its soft, musky warmth; ambergris, salty and radiant like sunlit skin by the sea; Abyssinian civet, leathery, warm, and slightly feral; and Tonkin musk, the most prized of all, velvety, powdery, and profoundly sensual. These animalics bring life, flesh, and texture, transforming the mossy-woody base into something carnal and human.

Altogether, Le Chypre is both classic and opulent. Its citrus sparkle, floral opulence, mossy shadow, and animalic warmth reflect the grand structure of the chypre while demonstrating Jeanne Lanvin’s couture sensibility. Each ingredient, whether natural or enhanced by modern synthetics, contributes to a fragrance that is both timeless and fashion-forward—a scent that in 1923 would have felt at once worldly, daring, and profoundly elegant.

Bottles:

Boule Flacons (Ball Flacons):

The Boule flacons—Lanvin’s celebrated ball bottles—are among the most enduring icons of the house’s perfume presentation. Their origins can be traced to the spherical black glass bottles first used by Henriette Gabilla for her perfumes My Sin and Amour Américain. Lanvin adopted the idea and refined it into something distinctly its own. Produced by the Verrerie de Romesnil glassworks, Lanvin’s boules noires were crafted in deep black glass, their rounded form both modern and timeless. Each bottle bore a striking gold illustration of Jeanne Lanvin and her daughter, adapted from the celebrated artwork of Paul Iribe and Armand-Albert Rateau, which would become the house’s enduring emblem. For those preferring lighter brilliance, the boule was also available in colorless crystal with gold décor, adding a luminous alternative to the mysterious black glass.

By 1927, these bottles could be purchased as part of a luxurious atomizer set. The detachable atomizer apparatus was sold alongside a stopper, allowing women the choice of either a traditional flacon or the convenience of a spray—a remarkably modern feature for the era. The stoppers themselves evolved over time. Early examples showcased opulent gilded raspberry or pinecone forms, but by the 1920s, these gave way to ribbed spherical stoppers, reflecting the more streamlined aesthetics of the Art Deco period.

The branding etched or printed onto the bottles also reflected the evolution of the house. From 1925 to 1947, they proudly displayed the name “Jeanne Lanvin”, directly tying the fragrances to their couturière founder. From 1947 to 1958, the bottles carried the label “Lanvin Parfums,” though some unusual crossover examples with earlier raspberry stoppers occasionally appear, likely the result of leftover stock being used. After 1958, the name simplified further to “Lanvin” or “Lanvin Paris,” aligning the perfume division with the house’s streamlined postwar identity.

What made the boule flacons truly remarkable was the range of sizes in which they were offered. At the smallest, they held just a quarter-ounce, delicate enough for travel or as a vanity accessory. At their grandest, they reached a monumental 32 ounces, designed more as statement pieces than practical bottles—symbols of abundance and luxury. Whether in its smallest or largest form, the boule flacon embodied Lanvin’s ethos: a blend of artistry, elegance, and innovation that has made these bottles some of the most collectible in perfume history.

Here is a quick guide to your bottle sizes if it is missing labels or boxes. Please note that this is a work in progress, more info will be added as info becomes available to me.

Raspberry stopper boule flacons:

• 1 oz = 2.25" tall
• 2 oz = 3.25" tall

Boule with ribbed stopper (original, not fully gilded ground glass stopper):

• 4.5" tall 
• 5.25" tall
• 32 oz 

Boule with ribbed stopper (fully gilded ground glass stopper):

• 0.25 oz = 2" tall
• 2 oz = 3 1/8" tall

Boule with ribbed stopper (fully gilded stopper with plastic plug):

• 0.5 oz = 2.5" tall

Fate of the Fragrance:

Discontinued, date unknown.