Friday, February 28, 2014

10 Perfumes That Should Never Have Been Discontinued


Few issues can get perfume enthusiasts as riled up as the discontinuation of wonderful perfumes. We've all been there; we all have a list of lost treasures we wish were available again. To make this list I narrowed them down: it does not include reformulations (just about every classic) and reconstructions (Panthere de Cartier), nor did I count perfumes that were released as a limited edition (Tauer Orris). This is simply a list of ten(ish) perfumes that should have been kept in production for ever and ever because they were good and because they could have been a commercial success given enough time.

1. Cuir de Lancome. And I'm not even talking about the original. The La Collection version from 2007 was a brilliant floral leather.
2. Guerlain Shalimar Eau Legere. No, Eau de Shalimar is not quite as good.
3. L'Artisan- Orchidée Blanc. Oh, heartache! The delicate scent of spring- floral, earthy, leafy, and sweet. It came alive on skin and made you feel like La Primavera.
4. Alexander McQueen- Kingdom. This was a commercial flop when first came out and discontinued before McQueen's death. It took a while before people discovered how great this niche-character-in-a-designer-outfit really is, and all the overstock bottles were quickly snatched.
5. Annick Goutal- Mon Parfum Cherie Par Camille. It took guts to release a perfume like this in 2011, but apparently the decision makers at Annick Goutal didn't have it in them to actually keep this beauty on the shelves and sell it.
6. Jean Patou- Ma Collection (and just about everything else they ever made). I don't know if I can even pick among them, but let's say Vacances, probably the best lilac perfume ever made.
7. Fendi- Theorema. Ok, I get that the original Fendi by Fendi is perhaps too challenging in today's market, but the sweet and spicy orange goodness of Theorema would have, could have, and should have been a bestseller to this day.
8. The entire Gobin-Daudé line. One of the very first truly independent perfumer-owned brands. Production and distribution issues prevented it from being a commercial success. I'm pretty sure that had it been launched a few years later, Ms. Gobin-Daudé and her perfumes could have flourished. Online perfume conversation became more established and gave an unparalleled exposure even to the smallest and most obscure lines.
9. Le Labo- Aldehyde 44. This one was only sold at Barneys in Dallas, and discontinued when the store closed. Makes no sense. Couldn't they just make it an online exclusive? Or open a store in North Jersey?
10. Tom Ford- Amber Absolute. Speaking of things that don't make any sense. An amber that could give Serge Lutens a run for his money, and one of the top three sellers of the Private Blend. Yes, I get that this collection undergoes a major change every few months, but the original 12 releases were far better than everything that came out later.

Which perfumes would you add to this list?

44 comments:

  1. I have no idea what is going on at Annick Goutal, they have discontinued Eau de Camille, Eau du Ciel, Folavril (not only the first scent of the house but also one worn by Annick Goutal herself for crying out loud!) and Vétiver. This makes me so angry.

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  2. Le Labo/ Anthropologie Chant de Bois! I am devastated!

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    1. Agree! Best cedar ever made. I've seen it on EBay, but would have to pull a bank job to afford it (which is obviously not an option :)

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    2. Can't we start a petition to bring it back! I've seen it on Ebay too and the price is disheartening. Should have stocked up on it :(

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  3. L'Artisan has discontinued some recently: L'Eau de Jatamansi -- okay, that maybe wasn't a bestseller -- but Tea for Two? Vanilia? On their way out: Bois Farine, Cœur de Vétiver Sacré, Vanille Absolument. Rumored demise: Dzing!, Traversée du Bosphore, Poivre Piquant.

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  4. Annick Goutal-I agree with tigrushka, and I would add Eau de Camille (Ivy, greens, seringa) it's spring in a bottle for me, and the first of her scents I fell in love with.

    Fendi-I mourn the discontinuation of the original Fendi, Theorema and Life Essence, all of them got heavy rotation back in the day. I'm thankful for my 5 backup bottles of Fendi.

    Tom Ford-Moss Breches, perfect blend of moss, beeswax and polished church benches.

    Gucci-last but not least, Gucci III, L' Arte Di Gucci eau de toilette and eau de parfum. Gucci really knew how to produce va va Voom! scents back in the day. Sex in a bottle.

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    1. I forgot Parure by Guerlain, another great beauty.

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  5. YSL Nu! YSL M7! YSL Yvresse! Tea for Two (though, is that back?) DK Chaos/ Gold /Black Cashmere (it seems the re-release were blink and you'll miss it), Organza Indecence, Rochas Absolu (and I have a soft spot for Alchimie), pretty much all the older Krizia's, L'Occitane Neroli, Gucci Envy for Men, Penhaligons Amaranthine...

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  6. Creed Angelique Enciens, Lancome Sikkim and Magie

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  7. Just wanted to let you know - I ordered and received 2 samples of Scents by Alexis- Body Made Luminous. Wearing it today - and this is right up my alley! It is almost identical to a perfume oil by Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab - Bliss.

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  8. Great list, agree with everything on it. The Gobin Daude line is the one that makes me weep with frustration, I missed the final sale at Takashimaya when it was still open in NYC. Bottles went out that door for a few dollars each! Oh the agony.
    And why? Over sophistication?

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  9. I agree with everything on this list, especially Theorema and the Jean Patou line, and I am still in denial over Rochas Alchimie - it's really GREAT. WHY?!?!

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  10. L'Interdit; the original made for Audry Hepburn (1957) by Hubert de Givenchy.

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  11. Donna Karan's Black Cashmere was always one of my favorites, but I still have some perfume and body lotion left. I also still have and hoard Kingdom by Alexander McQueen in that funky silver and red glass bottle and some Fendi by Fendi. We should get up a petition with hundreds of thousands of names to bring them back. Your list would be a great place to start.

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  12. I didn't realize Mon Parfum Cherie par Camille had been discontinued! What a terrible shame. I only ended up with a good-sized decant of it, but I loved it. Oh, such heartache. And now a commenter says they've discontinued several others, including my beloved Eau de Camille? Grrrrr! I do have a large bottle of it (and of Eau de Ciel), relatively recently purchased after my last big bottle turned, but still…that makes me quite sad.

    Like others, I'd add L'Artisan's T42 to the list of much-missed scents. And then there are the reformulations, which are the equivalent of discontinued perfumes. Chanel 19 for starters...

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  13. I miss every single scent you have listed. Am truly obsessed with Orchidee Blanche and it has been one of the ones that I've found to be the most difficult to stockpile (something I do a lot of and have no regrets or apologies about), but I read not long ago that Oriza's Jardins d'Armide is an absolute dead ringer for it (this was in a review of their scents by Ida Meister). Have ordered a sample - fingers, toes all crossed. I found the also d/ced MPG's Magnolia Pourpre to be similar to OB, but not a dead ringer by any means (and equally hard to find and stockpile). My list of scents I miss comes close to War and Peace length, so I won't even begin to mention the vintage classics I think were criminally d/ced and I'll only list the scents that spring immediately to mind, starting with Guerlain, who regularly drop scents I adore, such as Iris Ganache, Plus Que Jamais, AA Exaltant, Sous le Vent and Angelique Encens (and the list could go on). And then there are SL's Miel de Bois, VIP Room, the original Fendi, KL, the original Gianni Versace (how I loved that amazing bottle), Calandre, the origninal Yohji Homme from '99, SIP Lady Day, L'Invisible and Heroine, Jil Sander 2, Woman 3 and 4, YSL Nu, Shiseido FdB and Nombre Noir - OK, I'll stop now before I have to get out a full box of Kleenex. Think I need one of my Gobin Daude's now for comfort - I can't help but continue to hope that with her phenomenal talent she'll come back and put more perfumes out, but it's been a while now and I've heard nothing about her at all. Sadness.
    Anna

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  14. Anon. Nods head at Shiseido's Nombre Noir and the original Feminite du Bois. I would also add Shiseido's Murasaki to that list, come to think of it.

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    1. Just curious, but are you talking about a version of Murasaki different from this one?
      http://www.shiseido.co.jp/sw/products/SWFG070410.seam?shohin_pl_c_cd=092501&online_shohin_ctlg_kbn=1

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  16. How I miss Vacances...;( Fortunately I found some Cuir de Lancome in T K Maxx and on Amazon, so am sorted for now. Guerlain Plus Que Jamais is my particular pet peeve...Plus Jamais more like!

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  17. L'Artisan Vanilia....why, why, why?? It was perfection.

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  18. Eau de Patou - not part of the Ma Collection (it was created much later, in the 70s I believe) - absolutely the best, most complex citrus-y chypre ever. One whiff and you were instantly transported to a yacht on the French Riviera.

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    1. Montrealaise, I bought a bottle of this recently. And it's been re issued recently too, so don't give up on this one-I bet you can find it!
      Carole

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  19. Rochas Alchimie :''( huhuhuhu

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  20. I thought Cuir de Lancome was still in production, but only in Europe since it never got a proper release in the US? If it is discontinued that's a shame. There seem to be plenty of places to still get it online though.

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  21. Very sad to hear that Goutal is not available ! I did have this scent and was thinking of buying it again :(

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  22. I am very happy to have a backup bottle of Cuir de Lancome, although its wonky, ill-fitting cap gives it a slapdash air. My first bottle was like that too...AnnieA

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    1. Yes why are the caps always janky on CdL? It's one of my top 3 favorites ever, one of the few I have backup bottles of.

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  23. Everything from the Aveda Esthetique Collection from the 1990's... especially Parisi.

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  24. Armani by Giorgio Armani. Fendi Tentations are two that pop into my mind.

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  25. Helmut Land EDP and EDT. I have some left of the EDP and some samples of the EDT. Wondrous stuff. Amazing that they kept the Helmut Lang fashion line going(OK, sold it on and got in some new designers) after his departure but let the fragrance line close.

    Other classics long gone are Givenchy III (original formula) and Tome Ford Envy (women & men)

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  26. Fendi Palazzo is discontinued. In heavens name why?

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  27. I would add Gucci Envy Me - Gucci Flora Garden Gardenia is similar, but Envy Me was great for the younger crowd entering the fine fragrance market. Ditto D&G #3 L'Imperatrice - that should come back under it's own banner (instead of a part of the #'s).
    I hear Gucci II Pour Homme is going away - everyone I get to try this fragrance come back for more and more-----

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  28. I loved Anne Klein II -- any ideas on getting this back?

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  29. You 're so right about Ma Collection! Each one of them was a precious gem. Even if Patou recreated some of them recently, we all know that nothing will be the same again. I also miss Jil Sander II and Rochas Mystere but if I had only one wish that would be for Guerlain's Djedi.

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  30. I loved "Leiber" by Judith Leiber. Jo Malone also had a perfume ( the name slips my mind right now), something like Peony Iris - it was a limited edition that I was told will never return. I miss these two soooo much.

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  31. Le Dix by Balenciaga.... A violet candy... DISCONTINUED !!!
    Shame on you Kering (Balenciaga owners) !

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  32. I would definitely add Calandre by Paco Raban. Loved it!!!

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  33. No-one has mentioned Mystere by Rochas, there are so many women who would love to be able to wear it again ! Is there any chance at all of setting up an appeal to get this fab perfume re-instated ?

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  34. Iris Ganache and Boise Torride by Guerlain

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  35. I would add Armani Sensi White Notes, which was just perfect for summer...

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  36. Sonia Rykiel's Septieme Sens. My favorite all time. Balenciaga Le Dix. Geoffrey Beene Red. and yes, Calandre by Paco Rabanne!

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  37. Sonia Rykiel's Septieme Sense. miss it so and nothing smells similar. Agree about Calandre and Le Dix. Geoffrey Beene had one for a very short time called Red. (I think the others in the series were called Black and Nude.)

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  38. Not fancy, But Jil Sander No. 4. I loved it. And then couldn't find it - which started a scent quest. Occasionally, I find a bottle on-line but the scent has shifted.

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