Lance Carson
Jean Patou's Joy, once the world's most expensive perfume, has been discontinued. The floral fragrance, which was created in 1929, was considered a masterpiece and a landmark example of the floral genre in perfumery. The original perfume is preserved in the archives of the Osmothèque.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Discontinuation Status | Discontinued |
| Original Creator | Jean Patou |
| Original Launch Year | 1929 |
| Acquisition | LVMH |
| Acquisition Impact | Shutdown of perfumery |
| Original Formula | Preserved in the archives of the Osmothèque |
| Ingredient Quantity | 10,000 jasmine flowers and 28 dozen roses for 1 ounce |
| Notes | Bulgarian rose, tuberose, ylang-ylang, jasmine, May rose, civet, musk |
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What You'll Learn
Joy by Jean Patou was once the world's most expensive perfume
Jean Patou's Joy was once the most expensive perfume in the world. The perfume was created for the Parisian couturier Jean Patou by perfumer Henri Alméras in 1929. It is considered one of the greatest fragrances ever created and is a landmark example of the floral genre in perfumery.
Joy was an attempt to create the most splendid perfume ever. To achieve this, Jean Patou doubled the quantities of ingredients required for the perfume. It takes no fewer than 10,000 jasmine flowers and 28 dozen roses to make just 1 ounce of Joy Parfum Luxe. This extravagant gesture revolutionized the way fragrances were created, even by today's standards. The perfume also contains notes of Bulgarian rose, tuberose, ylang-ylang, May rose, civet, and musk.
Joy attained enormous success and became the second best-selling perfume of all time, second only to the legendary Chanel No. 5. With its intense and luscious floral composition, Joy was created by Henri Alméras, who made its top notes irresistibly delightful. The original 1930 formulation of Joy is preserved in the archives of the Osmothèque, donated by Jean Kerléo, formerly the head perfumer at Jean Patou.
However, despite its success, Joy has been discontinued. This was due to the acquisition of the Jean Patou brand by LVMH, which led to the end of fragrance production for the brand. The release of a new perfume called Joy under the Dior umbrella signaled the discontinuation of the original Joy.
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LVMH's acquisition of Jean Patou led to its discontinuation
Jean Patou's Joy perfume was once considered a legendary fragrance in the perfume industry. In 2000, it was even named the "Scent of the Century" at the FIFI Awards, also known as the Oscars of perfume. However, the question of whether Joy perfume is discontinued has arisen in recent years, with sources pointing to LVMH's acquisition of Jean Patou as the reason behind its potential discontinuation.
LVMH, the French conglomerate led by chairman and controlling shareholder Bernard Arnault, has quietly added Jean Patou to its portfolio of prestigious perfume and beauty brands. This "'stealth' capture" of Jean Patou occurred in 2018, when LVMH took management control from Designer Parfums, which had acquired Patou in 2011. The acquisition included the rights to the Jean Patou name and its intellectual property, such as its archive of fragrances.
Soon after the acquisition, LVMH announced its plans to revamp the dormant Jean Patou brand, which had not released any new fashion lines since its founder's death in 1936. The luxury conglomerate aimed to bring the fashion label into the 21st century and tap into its credible fashion DNA, which included noted designers such as Karl Lagerfeld, Jean-Paul Gaultier, and Christian Lacroix.
While LVMH has not explicitly stated that they discontinued Joy perfume, sources indicate that they shut down the perfumery and released their own fragrance called JOY. This new fragrance, launched by Dior, shares the same name as Jean Patou's iconic scent, causing confusion and speculation among perfume enthusiasts. It is speculated that LVMH is focusing on revitalizing the fashion aspect of the Jean Patou brand rather than continuing the production of its classic fragrances.
As a result, those seeking the original Joy perfume may have to resort to trawling charity shops or vintage perfume collections. The acquisition of Jean Patou by LVMH has led to a shift in focus for the brand, and while the iconic Joy perfume may no longer be easily accessible, the fashion world anticipates the rebirth of Jean Patou's fashion legacy under the LVMH umbrella.
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Joy's original formulation is preserved in the Osmothèque
Joy by Jean Patou is preserved in its original 1930 formulation in the archives of the Osmothèque, donated to the collection by Jean Kerléo, formerly head perfumer at Jean Patou. The Osmothèque, from the Greek "osmē" meaning "scent" and patterned on the French "bibliothèque" meaning "library", is the world's largest scent archive. It is a leading international research institution tracing the history of perfumery and is based in Versailles, with conference centres in New York City and Paris.
The Osmothèque was founded in 1990 by Jean Kerléo and other senior perfumers, including Jean-Claude Ellena and Guy Robert. It is responsible for the authentication, registration, preservation, documentation, and reproduction of thousands of perfumes from the past two millennia. The collection includes countless rare masterpieces that have been discontinued or reformulated, such as François Coty's Chypre, Paul Parquet's Fougère Royale, and Aimé Guerlain's Jicky.
The Osmothèque's internal perfumers, known as osmocurators, reconstitute perfumes using archived formulae, while also accepting perfumes supplied by external perfume houses. As a legal deposit archive, the Osmothèque receives all new perfumes produced in France and much of the world, in addition to those obtained through its content acquisition program.
The Osmothèque is dedicated to preserving the history of perfumery and making it accessible to professionals, researchers, students, and the public through various conferences and exhibitions. It also maintains a substantial reference library of fragrance bases and aromatic sources, both natural and synthetic.
With Joy's original formulation safely preserved in the Osmothèque, it ensures that the iconic fragrance continues to be a part of the world's rich perfumery heritage.
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Joy was created using rare flowers in unique concentrations
Joy by Jean Patou, a fragrance for women, was first launched in 1930. It was once the most expensive fragrance in the world. The perfume was created using rare flowers in unique concentrations. It is composed of 10,600 flowers of jasmine and two dozen bunches of roses, forming its exceptional heart. The top notes include fragrant jilt tuberose, luscious rose, ylang-ylang blossom, aldehydes, sweet and mouthwatering pear, and green notes. The base notes are sensual musk, warm and milky-powdery sandalwood, and mild musky civet tones. The bottle was designed by the architect Louis Süe and features simple and straight lines with a golden thread around its neck.
Joy was created by Henri Alméras, who crafted its top notes to be irresistibly delightful. The perfume is intense and lush, with an alluring floral composition. Over time, it gained enormous success and became the second best-selling perfume of all time, second only to Chanel No. 5.
After LVMH bought Patou, they shut down the perfumery and released their own fragrance called JOY. However, vintage bottles of Joy by Jean Patou can still be found in charity shops or online. The original formulation of Joy from 1930 is preserved in the archives of the Osmothèque, donated by Jean Kerléo, formerly the head perfumer at Jean Patou.
Joy has left a lasting impression, with many people sharing their nostalgic memories associated with the fragrance. It is described as a certified classic, with an unrelenting indolic jasmine ferocity and Rose de mai bravado. The dense and caressing silken flower notes create an endless silk shawl effect that has captivated wearers for years.
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Joy is still available to purchase online
Although Jean Patou's Joy is no longer in production, it is still available to purchase online. This is good news for those who love the scent, which is considered one of the greatest fragrances ever created and is a landmark example of the floral genre in perfumery.
The original 1930 formulation of Joy is preserved in the archives of the Osmothèque, donated by Jean Kerléo, formerly head perfumer at Jean Patou. This may be one source for those seeking to purchase Joy.
Another option is to search for it on the internet. One person reported purchasing a bottle of Joy EdP online, although they did not specify where they bought it from. Charity shops may also be a place to find the perfume, although this may be a less reliable option.
Finally, for those in the United States, the website Perfumes de France offers Joy for sale. They offer free standard shipping on all orders over $30 within the US and provide international shipping for an additional fee.
While it may be more challenging to find Joy now that it is discontinued, it is still possible to purchase it online through various sources.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Joy perfume by Jean Patou is discontinued. LVMH, which acquired the brand, released a new fragrance called Joy under the Dior umbrella, signalling the end of the original Joy.
Joy was made with 10,000 jasmine flowers and 28 dozen roses, along with Bulgarian rose, tuberose, ylang-ylang, May rose, civet, and musk.
You may be able to find bottles of Joy in charity shops or from vintage sellers, but expect to pay a high price.
