A beginner's Guide to Chypres
This sample packe will help guide you through the world of chypre fragrances & its sub categories.
The sampler will include 1 ml sample vials of the following perfumes named in the discussion below. Pure parfums will be 1/2 filled sample vial.
The word Chypre is French for Cyprus. It was first used in perfumery by François Coty, who created an influential perfume of that name in 1917. Consisting of a bergamot top note, classic floral heart, and a rich mossy base note. However, perfumes of a similar style have been created throughout the 19th century & have had variations on this theme & Modern chypre perfumes have various citrus top notes, herbaceous, floral and animalic notes, but all tend to have a "warm" and "woody" theme, and contain oak moss and usually amber. Further common notes include patchouli, bergamot, rose and rock rose (Cistus ladaniferus)
The Chypre category has split off into sub categories
1) Traditional Chypre ~ Coty chypre the original Chypre fragrance
2) Floral Chypre ~ More floral notes are added & often patchouli is added to the base along with the oakmoss. Miss Dior is a wonderful floral Chypre.
3) Fruity Chypre ~ Heavy with a peach-like fruitiness. Fruity Chypres use dark & heavily sweet & fleshy fruits such as plum, peach & apricot – which highly complement the dark earthy base notes and the sparkling citrus top notes. Guerlain's Mitsouko was the ground breaking fragrance of this category. the first to combine chypre with the Peach acchord.
4) Chypre Leather ~ Characterized by the addition of Dry, smoky, leathery notes often considered dark and masculine. Tobacco, castoreum, cade and birch tar are the notes that lend a smoky, leathery feel to a perfume. Chanel's Cuir de Russie was one of the first to combine leather & Chypre notes.
5) Aldehydic chypre ~ Groundbreaking in its day for combining chypre & aldehydes is Cabochard by Gres
6) Aromatic Chypre ~ Also a modern take on chypres with a fresh feel. Guerlain's sous le Vent would fit this category perfectly
7) Green Chypre ~ Also a modern Chypre sub category. The lightest of the chypres – usually with leafy-green notes or, at times herbaceous and coniferous notes. Chanel No. 19 was one of the first green chypres created.
Traditional Chypre ~ Coty Chypre EDT 1/2 sample
Floaral Chypre ~ Dior, Miss Dior EDT
Fruity Chypre ~ Guerlain Mitsouko EDP
Chypre Leather ~ Chanel Cuir de Russie EDT
Aldehydic Chypre ~ Gres Cabochard EDP 1/2 sample
Aromatic Chypre ~ Guerlain Sous le Vent EDT
Green Chypre ~ Chanel no. 19 EDT