L'Interdit () was a
perfume
Perfume (, ; french: parfum) is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agreeable scent. Th ...
created in 1957 by
Hubert de Givenchy
Count Hubert James Marcel Taffin de Givenchy (; 21 February 1927 – 10 March 2018) was a French aristocrat and fashion designer who founded the luxury fashion and perfume house of Givenchy in 1952. He is famous for having designed much of the p ...
.
The word ''
interdit'' is French for "forbidden." The
parfumeur behind this feminine aldehydic-floral fragrance was Francis Fabron (1913–2005). It has a delicate, floral, powdery aroma. It contains notes of
rose
A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...
,
jasmine
Jasmine ( taxonomic name: ''Jasminum''; , ) is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family (Oleaceae). It contains around 200 species native to tropical and warm temperate regions of Eurasia, Africa, and Oceania. Jasmines are widely cultiva ...
,
violet
Violet may refer to:
Common meanings
* Violet (color), a spectral color with wavelengths shorter than blue
* One of a list of plants known as violet, particularly:
** ''Viola'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants
Places United States
* Viol ...
and, at the heart, a blend of woods and grasses.
Givenchy created the perfume for
Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn (born Audrey Kathleen Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress and humanitarian. Recognised as both a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, t ...
, who wore it for a year before its release to the public.
Hepburn also became the first actress to become the face of a perfume, for L'Interdit.
Creation
The Interdit was secretly created in 1954 and was worn only by actress Audrey Hepburn, to whom it was given as a gift by Hubert de Givenchy, who had dressed her. For this, he called on a laboratory in
Grasse
Grasse (; Provençal dialect, Provençal oc, Grassa in classical norm or in Mistralian norm ; traditional it, Grassa) is the only Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes Departments of France, department in the Provence- ...
, Roure Bertrand Dupont (nowadays
Givaudan
Givaudan () is a Swiss multinational manufacturer of flavours, fragrances and active cosmetic ingredients. As of 2008, it is the world's largest company in the flavour and fragrance industries.
Overview
The company's scents and flavours are de ...
), who started with a base of aldehydes, reminiscent of the smell of chic dry cleaners, being a typical perfume of the 1950s, where one begins to use for the juices of the odors of the functional universe. In those years, perfumers also often used bouquets of scents, whereas nowadays the notes are more linear. L'Interdit thus includes tonka bean in the base note. Olfactologist at Givenchy, Françoise Donche notes that “without being sulphurous, L'Interdit evokes a passionate seduction. The mischievous side of the top notes turns out to be quite sensual in the end, the carnation is not so demure and the clove, a burning spice, brings a clearly intoxicating touch”. It is part of the “floral aldehyde” family.
In 1957, Hubert de Givenchy decided to market the perfume, to which Audrey Hepburn replied: “But I forbid you”. The star finally lifts his ban and participates in this to give the name to the perfume.
Success
L'Interdit quickly became successful with 4000 sales in its first days; a promising figure considering, at the time, it was only sold in France.
References
External links
L'Interditat
Basenotes.net
L'Interditat
Fragrantica.com
Advertisement with Hepburn
Perfumes
Products introduced in 1957
20th-century perfumes
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