Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Tabu by Dana c1932

In this guide I will introduce you to the sensual world of Tabu perfume by Dana. Tabu was created in 1932 by Jean Carles in response to a request made to him instructing him to create a perfume that a prostitute would wear, also known as "un parfum de puta".




The Perfume's Name:

The name: Javier Serra, the founder of Dana Parfums was walking down a street in Nice, France when he passed a bookshop and as luck would have it, his eye caught the cover of the new Sigmund Freud book, "Totem & Taboo."Inspired by this, he decided to name his perfume after Taboo.  When translated into Spanish, taboo becomes "tabu". A few years later he also launched a perfume named "Totem" in 1935.

Another legend has it that Tabu was named after a famous painting titled "The Kreutzer Sonata" by Rene Prinet, which was acquired by Dana Perfumes, who used it to advertise the perfume in conjuction with the slogan, "The longest kiss in history".


Bottle Designs:

Tabu has been found packaged in a figural cello/violin bottle, a rectangular bottle and tall glass bottles.



A bottle of Tabu perfume encased with a sterling silver mounting, created for the tourist trade in Mexico. This was never released by the Dana company in the silver cagework, it is considered "after market" embellishment.




The Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? It is classified as a floral woody amber oriental fragrance for women. Tabu is a luxurious, rich and heavy perfume, it is perfect to wear during the fall and winter months.

  • Top notes: bergamot, orange flower, basil, neroli, coriander
  • Middle notes: carnation, clover, jasmine, narcissus, rose, ylang ylang
  • Base notes: amber, oakmoss, vetiver, civet, sandalwood, resins, patchouli, precious woods, musk, cedar, benzoin, vanilla.

Fragrance and Wellbeing: Plant Aromatics and Their Influence on the Psyche, 2013:
"Clove was also present in the "Mellis accord", which was a widely used base in spicy oriental fragrances including Youth Dew, Opium, Tabu and Coco. The mellis accord, which makes up an important part of the fragrance here incorporates amyl salicylate in addition to benzyl salicylate, with the patchouli and hydroxycitronellal (which has a linden blossom-like, sweet, green, radiant odor), spices, woods and coumarin. Since then restrictions have been placed on some of these, so it will have been modified."

 



The Fate of the Fragrance:

Tabu was discontinued sometime in the 1970s and revived in 1977. It was reformulated by Sophia Grojsman of IFF with modern ingredients and repackaged in 2001. The advertisement featured actress Isabella Rossellini.

Tabu has remained a favorite of women of all ages since its inception. The vintage version of Tabu is just exquisite and a true nod to the perfumer's art. Today you can find it very inexpensively in various forms from cologne to eau de parfum to dusting powder and lotion.




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