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An ounce of Joy had a retail price of 40 dollars, the most expensive perfume at the time. As told by Emmanuelle Polle, "What the clients would soon learn was that this ounce of perfume was produced through the extraction of some 10,600 jasmine flowers and 28 dozen roses. It was a gargantuan perfume, requiring huge quantities of fresh flowers. The couturier-perfumer was not one for artifice, be it in the way silk was worked or the walk of a model on the runway, or the ingredients of a perfume. The same line of conduct prevailed in his perfumes and his fashions: the quest for naturalness and the very best raw materials." JOY is created of rare flowers in unique concentration of 10600 flowers of jasmine and 28 dozens of roses which adorn the exceptional heart of this perfume. With the time JOY attains enormous success and became the second best selling perfume of all times (the first best-selling is the legendary Chanel N°5). The press release was ecstatic. “Grasse Rose, in both Essence and Absolute form, as well as heady Jasmine, blend with these delectable fruits [bergamot and mandarin] in a vibrant smile. Warm and creamy sandalwood embraces us in softness.” That Dior needs to hire a good copywriter is obvious, but even more so the fact that besides the name, Dior also took the main idea of Jean Patou’s Joy, rose and jasmine. What would be the result, I wondered? Joy EDP isn't wearable for me as a day fragrance. It really needs to decloak itself after about an hour. I went on to buy full-sized bottles of the EDP and EDT. The EDP, I will keep for later and the EDT, I plan to wear. The smell? Elegant, very ladylike, powerful, a mix between N5 and First by Van Cleef and Arpels but on steroids. Not for everyone and for sure many will dislike it. However I adore it for what it is and how wonderfully it performs on my skin. Dark rose, indolic jasmine, strong tuberose and stinky civet but worked out so perfectly one has to surrender to it’s bizarre beauty when you really appreciate classic jewels from a glorious and gorgeous era.
About 30 years ago, it was very rare that the same name was taken given - chosen for fragrances by different companies, but nowadays it is so very frequent. And I do not like it at all. (I'm thinking about the "Guess" by Guess and the "Guess" by Marciano or "Idole" by Giorgio Armani and now by Lancôme. Nothing alike, nor in bottle designs nor in smells, by 2 companies that have nothing to do with each other neither. Etc... Some of the biggest names in fashion have carried the brand’s creative torch after Jean Patou's death in 1936. Joy is so much more tangible than ever scent I have experienced at the Ultas, Sephoras and Macy's at this moment The polarized experience reflects the characteristics of JOY itself - it has a dual character, or it is straight and rude, or it is beautiful and grand. Joy opens with lush florals from initial spray. Rich, photorealistic rose leads the way, initially slightly green and dewy, but unfurling to become a lush, sweet, powdery rose note. A hint of peach adds some juicy sweetness here. There is a bright aldehylic soapiness to the opening - I think aldehydes must be present in the lighter concentrations. I've never smelled Eau de Joy, but I believe aldehydes are present there too. It is reminiscent of Chanel No. 5 and Amouage Gold - the best aldehylic florals I have ever smelled. Joy EDT (at least my vintage version from c. 1970s) is up there with them.
Of course, there are many more perfumes from the house of Jean Patou that are wonderful, and you can even take a look at our article Best In Show Jean Patou Fragrances. Let's not forget 1000 (1972), Sublime (1992), and Patou For Ever, created by Jean Kerleo. But Joy is, or should be, considered an indelible cultural heritage of perfume history and French culture. Like Shalimar, Chanel No.22 and other greats, the composition of Joy is so pure and exact, it renders the fiction of perfume invisible and makes it feel not as a wear but as an identity that you take over or decide to cohabitate. Designer Parfums buys Jean Patou from P&G Prestige". CosmeticsBusiness.com. 5 July 2011 . Retrieved 14 September 2012. Designers for the House of Patou have included Marc Bohan (1954–1956), Karl Lagerfeld (1960–1963) and Jean Paul Gaultier (1971–1973). Christian Lacroix joined the label in 1981. The last fashion collection produced by the House of Patou label was in 1987 when the haute couture business closed definitively following Lacroix's departure to open his own house.
To break the record for the amount of jasmine and roses used, at least 10,000 jasmines and 28 bouquets of roses are required for every 1 ounce of fragrance, regardless of cost. Stamelman, Richard Howard (2006). Perfume: Joy, Obsession, Scandal, Sin: a cultural history of fragrance from 1750 to the present. Rizzoli. p.219. ISBN 0-8478-2832-8. Jean Patou is a prestigious, historic luxury brand. "The costliest perfume in the world": Jean Patou himself already did the work for you! (ie. brand equity, market positioning). For the informed, Jean Patou stands up there with Chanel. Christian Dior was there too. Around when 'Christian Dior' rebranded to 'Dior', it adopted a mass marketing strategy. All good, but that left a gap in the LVMH prestige brand offerings. (Which seems to be partially filled by brand Exclusifs now.) Patou was born in Paris, France in 1880. Patou's family's business was tanning and furs. [1] Patou worked with his uncle in Normandy, then moved to Paris in 1910, intent on becoming a couturier. Some people say that JOY does not actually have a separate type of EAU DE JOY. If there is, it is likely to be a light version that the company has reconfigured for customer needs.Zanon, Johanna " La face cachée de la Lune: les ateliers de couture de la maison Jean Patou dans l’entre-deux-guerres", in Apparence(s) 7 (2017).
Update: 12/21/12: I'm still loving this & wear it often, so glad I found it, the quality is excellent and longevity is easily 6-8 hrs. on me.
Marc Bohan, born in 1926, made his debut with Jean Patou at the age of 18. He left the couture house to better find himself as the artistic director. He kept the legend alive from 1954 to 1957. He moved on to serve as the head of creation at the Dior house for the following thirty years. Enjoy was an early version of the so-called “nouvelles-chypres” of the time like Miss Dior Chérie (2005) and Narciso for Her (2004). These perfumes substituted a musky patchouli base for the verboten oakmoss of the traditional chypre. The style now seems dated and era-specific, but Enjoy was one of the more successful iterations of the style.
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