This is the first in a series of fragrance reviews that asks, “Can a guy pull off a women’s perfume?” Leave a comment below for your chance to receive a sample, shipped anywhere in the world, free!
Hello and welcome to my new column here at Fragrantica: “Gender Bender,” an exploration of aroma, gender and scented freedom. Though by no means do I prescribe to fragrance having a gender, sociocultural stereotypes about masculinity often prevail at the fragrance counter. Join me as I explore some of the 20th century’s masterpieces of perfumery in my quest to address the familiar question, “Can a man successfully wear a women’s perfume?”
Summary: The world famous Joy, purportedly the second-best selling perfume of all time behind Chanel No. 5, is known to many as Grandmother’s scent due to its popularity throughout most of the 20th century and its bouquet of rich florals and aldehydes. With more and more synthetic materials being experimented with in perfumery, and the West’s growing awareness of Eastern fragrance culture, could Joy, celebrating its 85th birthday this year with a re-launch of the EDP, be worn by a man?
Perfumer: Henri Alméras
Try this if you like: Indoles, the almost-fecal aroma from jasmine petals; civet, an animalic note; heady Turkish or Bulgarian roses; aldehydes, the synthetic aromamolecules responsible for the powdery, often green top notes of scents like No.5 and L’Air du Temps.
Pros & Cons: First of all, Joy is from another era where fragrance norms and aromatechnology were vastly different from today. As such, Joy has more in common with late 70s and early 80s fragrances like Antaeus, Jules and Kouros that capitalized on classic accords employing civet, carnation, and aldehydes than anything fresh, aquatic, gourmand, fruity or citric. Next, as so many of us have undoubtedly smelled this at some time in our lives when worn by an older female figure, associations might be strong (for example, Shalimar is the scent of my mother, no matter how many times I try to wear it).
But in the wake of renewed appreciations for male florals (e.g. Burberry Brit for Men,Fleur du Mâle, etc.) and the global popularity of oud-based fragrances, Joy seems surprisingly relevant. Yes, the aldehydes are strong, the civet is dirty, and the jasmine is, well, a bit fecal, but might these extremes not fit the modern, avant garde male? Wouldn’t these aromatic themes seem more relevant to the expanding world of niche and modern perfumery without a consideration for gender? There is something intriguing about Joy on my skin. Like the mysterious auto arriving each night in Woody Allen’s Oscar-winning Midnight in Paris, Joy has the power to transport one to another époque.
Notes: “Intense and luscious with alluring floral composition, Joy was created by Henri Alméras, who made its top notes irresistibly delightful. The composition starts with fragrant jilt tuberose, luscious rose, ylang-ylang blossom, aldehydes, sweet and mouthwatering pear, and green notes. The heart beats passionately in pure and sweetly fresh jasmine notes, seductive and balmy spicy and darkened iris root. The base whiffs with sensual musk, warm and milky-powdery sandalwood, with mild musky civet tones.”— Fragrantica.com
Reminds me of: Iquitos by Alain Delon, Chanel No. 5, L’Air du Temps, Lutens A la Nuit, Creed Fleurs de Bulgarie, YSL Kouros, Amouage Gold pour Homme
Designer’s Description: “In 1930, at the height of the global economic depression, Jean Patou gave free rein to his natural joie de vivre and sent 250 of his best American clients a bottle of a rare, unique and improbable perfume, an avalanche of May rose and Grasse jasmine, the most luxurious, precious and comforting gift one could imagine. And so Joy was born. Every ounce of this subtle floral bouquet, a perfect symbiosis of rose and jasmine, required 10,600 jasmine flowers and twenty-eight dozen roses. Truly 'the costliest perfume in the world,' Joy was an exceptional fragrance that enveloped every women, blond, brunette or redhead, in a cloud of sophistication and prestige. As modern as ever, Joy, signature perfume of the house of Patou, heralds the perfumes of tomorrow.”—JeanPatou.com
Number of times tested: 20+ over the last 25 years.
Number of sprays applied for this review: Two sprays to the back of hand from a newly relaunched EDP bottle sent to me by Patou.
Fragrance strength: Eau de Parfum
Development: (Linear / Average / Complex) Joy fizzes at its top with powder and dirt, rich earth opening to greet the first buds of summer’s roses. The rose buds bloom entangled by vines of yet-to-open night-blooming jasmine. This is an interesting transition from modern, green, metallic tones to a Turkish rose garden during a thunderstorm. As the florals blossom and the fragrance moves into its middle range, the indolic jasmine overtakes the rose and numerous other floral accents like tuberose, carnation and ylang peek out, albeit subtly. As the symphony draws to its close, a faintly sweet amber holds the earlier floral tones. I do wish there was a bit more oomph at the end here; stronger wood or amber notes would ground it further.
Joy today is all about the opulent opening as the finish is somewhat subtle in my opinion. This is a scent for cooler weather as I imagine the richness of the aldehydes and florals would be overwhelming in the heat.
Longevity: (Short / Average / Long-lasting) Not quite as long as I had anticipated being Joy, and being an EDP: approximately 4-6 hours.
Sillage: (A Little / Average / A Lot) The opening is a bit overwhelming but after hour two, I was surprised that I had to really sniff my hand to perceive it.
Note about the packaging: The classic, rectangular, translucent glass bottle with gold adornments and cap remains. Joy is housed in a white paper box.
Where can I buy it? Available at Patou counters around the world; 1 oz is presently $110 USD.
The Bottom Line: Many a serious fragrance aficionado has already sought out Joy if for no other reason than to experience history. But what is it like to actually wear the fragrance throughout one’s day? Is it indeed joyous?
My female neighbor thought it “nice” but “fussy” while my male partner simply offered “Mmmmmmm;” I think he was being polite. He suggested that it reminded him of his Nana. As I wore it, I couldn’t help but think of both the civet and oakmoss bomb that is Kouros by Yves Saint Laurent (I simply can’t wear it) and the richly floral Fleurs de Bulgarie from Creed (I wore it but found the rose simply too much for my vanilla-loving palate); it was as if the two had merged.
I asked myself if I felt comfortable in the fragrance and I concluded that in fact, I didn’t. But this is not because the fragrance was developed as a “women’s” perfume, but because it represents a genre of scent that I don’t find appealing—aldehydic floral. I think this genre represents “perfume” to me as I remember it from my earliest days as an aroma-explorer, spraying vanity bottles from aunts’ dressers and experimenting at the Burdines and Jordan Marsh fragrance counters. I prefer gourmand, oriental, and aquatic aromas, so Joy just isn’t my bag.
Is it “feminine?” This word will be something to wrestle with throughout this column’s reviews. By today’s standards, no. If I consider the top-selling perfumes of the last twenty years (Issey, Stella, Angel, Flowerbomb, Tommy Girl, Beyond Paradise, etc.), then Joy is neither pretty, nor delicious. If, however, we examine a wider range of perfumery, including offerings from houses such as Sisley, YSL of the early 2000s, and État Libre, then sure; Joy could be intoxicating, sultry and uniquely exotic.
Is it “masculine?” By many standards of world perfumery, yes. I have enjoyed becoming familiar with body oils from India, attars from Dubai and cutting edge synthetics from Europe and the USA. Men do wear roses and jasmine. When combined with its animalic aspects, Joy strays even further from “pretty.”
My conclusion is that discerning men who are open-minded or looking for something completely off the beaten path might find Joy intriguing. I could see some as considering it a bit “goth.” As for me, I’ll stick with my vintage bottle of 1000, released over 40 years later. It feels like a bridge between Joy and Patou Homme and as such, it offers me the best of both worlds.
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