Caron, Farnesiana, Mimosa, 65 ml. or 2.2 oz. Flacon, Parfum Extrait, 1947, Paris, France ..

Established by Ernest Daltroff in 1904, Parfums Caron was originally located on Rue de la Paix in Paris. Daltroff purchased the perfumery from Anne-Marie Caron and kept the original name. At the same time, he met Félicie Wanpouille, who became his partner and an important contributor to the rise of the house. While Daltroff created fragrances, Wanpouille designed bottles and served as an artistic director.

Caron is the second-oldest Parisian perfume house still active today, and one of the last great houses devoted entirely to fragrances. Caron’s fragrances respond to, and capture the spirit of their times—from WWI to modern women, their scents reflect both personal emotions and historical moments. The company has been able to adapt to changes in society while staying true to its own tradition. Even Caron’s modern perfumes continue to be both unique and timeless.

From the beginning, Parfums Caron was the house dedicated solely to fragrance, unlike houses like Chanel or Christian Dior that were first and foremost fashion houses. While the perfume houses produced more fragrances than fashion houses, by the 1920s women started to look at perfume the same way they regarded new fashion styles. However, as the couture fragrances became more and more popular, they provided a stable point in the ever changing world fashion, therefore the pace of perfume production began to decline. Subsequently, however, Caron has burst back into the front runners of a very elite and niche market perfume business.

Though mimosa is highly appreciated by florists for its fresh cheerful touch, very few perfumers with the exception of Caron’s have ever dared to take the risk of building a perfume around it. Overwhelming shades of sweet mimosa, floral and fruity blackcurrant. Farnesiana was launched in 1947. The nose behind this fragrance is Michel Morsetti.

"In 1947 Michel Morsetti created Caron Farnesiana based on Ernest Daltroff’s notes on the perfume before his death in 1941. Acacia, also known as cassie or mimosa, is the center of this creation, and it was one of the first fragrances to build around this note. It smells distinctly of almonds with that rich Caron Mousse de Saxe base, dark around the edges with a gourmand quality to it, though it veers away from being sweet and dries down to a great hay note. This is what a gourmand perfume could be."

The name "Farnesiana" refers to 'acacia farnesiana', the botanical name for a particular variety of mimosa. It is also, Caron suggests, evocative of Rome's grand Farnèse Palace. "Farnesiana a sophisticated comfortable scent, an unusual floral-gourmand. Farnesiana begins with a powdery, pollen-like mimosa note and with accords of sun-warmed hay and grass. Oddly enough, this green-tinged phase reminds me of meadow-like landscapes. Farnesiana's heart opens up to reveal the sweetly resinous opopanax .. one of those notes that one might or might not love, depending on the context, but I it is lovely in Farnesiana. Then there's also a considerable amount of dusty almond with just a hint of fruitiness, the black currant, and a drop of vanilla. The base of the composition includes just enough soft musk to make Farnesiana's far dry-down a refined skin scent."

"I'd eagerly declare Farnesiana to be one of the increasingly rare examples of true Grand Perfumery, right up there with Mitsouko, L'Heure Bleue, and the like .. yes very much even in its current version. If you have a taste for the legends, you should seriously sample this legendary perfume ..."

"The vintage early version of Farnesiana is a botanical majesty .. a powerful, realistic, opulent, classy floral scent, with warm, earthy pollen flowers .. mimosa, heliotrope, jasmine .. at the same time carnal and raw, but soapy and aristocratic, with a base of irresistibile vanilla and tonka."

Top notes are Mimosa, Bergamot, Hay, and Black Currant
Heart notes are Jasmine, Lily of the Valley, and Violet
Base notes are Sandalwood, Opopanax, Musk, and Vanilla

Offered here is a remarkably rare 2.2 oz. flacon of Caron's Farnesiana. It is still sealed and has never been used. The box is relatively pristine. I have experienced the perfume from another flacon, and it is beautiful, soft and mimosa filled! Gorgeous! Super rare! A little crease on label on top of stopper ..
Very little evaporation, attesting to a good seal.