Dana, Tabu, 15 ml. or 1/2 oz. Flacon, Parfum Extrait, 1935, 1960 - 1970, Paris, France ..

'The House of Dana was founded in 1921 by Javier Serra in Barcelona, Spain. Serra had worked previously as director of Myrurgia but he left there to open his own house. Serra chose the name Dana for his business because it was short, good sounding in all languages and could be easily tied to perfume and beauty themes .. according to the Museu del Perfum, Dana was: "in Greek mythology the nymph that planted flowers along the Mediterranean. Dana in ancient Egypt of the pharaohs, was the name given to women who are distinguished for their beauty. Dana in Afghanistan means sweet awakening. Dana is the name of an island in the Pacific, where, apparently, the youth has no sunset. Dana in the old and mysterious Basque language, means success." Furthermore, Dana means white pearl in Arabic and in Buddhism, Dana refers to the practice of generosity! For the company’s logo Serra chose a dramatic Greek-inspired Art Deco drawing of a woman's head taken from a sculpture by Mariano Andreu. He also engaged the most talented perfumers to create original scents according to his requests and packaged his products gracefully.'

'He was set to compete with the best in the world so on August 22, 1932 Serra released to the world the first Dana perfume, Tabu. The House of Dana, located in Paris went on to release a string of nearly 50 original perfumes through the 1950s, among the best known in the USA are Tabu(1932), 20 Carats (1933), Canoe (1935), Emir (1936), Platine (1937), Sirocco Donna (1942), VooDoo (194X), Priorite (1949), Imposible (1950) and Ambush (1955). Jean Carles who had composed many outstanding perfumes of the modern era such as Shocking de Schiaparelli, Ma Griffe and Miss Dior, created three of the early Dana perfumes: Tabu, Emir and Canoe. (The perfumers who made the many other of his early perfumes have seemingly been forgotten.)'

'Benckiser, a German family-run company that produced mostly chemicals and soaps acquired Dana at some point in the 1980s. A few of the more popular Dana perfumes were still produced but the Benckiser group finally sold what was left of Dana to Renaissance Cosmetics Inc in 1995.' The Vintage Perfume Vault.

The first fragrance of the house was Tabu, created by Jean Carles 1932. Jean Carles was well known for his wonderful creations made of unusual materials. Before creating Tabu, he was instructed to make a fragrance for a whore (‘un parfum de puta’). Thus, Tabu was created, sensual and shocking. Its luscious oriental floral composition starts with fresh citrus and spicy notes. The spices in the heart accentuate the beauty of exuberant flowers: jasmine, narcissus, rose and ylang-ylang. Warm oriental base includes amber, resins, civet and precious woods .. sandal and patchouli.

Top notes are Spices, Orange, Coriander, Neroli, and Bergamot
Heart notes are Clove, Ylang Ylang, Rose, Jasmine, and Narcissus
Base notes are Amber, Benzoin, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Oak Moss, Vetiver, and Cedar

Offered here is a lovely half ounce bottle of Tabu. It is stils sealed and its ties have not been cut. Some evaporation over the years. Rare to find. Tabu lovers! Comes in its own original satin presentation box. Lovely .. ! I was unable to remove the bottle from its little stand and didn't want to force or tear it, so I'll leave that to the buyer ..