SAMPLE .. Weil, Gri Gri, 'Talisman', DECANTED SAMPLE from Flacon, Parfum Extrait, 1943, Paris, France ..

The perfume line of Weil was founded by three brothers who each had energetic and cheerful temperaments and found their inspiration for perfumes in the luxury fur business. Luxurious furs, the Roaring Twenties, high fashion .. all the circumstances drove Weil's creators, Alfred, Jacques and Marcel Weil to present something extraordinary alongside their exquisite furs.

Perfumer Claude Frayesse in cooperation with Marcel Weil made the first perfumes which were presented in stunning Baccarat flacons back in 1927. Their name is associatee with the most expensive furs .. Zibeline, Chinchilla, Royal and Hermine. After Marcel Weil's death in 1933 the company did not stop expanding their fragrance collection and added several other extraordinary perfumes, including Bambou, Cassandra and Noir.

The Weil family started living as emigrants in the USA from 1940. They started presenting their now well known new fragrant oil .. the astonishingly delicious Secret de Venus, and when they returned to Paris in 1946 they introduced two other editions, which were Antilope and Padisha.

Together with Jean Pierre Weil, the brand Weil became modernised in 1960 and launched Eau de Fracheur, which was marketed as a unisex fragrance because of its freshness. Other creations, such Gentilhomme from 1966, Weil de Weil from 1970, Chunga from 1977 and Weil for men from 1980 were added. The year of 1984 was very significant for Weil, since a great success was achieved with Bambou, which was so attractive because of its aquatic-fruity accords. A perfume named Kipling was introduced in 1986.

"Grigri by Weil was launched in 1943. The name pronounced "Gree Gree", is African in origin and means "magic charm" or "talisman." I believe that this perfume, with its exotic name and advertisements, was some sort of patriotic allusion to the French colonies in West Africa. Jean Patou, another French perfume manufacturer visited this theme with his perfume, Colony." Grace Hummel, Cleopatra's Boudoir

Named after a voodoo good-luck talisman, Gri Gri perfume by Weil trades in stereotypical African totem imagery. 20th Century perfume profiles.

"GriGri is described as a floral oriental amber. My impression is that of a fine leather with sophisticated and refined animalic base notes. There is a persistent and very pleasant green note in
the midst of the leather, which might seem like an oddity, but it works. This must be the violet and lily of the valley working as a team.

"It is odd that the top note of clove has disappeared with age, since this is such a strong
oil. The fabulous ten base notes give us styrax and civet, patchouli and vetiver, all softened and rocked to blissful sleep by the vanilla and amber. The middle notes of jasmine, rose and ylang ylang are there, no doubt, but more to round out the base notes, rather than making a statement of their own. This is quite a find!

"In a vintage perfume world where leathers are highly sought, this treasure has gone under the radar
for many years. I would describe it as a warm, floral leather. Highly recommended." Jack Twist, Review

There are no perfume notes available for Gri Gri. But it is said to contain ample Sandalwood and Ambergris to make it a sultry oriental. The New Yorker, 1945 wrote "Weil's Grigri, the most recent arrival here, is mainly, we think, for the lady who likes a very heavy scent loaded with sandalwood and sultriness. The great old favorite, Noir, is back, having lost none of its definite appeal."

GriGri is pronounced "Gree Gree" and sounds a bit like the love call of a lonely little cricket lost in the ecstatic contemplation of a dew drop. To us of course, the name is charming. Light hearted, yet sentimental, indeed romantic if with a dash of inconsequential in its plea. GriGri is not for the passionate, the inflamed, the acrobats, but Eros, God of Love, may have used it when he young. We created GriGri because it will replace nicely the block buster and robot bomb."

At around the same time as Gri Gri came Vigny's 'Golliwog' perfume that depicted black dancers in French Nightclubs and remembered the awesome musical sound that they brought with them. These perfumes were a tribute to black culture.

Using the note pallet for the Vigny perfume, my guess at the notes for Gri Gri are something like this .. Classified as a spicy floral oriental fragrance for women with a dominant amber base note. I have had several different bottles of this wonderful fragrance over the years and remember it being a floral oriental scent with aldehydes.

Top notes are Aldehydes, Bergamot, and Clove
Middle notes are Violet, Jasmine, Rose, Orris, Lily of the Valley, and Ylang Ylang
Base notes are Tonka, Styrax, Vetiver, Vanilla, Amber, Sandalwood, Patchouli, and Oak Moss

Offered here is an opportunity to try a sample of this amazingly rare Gri Gri, perfume. Just extraordinary!! A great find! These bottles are long gone with the waves of history. I have another of them, still sealed and never used .. Extremely rare!