Sauzé Fréres, Sauze Brothers, Chypre, 'Cyprus', 60 ml. or 2 oz. Flacon, Eau de Cologne, ‘Un Veritable Parfum’, 1915, 1940, Paris, France ..

Sauzé Frères was part of Frères Sauzé et Cie, which was established by Leopold and Maurice Sauzé. After relatively obscure beginnings in Marseilles in 1820 the company moved first to Lyons and then to Paris in 1900 to an address of 25 rue d’Hauteville, Paris. In the 1920's the company became well known as perfumers who also sold cosmetics and toiletries.

Chypre perfumes originated in the island of Cyprus, and were based on labdanum as the most significant and characteristic ingredient. The island is where the remnants of the most ancient perfume factory was found, where local plants such as labdanum, bay laurel, anise, coriander, sage, pine, parsley, almond, bergamot and others were infused into olive oil and distilled to produce perfumes that were supplied to the royalty, nobles and the wealthy in the ancient world.

This beautiful Chypre eau de cologne, launched in 1915, is warm and dry and built around a woody, mossy accord of bergamot, oakmoss, patchouli and labdanum or cistus. There are some elements of flowers, fruits and woodiness, but with a more masculine accord than many of the feminine chypres.

Sauzé was the first to change the known formulas of ‘colognes', which were traditionally composed of simple citruses such as bergamot, lemon, orange, with fresh but somewhat fleeting scents. Colognes processed by Sauzé are like perfumes; that is, he had the idea of adding what colognes lacked in tenacity and aroma and his Chypre combined as many as 33 different plants extracts and essential oils. This began a new style of colognes in France, and Sauzé Brothers were the first French perfumers to create "artistic" posters for their fragrances.

Offered here is a lovely two ounce bottle of this beautiful and refreshing cologne, named by Sauzé as ‘un parfum veritable’ .. ‘a true perfume’. The bottle is very full, showing almost no evaporation over the years, and it is in superb condition in its original box.