Houbigant, Demi-Jour, 'Half Light' 50 ml. or 1.69 oz. Flacon, Parfum Extrait, 1929, Paris, France ..

The illustrious perfume House Houbigant has been in business in some form or another since the late 1700's and is still in business today. There is so much that could be written about Houbigant that it would take a book to fully address all of the achievements of this amazing fragrance company. Houbigant’s two perfumers Paul Parquet and Robert Bienaime revolutionized perfumery and their work would influence many generations that would follow. The important innovations that they brought to the world of perfumery include creating multi faceted fragrances, using synthetic materials to achieve complex scents and creating beautiful imagery to perfume packaging, flacons and advertising.

Houbigant hired the young chemist Robert Bienaimé when he was only in his early 20's. Under the tutelage of Paul Parquet, Bienaimé, became proficient in both the Art and the Science of perfumery. His first major success was Quelques Fleurs “a few flowers." Robert Bienaimé created Quelques Fleurs in 1912 and it is a benchmark fragrance in modern perfumery as it had a lightness and a brightness that had never been achieved previously. This fragrance is credited as being the first modern floral fragrance.

Demi-Jour by Houbigant is a Oriental Floral fragrance for women. Demi-Jour was originally launched in 1929. I am unsure whether the 1920's version was created with the same model as the relaunch, but judging from the notes, I feel it would be quite close.

"This is a fine floral mixture, very well blended and balanced. Although strong, it is not overbearing. It is powdery and beautiful, with an overall warmth and at the same time brightness, which is most charming. The rose and jasmine combo take center stage at first with a hint of sweet violet and dry orris in the mix. The supporting woods (cedar, sandal) are ever so subtle and the oak moss is only hinted at. The musk (and I believe this is real deer musk) has a buttery quality that makes me think a bit of civet might have been used in the note tree as well. This matches well with the already buttery ylang ylang. There is a subdued sweetness from the heliotrope and a restrained green note (the muguet) present in the background. The dry down wraps the florals within the woods and here the dryness of the violet, cedar and sandalwood meld as a veil to bring the florals to their ultimate skin scent evolution. An excellent and unusual floral mélange, well worth seeking out. My husband described it as being of deep velvety florals, a scent to lounge in. If it were a color, it might be a golden amber. This is more of a personal scent, gentle, sensual and alluring. It does not shout or try to show off. A lovely definition of perfume .. to delight the wearer's senses .. a real stunner! Perfume Review. Jack Twist

Top notes are Aldehydes, Green Notes, Violet, and Bergamot
Heart notes are Orris Root, Jasmine, Heliotrope, Ylang Ylang, Lily of the Valley, and Rose
Base notes are Sandalwood, Tonka, Patchouli, Ambergris, Labdanum, Oak Moss, and Cedar

Offered here is a fantastic vintage bottle of Demi-Jour from the 1920's. It has been previously opened and partially used, plus some evaporation. I can tell you that it smells lovely! Super collectible .. a wonderful find! No box. Label is worn.