Category Archives: perfumes in movies

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

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taylorofoldbondstreet_sandalwood_bornunicornOne of the most symbolical objects in the film [1] are Dickie Greenleaf’s rings. To his nemesis, Tom Ripley, they represent the wealth and the security in one’s identity that he’s never experienced. That’s why Tom ardently desires them: owning those rings mean owning a piece of Dickie’s dreamy existence. In the scene above, where Tom takes his friend’s rings, we can see other personal belongings – cuff links and a perfume. It’s the sandalwood after-shave lotion by Taylor of Old Bond Street.

[1] Rings are even more important in the 1955 novel by Patricia Highsmith the film is based on.

Freak Show (2017)

freakshow_bornunicorn (1)Billy Bloom’s vanity is pretty busy with cosmetics and accessories. In the screencap above, the face powder situation is out of control: it’s basically everywhere on the table.

velourlashes_bornunicornThe center-stage position goes to a pink box contaning Velour lashes.

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milanilipstick_bornunicorn.jpgThere are also a MAC hot pink lipstick and a Milani pink lipstick.

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lorealvisibleliftblush_bornunicornThe round compact on the upper left is L’Oreal Visible Lift blush.

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mac_singleeyeshadow_bornunicornOn the table there are some MAC Pro palette refill pans in their black envelopes and a single eyeshadow.

avonmesmerize_bornunicorn.jpgThe perfume in the blue bottle is Avon Mesmerize For Her, a woody aromatic fragrance launched in 1992. Billy uses it all through the film.

Cargo (2017)

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guerlainshalimaredt_jadejagger_bornunicornWhat perfume would survive a zombie apocalypse? In case you were wondering, wonder no more: Guerlain Shalimar is the answer! At least that’s what happens in Cargo, a zombie survival film set in Australia, currently shown on Netflix. The Jade Jagger-designed bottle of eau de toilette [1] appears several times, and we soon learn why. The protagonist, Andy (Martin Freeman), first take it out of his backpack and sprays some fragrance in the air.

cargo_bornunicorn (7)He smells his own hand.

cargo_bornunicorn (6)And in one line explains why he’s carrying it in his survival kit. He tells his baby daughter Rosie that he “can smell Mommy.” Shalimar literally stands for someone who is no more.

cargo_bornunicorn (5)Later, when Andy and Rosie meet Lorraine (Caren Pistorius), the bottle pops up again.

cargo_bornunicorn (4)The perfume calms Rosie down: it’s her Linus’ security blanket.

cargo_bornunicorn (2)Finally, the bottle can be seen in the hands of Thoomi (Simone Landers), the girl whom Andy and Rosie end up travelling with. She sprays some perfume while alone: she wants to smell the fragrance which seems to have such an importance for father and daughter.

cargo_bornunicorn (1)We last see Shalimar again in the hands of Thoomi. This is a very beautiful and touching scene (no spoilers!): the sprays of perfume here are like a caress, a chance for closure, a sweet goodbye.

Now let’s see why Shalimar – and not another perfume – was given this function in the film. Yolanda Ramke, co-director of Cargo, when asked about it at a Q&A session on Reddit, explained:

It wasn’t scripted as being Shalimar but it was a member of our art department who wrangled out that arrangement, and the reason why it worked out was that the guy who ‘founded’ that perfume, his wife had passed away and he read our script and he realized that the story was about a man honouring his wife with this perfume – and so he allowed us to use it because of that component of the story.

Lots of interesting information here. The “founder” Ramke is referring to is Jean-Paul Guerlain, who worked as master perfumer until 2002; the script is very emotional, so I’m glad the last perfumer of the Guerlain dinasty appreciated the intensity of the family bonds depicted in it. Plus, it’s important to notice how Shalimar was created as a homage to another tragic love story [2]: it’s named after the Shalimar Gardens near Lahore, a symbol of the love between the emperor Shãh Jahãn and the favourite member of his harem, Mumtaz Mahal. When she died of childbirth, the emperor built the Taj Mahal in her memory.

[1] I think it’s the eau de toilette, because the eau de parfum is almost golden in colour, while this one looks definitely lighter in the bottle.

[2] You can read a thorough history of Shalimar on Monsieur Guerlain’s website.

Id source.

You Were Never Really Here (2017)

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There are several perfumes on a table in the bedroom of Joe’s mother.

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Among them, a bottle of Estee Lauder White Linen, created by Sophia Grojsman and launched in 1978.

ninariccicapriccirefillable_bornunicornThe vintage glass bottle missing the spray nozzle is a Nina Ricci perfume. Impossible to say what it contains, since the same bottle was used for several fragrances.

Le passager de la pluie (1970)

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lubinginfizz_bornunicornTania Legauff (Corinne Manchard) has a bottle of Lubin Gin Fizz on her vanity table. The perfume, created in 1955 by Henri Giboulet, takes the name from a refreshing long drink made with gin, sugar syrup, fresh lemon juice and soda water, but is a homage to Grace Kelly, the Hollywood superstar who became Princess of Monaco one year after the launch of the perfume.

Picture and id source.

American Psycho (2000)

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There are two fragrances on Courtney’s bedside table: the tall bottle with black stopper is Oscar by Oscar de la Renta, a white floral fragrance created by Jean-Louis Sieuzac in 1977; the round pink bottle is 1881 by Cerruti, created by Claire Cain in 1995.

The Cerruti perfume is historically inaccurate, because the film is set in 1987.

Ammore e Malavita (2017)

vlcsnap-2018-03-29-01h55m40s080One of the criminals in the movie has got a very busy bathroom cabinet, filled with perfumes and colognes!

floidaftershaveatomiser_bornunicornIn the screencap above, he’s holding a bottle of Floid after shave with black pump atomiser. This brand was founded in the 1930s in Barcelona, and it’s still highly appreciated by fans of traditional shaving and skincare.

pinosilvestreaftershave_bornunicornThe only product I was able to identify in the packed cabinet is Pino Silvestre after shave, another classic men’s product, this time quintessentially Italian. Created by Lino Vidal and launched in 1955, it’s a fougère fragrance with fresh top notes. I remember I loved Pino Silvestre bath gel when I was a child: it was a staple in our shower.

American Psycho (2000)

americanpsycho_bornunicorn1Patrick Bateman’s bathroom cabinet is one of the best ever featured in the history of cinema. He’s a psychotic narcissist who spends a great deal of time and money to take care of his physical appearance. No wonder that the selection of perfumes and hair, skin and body products in his bathroom is very refined and luxurious.

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americanpsycho2_bornunicorneauxdecaronpure_bornunicornOn the middle shelf of his cabinet we can see the fragrances Caron Eaux de Caron Pure and Yves Saint Laurent Pour Homme. The other products are L’Occitane Spray Coiffant (now discontinued), Phytoplage sun protection oil (old packaging) and  Phyto Men Eau Vigoureuse body splash (now discontinued). The white jar – by L’Occitane – presumably contains a face cream or a mask.

caronpourunhomme_bornunicornOn the bottom shelf there are three Phyto Men products and another fragrance – Pour un Homme by Caron.

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ysl_pourhommedeodorant_bornunicornoscardelarentapourlui_bornunicornOn the top shelf there are two deodorants – Oscar de la Renta Pour Lui and Yves Saint Laurent Pour Homme. A bottle of Pour Lui eau de toilette can be seen on the far left side by of the screencap above.

americanpsycho4_bornunicornysl_pourhommeshowergel_bornunicorn.jpgloccitane_eaudecontadourshowergel_bornunicornWe are also given access to Patrick’s shower, so we can see he uses Yves Saint Laurent Pour Homme all-over shower gel and L’Occitane Eau de Contadour body and hair shower gel.

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loccitanemilkshowercream_bornunicornMore L’Occitane products are in the shower: there’s a bottle of milk shower cream (old packaging) and two shampoos – Shampooing Eclat and Shampooing Nourissant (now discontinued).

Picture source.