Category Archives: perfumes in movies

Back to Black (2024)

In the aftermath of the death of Amy’s grandmother Cynthia, the singer (Marisa Abela) sits at her vanity. This is an interesting scene because we get to see some of the beauty products and perfumes used by Cynthia, one of the main inspirations behind Amy’s music tastes and unique look.

The bottle with a triangular shape (a design by Robert Granai) is Guerlain Champs-Elysées, a floral fragrance originally created by Jacques Guerlain in 1904 and reintroduced in 1996.

The spray can Amy is holding is L’Oreal Elnett hairspray.

There’s also a bottle of Estée Lauder Youth Dew, a warm spicy fragrance created by Josephine Catapano and launched in 1953.

Thanks to Alessandra for submitting this post.

Coup de chance (2023)

Fanny (Lou de Laâge) and her husband Jean (Melvil Poupaud) are getting ready to attend a party. There are several interesting skincare products and perfumes on her vanity.

On the far right side of the table there are two products by Officine Universelle Buly – the Double Pommade Concrète hand cream and a bottle of Huile Antique.

On the same side there’s Guerlain Habit Rouge, an amber woody fragrance by Jean-Paul Guerlain launched in 1965.

Before they leave, Jean gives his wife a present – a Cartier necklace. The camera moves to the left side of the table and the movement reveals more items.

The white bottle with gold stopper is Eau Triple by Officine Universelle Burly. As with the Huile Antique, it’s impossible to identify the fragrance because the same bottle is used to house several scents.

There are two skincare products by Guerlain, both from the Abeille Royale line. One is Double R – Renew and Repair – advanced serum, the other is the advanced youth watery oil.

The blue bottle with copper stopper is Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream.

Last but not least, we can see a bottle of Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Or, a multi-purpose dry oil that can be used on face, body and hair.

Un homme hereux (2023)

There are several versions of the same fragrance on a shelf in Jean and Edith’s bathroom: it’s Habanita by Molinard, launched in 1921 with the intention of “scenting” cigarettes. As explained by Barbara Herman, it originally “came in scented sachets you could put into a pack of cigarettes or as a liquid you could apply to your cigarettes with a glass rod to ‘perfume the smoke with a delicious, lasting aroma.” Three years later “Molinard turned their scent into a perfume to be worn rather than smoked”.

The black bottle with gold stopper is the eau de toilette version.

The white bottle contains Habanita L’Esprit, launched in 2013.

The black bottle contains the eau de parfum, launched in 2012.

Thanks to Alessandra for submitting this post.

Once Upon a Time in America (1984)

In 1968 Noodles (Robert De Niro) pays a visit to Deborah (Elizabeth McGovern): she’s in her dressing room in the Broadway theatre where she’s performing as Cleopatra in a play.

Her vanity is packed with beauty products and perfumes but one specific bottle has caught my attention.

It’s the fluted bottle with black stopper of Lanvin Eau de Lanvin Arpège, one of the many versions of the historical floral/aldehyde fragrance created by Paul Vacher and Andre Fraysse and launched in 1927.

Thanks to Carolina for submitting this post.

Basket Case 2 (1990)

The beautifully poetic advert for Guy Laroche Fidji can be seen on a stack of magazines. This is the 1984 version of one of the most evocative perfume adverts from that decade. “The woman is an island [1], Fidji is her perfume,” says the caption, which transfers the exotic location of the advert (supposedly the Fiji islands) to the woman who will wear the perfume (she becomes “an island”).

This warm spicy fragrance was created by Josephine Catapano and launched in 1966.

[1] Probably the copywriter who wrote the caption didn’t know about John Donne’s sonnet according to which “no man is an island, entire of itself” 😉 Or maybe they knew the poem and wanted to give it a twist.

Thanks to Szymon for submitting this post.

Kung Fu Master! (1988)

There are several Guerlain products in Mary-Jane’s wood-lined bathroom.

The first is a box of Les Météorites pressed-powder pearls sitting on the marble sink counter.

On the wooden shelf by the bath tub there are a flacon chauve souris of Shalimar and a flacon abeilles of Eau Impériale.