Bouquet de Faunes by Guerlain, launched in 1922, is a fragrance that evokes both myth and elegance. The name itself, Bouquet de Faunes, is French and can be pronounced as “boo-kay duh fohn.” Translated literally, it means “Bouquet of Fauns.” In classical mythology, fauns are woodland spirits—half human, half goat—associated with nature, fertility, and playful sensuality. By invoking fauns, Guerlain connects the perfume to an image of untamed natural grace, a mischievous, almost erotic vitality, while the word “bouquet” evokes a lush collection of flowers, suggesting both floral abundance and artistic refinement. Together, the name creates an impression of elegance intertwined with a subtle, wild sensuality.
Interestingly, Bouquet de Faunes was originally created to perfume furs, a luxury item intimately associated with the sophisticated woman of the 1920s. Fauns, as woodland creatures, are naturally linked to animal forms, and the notion of scenting furs with a fragrance inspired by fauns underscores a playful connection between nature, animality, and refined opulence. The image conjured is one of a stately fur-clad woman, wrapped in soft luxury, her attire and perfume both hinting at mystery, sensuality, and elegance.
The fragrance was created by Jacques Guerlain and classified as a floral oriental for women, enriched with subtle leather and musk notes that add depth, warmth, and sensuality. Its composition is layered: a floral heart blooms over a rich, subtly animalic base, creating a sophisticated perfume that could complement the elegance of furs while also appealing to the refined tastes of early 1920s women. In scent, the name Bouquet de Faunes might be interpreted as the harmonious mingling of delicate blossoms with the earthy, musky undertones of the forest—a fragrant narrative of nature meeting luxury.
The perfume debuted during the post-World War I era, a period marked by the “Années Folles” or “Roaring Twenties” in France. Parisian society embraced modernity, artistic experimentation, and a newfound liberation for women. Fashion favored shorter hemlines, lighter fabrics, and daring styles, with furs and luxurious accessories remaining symbols of sophistication. Perfumes of the period increasingly explored oriental and exotic notes, combining florals with spices, resins, and musks—a trend that Bouquet de Faunes perfectly exemplified. While floral-oriental perfumes were becoming more common, the inclusion of subtle leather and the mythological inspiration gave it a distinctive character that distinguished it from more conventional bouquets of the time.
Women of the era would likely have related to Bouquet de Faunes as both glamorous and slightly risqué, a fragrance that complemented the elegance of evening gowns and fur stoles while evoking the playful, seductive allure of classical mythology. The perfume’s association with Lalique-designed bottles, each adorned with the face of a faun in four places, further reinforced its artistic and collectible appeal. Contemporary accounts suggest that Jacques Guerlain drew inspiration for the scent during a stroll through the Tuileries Gardens, where he encountered the famous statue of a faun surrounded by flowers—a moment of natural beauty translated into a perfumed expression of myth, luxury, and refined sensuality.
In the broader landscape of 1920s perfumery, Bouquet de Faunes straddled the line between trend and innovation. Floral-oriental blends were popular, but Guerlain’s infusion of subtle leather and musk, his mythological storytelling, and the specific application for furs made this fragrance stand out as a daring, imaginative creation. It was both of its time and uniquely Guerlain: a marriage of elegance, sophistication, and a touch of woodland fantasy.
Fragrance Composition:
So what does it smell like? Bouquet de Faunes is classified as a floral oriental fragrance for women dominated with leather and musk notes.
- Top notes: neroli, suede, lavender, jasmine, gardenia
- Middle notes: De Laire's Bouvardia base (ionones, rose, jasmine, and orange flower), orris, marjoram, rose, carnation
- Base notes: musk, civet, castoreum, ambergris, vanilla, tonka bean, vetiver, patchouli, tobacco
Scent Profile:
The first breath of Bouquet de Faunes opens with a luminous yet complex bouquet. Neroli, distilled from the delicate blossoms of the bitter orange tree, immediately strikes with its radiant, honeyed freshness, tinged with a hint of green bitterness. Neroli from southern Italy—particularly the Amalfi Coast—is prized for its crystalline clarity and slightly resinous warmth, which lends a soft yet persistent glow to the fragrance’s introduction. Alongside it, the suede note evokes the tactile warmth of finely treated leather, soft yet slightly powdery, wrapping the senses in the subtle luxury of fur—a nod to the fragrance’s original purpose.
Lavender brings its aromatic clarity, crisp yet herbaceous, cutting through the richness with a touch of camphoraceous brilliance, while jasmine and gardenia interweave like a floral symphony: jasmine offers its indolic, animalic opulence, while gardenia imparts a creamy, slightly green floral lift, both harmonizing with the leather’s underlying warmth. This opening, simultaneously bright and soft, sets a mood of refined yet daring elegance, suggesting both the freshness of morning gardens and the sensuality of luxurious garments.
As the scent evolves, the heart emerges—a layered, intoxicatingly floral composition anchored by De Laire’s Bouvardia base, a complex accord built from ionones, rose, jasmine, and orange blossom. The ionones, naturally derived from orris root, carry violet-like facets that lend powdery floral sophistication, smoothing the transition between the vivacious top notes and the deeper floral heart. Orris root contributes a creamy, velvety iris note, rich in irone molecules, which imbues the heart with a soft, almost soapy elegance.
Marjoram injects a subtle herbaceous warmth, quietly elevating the flowers, while rose—perhaps from the famous Bulgarian or Grasse varieties—adds a velvety, nuanced richness with a hint of spiced sweetness, distinct from Turkish roses with their overtly honeyed tones. Carnation, with its eugenol-laden spiciness, weaves through the florals, giving depth and a slightly vintage character reminiscent of the 1920s palette of perfumery. Here, the heart is a bridge between innocence and seduction, a living garden softened with the sophistication of refined leather undertones.
The base is where Bouquet de Faunes asserts its sensual, animalic elegance. Musk—a timeless fixative—creates a soft, enveloping warmth, harmonizing with civet and castoreum, whose subtle animalic nuances bring a provocative, primal undertone without overwhelming the senses. Ambergris, rare and marine in character, adds a salty, sweet depth that glows against the rich, dark woodiness of vetiver from Haiti or Java, whose earthy, smoky, and slightly bitter notes ground the composition.
Patchouli, warm and resinous, interacts with tobacco, lending a subtle hint of smokiness and texture, reminiscent of fur and fine leather. Sweetness emerges as a counterpoint through vanilla and tonka bean, the former with its creamy, comforting warmth rich in vanillin, the latter with coumarin lending a nuanced hay-like, slightly almonded facet. Together, these base notes extend the fragrance’s longevity, creating a soft, enveloping aura that lingers like the memory of a luxurious garment wrapped around the wearer, elegant and mysterious.
Overall, Bouquet de Faunes is a masterful interplay of floral brightness and animalic depth. The top notes sparkle like sunlight on morning petals, the heart unfolds like a lush, hidden garden, and the base exudes quiet, sensual power—an olfactory narrative of sophistication, opulence, and subtle eroticism. Each ingredient is chosen not only for its aromatic beauty but also for its ability to convey a story: the femininity of flowers, the sensuality of leather, the mystery of musk and ambergris, all anchored by perfumer Jacques Guerlain’s signature refinement. In its era, it was both contemporary and daring, capturing the liberated elegance of post-war women while offering a tactile, almost wearable luxury, making every sniff feel like an encounter with myth and legend brought vividly to life.
Bottles:
Bouquet de Faunes was historically presented in the Flacon Vase Médicis, manufactured by René Lalique et Cie between 1925 and 1963. This iconic bottle, a hallmark of Lalique’s artistry, reflects the elegance and refinement of early 20th-century perfumery, its sculptural form echoing classical influences while serving as a functional vessel for the precious parfum.
Originally, the fragrance was tinted green, likely using chlorophyll, a common dye employed at the time to enhance the visual appeal of perfumes. This delicate verdant hue would have lent the parfum a sense of freshness and natural vibrancy, complementing its floral-oriental composition. However, over decades, natural oxidation of the perfume’s ingredients, particularly the rich, warm tones of vanilla, transforms the liquid into a deep amber-brown, signaling both the passage of time and the concentration’s evolution in character.
Collectors should exercise caution: if a Flacon Vase Médicis retains a bright green color today, it is often an indication of a factice or dummy bottle, filled with colored water rather than the original parfum. Authentic examples, with their nuanced aging and patina, offer not only a sensory connection to the original fragrance but also a tangible piece of history, combining the artistry of Lalique with the enduring legacy of Guerlain’s perfumery.
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Early 20th-century publications capture the allure and mystique of Bouquet de Faunes in evocative, almost poetic terms. In Harper’s Bazaar, 1924, the fragrance was described as “mysterious … like the shadows of the woods where faun and nymph reside,” emphasizing its ethereal, woodland-inspired character. The review highlighted the perfume’s presentation, noting it was “held captive in a gorgeous crystal flacon in a handsome leather gift case,” underscoring the luxurious packaging that reflected both the elegance of the scent and the prestige of Guerlain as a house.
Vogue, 1925, similarly emphasized the perfume’s mythological inspiration, calling it “a delicate perfume, in ‘gay god Pan’ container—the woods’ very breath.” The reference to Pan, the playful god of nature, and the image of woodland air suggest a fragrance that balances freshness and sensuality, capturing the spirit of untamed nature through both its composition and presentation.
By 1928, Garden & Home Builder described Bouquet de Faunes as “an odor of elegance in a frosted vase,” a concise yet evocative testament to the perfume’s refined floral-oriental character. The frosted vase, likely a René Lalique creation, lent the fragrance a sculptural beauty, harmonizing visual artistry with olfactory sophistication.
Together, these contemporary accounts illustrate how Bouquet de Faunes was received as a fragrance that married myth, elegance, and craftsmanship—its scent evoking shadowed forests and woodland spirits, while its luxurious packaging and Lalique flacon reinforced its status as a symbol of refinement and allure in the Roaring Twenties.
Other Bottles:
photo by drouot
Fate of the Fragrance:
Discontinued in 1963.
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