Vere Novo c1895

Vere Novo by Guerlain was introduced in 1895, during a time when the house was firmly establishing itself as one of the premier arbiters of refined French perfumery. The name, Vere Novo, comes directly from Latin, translating to “Spring.” Pronounced as “Vay-ray No-vo”, the phrase is not only a linguistic echo of antiquity but also a direct reference to a poem by Victor Hugo, who used the words to evoke themes of renewal, vitality, and the beauty of nature’s rebirth. Guerlain, like many perfumers of the late 19th century, often drew inspiration from the arts—whether literature, opera, or poetry—giving his perfumes cultural resonance as well as olfactory delight. By choosing this name, Guerlain aligned the fragrance with poetic imagination and the timeless cycle of nature.

The word Vere Novo conjures vivid imagery: the first budding blossoms after winter, fresh greenery unfurling in soft light, and the air scented with earth newly awakened by rain. Emotionally, it suggests optimism, rejuvenation, and a delicate joy, much like the tender warmth of early spring days. For women and men of the Belle Époque—the glittering cultural period in which this perfume was born—these associations would have been deeply appealing. The Belle Époque (1871–1914) was marked by prosperity, artistic innovation, and a fascination with elegance and leisure. Fashions leaned toward light, elaborate textiles, airy hats, and flowing gowns, reflecting the era’s indulgence in beauty and refinement. In perfumery, the trends shifted toward increasingly complex compositions, where florals, woods, and new synthetics offered both longevity and richness that earlier perfumes lacked.

For a woman in 1895, wearing a perfume called Vere Novo would have felt like carrying springtime with her, even into the social salons, theaters, or garden promenades of Paris. The name itself would have resonated as both sophisticated and romantic, blending classical learning with modern sensibility. The interpretation of Vere Novo in scent would likely embody fresh florals softened with woody undertones—bright and awakening, yet grounded in elegance. It may have suggested dew-touched blossoms opening on branches, tempered by woods that lent stability and warmth, a balance between lightness and depth.

In the context of its time, Vere Novo was both of its era and forward-looking. The late 19th century saw the rise of floral perfumes with greater complexity, aided by advances in synthetic aroma-chemicals such as coumarin and vanillin, which allowed perfumers to build fuller, more enduring compositions. Yet Guerlain’s choice of a Latin name tied to Victor Hugo elevated the fragrance beyond mere fashion, giving it cultural gravitas. While it aligned with the floral-woody trend, Vere Novo also distinguished itself by linking poetic inspiration with the sensory evocation of spring, offering wearers not just a perfume, but a narrative of rebirth, refinement, and timeless elegance.

Vere Novo: The Genesis of Butterflies (Translation by Andrew Lang (1844-1912) from Poetry-Archive.com.):

The dawn is smiling on the dew that covers
The tearful roses; lo, the little lovers
That kiss the buds, and all the flutterings
In jasmine bloom, and privet, of white wings,
That go and come, and fly, and peep and hide,
With muffled music, murmured far and wide.
Ah, the Spring time, when we think of all the lays
That dreamy lovers send to dreamy mays,
Of the fond hearts within a billet bound,
Of all the soft silk paper that pens wound,
The messages of love that mortals write
Filled with intoxication of delight,
Written in April and before the May time
Shredded and flown, playthings for the wind’s playtime,
We dream that all white butterflies above,
Who seek through clouds or waters souls to love,
And leave their lady mistress in despair,
To flit to flowers, as kinder and more fair,
Are but torn love-letters, that through the skies
Flutter, and float, and change to butterflies.

Fragrance Composition:

What does it smell like? Vere Novo is classified as a floral woody fragrance for men and women.

• Top notes: bergamot, cassie, acacia, mimosa, saffron
• Middle notes: jasmine, violets, galbanum, heliotrope, hyacinth, rose, honey, snow bells, narcissus,
• Base notes: civet, guaiac, vanilla, leather, woody notes, balsam, musk, ambergris, pine

Scent Profile:

Smelling Vere Novo is like walking through a sunlit garden at the height of spring, every step revealing another hidden pocket of blossoms, resins, and woods. Its composition unfurls slowly, shifting from sparkling brightness to lush florals and finally to deep, sensual warmth, each note carefully layered to capture the poetry of renewal.

The opening greets you with the brisk, lively sparkle of bergamot, a citrus fruit cultivated in Calabria, Italy, where the unique climate produces oils both luminous and slightly floral, containing high levels of limonene and linalyl acetate that lend brightness and lift. Immediately, this radiance is softened by the powdery, golden airiness of cassie (Acacia farnesiana), which brings a honeyed warmth with undertones of violet and leather, due to its naturally occurring ionones and coumarins. The acacia itself adds a deeper sweetness, more resinous and earthy than mimosa, while mimosa blooms contribute a tender, almond-like puff of powder, almost tactile in their softness. Into this bouquet slips saffron, its strands offering a bittersweet, leathery nuance with metallic warmth, carried by safranal and picrocrocin. Together, these top notes paint the early spring dawn: fresh, golden, alive with delicate yet radiant energy.

As the fragrance deepens, the heart blossoms with opulence. Jasmine, rich in benzyl acetate and indole, radiates a narcotic sensuality—lush yet slightly animalic—while violets, through ionones, add a candied, powdery elegance, veiling the composition in soft purple hues. Galbanum, a resin from Persia, cuts sharply through the florals with its piercing green bitterness, heavy with hexenals and galbanol, conjuring the first shoots of grass breaking through soil. Heliotrope follows, almond-powdered and vanillic, soothing in its sweetness thanks to heliotropin, while hyacinth floods the senses with cool, watery green florals, crystalline and crisp. Rose, timeless and velvety, offers a balance of citronellol and geraniol, its dewy freshness tempered by honeyed richness. A veil of honey itself adds a golden, animalic sweetness, sticky with warmth, while snowbells and narcissus lend a crystalline, almost icy floral note contrasted by narcissus’ heady, indolic depth. This heart feels alive—bright, lush, green, and intoxicating—like standing in a garden where spring flowers clash and harmonize in dazzling variety.

The base grounds the exuberance, revealing the sensual sophistication that marked Guerlain’s style. Civet, with its musky, slightly fecal yet warm sweetness, adds a human, animalic depth—softened by musk, which smooths and rounds the edges, transforming the animal growl into a caress. Guaiac wood contributes smoky, tarry warmth, oily with guaiacol, while vanilla (rich in vanillin) lends its familiar, creamy sweetness, both softening the sharper resins and amplifying the florals’ honeyed tones. Leather notes weave through the base with a bitter-tar quality, evoking well-worn gloves or saddlery, while balsam adds a syrupy, resinous sweetness, acting as a cushion for the woods. Ambergris, rare and marine, lends salty warmth and a smooth, radiant diffusion, harmonizing the animalics with the balsams and vanilla. Finally, pine, crisp and resinous, breathes an invigorating freshness into the base, balancing warmth with an evergreen sharpness.

Together, Vere Novo feels like a living tableau of spring—damp earth and budding flowers, pollen-laced air warmed by sun, the sweetness of blossoms carried on a breeze tinged with woods and leather. The interplay of natural materials and synthetics (ionones, heliotropin, vanillin) gives the perfume both realism and structure, heightening what nature provides while ensuring longevity and depth. It is not merely a floral-woody fragrance, but an olfactory poem of rebirth—faithful to its name, Vere Novo, “Spring.”

Bottles:

Fate of the Fragrance:

Vere Novo was launched by Guerlain in 1895, during the height of the Belle Époque, a period characterized by optimism, prosperity, and cultural flourishing. The name itself, drawn from Victor Hugo’s poem and translating from Latin as “Spring,” positioned the fragrance as a celebration of renewal, vitality, and nature’s rebirth. Its release reflected Guerlain’s ability to align poetry, literature, and fine perfumery, offering clients not only a scent but an artistic expression of the era’s ideals.

The fragrance enjoyed remarkable longevity on the market. Records suggest that Vere Novo remained available well into the early 20th century, with mentions around 1935 and possibly lingering until the disruption of World War I. This long shelf life highlights both its popularity and Guerlain’s practice of maintaining enduring classics alongside new creations, giving clients familiar favorites they could return to for years.

The precise date of Vere Novo’s discontinuation remains uncertain, but its eventual withdrawal likely reflects broader cultural and economic shifts. The upheavals of the First World War, followed by changing tastes in perfumery during the interwar years, gradually eclipsed late 19th-century floral-woody compositions. By the 1930s, consumers were drawn to streamlined, modern perfumes with sharper aldehydic openings and more daring accords, leaving Vere Novo a treasured relic of an earlier, more romantic age.