A signature scent: Guerlain's Shalimar turns 100

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In 1925, the French beauty and fragrance house Guerlain released a daring new scent.

Featuring an “overdose” of vanilla, bergamot and iris, the seductive perfume was unveiled to the world during the International Exhibition of Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris.

It was called Shalimar.

The fragrance kicked off an “olfactory revolution,” according to Ann-Caroline Prazan, the director of art, culture, and heritage at Guerlain.

“(Perfumer) Jacques Guerlain’s boldness and brilliance gave birth to a fragrance that was both groundbreaking and timeless,” Prazan says. “A century after its creation, Shalimar remains a mythical scent — one of the most legendary perfumes in the world.”

Shifting away from the floral-heavy and chypre scents of the time, Shalimar played with sweetness and resinous spiciness in an unexpected way. A century later, that signature amber-y elixir — anchored with a then-revolutionary ingredient, ethyl-vanillin — lives on.

This fall, to mark the 100th anniversary of Shalimar, Guerlain has released a new version of the scent called Shalimar L’Essence ($161 for 50 mL at Guerlain). The fragrance stays true to the original elixir in its efforts to be an olfactory “ode to vanilla,” while adding some olfactory updates into the mix.

“My approach was to amplify the vanilla note,” explains Delphine Jelk, director of perfume creation at Guerlain. “At the time of its creation, the amount of vanilla in Shalimar was perceived as generous. Today, fragrance lovers are much more accustomed to and fond of overdoses of vanilla.”

While Jelk enhanced the vanilla in the new Shalimar, she minimized the presence of bergamot, noting she found those specific citrus notes contributed to the “vintage character” of the original elixir.

The French perfumer also added “modern musks” into the new essence, to further the contemporary feel of its newest iteration.

“My goal was to retain Shalimar’s soul while giving it a fresh, modern and almost rock ‘n’ roll edge,” she says. “I created this version for today’s women, aiming for a scent that is tender, carnal, enveloping and seductive — much like vanilla itself.”

As a user on the fragrance platform Fragrantica noted, the new Essence release smells like “Shalimar for GenZ!” The new balance of notes is for both fans of the original, and a welcome introduction for those who may never have encountered it before.

It’s a summary that sits well with Jelk.

“It serves as an invitation to explore the Shalimar family, whether discovering it for the first time or revisiting the classic with a fresh perspective,” she says of the anniversary elixir.

Aharris@postmedia.com