Voeu de Noel by Caron c1939

Voeu de Noel by Caron: launched in 1939.

Origin:

A beautiful rose perfume named Voeu de Noel (Christmas Wish) was created in 1939 by Ernest Daltroff and was presented at the 1939 World's Fair along with two more of Caron's fragrances, Alpona and Adastra. 

Contrary to belief, Rose de Noel was not renamed Voeu de Noel (Christmas Wish) in 1946. I found reference to Voeu de Noel in a 1939 issue of Drug & Cosmetic Industry magazine. Rose de Noel appears to have been a typo, and someone misheard Voeu as Rose.

Drug & Cosmetic Industry - Volume 45 - Page 185:

"Perfumes of Tomorrow. It is an unusual move for a major line to introduce three new perfumes at the same time, but Caron felt that a big effort had to be made if the perfume business was to be taken out of novelty packaging and brought back to its proper level of artistry, beauty and luxury where it belongs. Caron's presentation of the three perfumes is different and more luxurious than anything made so far by the company. They are different from one another as each one is of a different inspiration and idea. the one "Ad Astra" in a lovely bronze bottle, "Alpona" in a fan-like bottle and "Voeu de Noel" in a beautiful frosted bottle with embossed flowers."

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? Voeu de Noel is classified as a floral oriental fragrance for women. The sumptuous incense and dusty rose laden fragrance has been described as being a skillful marriage of Nuit de Noel and Or et Noir, both by Caron. All three fragrances contain the famous signature Caron accord (Caronade) of Bulgarian roses, jasmine, mimosa, orange blossom and ylang ylang.  Additional perfume notes include violet, carnation, sweet woods, spices and the de Laire Mousse de Saxe base. Carnations take the top note among many other precious ingredients in Caron's exquisite Voeu de Noel.

• Top notes: bergamot, lilac, hyacinth
• Middle notes: rose absolute, carnation, violet, jasmine, incense
• Base notes: incense, oakmoss, spices, sandalwood, ambergris, labdanum, tonka bean, musk, vanilla

The "Mousse de Saxe accord" is comprised of geranium, licorice, isobutyl quinoline, iodine and vanillin. The Mousse de Saxe had been elaborated around a mossy, leathery, liquorice-like material called isobutyl-quinoline. I had a 1930s bottle of the de Laire Mousse de Saxe base and tested a few drops with a smelling strip I found that it has a smoky, dusty moss quality with a hint of sweetness and incense, gorgeous. This is a base used for the creation of oriental, amber or oakmoss type perfumes.

Mousse de Saxe was used in perfumes such as the original early formulas of Caron's perfumes composed by Ernest Daltroff, Guerlain's L'Heure Bleue, Vol de Nuit and Shalimar, plus Chantilly and Presence by Houbigant and Habanita by Molinard.  Jean Kerléo mentioned it being used also in Le Chic by Molyneux, and possibly in Chanel's Bois des Iles. If you enjoy any of these vintage fragrances, you might enjoy the luxury of Voeu de Noel.

L'Amour de l'art, 1950:

"Voeu de Noel by Caron: New Year's Eve has left some of its lights in an opaline bottle while the Yule log is consumed in gold flakes. She adds a note of floral undergrowth whose smell, evocative of future springs, suddenly fills the atmosphere like a wish for youth and eternal happiness."

A 1950's article from Australia's Sydney Morning Herald described Voeu de Noel as

"a heady fragrance with strong overtones of carnations, involving opulence and burnished colour as mental associations. Packed in opalescence for 23 and a half pounds."

"Voeu de Noel..a round opulent fragrance, whispering of carnation, and other indefinite and precious scents...in an unusually glamorous presentation...$45..."

Flacon:

The parfum bottle is made up of opalescent crystal and molded with a stylized double poppy flower motif. The stopper, also in the same opalescent crystal is of an askew bar shape and has the name "Caron" inscribed on it in gold serigraphy. The base had a paper label. This particular bottle has been erroneously cited as being made by Lalique in several books, however this special bottle was designed by Felicie Vanpouille (Felicie Bergaud) and manufactured in France by Cristallerie de Romesnil.

• 3.75" tall x 3.75" wide.
• 4" tall x 4.5" wide.

The large bottle holds 2.9 oz, usually advertised in old publications rounded up as 3 oz. The festive Voeu de Noel has ALWAYS been a fragrance of pure luxury. In 1957, the 3 oz bottle retailed for $85, according to an inflation calculator, this would be about $945.63 in 2023 money. In 1960, the price rose to $100 for the same bottle, about $1,047.96 in 2023.

Le Musée International de la Parfumerie

Another flacon, though just as rare, is the standard Baccarat flacon used for Caron's extraits such as Tabac Blond, N'Aimez Que Moi and Farnesiana. The stopper is molded with an intaglio of Caron in cursive script. Notice the silvery foil label that has a radiating design around the name of the perfume. This bottle design was created in 1925 for Caron. But I believe this bottle was used after WWII for Voeu de Noel instead of the expensive opalescent flacon. In 1939, Caron updated the packaging to reflect the 1939 New York World's Fair theme, The World of Tomorrow. The new foiled paper label has a modernized design of a radiant sun with the name "Le Parfum du Voeu de Noel."

• 4 oz Parfum

 

 

 

Fate of the Fragrance:

Voeu de Noel has been discontinued for many years. In 1991, Caron released a deluxe special edition bottle made by Baccarat, exactly like the original..