Monday, December 19, 2016

Balafre by Lancome c1967

Balafre by Lancôme: launched in 1967. Created by Gerard Goupy.





Fragrance Composition:


So what does it smell like? It is classified as an aromatic, dry woody fougere fragrance for men. The fragrance opens with a fresh, herbaceous and spicy top of lavender and cypress, followed by a resinous, woody, spicy heart of geranium and cedar, resting on a mossy, powdery base of vetiver and oakmoss.
  • Top notes: cypress, Italian lime, artemisia, Calabrian mandarin, Roman chamomile, Provencal lavender, Sicilian lemon, Calabrian bergamot, green notes and Sicilian neroli
  • Middle notes: Mexican oregano, armoise, fern, basil, Spanish thyme, French carnation, Bulgarian clary sage, Lebanon cedar, American pine needles and Spanish geranium
  • Base notes: Omani incense, Indonesian patchouli, leather, ambergris, Tyrolean oakmoss, Mysore sandalwood, Virginia tobacco, Java vetiver and Tibetan musk

Penthouse 1968:
"FOR MEN ONLY News of an eau de toilette for men that will be difficult to keep from the women: Balafre by Lancome. This house is already famous for perfumes like Magie, Tresor, and Climat. Now it has launched a small but exclusive line for the discriminating male. Balafre has a subtle but pleasing perfume, principally of cypress and lemon, but also a careful blend of such herbs as basil, thyme, armoise, woods like patchouli, vetiver and sandalwood, such fruits as lime and mandarin in addition to lemon. "




The success of Balafre spawned two flanker scents in 1974, Balafre Brun and Balafre Vert.


Balafre Brun, a woody chypre fragrance for men.
  • Top notes: Provencal lavender, chamomile, bergamot, lemon
  • Middle notes: clove, neroli, leather, pine needles, tobacco
  • Base notes: vetiver, oakmoss, amber, white cedar, Mysore sandalwood

Balafre Vert, a green woody chypre fragrance for men.
  • Top notes: bergamot, green notes, cypress, Provencal lavender, neroli
  • Middle notes: clover, geranium, white cedar, fern, pine and sage
  • Base notes: amber, vetiver, oakmoss, leather and Tibetan musk



Later, in 1977, a third flanker scent was added to the Lancome lineup, Balafre Internationale. 

Fate of the Fragrance:


All of the Balafre fragrances have been discontinued for years.

The original Balafre has been reformulated and relaunched by Lancome in more recent years.
  • Top notes: cypress, chamomile, lavender, green notes, neroli, bergamot
  • Middle notes: carnation, clary sage, Lebanon cedar, pine tree needles, geranium
  • Base notes: leather, amber, Tibetan musk, oakmoss, vetiver


Balafre has again been discontinued by Lancome, as of 2019, it is no longer listed on Lancome's website.

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