Kypre by Lancome c1935

Kypre by Lancôme: launched in 1935. Created by Armand Petitjean. Lancôme launched its first five fragrances in 1935 at the World's Fair in Brussels - Tendre Nuit, Bocages, Conquete, Kypre and Tropiques.

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? It was classified as a chypre perfume with mossy and woodsy notes.

• Top notes: citrus. Calabrian bergamot
• Middle notes: Iranian galbanum, Egyptian jasmine, Florentine iris, Parma violet
• Base notes: French labdanum, leather, Tyrolean oakmoss, Florentine orris, Mysore sandalwood, Indonesian patchouli, ambergris, Tibetan musk

Armand Petitjean, creator of the perfume, explains it thus:

"Kypre should be treated like a Burgundy; it needs to age in the bottle, like the wine. In our climate, it is more of a perfume for winter and for festivities, but in the East and in South America, it appeals in all seasons…”

Bottle:

Flacons below designed by Georges Delhomme and manufactured by Verrières de la Bresle. Stands 3 3/4" tall.

Fate of the Fragrance:

Discontinued, date unknown.  During WWII, importations of Lancome fragrances such as Tropiques, Tendres Nuit, Fleches, Cuir, Conquete, Bocages, Peut Etre, and Kypre were halted and did not return to US soil until 1946.  

A 1946 newspaper ad stated that "The first envoy of the French perfume industry arrived in America a short time ago. Mme. Elsi Cramer, a representative for Lancome, had much to say about American women and the subject of perfume. Madame claims that the American woman chooses many scents but never really tries to discover anything about perfume bases, the floral mixtures, or how the perfume is packaged. She is primarily interested in which scent will last the longest. Mme. Cramer declares that no one should ask that of any perfume! Instead, she says, that by carrying a small vial of your favorite perfume and dabbing on a few drops once of twice during the course of the evening, you will find that your perfume will achieve its purpose of being fresh and 'just put on.' 

Tropiques, Fleches, Cuir, Kypre, Conquete, Qui Sait (pronounced key-say, Who Knows?) and Bocages are the newest perfumes in her line. The artistic packaging and the bottles themselves have been perfected after many long years of searching for the right thing.

American women once again may thrill to the wonderful French perfumes. And Mme. Cramer said that the formulas for these very same scents were closely guarded during the German occupation of France. So the return of French perfumes to the American market should mean a little more than just a comment of "oh, some more sweet smelling stuff has just arrived!" Taken into account should be the hard work, the scarcity of materials to work with and the hardships endured during the period when France was subjugated. Your perfume will mean much more to you when you think of those things."

Still being sold in 1952.