Qui Sait? by Lancome c1946

Qui Sait? by Lancome: launched in 1937. Created by Armand Petitjean.

Peut-Être ("Perhaps" in French) became Qui Sait ("Who Knows" in French) in 1956, however I have found publications dating to as early as 1946 using the name Qui Sait (US Patent Office info). The reason for the name change is that it would be easier for Americans to pronounce.

The name Qui Sait was used previously by another French perfumer, Lournay in 1925.

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? It was classified as a sweet floral perfume with a dominant note of lilac.

• Top notes: Dutch linden blossom
• Middle notes: Grasse rose absolute, Alpine lilac
• Base notes: South Pacific ambergris, Mysore sandalwood, Madagascar vanilla

American Fur Breeder, 1948:

"QUI SAIT is too refined and complex to develop fully on a fur."

Bottles:

Fate of the Fragrance:

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."

Discontinued, date unknown.