I love it when perfumes have a story behind them and this one has quite an interesting story. Jean Patou was a clothing designer. Joy was created in 1929 during the Depression at a time when many of Jean Patou's clients could no longer afford his clothing. Although the perfume was very expensive, it was still more affordable than his clothing and thus was a piece of luxury that these clients could purchase. For this reason, it became an instant success and remains Jean Patou's most famous and successful perfume. According to Fragrantica.com, Joy is considered to be one of the greatest fragrances created and is a landmark example of the floral genre in perfumery.
For many years this was the costliest perfume on earth due to the fact that 10,000 jasmine flowers and 28 dozen roses are required to create 30ml of the parfum.
What they say: Jean Patou Joy is a classic, fresh floral fragrance, which represents a tribute to the jasmine flower. The scent opens with notes of jasmine, may rose and Bulgarian rose oil, before revealing a rich bouquet of ylang ylang, tuberose, jasmine de may and musk. Joy’s opulent scent represents timeless and refined beauty.
What I say: I absolutely adore this perfume. It is honestly quite breath-taking. Of all the names that are out there, 'Joy' is the most perfect one for this fragrance. When I first inhale the aroma I am left feeling quite euphoric and each time I get a whiff of it throughout the day it leaves me feeling equally happy. It is such a joyous scent.
I find that this fragrance changes very little with time. If you like what you smell straight away then you will still like it in three hours. You are instantly hit with a heady aroma of jasmine and rose. These two notes are so complimentary of each other - they were born to go together. I am not able to detect the other notes in the perfume - just these two, right up until the end. But that doesn't bother me as I love them so much!
This is such a classy, elegant perfume and most definitely feminine. I don't particularly like the word 'sensual' but have to admit that it is a fitting description of how I feel when I wear it!
Joy has incredible lasting power - after 5 hours this can still easily be detected on my skin. It also has high silage so don't spray too much (I have overwhelmed one of my male friends by wearing too much of this perfume - though he does get hay fever from jasmine so would probably have complain even if I only had one spray of it on me!).
Modern or classical? This is definitely a classical fragrance, having been created in 1929. It is quite an interesting one in that women of just about any age could wear this. I bought my first bottle when I was 24 and it never felt too old for me, yet I could just as easily see my mother or grandmother wearing it as well. If you are a classy woman than you will be able to pull this fragrance off, no matter your age.
Day or night? I definitely think that this is a night fragrances - it is quite heavy - probably too heavy for daytime wear. It is also a very sophisticated fragrance, and the jasmine in it makes it quite sexy as well. For me it was a special occasion fragrance - one I bust out when we were going somewhere special for dinner.
Summer or winter? As I loved it so much I used to wear it year round, although the heaviness of it probably makes it more suited to being a winter fragrance.
How does this perfume rate as a rose perfume? Due to the strong jasmine notes this perfume doesn't smell exactly like you a walking through a rose garden; however, it is undeniably a rose perfume and I would have to say my favourite rose perfume that I have trialled so far.
Would I buy it again? Absolutely. I can imagine myself wearing this perfume forever. The only reason I haven't repurchased just yet is that there are so many fragrances I have yet to try on my wish list; however, doing this review and smelling the fragrance for the first time in a couple of years has reminded me just how much I love it. So, I suspect that I will purchase it (ok, ask for it for my birthday!) before years end. It seems that I am not the only person head over heals in love with this fragrance - it is the world's second best selling fragrance (behind Chanel no. 5)
Where to buy? Joy by Jean Patou is available from David Jones, $129 for 30ml or $172 for 50ml
Have you tried Joy by Jean Patou? Did you find it amazing or too old fashion?
All opinions are my own and I received no remuneration for this post. This perfume was purchased by myself with my own money.