Tabu

Patchouli, earthy and camphorous, accompanies a benzoin with accents of vanilla and caramel in the base of Tabu, beneath a heart of jasmine, ylang-ylang and Bulgarian rose. Created in 1932 for the house Dana by the perfumer Jean Carles, the Eau de Cologne belongs to the oriental family. Its name refers to Freud's book “Totem and Taboo.”

Brand: Dana
Launch year: 1932
Perfumer: Jean Carles
Olfactory family: Oriental
Concentration: Eau de Cologne

Published October 25, 2026

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Tabu was created in 1932 at Dana, in the Eau de Cologne concentration. Javier Serra, founder of Dana Parfums, originated the project and chose its name himself, while the composition is attributed to the perfumer Jean Carles.

The name is taken from “Totem and Taboo,” Freud's work that Javier Serra noticed in Nice. The spelling chosen, Tabu, corresponds to the Spanish form of the word taboo, which the founder used to name his house's perfume.

The bottle is known as the Violin bottle. An advertising campaign for Tabu drew on The Kreutzer Sonata, a painting by the artist René-Xavier Prinet. The perfume is offered in sizes of 68 and 89 ml.