Empreinte: The first Courrèges perfume The Courrèges woman is a free woman who wears short or even very short clothes with clean, graphic lines, so her perfume must resemble her.
Released in 1971, Empreinte is the first perfume from the Courrèges brand. Chic and feminine, it conveys a wind of freedom to women, at a time when social conventions were undergoing profound change. Courrèges was known as a brand that freed women from the overly strict dress codes of the time. The brand favored clean lines, short dresses, and invented the pedal pushers. Innovative and daring, Empreinte falls in line with those years of social liberation. Chic and now timeless, the Empreinte fragrance left its mark on the Courrèges brand and helped establish its reputation as a perfumer.
Robert Gonnon gives Courrèges its first fragrance, Empreinte
Little is known about the perfumer Robert Gonnon. He began his career at Firmenich and created his first perfume, Ô de Lancôme, in 1969, which met with genuine success. In 1985, Robert Gonnon achieved another great triumph with the creation, alongside three other perfumers, of Cacharel's star fragrance, Anaïs Anaïs. The last perfume Robert Gonnon created was Eau de Métal by Paco Rabanne.
The bold and free olfactory notes of Empreinte by Courrèges
Empreinte opens in a fresh and invigorating way thanks to the presence of bergamot, mandarin and aldehydic notes. A citrus fruit originally from Persia, bergamot is nowadays grown mainly in Italy, in the region of Reggio Calabria. With the spherical shape of an orange, bergamot has the color of a lemon. Bergamot is not eaten; it is used solely for its olfactory properties. In its early use, bergamot even served as a fixative. In perfumery, bergamot essential oil is obtained by cold expression of the fruit's zest.
Bergamot gives off fresh, zesty, lemony and soft tonalities. Then, the heart of Empreinte is filled with the most beautiful flowers, namely jasmine, May rose and Damask rose. Also called Centifolia rose, May rose is grown mainly in Grasse. The hundred-petaled rose bush is in fact a hybrid, selected by Dutch growers starting in the 17th century. The history of its creation is only sparsely documented, yet it gave rise to an entirely distinct rose species. Between 1580 and 1710, Dutch rose breeders created more than 200 varieties. May rose is a round, globular flower with fine petals.
Its scent is very floral, yet also very delicate. In the language of flowers, the rose is the allegory of love and its power. In perfumery, rose essential oil is obtained by distillation of freshly cut flowers. It is used in a great many olfactory compositions, floral, but also citrus, fruity, woody or oriental. Finally, the base of Empreinte is meant to be chypre and highly sensual thanks to the presence of patchouli, oakmoss, castoreum, sandalwood, vetiver and cedarwood.