Joy Eau de Parfum

The house of Jean Patou entered the world of perfumery in 1925, with the release of three perfumes, Amour Amour, Que sais-je and Adieu Sagesse. In 1929, while the world was plunged into sadness, Jean Patou decided to offer a magnificent fragrance to wealthy American women, Joy.

Joy, the anti-depression perfume

Released after the 1929 American financial crisis, Joy would remain a legendary perfume, the one that brought happiness and gaiety to American women. This bold idea emerged as an antidote to the crisis. Jean Patou asked his perfumer Henri Alméras to create for him an extraordinary perfume, worthy of his loyal clients on Rue Saint-Florentin. He explained to his perfumer: Forget that we are under pressure, that our revenue has dropped… I leave you free to choose the finest raw materials, to make a gift to our clients, to those who cannot come to Paris this year. While Joy has long been considered the most expensive perfume in the world, it must be admitted that it pulled off a genuine feat, since it was born in 1930, barely a year after the Wall Street financial crisis.

The magnificent ingredients of Joy

Behind the advertising slogan Joy is the most expensive perfume in the world lies a juice that requires, for every ounce (about 30 ml), more than 10,000 jasmine flowers from Grasse (hand-picked) and 28 dozen may roses. The top notes of Joy pair aldehydic notes with green notes that offer beauty and freshness. The heart is thoroughly floral and ultra feminine thanks to the presence of may rose, ylang-ylang, tuberose and jasmine from Grasse. The base is highly sensual and brings together sandalwood and white musks. A sumptuous and unsettling composition. As for the bottle, it resembles a piece of jewelry, rare and precious. It was designed by the architect Louis Süe. The bottle is hand-filled and the sealing is done with emery. This is an ancestral technique that consists of sealing a bottle with a thin damp membrane called a bladder skin, which solidifies as it dries. Made of Baccarat crystal, the gold elements are hand-painted. The gold thread that crowns the stopper completes Jean Patou's creation, like a personal signature.

Few perfumes remain fashionable today without having been reworked. Yet this is the case with Joy, the sublime fragrance from Jean Patou. Today, Joy has become an olfactory jewel of luxury, a timeless signature of prestige and opulence. A luxury within everyone's reach.