Opium, a fragrance of character by Yves Saint Laurent Yves Saint-Laurent is a designer who, beneath his shy appearance, always enjoyed being talked about. Beyond the quality of his creations, he was a fervent advocate of scandal. Thus, several of his fragrances were subject to enormous controversy, sometimes for their advertising, other times for their name.
In 1977, Yves Saint Laurent once again shocked the public, particularly the bourgeoisie, with Opium, a fragrance with a sulfurous name that suggested debauchery. Even though it was banned in several countries upon release, Opium remains the greatest success of the house of Yves Saint Laurent. Imaginative, sensual, revolutionary, Opium seduced instantly and the brand quickly sold out. Certain fragrances influence an entire lifetime and become cult objects. This is the case with Opium.
Opium, an oriental juice created by two talented perfumers
In the 1970s, Yves Saint Laurent dreamed of an Oriental fragrance that would evoke flowers of fire, explosions of red, yellow and blue…
It was to Jean-Louis Sieuzac and Raymond Chaillan that he then entrusted the task, and to whom we owe Opium, this essence that has been so widely talked about. Jean-Louis Sieuzac began his career at the Roure company, which is now Givaudan. Jean-Louis Sieuzac is thus a highly talented perfumer who does not care to be talked about. We owe him great fragrances such as Fahrenheit by Dior or Bel Ami by Hermès. Raymond Chaillan was born in Nice and was destined for scientific studies. He started out at Antoine Chiris, a small perfumer in Grasse. From 1995 to 1997, Raymond Chaillan was named President of the Société Française des Parfumeurs. We also owe him some very beautiful fragrances such as Anaïs Anaïs by Cacharel or Boucheron pour Homme by Boucheron. Together they decided to create an oriental fragrance with floral and spicy notes… One of the finest achievements in the history of perfumery.
The scent of scandal
As for the choice of name, Yves Saint Laurent explained: If I chose Opium as a name, it is because I intensely hoped that, through all its incandescent powers, it could release divine fluids, magnetic waves, heartthrobs, and the charms of seduction that give birth to wild love. Unfortunately, Opium was regarded as an incitement to sex, drugs, and debauchery. As for its composition, it must be said that it is truly original. It opens with the tangy freshness of orange, along with the lightness of aldehydes. Freshness and lightness are immediately contrasted by coriander. The heart of Opium is intensely feminine, made floral with ylang-ylang, jasmine, and rose. These floral tones are also enhanced with cinnamon, a spice from the Middle East that contrasts with the floral heart. Finally, the base of Opium is sensual, powerful, and almost masculine. Indeed, it combines vanilla, Siam benzoin, patchouli (a symbol of freedom), and opoponax (a resin extracted from a shrub found mainly in the Middle East, whose scent is close to that of myrrh).
Far more than a simple fragrance, Opium is, and will remain, an ode to freedom… The brand's greatest success is also the favorite fragrance of thousands of women…