There are some perfumes whose story lasts only a short time without being any less intense. Others, however, seem to have been born to forever mark the history of perfumery. The years slide over them without ever leaving a trace, and they retain their timeless elegance over time.
Since Ô de Lancôme in 1969, the beautiful fashion house turned major perfume house has never ceased wanting to surprise with original fragrances, outside of trends and often foreshadowing those to come. This was the case for Ô, and it was also the case for the beautiful Trésor, which with its unprecedented accords initiated the lovely family of fruity-floral perfumes when the trend did not seem to favor it. Regardless, Sophia Grojsman would compose a Trésor that would never cease to move us in the magic of a precious yet timeless moment.
Trésor, or Sophia Grojsman's romantic and elegant jewel for Lancôme
Sophia Grojsman made a name for herself in particular through her very original powdery composition for Yves Saint-Laurent's Paris in 1983. From then on, the perfumer was recognized for her talent, elegance and creativity, which led her to pair rather classic floral scents with modern and unprecedented materials.
For Trésor, released in 1990, Sophia Grojsman did not stray from her values of elegance and a hint of old-fashioned floral romanticism. She even went further, proposing chemical fruity reconstructions that until then had barely had a place in perfumery. Moreover, the house of Lancôme was far removed from this fruity floral style with its previous perfume of oriental leaning, Magie Noire. But the venerable house trusted the great lady's talents, and within a few months Trésor became the best-selling perfume of its time.
Sophia dressed the rose of Trésor with a note of powdery violet that had long scented powders and lipsticks. It was very consistent with Lancôme's world of skincare and makeup, including in the United States, attributed to Madame Le Figaro regarding Trésor by Lancôme.
Even more, Trésor, with its contrasts between retro-feminine scents and unprecedented fruity accords, would be the forerunner of a style of perfumery that would come to dominate the 2000s: gourmand perfumes.
Trésor and Lancôme's bold fragrant innovations
Sophia Grojsman readily admits that, originally, she designed Trésor to be a fragrance she herself would wear, not a perfume intended for sale. Fortunately, the talented perfumer changed her mind and offered the house of Lancôme her precious find, which nonetheless remains bold in more ways than one.
As already noted, the perfumer dared to pair a somewhat forgotten rose with fruity notes that had never existed before. But Trésor did not stop there, as the beautiful floral notes of Otto rose, iris, lilac and lily of the valley ventured toward depths very rarely used, especially in feminine perfumery: spicy and woody notes.
Thus, the perfumer renowned for the quality of her sillages did not hesitate to bathe that of Trésor in a mysterious world that contrasts with the radiant brightness of flowers and fruits. Amber, sandalwood, musk and heliotrope lend their sensual strength to this woman so in love that Trésor so beautifully depicts…