Vent Vert by Balmain c1947

Vent Vert by Balmain: launched in 1947. Created by Germaine Cellier of Roure perfumers.

Anticipating that couture clothes would not dominate fashion forever, Balmain opened his perfume business with Vent Vert.

Pierre Balmain, in addition to Vent Vert and another scent called after his Elysees telephone number, and the smoky Miss Balmain, is associated for ever with Jolie Madame.

Fragrance Composition:

So what does the original formula smell like? It was classified as an astringent, leafy green floral fragrance for women. It begins with a green top, followed by a green floral heart, layered over a floral, mossy base.

• Top notes: lemonwood, lemongrass, verbena, galbanum, gardenia, peach, bergamot, neroli, jonquil, saxifrage and violet leaf
• Middle notes: orange blossom, geranium, orris, narcissus, basil, lily of the valley, freesia, rose, jasmine and hyacinth
• Base notes: styrax, fresh hay, sandalwood, vetiver, oakmoss and musk

Vent Vert is most unusual, it is made from the green elements — wild grasses and ferns, woods and bittersweet leaves. It is light and refreshing but not a bit sporty and extremely clean smelling without being remotely disinfectant like pine.

Vent Vert is regarded as the first ever ‘green-floral’ fragrance in the history of perfume manufacture and contained a huge dose of galbanum, a bold 8%. It set the standard for many fragrances to come such as Tweed by Lentheric, Diorling by Christian Dior, Green Water by Jacques Fath and Cabochard by Gres.

L'Amour de l'art, 1950:

"Smell of crushed plants, said Colette as she breathed it in, but which takes you into a wandering meadow, beautiful like a flowery field, sporty like the turf, fresh like the greens, healthy like a green nature, green like the grass lying under the wind..."

L'Atlantique, 1952:

"Balmain, whose breezy 'Vent Vert' for sportswear or sheer clothes and 'Elysees 64-83' for furs and formals are among the top sellers, has been working on presentation of the toilet waters and so has recently brought out new large green glass bottles in suede bags which are green for 'Vent Vert', red for the telephone number 'Elysees 64-83' and yellow for the men's toilet water 'Verveine-Citronelle.'"

 

Combat, 1954:

"Eau Vent Vert by Pierre Balmain: it's verbena and lemongrass, saxifrage and bergamot brought by the wind that has crossed the green columns that border the river. West wind that promises beneficial rain and to the naked body of the bather like an acid mantle. Green vein. Verbena. Green veins of small blue flowers, which keep the sky prisoner, and smell sharp like the cry of the lark."

Combat, 1955:

"Verbena, she is the only one, or almost, to have such a sour, sharp smell, the little flower with green veins, which keeps the sky prisoner in its petals. It is she who perfumes the breeze of Vent Vert, the perfume by Pierre Balmain, where she finds her sister, lemongrass."

 

Bottles:

The Parfum was available in the following:

• 1/4 oz (7cc) 
• 1/2 oz (14cc)
• 1 oz (28cc)
• 2 oz (56cc)
• 4 oz (118cc)
• 1/4 oz Atomizer

The original Eau de Toilette was available in the following:

• 1.7 oz (50cc)
• 3.4 oz (100cc)
• 6.76 oz (200cc)
• 3.7 oz (112cc) Atomizer 

The fragrance was also available in 

• 226gr Dusting Powder
• 113g Dusting Powder
• Box of three soaps

Fate of the Fragrance:

Revlon entered the fragrance market in 1960 when they purchased the famous Balmain scents, Vent Vert and Jolie Madame.

In 1969, Eau de Vent Vert was launched.

In 1991, the fragrance was reformulated by Calice Becker to downplay the galbanum and geranium to appeal to a wider market.

In Perfumes: The A to Z Guide, author Luca Turin notes that the reformulation was due to the original perfume "bases", (pre-fab accords of various ingredients which help make up a fragrance) becoming harder and harder to acquire for manufacturing Vent Vert, therefore a change had to be made. Becker realized that the original scent of Vent Vert was composed up of nearly eleven hundred different ingredients, and that the new formula had been whittled down to just thirty one.

So what does the first reformulation smell like? It is classified as a classic green fragrance for women.

• Top notes: bergamot, neroli, jonquil and violet leaf
• Middle notes: hyacinth, narcissus, basil, galbanum, lily of the valley, freesia, rose, jasmine and hyacinth
• Base notes: sage, sandalwood, oak moss and musk

This version was presented in simple square clear bottle with a green top reminiscent of a clump of grass bent by the wind.

In 1999, Vent Vert was reformulated by Nathalie Feisthauer and relaunched for a second time. Unfortunately, to the chagrin of many of Vent Vert's devotees who trudged forth with the first reformulation, they hated the newest incarnation which proved to be the death knell of the old classic.

• Top notes: green notes, orange blossom, lemon, asafoetida, peach, lime, basil, bergamot and neroli
• Middle notes: spices, jasmine, rose, galbanum, lily of the valley, freesia, hyacinth, marigold, ylang-ylang, violet
• Base notes: oakmoss, sandalwood, sage, iris, Guaîac wood, amber, musk, sage, vetiver, styrax and cedar.

By 2010, it was reformulated again and relaunched. Reading the various reviews online, it seems that this version is much more forgiving than the last and the general consensus is that while it is not the same as the original, it is better than the last.

This version is housed in the clear glass cube shaped bottle topped with a silvery round ball, some liken to a golf ball, and decorated with a green and white polka dotted grosgrain ribbon.

From Balmain:

"Vent Vert, mythical perfume, embodies the distinguished elegance which tricks time and fashion. The nobility of the galbanum, used in overdose for the first time in history, delivers with impertinence, all its fresh and green density. The alliance of hesperidics and basil mixed with the delicacy of a floral heart strengthen this insolent, amazing, incisive, green breeze. The drydrown is textured by creamy and vibrating woods, revealing a powerful trail printed with authenticity and pureness."

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