The story of Patou
Jean Patou opened his house in Paris in 1914, but the war delayed its real launch until the 1920s. He then emerged as one of the most modern couturiers of his time, dressing tennis star Suzanne Lenglen and popularising a fluid, sporty style. Perfume quickly became a major line. In 1930, just after the stock market crash, Joy, composed by Henri Alméras, displayed provocative luxury: an opulent floral rich in rose and jasmine, marketed as one of the costliest perfumes ever made. Joy became one of the great classics of the twentieth century. Jean Patou died in 1936, and the house carried on under his family and then several owners. In 2018 the LVMH group acquired the house, which was renamed Patou and relaunched as a fashion brand, while Joy remained its best-known creation and a reference for floral perfumery.
An olfactory signature
Joy, the house's only entry in our database, embodies the sumptuous floral. Rose, tuberose and ylang-ylang open onto a heart of jasmine, rose and iris, before a base of sandalwood, musk and civet. The effect is rich, opulent and slightly animalic, with great floral density: a haute couture perfume designed to express magnificence rather than discretion, and one that carries the mark of the interwar years. Few florals feel so grand.
Which Patou perfume to choose?
Joy is the only Patou in our database. Choose it if you love great classic florals, led by rose and jasmine, with an animalic touch. Listed as a parfum, it is concentrated and long-lasting: one or two dabs are enough. It suits grand occasions and evenings, where its opulence naturally belongs.