The Second Life of Dana and Her New Old Fragrances

Dana perfume house was established by Javier Serra in 1932 in Barcelona, and later the company was replaced to Paris, 9 Rue de la Paix. The Dana house was named after one of the heroines of the ancient Greek mythology. Danaë was the only daughter of Acrisius, King of Argos, and Eurydice, and mother of Perseus, the hero who killed Medusa and rescued Andromeda, whom she had with Zeus, the king of gods. The name Danaë is associated with beauty.

The first fragrance of the house was Tabu, created by Jean Carles 1932. Jean Carles was well known for his wonderful creations made of unusual materials. Before creating Tabu, he was instructed to make a fragrance for a whore (‘un parfum de puta’). Thus, Tabu was created, sensual and shocking. Its luscious oriental floral composition starts with fresh citrus and spicy notes. The spices in the heart accentuate the beauty of exuberant flowers: jasmine, narcissus, rose and ylang-ylang. Warm oriental base includes amber, resins, civet and precious woods.

Other famous Dana’s fragrances are Ambush (1955), Canoe (1935), Emir (1936)... This year Dana has launched the fragrance English Leather Black, which, however, has nothing in common with the former Les Parfums de Dana. English Leather Black is a new version of the famous English Leather created by the company MEM, which now belongs to Dana Classics.

At the end of the last century the house Les Parfums de Dana found itself in a difficult financial situation and it was sold in 1994. The new owner, Renaissance Cosmetics, was bought in 1999 and got the name New Dana Perfumes, later changed into Dana Classic fragrances.

The company buys perfume houses in downfall and revives them. The same happened to the former Les Parfums de Dana. The new owner has saved the famous old fragrances and therefore we can still find them in shops and on the Internet.

Author: Elena Knežević (jeca)
Fragrantica Member