Joy (for women)
Designer: Jean Patou Olfactive Group: Floral
!JOY was created with a lot of care, just like the most expensive Haute-Cotture dress, and thus it was extraordinary and timeless. It was presented by Jean Patou as 'the world's most expensive perfume' right at the time of The Great Depression in 1929, when the market of luxury fashion crushed and Jean Patou's house could survive only through the perfumes.
JOY is created of rare flowers in unique concentration of 10600 flowers of jasmine and 28 dozens of roses which adorn the exceptional heart of this perfume. With the time JOY attains enormous success and became the second best selling perfume of all times (the first best-selling is the legendary Chanel N°5).
Intense and luscious with alluring floral composition, JOY was created by Henri Alméras, who made its top notes irresistibly delightful. The composition starts with fragrant jilt tuberose, luscious rose, ylang-ylang blossom, aldehydes, sweet and mouthwatering pear, and green notes. The heart beats passionately in pure and sweetly fresh jasmine notes, seductive and balmy spicy and darkened iris root. The base whiffs with sensual musk, warm and milky-powdery sandalwood, with mild musky civet tones.
The bottle, of simple and straight lines with a golden thread around its neck, was designed by the architect Louis Süe in 30ml, 50ml and 100ml sizes for Eau de Parfume and 30ml and 50ml sizes for Eau de Toilette. Regardelss of its simplicity, the bottle leaves an impression of luxury and hints that its content is one of the best perfumes of the world. In 1932 Jean Patou designed a small black and red bottle in which this perfume is also presented.
The nose behind this fragrance is Henri Almeras.
Fragrance Notes
top notes
Joy Fragrance Reviews:
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This has got to be the biggest disappointment in my collection of perfumes... I bought the EDP unsniffed (I know...not too smart) based on some of the heavenly reviews I've read. It seemed like a rare gem: a treasure that would melt into my skin and paint the most wonderful scenes in my mind. I ordered it, anticipation sky-high, and when I finally received it and spritzed it on to my wrist I could not believe my own sensory system! Sniffing it was literally painful!It was like hitting a concrete WALL. What's more: after two hours or so, the scent had totally evaporated (!) I really, really wanted to get a long with this refined and alluring type of scent, but alas... JOY is not going to be my friend...
06/18/09 10:18:38
Urban Skies has it ..it is pure gold and a total joy to wear. It's really one of the most beautiful perfumes in the World.
03/29/09 03:25:34
Joy by Jean Patou indeed brings me joy. Loads of flowers, jasmine and roses. Classic fragrance but not as old-fashioned as No5 .
03/24/09 22:44:28
Just love it. Very classic, warm, fresh, subtle, lasting and yes it not only is expensive, it smells expensive and men seem to like it.
02/19/09 05:52:52
Elegant and beautiful; classic French perfume in the best sense of the words. Having said that, I must also say that it is not for me. I found the aldehydes far smoother than in many aldehydic scents (I'm talking about YOU, No. 5!), and the peach/green opening is luscious. Then the rose and jasmine heart opens up, and is absolutely huge, warm and enveloping. However, it is composed of so many, many flowers that it smells cooked, like floral jam, which I find over-the-top and opposite to my preferences. The jasmine is fairly indolic and the civet is more animalic than "clean."
I tend to find classic French perfumes too indolic/animalic for my personal taste. Certainly I would only wear Joy in very private, romantic circumstances, and definitely not "out" somewhere.
Edit: I'm growing accustomed to the deep animalic base of many classic perfumes. I'd still be careful where I wore them, but I now find them fascinating rather than off-putting.
I tend to find classic French perfumes too indolic/animalic for my personal taste. Certainly I would only wear Joy in very private, romantic circumstances, and definitely not "out" somewhere.
Edit: I'm growing accustomed to the deep animalic base of many classic perfumes. I'd still be careful where I wore them, but I now find them fascinating rather than off-putting.
02/17/09 12:41:16
It`s warm, sweet rosehoneylike. But one can detect the lily of the valley- if you like them...
I used to like it better, but then I had the perfume. Maybe the eau de toilette comes out less sweet.
Anyway- today too `oldfashioned` for my nose.
I used to like it better, but then I had the perfume. Maybe the eau de toilette comes out less sweet.
Anyway- today too `oldfashioned` for my nose.
01/24/09 08:23:41
I consider this is one of the best in the market; delicate, gentle, soft, sexy and with personality.
12/27/08 06:35:10
Joy, a sublime rosy -jasmine creation, is absolutely the essence of femininity and le boudoir. The civet base-note is a favorite bottom for me and I never tire of the rich, opulent aura of Joy. Almeras placed himself in the upper crust of parfumeurs with Joy which has rightly maintained a large following of fans for 80 years....though I doubt it is still "the costliest perfume in the world" as advertised in the 1950's advertisements. 5 stars!
12/21/08 04:57:38
Joy, arguably the best known fragrance ever produced by the House of couturier Jean Patou, was predicated on the notion that, by combining a staggering amount of rose and jasmine absolutes in just the right proportions, one could create the impression of a single, grand, and impossibly gorgeous flower. Considering that almost 80 years have passed since Joy (which was created by Henri Almeras) was first introduced, the fact that the scent is still debated, worn, and, yes -- treasured even now, speaks not only to the artistry of Almeras, but also to the genius of Patou.
11/18/08 21:46:57
So good on the testing strips! So bad on my skin! It smells like mashed up jasmine flowers on me. Foul.
11/01/08 21:04:50
I bought this on my trip to Paris years ago and to me it smells like "old money"! Much too strong in the Parfum and the Eau De Parfum and not much lighter in the Eau de Toilette/Cologne Had they formulated this combination of alluring notes in the Eau de Fraiche not for the price point but for the lower concentration then it could have well become an everday luxury scent for me.
10/29/08 15:37:27
My mother loves this scent, mostly because it makes her nostalgic. As a classic I can appreciate it in the bottle, but when I spray it on the florals immediately turn sour. Jasmine is always a hit or miss and I think it's much to blame for the problems with this fragrance. As always, it depends on one's chemistry and perhaps also the notes it works with. It's also very detecable when wearing it, I should add. I'd recommend it if you're crazy about classics or really love rose and jasmine scents.
10/26/08 16:59:28
Joy is exactly what its name says: joy. It has a light, joyful beginning of jasmine and bright smelling flowers. The heart is richly floral, and pleasurable in the extreme - like a bouquet of flowers that you can lie on and roll in. The base is sensual and complex.
It is a classic scent, which I am aware of being too old for me - and for that reason I thought I would like EnJoy better (the modern verson) but it is so different; not nearly as good as Joy.
I would like to get it, but I am still weighing up a few factors - the price, it being too old for me, and the encounter of having tried it on my skin once and it not changing off the top notes. I must give it some thought...
It is a classic scent, which I am aware of being too old for me - and for that reason I thought I would like EnJoy better (the modern verson) but it is so different; not nearly as good as Joy.
I would like to get it, but I am still weighing up a few factors - the price, it being too old for me, and the encounter of having tried it on my skin once and it not changing off the top notes. I must give it some thought...
10/20/08 03:09:34
I totally agree with Urban Skies, this urine smell perhaps was overload of civet or animalistic notes..yeah, and not for wearing in public either:))
10/19/08 11:28:43
Weird one. I just can't believe it was named to be among 10 or 20 best perfumes. When I smelled it was very strong smell, and at first I just smelled the cap of the sprayer, and it was VERY strong, I found it smell flowers in slightly old fashion way, though itis not neccesarily bad, but Bad was the smell of urine that was lingering on the top of the flowery bouquet. If I should describe it visualy I would drew such a scene: nice house, beautiful flower garden, a cat marking his teritory..
yeah, finally I was encouraged to spray it on the paper strip and it was the same 'picture'
yeah, finally I was encouraged to spray it on the paper strip and it was the same 'picture'
10/19/08 10:59:02
I believe some of the perfumes needs a time to be appreciated. So I kept trying Joy EDP on me and finally I started to like it. I find the green notes to my nose slightly bitter as an opposite for fresh flower smell. I can appreciate it even more when I read the history of the perfume. It is not for everyone and appearantly wasnt right for me at first, but as with Chanel No. 5 there is just a perfect timing in everyone's life when you can UNDERSTAND the perfume and now I can understand Joy's joy :)
10/04/08 03:33:21
Joy is obviously not every woman's joy, but I personally find that it is one of the greatest florals ever...and I do object to people maintaining it betrayed an artificial smell of jasmin. The perfume itself is made from very fine ingredients and is a refined mixture of rose, jasmine and many other flowers - hard to describe- but simply beautiful.
10/04/08 03:18:09
I liked it at first and then some notes came out that gave to the perfume an unpleasant bitter taste.. Pity.. cause I bought it!
09/23/08 04:55:55
I loved the history behinde it, I am not that much with rose perfumes,especially too much roses like this one,but I feel happy when I wear it(ego talk).My Mum said once:"Yasterday you was wearing a bad perfume" . It is classic in a way that even older generations finde it strange.
09/10/08 11:32:09
There is NOTHING like it on earth! When I was young - 35+ years ago, I saw it at Bendel's, and knew I had to possess it. It took me 3 paydays! I miss it; must try it again. It's so sensuous, but womanly; not girly!
07/26/08 13:30:40
Today, I got a sample of it and it smelled EXACTLY like I imagined it after reading some descriptions about it. (Roses, jasmine, aldehydes). Some might call this kind of perfume classic, but it's just the kind of perfume I hate. Maybe, it smells different on different people...Anyway, I feel too young for wearing it.
It reminds me of First Van Cleef & Arpels, Chanel No.5 and Coco.
It reminds me of First Van Cleef & Arpels, Chanel No.5 and Coco.
06/26/08 05:06:51
Somebody said "Joy is the Ferrari in the world of perfumes."
Yes, I agree with him and I am happy to be in the possession of a Ferrari. Ops, I mean a Joy. =)
Yes, I agree with him and I am happy to be in the possession of a Ferrari. Ops, I mean a Joy. =)
06/12/08 06:15:57
I would really like to test this famous perfume and discover what makes it the second most often bought one in the world, but unfortunately, I can't find it anywhere in Austria. There is no store that offers it so I could test it. And I don't want to pay 4o Euros or more for a fragrance that's possibly not my taste. But when I read takemyhusbandplz's description, I don't think that i would like it. (I hate aldehydes like in Chanel No.5)
03/25/08 12:42:53
I can smell the aldehydes in this and it does make my allergies go off the charts, too. But, I really love the fragrance. I have found that I do not wear the EDT well at all. But, when the parfum dries down on me, I like the fragrance. In fact, I LOOOOVE it! Now, to cope with the allergies :-).
What might be considered, too, is the age and the upkeep of the Joy in question. I bought some used EDT a while back and it did not do well on me. But, I just bought a brand spankin' new bottle of parfum and it seems to do a little better.
What might be considered, too, is the age and the upkeep of the Joy in question. I bought some used EDT a while back and it did not do well on me. But, I just bought a brand spankin' new bottle of parfum and it seems to do a little better.
02/06/08 09:18:33
On me Joy is aldehyde heavy and has a super synthetic smelling heavy jasmine note that is just awful. Also something in this makes my allergies go off the charts. Simply horrible smelling stuff in my opinion. For the record, I've tried this one many times and I wanted to like it. I envy those that this works on. It's definitely not for me.
01/22/08 19:38:48
I recently re-visited this fragrance, so I'll add to my earlier comment. There are some very heavy animalic notes. Far too much civet for me to actually wear in public! I mainly own this one for its historical-reference value. Probably works best with more "mature" body chemistry. However, it certainly does smell expensive (reminds me of the rich ladies at church), although is probably no longer "the costliest parfum in the world" as Jean Patou originally marketed it to be.
01/22/08 10:58:27
Classic, warm, elegant, refined. Very ladylike. The frangrance equivalent of gold jewelry.
10/05/07 17:09:01
i think i would love to have this fragrance in my collection. i hope someone could give some comments on it. :)
anyways, i think it might be my next catch.
anyways, i think it might be my next catch.
09/22/07 10:23:21
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