Flamme
Bourjois (1935)

History is full of artists who, having a good idea, work it into a Grand Theme: the dark self portraits of Rembrandt, the flowing counterpoint of Bach, the screen prints of Andy Warhol.

Ernest Beaux falls into this category, his No5 was one of a series that included No22, there was a leathery variant Cuir de Russie, and Flamme which is a cut price version for the budget label Bourjois - which is owned by the same people as Parfums Chanel.

It opens with a woody-orange, green bergamot and aldehydes, with hyacinth, and what may be a touch of violet leaf. Underneath this unusual head is a No5 heart of rose, jasmine, iris and ylang-ylang, with a woody base of vetiver, sandal, amber, tonka and moss.

As it unfolds, it becomes more like No5 but they are never identical. Flamme is not as lush as No5, and has a pixelated feel that suggests the formula is less comprehensive, and cheaper than the Chanel.

Constantin Weriguine is thought to be the perfumer - but that means little. He was Beaux' assistant, and may not even have been with the company when Flamme was released; Wikipedia says he joined Bourjois in 1938, and Flamme dates from 1932 or 1935 depending on which website you look at.

So, it's fair to say, Flamme was composed by Ernest Beaux.

He may have been going through the motions, but it’s still a fine perfume.