Shalimar (perfume)

Shalimar
Fragrance by Jacques Guerlain
Type	Oriental fragrance: Floral and Amber-woody scent.
Released	1925
Label	Guerlain
Website	www.guerlain.com

Shalimar is a women's fragrance originally created by Jacques Guerlain in 1921, as a classic soft amber (Oriental) parfum, and currently produced by Guerlain.

Popular for 90 years, Shalimar was created in 1921, and re-released in 1925, by Jacques Guerlain in a bottle designed by Raymond Guerlain and made by Cristalleries de Baccarat (bottle design # 597) and launched at the Decorative Arts Exhibition as an antidote to The Great Depression.

According to Elisabeth Barille, "while examining a sample of vanillin, Jacques Guerlain suddenly poured the entire contents into a nearby bottle of Jicky, just to see what would happen." The result: Shalimar.

Jacques Guerlain was inspired by Mumtaz Mahal, the woman for whom the Taj Mahal was built. Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan's love for Mumtaz Mahal, his favourite wife, was so great that he built her the Garden of Shalimar in Lahore, Pakistan (and indeed, the Taj Mahal).

The meaning of the word Shalimar remains a mystery, but it is certainly of Arabic or Persian origin as asserted by Anna Suvorova in her book Lahore: Topophilia of Space and Place.

In 1985, it was repackaged and presented encased in a Lucite box to commemorate the 60th anniversary of its original launch.

In 2004, Guerlain issued Shalimar Light by perfumer Mathilde Laurent. However, Shalimar Light was taken off the market and replaced by Eau de Shalimar in 2008.

Shalimar itself is currently produced in Shalimar Extract, Eau de Parfum, Eau de Toilette, Eau de Cologne, and Fleur de Shalimar Edition.

Guerlain also markets Shalimar Parfum Initial, which has a different formula, color and fragrance than Shalimar.

Shalimar is preserved in its original 1925 formulation in the archives of the Osmothèque, donated by Jean-Paul Guerlain.

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Wikipedia