Norell (fragrance)
1968 perfume by Norman Norell and Revlon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Norell is a green floral[1] fragrance that was released in 1968 by Norman Norell. It was a first American designer perfume: an early commercial success of a designer fragrance sold in department stores under the name of a fashion designer.
| Norell | |
|---|---|
| Fragrance by Norman Norell and Revlon | |
| Category | Green Floral |
| Designed for | Women |
| Top notes | Primarily green hyacinth accord and galbanum |
| Heart notes | Primarily the carnation/clove scent of eugenol |
| Base notes | Primarily musk and sandalwood |
| Released | 1968 |
| Label | Norman Norell |
| Perfumer(s) | Joséphine Catapano |
| Tagline | "Each Time is the First Time With Norell" |
| Flanker(s) | Norell II (1979) |
| Successor | Norell New York (2015) |
| Awards | 1973 FiFi Award for Best Promotion |
Norman Norell was friends with Revlon founder Charles Revson, and the Norell perfume was a joint venture of the two companies.[2] Its success encouraged Revlon to add a fragrance division to their company, beginning with Charlie (1973),[3] and led to other American fashion labels (such as Ralph Lauren, Halston, and Anne Klein) to release their own fragrances.[4][5]
Joint venture between Revlon and Norell
International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) developed this fragrance for Revlon. Charles Revson chose Norman Norell for the joint venture; he and his wife Lyn Fisher Sheresky Revson admired the designer's creations.[6][7]
Norell was launched with a tremendous party at Bonwit Teller after hours. Over 350 guests arrived for the fashion show, buffet, and supper dance that spilled across multiple floors in the store.[8] The fragrance was like the clothes in at least two aspects: it sported a plain label with just the designer's name in all-capital letters, and it was expensive, at $50 per ounce (equivalent to $480 in 2026).[9]
It grossed $1 million in sales in the first year (equivalent to $9.6 million in 2026).[10]
Fragrance
Joséphine Catapano at International Flavors & Fragrances created this fragrance[2] and said that this was her favorite of the scents she created.[11]
In 1966, she created the spicy green floral fragrance Fidji, which had a structure inspired by Nina Ricci L'Air du Temps (1948).[12] Fidji in turn inspired many later perfumes, including Norell. Both fragrances share a green accord based on cis-3-hexenyl salicylate, and for Norell she added Lyral, which was then a new IFF material with a scent resembling lilac and lily of the valley.[2][13] Like L'Air du Temps, the fragrance also uses benzyl salicylate for a diffusing effect of the floral bouquet.[14]
The fragrance has fresh, green top notes; spicy, floral middle notes; and mossy, woody base notes with an ambery drydown:[2][11][1]
- Top notes
- Primarily green hyacinth accord and galbanum; also aldehydes, bergamot, cardamom, coriander, lemon, mandarin, and narcissus
- Middle notes
- Primarily the carnation/clove scent of eugenol;[15] also cinnamon, iris, jasmine, rose, and ylang-ylang
- Base notes
- Primarily musk and sandalwood; also amber, cedarwood, moss, vetiver, and ylang-ylang
Other fragrances with strong green and hyacinth notes soon followed, including: Azzaro Azzaro (1975), Elizabeth Arden Cabriole (1977), Léonard Tamango (1977), Nicky Verfaillie Grain de Sable (1977), Charles Jourdan Vôtre (1978), Krizia K de Krizia (1981), Giorgio Armani Armani (1982), Nina Ricci Fleur de Fleurs (1982), and Chanel Cristalle (1993).[16]
Fragrance line extensions
- Norell II (1979): A green, woody chypre[17]
- Norell New York (2015): An update to the original fragrance, which kept the galbanum note but added fruity top notes, different floral middle notes, and a new orris butter base note[18]
- Norell Elixir (2016): Floral, woody flanker to the 2015 reformulation[19]
- Norell Blushing (2017): Damask rose flanker to the 2015 reformulation[19]
Ownership timeline
- 1968: Launched by Norman Norell and marketed by Revlon.[2]
- 1971: Norell sold their share of the rights to Revlon for about $1.25 million (equivalent to $10.3 million in 2026).[11]
- 1989: Norell was moved to Revlon's Prestige Fragrances division, an umbrella for their luxury and designer fragrances.[20]
- 1995: Norell Fragrance Group, a private investor group led by Dennis Schnur, bought the Norell rights from Revlon.[21]
- 1997: Five Star Fragrance bought the rights from Norell Fragrance Group and reintroduced the fragrance at Neiman Marcus counters with the "Undeniably Glamorous" ad campaign with Faye Dunaway.[11][22]
- 2015: Parlux Fragrances acquired the Norell fragrances. Perfumer Celine Barel at International Flavors & Fragrances updated the fragrance, which was launched as Norell New York (2015).[23] They would later add flankers: Norell Elixir (2016) and Norell Blushing (2017).