Exploring the Best Retro Perfumes

What does retro perfume have to do with the architecture of the brain?

Harvard neuroscientist Venkatesh Murthy explains that the structure of the brain links scents directly with emotional responses. Strong emotional responses are the building blocks of memory. That’s why a whiff of the best retro perfume evokes people, places, and moments long past.

Are you interested in fragrance history or triggering warm memories? Exploring retro perfumes is a great place to start. In this blog, we’ll take a look at some of the most powerful fragrances from decades past, including the 60s and 70s.

Continue reading to discover the scents that had folks swooning last century!

What Is the Most Iconic Perfume of All Time?

The most iconic retro chic perfume might have to be CHANEL NOº5, Coco Chanel’s very first fragrance. This retro fragrance hit store shelves way back in 1921.

The element that made this fragrance so popular was its simple retro perfume bottle. During the Roaring 20s, women typically purchased extremely elaborate perfume bottles. In contrast, Chanel wanted hers to be “invisible” so that the scent could speak for itself.

While this perfume is retro, you can still buy it commercially today. That speaks to the staying power of this feminine, heady scent. People describe it as a clean laundry scent with floral and citrus notes. It has undertones of bergamot and sandalwood.

What Perfumes Were Popular in the 1960s?

One of our favorite perfumes from the mid-60s is Emilio Pucci Vivara Parfum. We’d describe this scent as “beachy,” with warm and spicy notes. In fact, the original advertising campaign used the logline “It Is Always Summer” to advertise the fragrance.

It’s much less feminine than Chanel, with an appealingly androgynous allure. Like many vintage and retro perfumes, this one tends to deepen and transform over time. If you purchase a vintage bottle of Vivara today, you can expect a saltiness to come through. It’s the perfect summer scent.

Most fragrance fans agree that the rerelease is a poor imitation of the original. In our minds, retro scents always reign supreme!

What Perfumes Were Popular in the 1970s?

There is no scent more iconic and specific to a decade than the Aqua Manda of the 1970s. Believe it or not, this iconic citrus scent first appeared in stores as early as 1947!

The strongest notes in this perfume are orange and ginger, with undertones of patchouli, lavender, and cinnamon. The addition of herbal notes keeps it from smelling too powerful of citrus. It is spicy and musky.

Alas, fragrances that contain citrus do not often hold up well over time. Those scents tend to evaporate, leaving you with a lackluster perfume. Fans demanded the relaunch of this iconic scent, however. It has been available commercially since 2013.

If you’re interested in experimenting with citrus fragrances, start with the sunny citrus beginner sampler.

Discover Retro Perfumes for Sale

One whiff of retro perfume is enough to send you back in time. Explore our retro fragrances and discover the power of vintage scents.