Ciro Maskee

The revival of old perfume houses, which are a hundred years old or so, is one of the most noticeable trends of recent times. Remember the project of Tom Fontaine Heritage Collection Patou, Le Galion, the second wind of Houbigant, and last year three more launches were added to them: Jaques Fath, J.Lesquendieu and Ciro.

They are all very different. If Iris Gris Jaques Fath or Patou compositions were painstakingly restored from miraculously preserved records and samples, then for long-extinct brands like Ciro everything had to be created from scratch. Maybe it's for the best. It's good to preserve the heritage when it exists and someone remembers it. When there is nothing to preserve, you have to write a new history.

Not much is known about the Ciro brand. It appeared in the early 20s. The perfumes were not expensive and super popular, but they sold well. During the war, the brand moved to the USA and won back its piece of the market, and in peacetime they returned to France, but by the mid-60s it had faded away.

It is easy to find bottles and miniatures of Ciro from the post-war period on eBay, bottles from the 20s are a little more difficult and significantly more expensive, but they all look so bad that the chances of finding real perfume in them tend to zero. Several times I came across old miniatures with the most popular Ciro fragrances Danger and Sourrender, and it was always a complete disappointment, so with all my love for vintage, I will not spend money on them anymore. The revived project is a completely different matter.

After the first blotters at the Esxence exhibition in Milan, it became clear that Ciro's vintage look is a thing of the past. The compositions and materials are quite modern and for the most part are not inspired by old perfumes. I quickly flipped through the light florals L’Heure Romantique and Floveris, the watercolor neo-chypre Le Chypre du Nil with patchouli instead of moss and the somewhat cloying Chevalier de la Nuit, lingered a little on the spicy gingerbread with the ancient Egyptian name Ptah and fell head over heels in love with Maskee.

Maskee Ciro is Brother March from the fairy tale "The Twelve Months". A smiling handsome man with a whole basket of snowdrops, and also the warmth of the timid spring sun and the distant blue of the sky. In the heart of Maskee is the golden pollen of mimosa and daffodils, the watery bitterness of stunted March tulips, honeyed intoxicating heliotrope and a whole bush of morning jasmine with sweetish fruity aspects of its infinitely complex aroma.

Classic patterns, a classic theme - a boutonniere with heliotrope, absolutely vintage density of the composition and a big good quote from the great perfume of Ernest Daltroff Farnesiana Caron, but at the same time not the slightest hint of grandma's dusty chests! One of the best vintage stylizations of all that I know. Almost perfect.

Be sure to try Maskee Ciro if you are interested in the classics, but do not risk hunting at auctions. And just for the sake of spring mood!

Maskee Ciro 2018

Ylang, rose, iris, jasmine, tonka beans, heliotrope, honey, vanilla, cedar, white musk.

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