Contraste by Houbigant c1932

Contraste, launched by Houbigant in 1932, stands out as a fragrance shaped not only by its composition but by the evocative meaning of its name. “Contraste” is a French word, pronounced kohn-TRAHST, and in English, it translates directly to “contrast.” The choice of this name was a deliberate one—bold, sophisticated, and rich with symbolic nuance. It suggests duality, tension, and harmony between opposing forces. In the context of perfume, the name hints at a composition that plays with light and shadow, warmth and spice, softness and strength—an olfactory expression of complexity and depth. The emotional and visual imagery evoked by the word Contraste might include the interplay of silk and leather, gold against onyx, or moonlight falling across dark wood. It suggests a fragrance that is mysterious, daring, and confident.

The year 1932 falls within what is known as the Interwar Period—a time marked by both modernist experimentation and cultural upheaval. Though the global economy was still reeling from the aftermath of the 1929 stock market crash, France, particularly Paris, retained its status as a capital of art, fashion, and fragrance. This was the golden age of Art Deco, where geometry, luxury, and exoticism defined design. Fashion embraced longer hemlines after the flapper era, with silhouettes softening, yet still structured. Women were increasingly independent—many working, driving, and traveling—and their fragrances began to reflect this shifting identity.

To a woman in 1932, a perfume called Contraste would have felt contemporary and provocative. It likely appealed to a woman who was aware of her dual roles in society: both traditional and modern, domestic and worldly. She may have recognized herself in the very idea of contrast—elegant yet assertive, romantic yet rational. A name like Contraste offered both the promise of sensual mystery and a reflection of her own layered personality.

As for the scent itself, Contraste was described as a spicy leathery fragrance for women—an unusual and assertive choice in an era when florals and aldehydic perfumes still dominated. If, as believed, it was created by Robert Bienaimé, the master perfumer behind Quelques Fleurs, then it marked a departure from delicate bouquets toward something more assertive and enigmatic. Classified as “sensual,” Contraste fit with the growing trend of more complex and daring feminine perfumes, yet it still stood apart from mainstream offerings with its darker, bolder, and more textured profile.

In the larger context of 1930s perfumery, Contraste was part of a subtle shift. While floral aldehydes like Chanel No. 5 (1921) continued to shape olfactory tastes, perfumes with leather, spice, and animalic warmth—such as Tabac Blond by Caron (1919) and Scandal by Lanvin (1933)—were carving out space for more daring expressions of femininity. Contraste aligned with this movement while preserving Houbigant’s reputation for refinement. It spoke to a new type of woman: layered, self-assured, and unapologetically sensual.

La vie parisienne sous l'occupation, 1940-1944, 1971:

"...while Houbigant creates five new cocktails of precious essences: heady with Présence, honeyed with Transparence, sensual with Contraste, intense with Demi-jour, and springlike with Floraison." 

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? Contraste by Houbigant is classified as a spicy leathery fragrance for women. Described as "sensual."

• Top notes: aldehydes, Calabrian bergamot, Zanzibar clove, Russian coriander
• Middle notes: Bulgarian rose otto, Grasse jasmine absolute, Manila ylang ylang, Indian carnation, eugenol, Ceylon cinnamon, cinnamic alcohol
• Base notes: birch tar, Canadian castoreum, Spanish labdanum, Mexican vanilla, vanillin, Venezuelan tonka bean, coumarin, Tibetan musk, Malaysian patchouli

Scent Profile:

To inhale Contraste by Houbigant is to step into an exquisite chiaroscuro—light and dark, fire and velvet—composed with the masterful touch of a perfumer who understands the sensual thrill of opposites. Classified as a spicy leathery fragrance and described as sensual, this 1932 creation unfolds with dazzling complexity, each note carefully chosen for origin, nuance, and interplay between nature and artistry. Let us imagine experiencing each element firsthand, unfolding like a fragrant journey from morning brightness to midnight embers.

At first breath, the perfume opens in a burst of top notes that feel both crisp and enigmatic. Aldehydes lead the way—sparkling, slightly metallic, and clean, they lend the composition an airy effervescence, like sunlight catching silk. These synthetic molecules were revolutionary in perfumery, mimicking the radiance of fresh linen or chilled air. Their abstract brightness amplifies the natural brilliance of Calabrian bergamot, which follows—green-gold, tart, and fruity, grown on Italy’s southern coast where sun, soil, and sea winds give this citrus oil an exceptional aromatic clarity and complexity, far finer than bergamot grown elsewhere.

Warming quickly, the spice begins to rise. Zanzibar clove enters with its fiery, almost medicinal richness—an oil distilled from the dried flower buds grown off the coast of East Africa, famed for its unparalleled intensity and warmth. Paired with Russian coriander, which carries a dry, lemony, peppery lift—far more aromatic and bracing than the sweeter Moroccan or Indian varieties—the opening becomes tinged with intrigue. The spices pull and stretch the aldehydes into deeper territory, laying the groundwork for what’s to come.

In the heart, the sensual theme fully blooms. Bulgarian rose otto, steam-distilled from the famed Rosa damascena petals of the Kazanlak Valley, opens lush and velvety. It is greener and more peppery than Turkish rose, lending freshness and nobility. In contrast, Grasse jasmine absolute, hand-harvested in the legendary fields of southern France, offers an opulent, indolic richness—animalic, sweet, and sensual, with whispers of skin and honey. These two regal florals entwine with Manila ylang ylang, whose creamy, banana-like sweetness is tempered by its narcotic, slightly leathery undertone—harvested from the Philippines, where the tropical humidity deepens its floral sultriness.

Indian carnation, rich in eugenol, is where spice and floral collide—it’s clove-like, dusty, and deeply warm, contributing a textured heat that complements the clove and coriander above. Ceylon cinnamon, sweet and woody, from Sri Lanka’s prized inner bark, deepens this warmth, lending a resinous opulence that dances with the delicate floral bouquet. The presence of cinnamic alcohol, a natural compound also found in balsams, adds a faintly almond-like sweetness and an oily, woody density that bridges heart and base, wrapping the center in a golden glow.

The base notes settle with immense authority and sensuality. Birch tar, dark and smoky, conjures the scent of burnt woods and antique leather—long used in perfumery for its ability to create the archetypal “leather” accord. This is paired with Canadian castoreum, a potent animalic substance once derived from beaver glands, known for its deep, musky, and slightly medicinal scent. Its presence would have given Contraste a feral, skin-like depth, now ethically obsolete but once prized for its unrivaled fixative and sensual qualities.

Spanish labdanum, a sticky resin extracted from the rockrose bushes of southern Spain, lends a dark, balsamic amber character—smelling of warm hay, honey, and incense smoke. The sweetness begins to build with Mexican vanilla, its resinous, boozy quality deepened by the addition of vanillin, the synthetic molecule that highlights and sharpens vanilla’s creamy notes with clarity and consistency. This balance of natural and synthetic allows the sweetness to last without overpowering.

Venezuelan tonka bean, rich in coumarin, offers the scent of fresh-cut hay, almonds, and tobacco, linking spice with the fragrance’s final breath. Coumarin, though originally discovered in tonka, was among the first synthetic perfume ingredients and here enhances the tonka’s nutty-vanilla character with smoother longevity. Anchoring it all is Tibetan musk—likely a synthetic recreation of natural musk, which had been traditionally sourced from deer and used for centuries for its unrivaled fixative power and sensuality. It lends warmth and an aura of living skin. Finally, Malaysian patchouli, darker and earthier than its Indian counterpart, rounds out the composition with its dense, camphorous woodiness—deep, damp, and grounding.

Contraste lives up to its name in every sense. It juxtaposes light against dark, fire against velvet, floral romance against leathery daring. Its ingredients—sourced from all over the globe and harmonized through the artistry of both nature and chemistry—speak to an era of great transformation in perfumery. For the woman of 1932, Contraste was not simply a perfume, but a statement: bold, mysterious, and wholly modern.

Bottle:

The Contraste bottle by Houbigant was a striking presentation that echoed the bold name of the fragrance itself—juxtaposing smooth refinement with rugged, faceted textures. Crafted in colorless pressed glass, the flacon has an elegant oval, convex form, which gives it a full-bodied silhouette that fits beautifully in the hand while catching the light in subtle, prismatic ways. What sets this design apart is the projecting geometric pattern molded into the lower part of the bottle. These angular facets were meant to imitate chunks of ice or rock, giving the impression of nature sculpted by human hands—sharp, modern, and tactile. The rock-like texture flows upward and is echoed again in the matching frosted glass stopper, which completes the bottle with a sense of cohesion and sculptural artistry.

At the bottle’s neck sits a clear label printed with blue serigraphy, its placement just below the collar lending a sense of elegant restraint. The serigraphic print was clean and refined, providing just enough contrast to the rugged glass below, reinforcing the “contraste” of the fragrance’s very name. The bottle was made in two known sizes: one measuring 3 3/4 inches tall, the other 4.13 inches tall—both compact and refined, made to adorn a lady’s dressing table or nestle elegantly into a boudoir case.

These bottles were manufactured by Pochet et du Courval, a glassmaking house long associated with the finest names in French perfumery. The design is attributed to Pierre D’Avesn—born Pierre Girre—a French glass artist and designer who had previously worked under René Lalique, one of the most influential figures in Art Nouveau and Art Deco decorative glass. It is precisely D’Avesn’s background with Lalique that has led to some confusion, with these bottles sometimes mistakenly attributed to Lalique himself. However, to be clear: the Contraste bottles were not manufactured by Lalique, nor are they part of the official Lalique catalog.

The outer presentation was no less refined. Each bottle was housed in a box wrapped in black faux morocco leather paper, a textured finish meant to resemble fine leather, lending an aura of quiet luxury and tactile richness. Inside, the box was lined with buttery yellow faux morocco leather paper, a warm and unexpected contrast to the cool black exterior. This interior hue echoed the rich sensuality of the fragrance within and added a luminous, golden backdrop to the icy, geometric bottle—a final flourish in a design that was both visually striking and emotionally resonant. Together, the bottle and box presented a perfect harmony of contrasts: light and dark, rough and smooth, modern and classic.

Fate of the Fragrance:

Contraste by Houbigant, though long discontinued, remained available well into the 1940s. While its precise discontinuation date is unknown, evidence confirms that the fragrance was still being sold in 1944, making it one of the enduring Houbigant compositions to survive both the interwar period and the hardships of World War II. This is particularly significant, as many perfumes from the early 20th century disappeared during the war years due to raw material shortages, packaging limitations, and the upheaval of international markets.

That Contraste continued to be offered during such a tumultuous time speaks to its lasting popularity and perhaps to the strength of its formula—a fragrance memorable enough to warrant continued production during a period of extreme austerity. By the mid-1940s, however, as postwar economies began to shift and new trends in perfumery emerged, Contraste gradually faded from Houbigant’s active catalog. Its absence from later advertisements and price lists suggests a quiet retirement, likely sometime in the late 1940s or early 1950s.

Though no formal announcement marked its discontinuation, Contraste lives on through the rare surviving bottles and the evocative memories it carries—a sensual and sculpted expression of early 20th-century French perfumery at its most textured and daring.