Description
JOY was created with a lot of care, just like the most expensive Haute-Cotture dress, and thus it was extraordinary and timeless. It was presented by Jean Patou as ‘the world’s most expensive perfume’ right at the time of The Great Depression in 1929, when the market of luxury fashion crushed and Jean Patou‘s house could survive only through the perfumes.
JOY is created of rare flowers in unique concentration of 10600 flowers of jasmine and 28 dozens of roses which adorn the exceptional heart of this perfume. With the time JOY attains enormous success and became the second best selling perfume of all times (the first best-selling is the legendary Chanel N°5).
Intense and luscious with alluring floral composition, JOY was created by Henri Alméras, who made its top notes irresistibly delightful. The composition starts with fragrant jilt tuberose, luscious rose, ylang-ylang blossom, aldehydes, sweet and mouthwatering pear, and green notes. The heart beats passionately in pure and sweetly fresh jasmine notes, seductive and balmy spicy and darkened iris root. The base whiffs with sensual musk, warm and milky-powdery sandalwood, with mild musky civet tones.
The bottle, of simple and straight lines with a golden thread around its neck, was designed by the architect Louis Süe in 30ml, 50ml and 100ml sizes for Eau de Parfume and 30ml and 50ml sizes for Eau de Toilette. Regardelss of its simplicity, the bottle leaves an impression of luxury and hints that its content is one of the best perfumes of the world. In 1932 Jean Patou designed a small black and red bottle in which this perfume is also presented.
Joy was launched in 1930. The nose behind this fragrance is Henri Almeras.
serggo25 – :
I’ve repeatedly given Joy a chance because it was my grandmother’s favorite fragrance. I wanted to like it, but I just don’t. Maybe it’s the heavy indole, probably from civet. I smell nothing else but a putrid and sometimes fecal odor. I can’t see how anyone would consider this a “fresh” scent– if anything, it’s the opposite in being sort of dirty and animalistic. It doesn’t even really smell like a traditional fragrance at all.
Addison_fromAF – :
Realistic white rose and jasmine. Many, many allusions to civet in the comments, which you should absolutely ignore if you’re concerned about it. The civet really just accords with the other notes to create a very realistic smelling white floral with some botanical dirtiness. Spray this on the back of your neck and stand outside in the wind. Absolutely a masterpiece.
alexeyromeo – :
Vintage 1973 Joy extrait, black snuff bottle (cute as hell btw)
My jasmine benchmark!
Elegance is simplicity. Joy is elegance in a bottle. For all complexity of the formula, which arrived sealed and perfectly preserved, this is a stunning jasmine simply warmed by the real civet and musks inside. It’s not dirty, it’s not extravagant in a more contemporary way (think 70’s/80’s stunners); it’s simply beautiful.
Jasmine and I have a love/hate relationship. I adore the flower itself, the smell in the air, sucking the stem and savoring the nectar. I grew among jasmine trees and at night, especially summer, the scent was intoxicating. For me, not one perfume has captured that smell. Some have come close and some are real beauties. Joy here is a trip to my childhood and I finally smell the real thing. Jasmine flower bottled and preserved in a little bottle that serves as perfume history. Beauty from a time, not so long ago, when quality was the measure up and houses like Patou produced ART, even if the financial gains where next to nothing. Who would today, in their sanity, bottle a perfume so expensive to make, that there is zero profit from sales?
Aside from this little story, what predominates on my skin other than the jasmine, is a shy rose. Shy because my skin doesn’t bring it forward. The star is jasmine, while all the other notes simply enhance it. It feels and smells rich, rounded, warm, well put together. Nothing screams, nothing smells out of place. The sandalwood is creamy, real sandalwood, the oakmoss albeit not strong, is wonderful. And the civet, my beloved civet, has manners, simply providing the necessary warmth that Joy needs to shine. And the musk, beautiful sexy musk! I didn’t think it’d be this good, and I’m happy to report it holds up to its status. Times like these I wish I could time travel and buy perfume from when everyone thought it would be this good forever. Trust me, if you come along bottles that have the baudruchage seal intact, invest. Perfumes so well made that stand the test of time decades later, willing to unfold under a perfume lovers nose!
Obviously, the Joy made today it’s not the same. IFRA happened, laws about allergens came into play, many ingredients became banned or simply disappeared, naturals are very expensive, and tastes changed. But the edp I own from 2013, from Designer Parfums, is very near, very true to what Joy is all about, and given the circumstances exceedingly well made. Yes, it’s a bit more shrill, more commercially friendly, but it still smells like it, and I’m happy to see that, at least now, Patou is in good hands and that it’s perfumes haven’t followed the footsteps of other once glorious brands. My little snuff bottle will serve as my drug, when only the costliest perfume in the world will do!
nfyxbrb152151 – :
A generous perfumista fiend of mine gifted me a 30mil bottle of Joy EDP.thank you a million times dear Saman
It’s a bit different with a sample I used to have.it was also EDP(produced in 2013) but had more of a jammy,honey-like sweetness and more dominant ylang ylang and less civet.anyway I love them both
Joy opens with tones of civet.I usually hate animalic scents but here I love it’s warm,alive,skanky but sexy undertone.civet softens in 5-10 minutes and melts in a floral heaven of rose,jasmine and ylang ylang.
Flowers are super gorgeous;radiant,sweet,rich,sunny
Dry down is a heavenly combination of powdery rose-dominant floral-silky musk-a hint of milky sandalwood combo
It’s super feminine unlike some other classics which lean towards being unisex and while has refinement and glory of legendary vintages,Joy isn’t dated,old,or dusty and musty even a bit
Meeseaguema – :
What a bitter disappointment. I remember the smell of Joy from my childhood. My mother had a bottle purchased in the Bahamas on a family vacation when I was eight years old. I thought it was the most beautiful thing I had ever smelled. My untrained nose was only able to single out the smell of rose, but I just remember how lush it was, like a beautiful bouquet of roses. I recently purchased a 1 oz bottle of EDP and I am heartbroken. All I can smell are the aldehydes. There is a touch of rose and jasmine peeking through once it begins to settle, but it never gets s chance to fully develop on my skin because it completely disappears in less than an hour. Gone. I had a similar experience purchasing a small bottle of vintage Chanel No. 22 pure perfume years ago. I was overwhelmed by aldehydes! Having purchased it from Ebay, I reasoned that it might have turned. I knew the risk of purchasing through Ebay, and it was able to develop, though the effect was fleeting. I need to find a way to salvage this. I am not one for layering as I like to experience the creator’s vision on it’s own. Perhaps I can purchase a body cream to enhance it. But for now, my small bottle sits there, beautiful in it’s crystal glory, and I feel like a little piece of my childhood has gone for good!
papaden10677 – :
Thanks to the references to the name rip-off on the Dior Joy reviews, I decided to blind buy this. I love vintage perfumery, it is so comforting to me and reminds me of the big scent trails, trend-setting and glamourous days. This is one of those must-smells, even if it is not your thing. Even if civet and huge florals are a no-no. Just a tiny whiff of what was, a reference point at least, when you are learning about scent (or maybe want to try something new/old) and what scent does, the power it has. Even if you are afraid of strong scents (heck, I have gone the Angel, Alien and A*MEN route, The Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille, London, Oud Fleur, Clive Christian C for Men and even the Dior Sauvage and Davidoff Cool Water route and they are pretty much beasts and nose-searing to my my nose, I can tell you!).
This, to me, is what perfumery is about – nostalgia and glorious perfume notes. This is soapy (loads of ylang to my nose), loud, animalic and be careful how much you spray, because it is indolic and one big fat/phat floral. Think the vintage versions of YSL Paris, EA Red Door and Fidji. It makes me want to go back and smell perfumes I really disliked like Chanel no. 5 and YSL Rive Gauche. Maybe they will be reference points to me, if nothing else, instead of ugh, no…
paha236 – :
I first had a bottle of this back in the early 90s. It was my treasure. I wish I had used it more as it got stolen. I was heart broken.
I replaced it years later. It has always captured my heart. I’ve tried the other modern flankers but Joy still stands head and shoulders above them.
She is the perfection of jasmine and rose in a magical dance. Tuberose and ylang are present but relatively low key. They smoothly and gently swirl around each other care of the musk and sandalwood. I’m grateful that if doesn’t get animalic on me or that the ylang tries to have a diva moment.
It has great sillage and above average longevity. I hope I am never without it again. There will always be for me only one scent that deserves to be called Joy.
Anaeneini – :
The moment I smelled a fresh recreated vintage in Osmothèque I was bewitched. What a beauty. Words can’t describe the perfect harmony between jasmine and rose in it. I have since found a vintage extrait. Surely it has turned somewhat. The opening is sour. But half an hour later, all that jasmine and rose, the musky base… What a joy.
(Shame on Dior/LVMH. It disgusts me that LVMH bought Jean Patou just to use the name Joy for another anaemic perfume from Dior. Isn’t it enough that Dior ruins its own classics (Eau Sauvage)? Must they ruin classics from other brands as well? What a bastard move that is. I refuse to recognise the existence of another Joy. For me there’s only one Joy, and it’s from Patou.)
Meaid242InsuffBooni – :
My aunt, born and lived all her life in Hollywood, loved Joy. Going completely on memory, I first smelled it as a kid and it was a complete breeze of tuberose and jasmine. But very, very balanced. Loved it! I recently tried a reformulated version and it was just all chemicals to my nose. I apologize, but it just wasn’t the same. Considering Jean Patou fragrances is now owned by Procter & Gamble, I’m not surprised.
microlabs – :
I get a lot of flowers but mostly carnation. I do smell some civet and Jasmine but I’m not a flower expert. I like it though.
rubka – :
This is one of those perfumes that go from the best thing ever to the worst in like five minutes.
ntr252speagoessenda – :
Wow!!! This stuff should come with a warning label, “DO NOT SPRAY IN AN ENCLOSED AREA”. This is an initially strong scent. Thank goodness it does quiet itself down after awhile and becomes a lovely soft and smooth fragrance. I think it can be worn for most all occasions, that is after it calms down. I like it.
smokimo – :
Jasmine. Jasmine. Jasmine. Jasmine. Joy is a linear fragrance for me, I didn’t smell rose but maybe a hint of ylang-ylang. I had to put a heavy dose of it before I could actually let the scent stay on me. Sillage is weak to moderate. Longevity on skin is less than an hour, on clothes it stayed for four. A bit disappointed given that it’s expensive, I expected it to stay on me for a long time like other pricier ones, but I get the award-winning part decades ago. JOY EDP.
prazdnova.i – :
Not as sweet as your average sweet perfume, but the jasmine notes would punch you in the nose and will linger forever. To me, it is all jasmine, which could go either way. Personally, I wouldn’t purchase it for me, but for my mom or grandma.
SmoossyBymn – :
Ylang Ylang is the most dominant flower in Joy and I could hardly smell jasmine or rose afterward. I did wait for over 30 minutes for something else to open up. The very sharp Ylang Ylang did die down a little bit and I could smell a soft scent of tuberose and wood.
In general Joy definitely has the typical smell from “vintage taste”/classic perfumes that were made before my time. If you really enjoy something like Givenchy Amarige, you may appreciate this one more than I do.
Tricybibe – :
Out of the BIG 3 – No. 5, Shalimar and Joy – Joy is in my view the most elegant, even if Shalimar is “the one to rule them all”. Without being the least outdated. It is an explosion of sparkling ylang-ylang and luminous jasmine and rose. in grand perfumery style where none of the floral notes are plain straight forward reproductions of the flowers, like we can see them in modern niche these days. All the notes are here recreated into a huge bouquet where all is mixed into sheer elegance and huge opulence. And not the slightest disturbing note that old time fragrances keep adding up from molecules that smell either acrylic or too metallic as expensive absolutes are replaced by cheaper ones. It took me time to like this fragrance because it is such a huge floral and I love orientals above all, but I grew to like and ultimately love these big out of this world opulent florals. It shouts the old elegant times but if you don’t know its history, it does not at any time feel “old”. One minus however: I don’t know if it is my bottle of EDP (although it came in perfect packaging from the post 2012 period) or something else but it has an impressive lack of longevity and sillage. The scent is perfect but despite several sprays, it is hardly there. I can only imagine what a superb fragrance this was when it has the old times concentrations.
uggs outlets4 – :
Jasmine and roses. I love to think of the beautiful women both past and present who have worn and loved Joy. And it’s fun to think of the men who have lost self-control in the presence of a woman wearing this. It’s gorgeous. Purely feminine, it brings to mind a woman who allows her man to believe that he is the dominant one and in control, but deep down and without ever mentioning it, she knows she is.
mqu685elipseskism – :
It’s one of my most expensive perfume so I seldom wear it, And to be honest, because I seldom wear it, I have forgotten I have got it. Today, somehow, I felt like luxury,
Joy is class.
It’s transparent jasmine, real jasmine, not quite the one like Alien or in Loulou, sweet and thick, but the jasmine here is transparent, like the night air where I grew up, in Borneo, and at night, jasmine blooms, the air is scented with this ethereal jasmine…..
It’s precious……
On me, even with 1 spray of the EDT, it lasts a good 4 hours, low sillage though….now and then, I catch this whiff of jasmine……
9118083801 – :
Based on Parfum Vintage Version
An extremely opulent and carnal interpretation on one specific subcategory of chypre, namely Mitsouko along with a strand of variants, e.g. Miss Dior Vintage, Nina Ricci Temps Vintage, YSL Y and Rive Gauche, Rochas Madame Vintage, Hermes Parfum d’Hermes and Caleche, and even Amouage Ubar. Maybe it’s clearer to express in a tree form like:
@ sub: Guerlain Mitsouko
@# sub-sub-1
@- Jean Patou Joy vtg
@— Rochas Madame
@—– Hermes Caleche
@——- Hermes Parfum d’Hermes
@—– Amouage Ubar
@——-~ Dior New Look 1947 *
@— YSL Rive Gauche
@— Guerlain Nahema
@# sub-sub-2
@- Miss Dior vtg
@— Nina Ricci L’Eau du Temps
@—– Guy Laroche Fidji
@——-~ Prada Iris and d’Homme *
@# sub-sub-3
@- YSL Y
@— Chanel No 19, more suitable for vtg
@— YSL Rive Gauche (again)
@—– Hermes Parfum d’Hermes (again)
@—– Chanel 31 Rue Cambon (part of)
@——- Mona di Orio Rose Etoile de Hollande
@——- Diptyque Tempo (drydown only)
* represents not a chypre, but there exists a strong link for sure
tetlanka – :
I majorly lucked out and found a little splash parfum of Joy at an antique store a few days ago…It looks just like the photo, with the little gold thread wrapped around the neck. Sniffing from the stopper it did smell a little alcohol-y and I was worried it turned, but the bottle was so cheap I decided to take it home and test it out anyway.
A dab on my wrist, and oh my god… I *get* Joy now. I have a sample of Joy (current formulation) that I’ve tried here and there but it always smells like pee on my skin.. which is weird because I know there isn’t real civet in anything nowadays. Perhaps fake civet is more pee-smelling than real civet? Either way, that really put me off of Joy, and I just couldn’t understand the rave reviews.
But now.. I get it. the vintage is all photorealistic rose and jasmine. This little parfum just BLOOMED on my skin. I was utterly amazed. The civet-cat-pee note is gone, or at least muted to a point where it merely adds an animalic, warm base to allow the floral notes to really shine.
What a treasure, I am so happy to have found this little bottle and to have finally fallen for Joy!
GANGSTA – :
Joy Edp Current formulation.
Its heavy on the rose. Its joy, a little lighter and less voluptuous than the vintage but thats what brings it modern. Its not obliterated by regulation and all the patou edps -joy, sublime and 1000 are still strides ahead whats out in the marketplace. If you found vintage Joy just too much.. Try the current edp or edt.
girl2009 – :
I have got a bottle of 70s vintage pure parfum. After spicy top note like clove/carnation, I was attacked by big jasmine bomb.
Wow…this is the thickest, heaviest & deepest jasmine I have ever tried. It reminds me fish eggs. I do love indolic jasmine, yet it made me sick. Too much for me.
If I get a second chance, I’ll try current version.
pindus – :
100% femininity in a bottle!
It reminds me of a hot August afternoon when roses, phloxes and other garden flowers are in full bloom.
The name of the perfume suits perfectly, however, to me it smells more like an atmosphere of a celebration with roses in a crystal vase, a white tablecloth etc.
To those who complain of the “cat note” – do wait for a little while before judging this great classic. It dissipates very quickly. Great classics are classics for a reason…
Cedostomv – :
There is a milk note in Joy, due to lactones.
silegooro – :
This is aptly named with a fitting advertisement and bright yellow/gold bottle. It has bass certain joie de vivre, as does whomever is sporting it, and is also sexy in a young-at-heart and playful sort of way. I find it quite timeless and before it’s time, it still smells perfectly modern, yet classic-hard to explain. I don’t really get any indoles and the civet goes into hiding after five minutes, I’m left with a simple yet high quality powdery jasmine-rose with hints of ylang. Straightforward, but complex due to the sheer quality of the florals, it smells like hundreds of different natural rose ans jasmine essences were used in Joy, so although it is really based on two flowers, it is so much more than that. Joy reminds me of Diorissimo, and although that one features LOTV, they are both happy sunny florals. I will always appreciate Joy as a shining example of pure luxury and quality in perfumery. I’m not sure if I will buy a full bottle as it is not really my style, but I might simply because it is such a bright and happy scent and I really do enjoy it, much like Diorissimo. It’s almost therapeutic, I don’t think I can possibly feel sad while wearing Joy-like I said, appropriately named 🙂
Tymik – :
I always try to stay away from anything with civet in it and I’m not into classics.well,there are some classics which I own and like a lot but I never really wear them.I just crave them every couple of months and enjoy a single spray on back of my hand when I’m at home.so I decided to never buy a classic unless I find it really wearable or if I find it in mini version.still I was dying to test some classics such as channel No.5 and joy.in my country shalimar is the most well-known classic but I hate that one and I was ready to try anothers.
I ordered a bunch of samples and joy and sublime were among them.my sample of joy is produced in 2013 and it’s edp version.
I dabbed tiniest amount of it on my hand and I was hooked!it smells literally like heaven!
I’m a gourmand lover and I collect and love celebrity perfumes but even my modern nose can see and appreciate beauty and joy is so beautiful.
I can’t detect aldehydes or anything animalic here.on my skin it’s all about a rich floral heaven in a golden sweet base,something like honey and champagne.among it’s floral notes rose is the most prominent one to my nose.it’s not an overly powdered,dusty rose.it’s a sweet,bright and jammy rose.I can also smell ylang ylang but not much white florals,except something like magnolia
When I was a child I didn’t like to eat breakfast.my mom made breakfast using different homemade jams and marmalades to make breakfast irresistible for me(I always had and still have a sweet tooth).I remember my childhood breakfasts with rose petal jam,citron jam,quince marmalade,honeyed Jasmine tea and my mom’s sweet voice singing an old song while rubbing marmalades on bread.Jean patou Joy is an extract of good old days for me,it doesn’t smell old.it smells delightful.
I know it’s a floral scent but I can really smell citron jam and rose petal jam in it(home made jams not sticky sugarbombs of nowadays) and it manages to stay fresh while being warm and sweet.
Joy doesn’t change much on my skin.it’s brighter and more fresh when first sprayed and gradually gets warmer and musky.it has a lovely musk.warm and silky
Joy was an unexpected love for me.It’s gorgeous,very well-made and super feminine.It’s easily wearable in modern days in case you like rich floral scents wrapped by a warm,voluptuous musk.I really need a bottle of joy in my life.
Can’t comment on longevity and sillage yet.I dabbed less than a drop and it lasted for hours so I believe a full wear will show great longevity
Djakaray – :
My grandma gave me a bottle of Joy… literally! Every time I want to smell rose and jasmine I just spritz this perfume on my pulse points. Dreamy. As a student in my early twenties, I don´t feel like wearing it in a daily basis and definitely not when going out with my friends. For me it´s like wearing a historical diamond necklace 🙂
lgochhpzwwi – :
Joy by Jean Patou reinforces my belief that perfume can, indeed, be magical. I have this in EDT and EDP. I have both the made in France and UK versions. I was never partial to florals. Over time I’ve grown to love roses and rose perfume, even rose essential oils.
Joy has rose at its heart for me. It has moist, dimensional, shimmering cold rose petals surrounded by a bouquet of fresh flowers. I feel “enveloped” when I wear it. It’s so elegant, so well done.
I think it’s a must try for any perfume enthusiast. Eau de Joy is very similar. But there’s really nothing like this in the world.
Amogiania – :
Love love love the rose after it finally surfaced. I hated the first 15 minutes because it was so overwhelming and in your face (mind you I have EDT and it was only one light spray) but it was worth the suffering for the birth of the glorious rose scent…
kveniam – :
Jasmines Ylang BLAST.
When it first hit, it hits with jasmines, musk, and ylang in a slight medicinal frame for a little while then it mingles with some sandalwood, and roses but the dominant is jasmines.
It is kind of animalic with that jasmines cause i remember when i applied it my mum said it’s good but blended with sweat, and when i mentioned jasmines she replied “oh yes, that’s it, that what i smelled the most”.
This is an atomic jasmines blend with musk, roses and ylang.
likharevyuriy – :
Hopefully this helps those who bought older bottles that don’t smell right. I have a large tester of Joy, purchased around 2000. I was devastated when it turned about 5 years ago. It smelled horrible. Rancid. Not even good for a room spray, as you wouldn’t want a room to smell like that. I kept it in my cupboard as I’m way to stingy to throw out 90ml of Joy, no matter what it smells like! I recently read somewhere that giving an old bottle a good squirt out can help. That sounded reasonable, so I squirted. And squirted. And squirted. And it still smelled awful. But… eventually, and I’m talking about 40-50 squirts here, way more than I thought it would take to clear the tubing, it now smells perfect! Definitely worth a try.
– OR –
As I later found out when the same thing happened again, if a few squirts hasn’t cleaned it out yet, taking the nozzle off and squirting through thoroughly with cleaning alcohol of some kind also seems to work. Which obviously beats using your precious perfume as a cleaning fluid. How much Joy did I squirt down the sink before figuring that out? Duh. Makes me want to cry a little.
112233 – :
For the longest time I’d only ever smelled Joy in the bottle, and was never tempted to spray it on myself based on that. But what a ‘joy’ I missed out on! After reading Fragrantica reviews, I bought a used, vintage bottle – I still wasn’t impressed smelling it from the bottle and I put it away for a few weeks…until tonight. On the spur of the moment I finally sprayed some on. Ten minutes later I was enveloped in a truly gorgeous fragrance. I can’t stop sticking my nose into my skin, although I hardly need to as there is a wonderful cloud of this around me.
murascheow10 – :
I wanted to try this classic and recently ordered a bottle. The initial blast was a bitter, five and dime store alcohol scent that did not evolve at all. If I hadn’t ordered it from a reputable store, I would have sworn that it was a knock off. I could not believe thst this was the long-hailed classic that had earned such raves. Ugh. No thanks.
RUS_45 – :
Got a vintage bottle from the eighties. Dried down to nothing on my skin in a half an hour. Very mild sillage. Very mild scent. Smell a bit of dirty sweaty skin (not mine!), but not much else. Smells floral on first application, but only lasts a few minutes. The little black bottle that I have is the same. Not sure what all the hype is about for such a small smell with no sillage. I guess I will see how it lasts on paper or cotton.
videochatx – :
I have the vintage in the crytal bottle shown. It goes on totally soapy and lovely then dries down to a serious rich animalic musk.
slyubaev – :
This was Vivien Leigh’s signature perfume.
It really smells exquisitely expensive and like Old Hollywood glamour. Should be as well-known and respected as Shalimar.
Excellent longevity, nice sillage, and one-of-a-kind.
dimpv – :
Joy was my grandmother’s signature scent, and she ONLY wore the pure extract. The last bottle she bought back in the 60’s (she passed in 1997) is sitting in my house, only containing a small bit at the bottom, deep amber in color, and thick. I decided that I’d like a bottle of my own, but knowing that the newer formulation might not live up to older incarnations (as well as being expensive as hell) I started looking for a vintage bottle, hoping I could perhaps find one that was mostly full and in good shape.
I got a sealed (baudruchage intact), quarter ounce bottle (the black glass one that looks like a snuff bottle) but the top snapped off with the stopper stuck in the neck. Very disappointed, I continued looking and eventually found a half ounce bottle from the 60s for 100 dollars, with its box in beautiful condition. It was so exciting! I carefully cut away the onion paper and wiggled the stopper – it was stuck! Remembering something I read, I sprayed the neck of the stopper with some joy, wiggled, and eureka! It popped right open and I cleaned away the newer EDP that was on the stopper, and took a whiff from the open bottle: cat piss-like sharpness filled my nose. Pausing for a moment to wonder if i’d made a terrible mistake buying it, I gathered my strength and dabbed a little on my pulse points.
What a wonderful, wafting, bouquet of rose, and then jasmine, filled my nose. How much more complex and delightful the older formula smells when compared to the newer one available currently. It’s absolutely stunning, and thankfully not too much of the civet comes through once it’s out of the bottle, at least with my chemistry. I see why my grandmother loved it: it’s honey-sweet, luxurious, elegant as anything one could imagine, and femininely floral.
The strength of the floral character of Joy is so simple yet forceful, and it wears nicely through the day. The thing that amazes me about the pure extract when compared to the EDP is that with the EDP, at least its modern version, I get no distinct floral notes, just powdery, cat pissy, old lady smell. What a shame that two versions of the same thing could be so different. I’d like to buy a new bottle of the pure extract to compare against my vintage one, but i’ll have to save up a bit before I can excuse that level of luxury spending.
EDIT: So I decided to actually try a bit from my grandmother’s bottle. I dabbed a bit on my inner wrist and it was incredibly thick, but the scent was not degraded, only a bit more powdery and mellow on the dry down than my vintage bottle which had remained sealed before I purchased it. What a special feeling to wear it! I also decided to Macguyver my little black bottle with the snapped stopper – using a hammer, screwdriver, and a plastic ziploc bag, I was able to break off the neck of the bottle, very carefully, and remove the stopper and any shards of glass, which stayed in the ziploc bag. I then decanted the contents into a small spray bottle using a tiny funnel. What a fantastic idea, because now I have another quarter ounce of pure Joy to wear and enjoy!
cheeky.cherry – :
I have a few iterations of Joy. My first is a bottle (edt splash) my grandmother no longer used and gave to me because she knew I was obsessed with fragrances. I didn’t initially like it… but after being wrapped in a sunny, soapy bliss I changed my mind. This EDT lasts about 2-3 hours. I think this one didn’t age too well. Still lovely though.
I then bought a new EDT (produced by SA Designer Perfumes) because I was really wanting a spray and more longevity. The new EDT has a more defined opening with some aldehydes and fruit, a lasting heart of indolic jasmine and rose, and eventually transitioning to the soapy base I loved from the older EDT. (About 4+ hours of longevity, but still 4 wonderful hours).
And recently I got a sealed vintage Joy parfum in the black bottle. It is by far the strongest and it opens up with what I would consider to be the “heart” and then rests between the soapiness and the indolic florals. The parfum has a slight richness and warmth that the others don’t, but that’s to be expected comparing an EDT to Parfum. I unfortunately haven’t smelled the new parfum, but I can confidently say that the current Joy EDT is near exact to the original and might actually be my favorite formulation.
I’ve never tried the infamous D&G prestige formulation, but I think as long as those bottles are avoided you will enjoy any other version of Joy you come across. (My grandmothers EDT might be around the time of the D&G purchase, but I can’t tell from the bottle).
Joy is a lush classic that truly makes me feel happy. Great for confidence, comfort, everyday, and very special occasions. It’s versatile and wonderful. One of my favorites.
chp660elipseskism – :
Classic. Elegant. Sophisticated. Rich, warm, golden, opulent, velvety smooth, deep, glowing, radiant, glorious.
Even these adjectives combined are inadequate to express the inspiring, breath-taking fragrance that is Joy de Jean Patou.
This iconic fragrance hovers, dances, breathes with an animalic, rose-jasmine intensity that has depth and presence like no other fragrance I’ve ever experienced, other than the late, great (and, naturally, discontinued Niki de Saint Phalle first-edition parfum).
Iconic women including Marilyn Monroe and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis sparkled and glowed in JOY.
In 2000, Joy was voted “The Scent of the Century” and, nearly 100 years after it’s inception by genius Henri Almeras, remains one of the most loved, sought-after, popular classic French perfumes of all time, even in the face of modern (some genius) compositions.
There are perfumes, and there is…JOY.
hhh_vadya – :
Beautiful, velvety, flowery incense on me. So thankful I got to try it. It reminds me most of Mitsouko and somewhat of Samsara. I expected it to be good because of what I read but didn’t expect it to smell so rich, smooth and textured at the same time. Very lovely.
darda – :
I was trying to compare No.5, Caléche and Joy. They seem to me quite similar in some ways. In my opinion No.5 is the most fresh one and the sharpest at the beginning. Caléche is very soft and powdery. Both really luxury. Joy is something in the middle not so fresh and not so powdery but there is something that does not work with my skin chemistry. Something dirty and that I don´t like. So unfortunately this is not for me.
AvataStoora – :
I’ve loved this since the ’70s, it was my signature scent for many years. I had the parfum in the little black bottle with the red cap, the EDP, EDT and now also the reformulated version which I believe is quite true to the original. Because I loved it so very much, I was never able to stop using it once I’d opened the bottle!
It’s a floral powerhouse which is intoxicating – enormous sillage and immense longevity. I see there are some reviewers who have been disappointed with Joy’s reaction on their skin and I am sorry they’ve had that experience. For me, it’s been like gilding myself with liquid gold, I think it’s one of the most beautiful concoctions of all time.
irishka_krosh – :
vintage