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Introduction: Why I Chose Jean Naté
Jean Naté was created in 1935 by Revlon, and it went on to
become a household staple and a cultural icon. When I encountered it as a girl
and teen in the 1960s and 1970s, it was on the boudoir table or bathroom
counter of many of my friends’ moms. Bright, refreshing, and easy to wear, Jean
Naté fit perfectly into the clean, energetic aesthetic of the era.
Unlike some fragrances that disappear and later enjoy a
revival, Jean Naté never really left store shelves. It remained consistently
popular for decades, quietly maintaining a loyal following. The formula’s
character speaks for itself: bright citrus, beautiful florals, a touch of
aromatics, and a woody-white musk base.
Recently as I was thinking of popular fragrances from my
youth, trying to see which ones I might still enjoy, I decided that wanted to
recreate my own version of Jean Naté using materials I already have.
Original Jean Naté Fragrance Pyramid
Top:
- Lemon
- Bergamot
- Lavender
Heart:
- Spicy notes
- Geranium
- Rose
- Jasmine
- Lily of the Valley
Base:
- Musk
- Sandalwood
- Virginia Cedar
- Tonka Bean
Formula for My “Jean Naté Tribute”
I used the following ingredients, decanting them into a 10
ml bottle:
Top:
- Bergamota de Calabria (20 sprays)
- Lavender essential oil (5 drops)
Heart:
- Geranium essential oil (5 drops)
- Rose Chanson d’Eau by Coty (10 sprays)
- Jasmine Chanson d’Eau by Coty (10 sprays)
- Lily-of-the-Valley (No. 19) by Compagnie delle
Indie (10 sprays)
Base:
- White Musk by Monotheme (20 sprays)
- Sandalwood essential oil (3 drops)
- Virginia cedar essential oil (5 drops)
- Tonka-Vanilla fragrance oil (2 drops) *
When I first mixed the blend, it smelled very citrus‑forward
— bright, sparkling, and energetic, but a little overwhelming.
The Final Scent
Once it had matured in its bottle for a few weeks, the other notes blossomed, forming a unified body. My new perfume
moved from “a list of ingredients” to a beautifully cohesive blend.
It’s difficult to pick out the rose, jasmine, lily-of-the-valley,
or geranium individually. They fuse into a lush, slightly aromatic floral
bouquet. Lavender is the only note that I can really single out, but only if I’m
looking for it. White musk creates the diffusive, floating quality that Jean
Naté was known for. The woods and tonka give the blend warmth and structure.
Comparison to the Original Jean Naté
My version remains true to the original vibe that defined
Jean Naté, but it also reflects the materials I used. It’s not intended to be
an exact replica. It’s a reinterpretation that captures the spirit of the
original while adding a modern, personal touch.
Closing Thoughts
I’m very pleased with the result of this experiment. Now I
have another beautiful floral fragrance in my scent wardrobe. It is a full-bodied,
elegant, and modern interpretation of Jean Naté… familiar and reassuring, but
with my own personal twist.
* Essential oils are much lighter than fragrance oils, and typically contain some alcohol, so they blend well with alcohol-based perfumes. When using fragrance oils (heavy, intended for candles & soaps) you may find that they do not blend well with alcohol-based perfumes (nor with water-based ones). In this case I was using only a few drops of fragrance oil, so it blended well. This is because I was blending with a proportionately much larger volume of finished perfumes, which already contain special additives and stabilizers. If you are attempting to blend heavy oils directly with ethanol (perfumer's alcohol) you will need special additives to prevent them from separating.
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