Sirocco by Lucien Lelong (1934)

Sirocco by Lucien Lelong was introduced in 1934, during a period of great transition and innovation in both fashion and perfumery. The choice of name is intriguing, evocative, and deeply poetic. “Sirocco” (pronounced sih-ROCK-oh) is derived from the Italian word scirocco, which in turn traces its origin to the Arabic sharq meaning "east." It refers to a hot, dry wind that originates in the Sahara Desert and travels across the Mediterranean into Southern Europe. This wind is known for its intensity and unpredictability—at times suffocating, at times invigorating—and carries with it a sense of wild, exotic energy.

For Lucien Lelong, a couturier deeply attuned to nuance, elegance, and the art of suggestion, the name "Sirocco" would have conjured an air of distant lands, sensual climates, and untamed beauty. It speaks of movement and heat, of parched earth and sun-drenched silks, of something stirring and elemental. The word alone evokes feelings of languid sensuality, mystery, and a touch of danger—all themes that would have appealed to the sophisticated, worldly women of the interwar years.

Launched in 1934, Sirocco emerged during the later years of the Art Deco era, a time marked by bold geometries, streamlined luxury, and a fascination with the exotic and the modern. The world was still in the grip of the Great Depression, yet Parisian fashion houses like Lelong’s offered an escape through refinement and fantasy. The mood of the time was complex—women were becoming more independent, society was shifting, and there was a hunger for beauty and indulgence despite the economic realities. In fragrance, this translated to more daring compositions, richer florals, and deeper, more dramatic orientals. Sirocco embodied these contradictions: it was both grounded and ephemeral, rooted in natural materials yet abstract in impression.

Women of the era would have found the name alluring—“Sirocco” suggested something beyond their daily lives, a journey of the senses, a touch of North Africa, the Mediterranean, the unknown. For women who traveled (or dreamed of travel), who read Vogue or wore Lelong’s couture, it was a name that tapped into the glamour of escapism and the boldness of personal identity. Wearing Sirocco may have felt like slipping into an adventure—draped in chiffon, stepping out into a warm wind with sand in the air.

The fragrance itself was composed by the legendary Jean Carles, and is classified as a dry, woody, leafy-mossy floral oriental. One of its distinguishing characteristics was a vibrant "lemon verbena tang," which would have provided a crisp, green lift to the composition. This sharpness contrasted beautifully with its drier, more resinous and mossy base. While many perfumes of the early 1930s still leaned on classical aldehydic florals or heavier orientals, Sirocco carved its own path. Its dryness and herbal-green nuances set it apart, offering a more nuanced, layered interpretation of the exotic than the syrupy orientals that preceded it.

In short, Sirocco was both of its time and ahead of it. It spoke the visual and emotional language of the 1930s—a blend of elegance, strength, mystery, and the yearning for distant places. Through name, scent, and concept, Lucien Lelong’s Sirocco remains a compelling example of how fragrance can capture not just a smell, but a moment, a feeling, and an era.

 

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? Sirocco by Lucien Lelong is classified as a "dry, woody, leafy mossy" floral oriental fragrance for women with "a lemon verbena tang." Sirocco is floral and citrus in type, composed of benzoin, patchouli, lavender, and vanilla. Headily warm and enveloping, it evokes the vast immensity of desert sands. A summer fragrance, it enhances the elegance of fashionable evening gatherings.

• Top notes:  aldehydes, Calabrian bergamot, Paraguayan petitgrain, Amalfi lemon, citral, Sicilian lemon verbena, linalyl acetate, eucalyptol, Persian galbanum, green note accord
• Middle notes: Provencal lavender, isoeugenol, Egyptian jasmine absolute, Grasse rose de mai absolute, Bulgarian rose otto, Bourbon geranium, geraniol, Hungarian clary sage, Florentine orris root butter, Andalusian cistus labdanum, Ethiopian frankincense, Sudanese myrrh
• Base notes: Brazilian rosewood, Yugoslavian oakmoss, Levantine styrax, South American guaiacwood, Atlas cedar, Himalayan costus root, Madagascar vanilla, vanillin, Java vetiver, vetiveryl acetate, Singapore patchouli, Mysore sandalwood, Venezuelan tonka bean, coumarin, Siamese benzoin, Venezuelan tonka bean, South Seas ambergris, ambreine, Tonkin musk, musk ketone, Indian musk ambrette

Scent Profile:

Smelling Sirocco by Lucien Lelong is like stepping into the path of an otherworldly wind—warm, dry, and richly scented with the breath of distant lands. It begins not with softness, but with a sunlit spark. The top notes are charged with crisp aldehydes, effervescent and clean like freshly laundered linen snapping in a hot wind. These aldehydes don’t shimmer so much as crackle—sharp, cool, and ozone-bright, lifting the perfume skyward. Then, citrus begins to unfurl. Calabrian bergamot, with its green, floral brightness, dances over the skin alongside Amalfi lemon, cooler and icier, while Sicilian lemon verbena unfurls its distinctively herbal-citrus tang—sharper than lemon peel, almost metallic in its green bite. The verbena from Sicily has a vivacity that speaks of sun-bleached coastal fields. A thread of citral, one of verbena's key aroma compounds, amplifies that sparkling clarity—lemony, yes, but also suggestively sweet, like lemon balm bruised between the fingers.

As this vibrant chord softens, the Paraguayan petitgrain—extracted from the leaves and twigs of the bitter orange tree—offers a greenness with a slight woodiness and a dry, pithy bitterness. It's softened by linalyl acetate, a naturally occurring ester that brings a velvety floral-lavender sweetness, diffusing sharp edges into smooth curves. Eucalyptol breathes through the citrus like a gust of air cooled by camphor and silver leaves—dry, almost mentholic. Then comes a curl of Persian galbanum, intensely green, bitter, and slightly resinous, its unique sharpness capturing the scent of crushed stems and wild herbs underfoot. A custom green note accord binds these elements together—unmistakably leafy, tart, and fresh—evoking crushed vegetation in hot sunlight, as if one were walking through a sunbaked garden after a storm.

The heart of Sirocco pulses with heat—drier and more grounded, yet no less exotic. At its core is Provençal lavender, wild and bracing, its camphor-laced bloom stretching across hillsides under a blazing southern sun. This lavender feels dry and sharp, less soothing than it is bracing, and it’s deepened by isoeugenol, a warm, spicy molecule found in clove oil. Here, it lends a faintly medicinal richness—just a trace of heat under the herbs and resin. Florals begin to bloom: Egyptian jasmine absolute brings an indolic, honeyed quality—lush and slightly animalic—while Grasse rose de mai absolute contributes a tender, petal-like warmth, soft and powdery. In contrast, Bulgarian rose otto, steam-distilled and green-edged, adds structure and a subtle peppery bite, anchoring the floral heart with poise.

Bourbon geranium from Réunion Island weaves through the rose and jasmine with its rosy-minty profile—cool and slightly astringent—heightened by the inclusion of geraniol, its core constituent, which sharpens and sweetens the floral bouquet. Hungarian clary sage introduces a musky, hay-like note—slightly herbal, slightly leathery. This gives a sensual warmth that contrasts beautifully with the sharper green of the top. Powdery, violet-scented Florentine orris root butter, expensive and time-consuming to produce, lends a soft, buttery polish to the entire structure, giving it an almost suede-like texture. Then come the resins: Andalusian cistus labdanum, sticky and sun-drenched, offers a leathery sweetness, while Ethiopian frankincense glows with dry, lemony smoke. A darker undercurrent follows—Sudanese myrrh, balsamic, earthy, and a touch medicinal, grounding the heart with its bitter-sweet density.

As the wind of Sirocco settles, it doesn't fade—it roots. The base is deep and persistent, radiating heat and sensuality. Brazilian rosewood opens with a fine, polished grain—rosy, woody, and faintly spicy. It harmonizes with Yugoslavian oakmoss, whose inky green dampness clings like lichen on bark, dry and musty with an almost salty coolness. Levantine styrax offers a smoky, leathery balm, while South American guaiacwood, dense and smoky-sweet, has the scent of incense embers and faint tobacco. Atlas cedar from Morocco adds a pencil-shaving dryness that blends seamlessly into the structure, lifting the weight of the heavier woods.

From high in the Himalayas comes costus root, earthy and unmistakably animalic—oily, musky, slightly sweaty—but used here in trace amounts, it lends a warm, human skin-scent beneath the florals. Java vetiver, with its rooty, bitter edge, is softened by vetiveryl acetate, a refined synthetic that lends transparency and smoothness, polishing vetiver’s natural roughness into silk. Singapore patchouli, rich and earthy, adds density with a dark, loamy whisper. Mysore sandalwood, now nearly extinct in perfumery, would have been creamy, spicy, and sweet—its milky richness coating the composition in warmth. Sweetness also comes from Madagascar vanilla, rich and complex, deepened with vanillin, the synthetic backbone that anchors it with sugar-and-smoke intensity.

Resins abound: Siamese benzoin, soft and balsamic, with a hint of vanilla custard; Venezuelan tonka bean, nutty and caramel-like, layered with coumarin, its hay-like, almondy main molecule. Ambergris from the South Seas, rare and marine-salty, brings warmth and projection—enhanced by ambreine, a synthetic ambergris molecule that intensifies diffusion. Tonkin musk, if used in its historical form, would add a profoundly sensual, animalic nuance—but likely paired or replaced by musk ketone and Indian musk ambrette, both soft, powdery, and warmly skin-like.

Sirocco is more than a perfume—it is a portrait of a place you’ve never been, a memory made up of wind, heat, and distant lands. It unfolds like a journey: fresh, aromatic, smoky, woody, and finally, softly animalic and sweet. Every element—from rare botanicals to judicious synthetics—has its place, each enhancing the other like instruments in a symphony. It is unmistakably of its time—1930s sophistication and adventure in a bottle—but timeless in the way only true artistry can be.

Harper's Bazaar, 1955:

"Sirocco , "by Lucien Lelong , belongs to the woody, leafy, mossy group of perfumes - here camouflaged in a gold-plated bottle. 1 ounce. $ 20."

Bottle:

Sirocco by Lucien Lelong was housed in a distinctive and sculptural glass flacon designed by John Buckingham. The bottle’s form echoes the twisting, swirling movement of the warm desert wind from which the fragrance takes its name. Its most striking feature is the twisted shape—resembling a coiled rope or a spiraling column—giving the illusion of motion captured in glass. The surface gently spirals upward, reflecting light in soft, sinuous curves, evoking a sense of elegance and fluidity. This dynamic silhouette was both modern and tactile, appealing to the aesthetic sensibilities of the Art Deco era while remaining timeless in its design.

The bottle was produced in various sizes, each assigned a catalog reference number. Ref. No. 1, the smallest version, contained 0.25 oz of perfume and stood 2.75 inches tall—a dainty size, likely used for parfum extrait and often given or sold as part of gift sets. Slightly larger, Ref. No. 2 held 0.5 oz and stood 3.25 inches tall, maintaining the same twisted elegance in a more substantial form. Ref. No. 3, the 1 oz bottle, measured 4.5 inches tall and was likely the most popular size, offering a balance between luxury and practicality.

There was also a bottle—likely unnumbered in this context—that stood 6 inches tall, probably held 4 oz. Finally, Ref. No. 8, the largest version, held a generous 8 oz of fragrance and measured 8 inches tall. This grand size was possibly used for display purposes or for vanity refills, showcasing the striking design on a larger scale.

Each bottle, regardless of size, maintained the integrity of Buckingham’s rope-like design, emphasizing the theme of movement, air, and elegance—a perfect complement to the perfume’s name and character.

Omnibus Bottle for Parfum:

Also housed in an "omnibus" bottle, used for other Lelong fragrances in the 1950s. This was a lesser priced presentation.

• No. 520 - 1/2 oz bottle stands 2 5/8" tall.

Other Parfum Bottles:

Colognes:

 

Parfum de Toilette:

It was also presented in the gold plated bottle used for other Lelong perfumes.

Harper's Bazaar, 1955:

“Sirocco.” by Lucien Lelong, belongs to the woody, leafy, mossy group of perfumes— camouflaged here in a gold-plated flacon. 1 ounce, $20."

In 1969/1970, Sirocco was available in perfume form: 0.25 oz and 2 oz bottles.

Also available in Eau de Toilette: Splash bottles of 1/16 oz, 1/8 oz, 1/4 liter and 1/2 liter; and Eau de Toilette spray.

Fate of the Fragrance:

Sirocco by Lucien Lelong was launched in 1934, during a golden age of perfumery when couturiers and fragrance houses alike were exploring bold new directions in scent design. Introduced during the tail end of the Art Deco era, Sirocco stood out for its evocative name, dry woody-floral oriental character, and innovative presentation. Created by the esteemed perfumer Jean Carles, the fragrance captured the imagination with its blend of exotic resins, dry herbs, mosses, and citrus-tinged florals, evoking the restless heat and movement of the Saharan wind for which it was named.

Although no official discontinuation date has been documented, Sirocco remained available for several decades after its debut. Archival records and advertisements confirm that the perfume was still being sold as late as 1977, indicating that it retained a loyal following well into the mid-20th century. Its longevity on the market speaks not only to the quality of its composition but also to its continued relevance across changing eras in perfumery—from the powdery chypres and aldehydic florals of the 1930s and 1940s to the greener, more herbal-woody styles that gained popularity in the 1960s and 1970s.

Though now discontinued, Sirocco holds a distinguished place in the legacy of Lucien Lelong's perfumes. Its disappearance from production likely occurred quietly, sometime after the late 1970s, as trends shifted and the original house of Lelong underwent changes. Today, surviving bottles of Sirocco—especially in its iconic twisted glass flacon—are prized by collectors and connoisseurs as a sophisticated example of mid-20th century French perfumery.