Bocages by Lancome c1935

Bocages by Lancôme, launched in 1935, was one of five debut fragrances introduced by the newly founded house at the Universal Exhibition in Brussels—a glamorous international showcase that emphasized innovation, culture, and art. The other perfumes in this remarkable launch were Tropiques, Kypre, Tendres Nuits, and Conquête, but Bocages stood apart for its airy, youthful freshness and its deep ties to nature and renewal.

The name Bocages (pronounced boh-KAHZH in French, rhyming loosely with "collage") is rich in poetic imagery. In French, bocage refers to a type of wooded countryside, a landscape of leafy groves, hedgerows, meadows, and dappled light, most often found in the northwestern regions of France, such as Normandy and Brittany. It's a term imbued with romance and rustic charm, suggesting a serene, untamed beauty rather than manicured formality. The plural form—Bocages—evokes not just one idyllic scene, but a rolling stretch of verdant, blooming springtime landscapes. The word brings to mind the scent of damp earth, young green leaves, and tender blossoms awakening under a cool sun.

Armand Petitjean, the visionary founder of Lancôme, imagined Bocages as a fragrant ode to spring—to youth, vitality, and subtle femininity. He described it as “a fragrant array of spring... the smell of a tender bud, the sap rising, shrubs just beginning to bring the light and color of the mist.” This description reveals his intent: Bocages was designed not for opulence or drama, but for freshness, purity, and a light-hearted kind of elegance—qualities that Petitjean believed would appeal especially to women from northern climates like Sweden, Norway, Belgium, Germany, and the northern provinces of France.

The world of 1935 was poised between two eras. Europe was still recovering from the devastation of the Great War, yet also teetering on the edge of another global conflict. In France, this was a moment of artistic revival and cautious optimism, part of the interwar period known for its Art Deco glamour, growing independence for women, and a celebration of modern design and innovation. Fashion leaned toward elegance with ease—longer skirts, soft shoulders, and an emphasis on femininity after the sharper styles of the 1920s. In perfumery, chypres, aldehydic florals, and heavier oriental compositions dominated the market, often complex and commanding in tone.

In this context, Bocages offered something delicately radical—a breath of fresh air, literally and figuratively. While not avant-garde in structure, it stood apart for its light, green freshness—a quality less common at the time, especially in a decade enamored with the likes of Shalimar or Arpège. It anticipated the green floral trend that would flourish decades later and showed a keen understanding of the regional preferences of European women. Bocages was not only charming in name, but purposefully crafted to suit younger women and reflect the natural world in a moment of renewal.

For women in the 1930s, wearing a fragrance called Bocages would have conjured up dreams of escape to the countryside, of freedom from the constraints of urban life or social expectation. It would have smelled like hope and awakening—perhaps a metaphor for a generation eager to step lightly into the modern world, even as the past lingered like mist over a field. Through scent, Bocages captured the intimate beauty of spring, in both the landscape and the spirit of the women it was made for.

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? Bocages by Lancome is classified as a light, airy, fresh floral fragrance for women.

• Top notes: aldehyde C-10, aldehyde C-11, aldehyde C-12 MNA, cis-3-Hexenol, Paraguayan petitgrain, Italian bergamot, Amalfi lemon, Spanish mimosa, Bourbon geranium, geraniol, Italian linden, French hawthorn, Levantine acacia, farnesol, linalool 
• Middle notes: Malabar pepper, Egyptian jasmine absolute, Grasse rose de mai absolute, Chinese gardenia, French lilac, lilacine, Dutch honeysuckle, Mountain lily of the valley, hydroxycitronellol, Comoros ylang ylang oil, Moroccan orange blossom absolute, methyl ionone, Grasse heliotrope, heliotropin
• Base notes: Florentine orris butter, Tonkin musk, Abyssinian civet, Siam benzoin, Sumatran styrax, English violet leaves, Mysore sandalwood, Tyrolean oakmoss, Java vetiver

Scent Profile:

As I begin to explore Bocages by Lancôme, I’m immediately drawn into a fragrant tapestry that evokes the filtered sunlight of a spring morning in a secluded grove, where every leaf glistens with dew and every flower breathes its heart into the warming air. The perfume opens like a rush of clean light — aldehydes C-10, C-11, and C-12 MNA dance across the senses with their soft shimmer. Aldehyde C-10 (decanal) lends a creamy, waxy citrus lift, C-11 (undecanal) imparts a soapy brightness, and C-12 MNA (methyl nonyl acetaldehyde), with its fruity, almost marine freshness, injects a cool effervescence. These aldehydes do not overpower but illuminate the scent—like sunlight filtering through treetops—airing out the florals and giving a buoyant transparency to the composition.

Threaded through this airy light are notes of cis-3-Hexenol, often called “leaf alcohol,” smelling exactly like the crushed stems of just-snipped greenery—wet, raw, verdant. It intertwines with Paraguayan petitgrain, a green and slightly woody citrus note distilled from the leaves and twigs of the bitter orange tree. Petitgrain from Paraguay is uniquely soft and more herbal than its Mediterranean counterparts, grounding the composition with its calm bitterness.

Then comes the burst of citrus—Italian bergamot, vibrant and lightly floral with a dry, tea-like nuance, and Amalfi lemon, prized for its zest and clarity, brings a sun-drenched sparkle. The citrus bouquet lifts the initial aldehydic light into an open, breezy sky. Blossoming underneath are the powdery, golden puffs of Spanish mimosa, exuding a warm honeyed pollen scent; Bourbon geranium, grown in Réunion, adds a minty-rosy clarity rich in geraniol, an aroma molecule that enhances rose-like nuances while contributing a fresh, crisp edge.

The floral heart begins to emerge with elegance. Italian linden blossom adds a breath of warm, creamy, nectarous green—the scent of bees visiting summer trees. French hawthorn follows, its dusty, almond-like aroma adding a vintage, wistful feel—like flowered lace. Then comes Levantine acacia, redolent of powder and faint almond, a softening floral that gives the impression of white petals caught in breeze. The richness of farnesol, naturally found in flowers like neroli and lily, brings a sweet, slightly waxy softness that helps round the edges, while linalool, with its bright citrus-lavender facet, ties the airy florals to the herbal-green opening, lifting and enhancing them.

With the top notes fading into the skin, the heart of Bocages unfurls in full bloom. The spiced clarity of Malabar pepper pricks the air with warmth and complexity, contrasted against the lush, sensual creaminess of Egyptian jasmine absolute—earthy, narcotic, a touch animalic. Next to it, Grasse rose de mai absolute, distilled from the historic fields of southern France, releases its famed freshness: delicate, dewy, a rose bathed in morning light. It is unmistakably soft yet vital, woven like silk through the composition.

Chinese gardenia lends a deeply creamy, almost coconut-lactonic warmth with green undertones, while French lilac is rendered through both natural distillates and lilacine, a synthetic that captures the true lilac scent—something the natural flower cannot yield through distillation. Lilacine amplifies the floralcy, giving lift and sillage to a notoriously shy note.

Dutch honeysuckle, tender and sweet, blends beautifully with mountain lily of the valley, which sings with crystalline, dewy notes reminiscent of spring waters running over moss. Hydroxycitronellol, a gentle synthetic, supports the lily of the valley with its clean, rose-like, muguet facets—extending and brightening the heart. Comoros ylang ylang, rich and narcotic with its banana-cream, almost jasmine-like perfume, provides a sultry floral link to the headier materials. Moroccan orange blossom absolute, bittersweet and lush, adds dimension with an indolic shimmer.

Supporting this floral chorus are methyl ionone and heliotropin, both softening, powdery aroma chemicals. Methyl ionone brings a woody-violet facet that gently bridges the gap between floral and earthy, while heliotropin, with its creamy almond-vanilla note, echoes the gardenia and mimosa, rendering the middle stages tender and pillowy. Grasse heliotrope adds a violet-laced almond-powder sweetness that lingers like the warmth of skin in spring sun.

In the drydown, the perfume roots itself in the earth. Florentine orris butter, one of the most prized materials in perfumery, delivers its cool, buttery, suede-like scent—violet and roots, noble and haunting. Tonkin musk, if used historically in this formula, gives a soft, powdery warmth and human depth; animalic and softly erotic. Abyssinian civet, also historically used in trace amounts, lends a subtle animal purr, enhancing the florals' radiance and lending a sensual afterglow.

The base is softened by Siam benzoin and Sumatran styrax, both resinous balsams with sweet, vanillic, slightly smoky undertones. They bind the florals to the woods, adding richness and longevity. English violet leaves offer a green, slightly metallic bite—evocative of spring grass and shaded glades—while Mysore sandalwood, with its creamy, sacred warmth, forms the backbone of the base. True Mysore sandalwood, now rare, is distinguished by its soft, lactonic quality that blends like silk with other notes. Tyrolean oakmoss, damp and foresty, adds a touch of mystery and shadow. And finally, Java vetiver, smoky, earthy, and dark green, anchors the composition in the soil from which all this floral beauty has grown.

Bocages is not just a perfume—it’s a poetic walk through a European countryside in full spring. Every ingredient is placed with intention, each raw material (whether natural or synthetic) supporting the next in a choreography that feels both effortless and sublime. What makes it unforgettable is its ability to hover: airy yet complex, romantic yet fresh, nostalgic yet alive. It is the embodiment of “bocage” itself—a hedged, blooming sanctuary where the wild and cultivated meet under soft, dappled light.

In 1935, Paris-Alger marked the debut of Lancôme’s first five perfumes, including the fresh, youthful Bocages. This collection was part of Armand Petitjean’s ambitious vision to present French luxury to the world, and each scent was crafted to embody a distinct character. Bocages, in particular, was described as “blonde, young and laughing”—an evocation of innocence and lighthearted joy. It opened with the scent of honeysuckle blooming with abandon from a double floral base of jasmine and mimosa, both flowers long associated with springtime in southern France. Compared to its launch companions, Bocages distinguished itself as the most delicate and pastoral in mood—less velvety than Kypre, less exotic than Tendres Nuits, and less luxurious than Conquête. It represented springtime in motion—sun-warmed skin, windswept meadows, and floral hedgerows under a bright sky.

Reviews from the 1950s speak to the enduring character of Bocages, which had become something of a seasonal signature. A 1954 description from Combat likened it to a “spring breeze” that has moved through nature, collecting the scent of wild honeysuckle, blooming linden trees, and hawthorn, all while brushing against the clawing sweetness of acacia. The writer paints a picture of the perfume as both pastoral and faintly erotic, noting a whisper of pepper in the “blue silence,” a moment broken by the darting of a swift bird. A Parisienne, resting in the grass, feels this perfume’s presence like a sudden, mysterious shiver—intimate, personal, and vivid.

By 1955, critics began drawing comparisons between Bocages and other classic soliflores, especially those with a gardenia heart. One noted how the green note of lilac in Bocages served to freshen the honeysuckle, and how its ivory-like floral facets resembled Chinese gardenia. These comparisons suggest that Bocages, while based on European florals, carried an international air through the inclusion of global ingredients—fitting for a perfume born in the interwar years, when French perfumery was expanding its reach and refining its artistry.

Bocages was never just a floral fragrance—it was an olfactory vignette, one that conjured youth, warmth, countryside escapes, and nature’s intimate moments. Its nuanced combination of field flowers and soft aldehydes placed it both in and out of time: a scent that captured fleeting seasons and the timeless sensation of joy.

Bottles:

Bottle & box designed by Georges Delhomme.

The Fate of the Fragrance:

During World War II, the importation of Lancôme fragrances into the United States—including Tropiques, Tendres Nuits, Flèches, Cuir, Conquête, Bocages, Peut-Être, and Kypre—was halted entirely, and they did not reappear on American shelves until 1946. This interruption was the result of several interrelated wartime factors. First and foremost, the Nazi occupation of France from 1940 to 1944 severely disrupted both domestic production and international trade. French ports were blockaded or heavily restricted, and civilian industries—including perfumery—were often repurposed to support the war effort. Ingredients essential to perfumery, such as jasmine, rose, sandalwood, civet, and orris, became nearly impossible to source, especially those imported from French colonies or distant international suppliers. Alcohol, the base for most perfumes, was strictly rationed. Furthermore, packaging materials like fine glass, metal for atomizers, and luxury paperboard were redirected to military uses, if available at all.

Even more significantly, the formulas for these Lancôme perfumes were considered proprietary art, guarded closely during the German occupation. According to a 1946 newspaper article, the company took great care to protect the integrity and secrecy of its perfume compositions during this turbulent time. There was a real concern that fragrance formulas—intellectual property and national pride rolled into one—could be lost, stolen, or exploited by enemy powers or collaborators. The formulas for scents like Conquête and Qui Sait remained safely hidden away until France’s liberation, when perfumers could begin the delicate process of reconstruction and bottling for export.

With the war's end, 1946 marked the symbolic and literal return of France’s famed perfumery to the global stage. A Lancôme envoy, Madame Elsi Cramer, arrived in the United States that year as one of the first emissaries of the reborn French perfume industry. In her public statements, Mme. Cramer stressed the cultural and artistic importance of perfume, not merely as a pleasant cosmetic, but as a sensory tradition nearly lost in the ruins of war. She gently scolded American consumers for focusing only on longevity, noting that true perfume appreciation comes from understanding the complexity of the base, the harmony of floral accords, and the beauty of the presentation. Instead of seeking a scent that clings stubbornly, she advised carrying a small vial and reapplying as a ritual—a way to remain connected to elegance throughout the evening.

What returned to America was not just a collection of pleasant fragrances, but a triumph of survival. Each bottle represented not only a return to beauty, but also the resilience of France’s cultural heritage. As Mme. Cramer emphasized, the perfumes themselves had survived hardship, scarcity, and the threat of cultural erasure. Bocages and its companions were, in effect, ambassadors of postwar hope and the reawakening of Parisian artistry.

Though Bocages would eventually be discontinued—the exact date uncertain—it was still sold as late as 1956. Its survival more than a decade after its debut, and following a devastating global conflict, speaks to the lasting charm and emotional resonance that these early Lancôme creations held. They were not merely “sweet-smelling stuff,” but distillations of a nation’s spirit, held in fragile glass.