L'Heure Romantique by Corday (1928)

L'Heure Romantique by Corday, introduced in 1928, arrived at a moment of immense social, cultural, and aesthetic transformation. The name itself, L’Heure Romantique, is French for “The Romantic Hour,” pronounced "lur roh-mahn-teek". The phrase conjures the fleeting beauty of twilight, the hush before evening deepens, or the golden pause before a stolen kiss—moments saturated with feeling, poised between longing and fulfillment. In naming the perfume thus, Corday captured not just a mood, but an entire sensibility: one of elegance, intimacy, and heightened emotion. It evokes candlelight casting shadows on silk, the rustle of a gown in a quiet salon, the rustling pages of a love letter.

The year 1928 fell squarely within the exuberant spirit of the Roaring Twenties, an era known in France as les années folles—“the crazy years.” It was a time when women were pushing against old restrictions, claiming new freedoms in fashion, work, and personal identity. Hemlines had risen, corsets had loosened, and the garçonne—or flapper—was the emblem of modern femininity. Cinema was blossoming, with silent film stars like Greta Garbo and Clara Bow defining beauty for a global audience. Yet despite the modernity, a yearning for romance, mystery, and femininity still lingered. L’Heure Romantique embodied this duality—a woman could be liberated and still deeply romantic. In this sense, the fragrance offered a counterpoint to the sharp, androgynous styles of the day: a retreat into softness, sensuality, and poetic introspection.

Corday’s choice to center the composition around orange blossom was a deliberate one. Orange blossom had long been associated with bridal traditions, purity, and feminine allure, and by the 1920s, it had become a fixture in perfumery for its ability to express both innocence and seduction. In L’Heure Romantique, the orange blossom note is enveloped in aldehydes, those sparkling, soapy molecules that give lift and radiance to the composition. Aldehydes—popularized by Chanel No. 5 just seven years earlier—were still relatively novel, and their inclusion signaled that Corday was attuned to cutting-edge perfumery, even while evoking timeless emotion. Here, the aldehydes do not overpower but instead illuminate the floral heart, casting a diffused, luminous glow over the composition.

The scent opens with an aldehydic burst—crisp, effervescent, with hints of citrus zest—giving way to a generous floral bouquet. The orange blossom is dominant: honeyed, luminous, and rich. Other white florals, jasmine and tuberose, lent creamy opulence, while soft rose and violet added powdery sweetness. Underneath it all, a classic base of musk, sandalwood, and a touch of civet and vanilla grounded the composition in warmth, longevity, and sensual depth. The fragrance would have lingered on the skin like a memory—soft, haunting, and deeply feminine.

In the context of late 1920s perfumery, L’Heure Romantique was both in step with prevailing trends and subtly distinctive. Aldehydic florals were increasingly popular, thanks in large part to Chanel No. 5 (1921) and Arpège by Lanvin (1927). Yet where those fragrances leaned toward the abstract or the refined, Corday’s offering seems more intimate and emotionally resonant. Rather than making a modernist statement, it whispered of timeless moments—the moment, in fact, when day gives way to night, and romance hovers in the air. For women of the era—many of whom were navigating the contradictions of newfound independence and lingering societal expectations—L’Heure Romantique offered a scented escape into tenderness. It was a perfume not of rebellion, but of reverie.

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? L'Heure Romantique by Corday is classified as an aldehydic heavy floral fragrance for women with a dominant orange blossom note.

• Top notes: aldehyde C10, aldehyde C11, aldehyde C12 lauric, Calabrian bergamot, Amalfi lemon, Italian neroli, Paraguayan petitgrain
• Middle notes: Tunisian orange blossom absolute, Grasse jasmine, Grasse rose de mai, Madagascar ylang ylang, Dutch lily of the valley, Tuscan violet, ionones, Florentine orris butter 
• Base notes: Mysore sandalwood, ambergris, Tyrolean oakmoss, Maltese labdanum, Bourbon vanilla, vanillin, Venezuelan tonka bean, coumarin, Tibetan musk, musk ketone, Abyssinian civet

Scent Profile:

Opening the Baccarat crystal flacon of L’Heure Romantique by Corday is like uncorking a bygone era — a shimmering portrait of 20th-century elegance painted in scent. Immediately, your senses are enveloped in a radiant burst of aldehydes: C10 (decanal), with its waxy-orange brightness; C11 (undecanal), contributing a metallic-green edge; and C12 lauric, which imparts a sparkling, almost effervescent lift. These synthetic molecules do not mimic nature, but rather abstract and elevate it — lending a luminous, champagne-like fizz that casts a veil of polished sophistication over the entire composition. The aldehydes exaggerate the freshness of citrus and flowers, heightening their reach and giving the impression of silken gloves and powdered skin.

Nestled just beneath this glittering surface are luminous citrus notes: Calabrian bergamot, with its slightly bitter, aromatic tang and floral nuances — considered the finest due to the sunny coastal climate and rich soil of southern Italy — and Amalfi lemon, whose juiciness and brightness feel sweeter and softer than standard lemon oils. Then comes Italian neroli, distilled from orange blossoms, its green-floral profile both tender and bracing — bitter and honeyed all at once. Supporting this is Paraguayan petitgrain, extracted from the leaves and twigs of the bitter orange tree; its sharply green, slightly woody note bridges citrus and floral with an herbal crispness, grounding the aldehydes with natural greenness.

As the top notes soften, the heart unfurls with lush white petals and powdery romance. Tunisian orange blossom absolute, the queen of the heart, is warm, enveloping, and narcotically sweet. Tunisian orange blossom is prized for its balance — not overly indolic, not too green — offering a honeyed, luminous richness that dances with the aldehydes. Grasse jasmine, cultivated with generations of savoir-faire, adds depth with its creamy, slightly animalic breath, while Grasse rose de mai, fresh and powdery, lends a velvety softness and elegance that echoes in vintage face powders. Madagascar ylang ylang brings a touch of the exotic — ripe banana, floral cream, and solar warmth — its intensity softened by the sparkle of Dutch lily of the valley, an accord often built from hydroxycitronellal and lilial, replicating its fresh, green-cool purity.

A powdery, vintage elegance is enhanced further by Tuscan violet, whose sweet, earthy whisper is given extra lift by ionones, aroma chemicals that mimic violet’s fleeting scent with a clean, soft radiance. Florentine orris butter follows with its precious, costly powdery iris scent — cool, smooth, and slightly woody, like the finest suede gloves. Its earthy beauty supports the heart’s floral notes while foreshadowing the richness of the base.

As the drydown unfolds, warmth, sensuality, and depth emerge. Mysore sandalwood — creamy, golden, and sacred — anchors the composition with its unparalleled richness and softness. The inclusion of true ambergris, if original to the formula, adds a subtle saline-warm, almost skin-like glow, heightening diffusion and depth. Tyrolean oakmoss, harvested from alpine forests, contributes a deep, green-forest dampness, while Maltese labdanum, resinous and leathery, adds an ambery tension.

Vanillic warmth glows through the composition with Bourbon vanilla, rich and creamy, interlaced with the sharper sweetness of vanillin — the synthetic molecule that expands and intensifies the natural pod’s comforting warmth. Venezuelan tonka bean adds an almond-like sweetness, enhanced by the warm hay tones of coumarin, giving a soft tobacco nuance. Animalic elements round out the base with sensuality: Tibetan musk, if authentic, would provide warmth and powdery softness, while musk ketone, a classic nitro musk, reinforces the perfume’s powdery-luxurious signature. The addition of Abyssinian civet, pungent and creamy, was typical in perfumery of the time — used in trace amounts to lift and ‘humanize’ the floral blend.

Together, these elements create a perfume that is at once abstract and deeply romantic — a soft-focus portrait of femininity. L’Heure Romantique feels like silk on skin, like petals crushed between gloved fingers. It is a scent from an age when fragrance lingered like memory, whispered not shouted — a perfect harmony of natural beauty and early 20th-century perfumery’s embrace of synthetic innovation.

Bottles:

The deluxe parfum bottle of modernist style was crafted from heavy, clear crystal by Baccarat. The rectangular flacon features a distinctive half-moon silhouette, partially lacquered in gold. The base is adorned with gadroon-style ribbing, and the name of the perfume is gilded on one face. The solid stopper is shaped like a stylized corolla (floral crown) a  The bottle was designed by Georges Chevalier. The bottle came in three sizes as well as a very large factice bottle was also produced by Baccarat.  

•  1 oz stands 3" tall (originally sold for $6.00)
• 2 oz stands 3.75" tall (originally sold for $12.00)  
• 4 oz stands 4.5" tall  

The New Yorker, 1949:

"Your choice of these long-lasting French fragrances: Corday's TOUJOURS MOI or POSSESSION at $2.50; FAME, ROMANTIQUE, L'ARDENTE NUIT or FEMME du JOUR at $2.00; JET at $1.75. All prices plus tax."

Fate of the Fragrance:

The perfume was eventually discontinued, though the exact date remains unknown. However, archival references confirm that it was still being sold as late as 1949, suggesting that it maintained a presence on the market for a considerable period. Its continued availability into the postwar years indicates a sustained interest among consumers, even as trends in perfumery began to shift toward more modern compositions.