Note: Please understand that this website is not affiliated with the Houbigant company in any way, it is only a reference page for collectors and those who have enjoyed the Houbigant fragrances.


The goal of this website is to show the present owners of the Houbigant company how much we miss the discontinued classics and hopefully, if they see that there is enough interest and demand, they will bring back the perfume!


Please leave a comment below (for example: of why you liked the perfume, describe the scent, time period or age you wore it, who gave it to you or what occasion, any specific memories), who knows, perhaps someone from the company might see it.

Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Subtilite by Houbigant c1920

Subtilite by Houbigant: launched in 1920.

Fragrance Composition:


I have no published notes on the perfume, I would need a sample to give you an idea of what it smells like.


  • Top notes:
  • Middle notes:
  • Base notes:




Bottle:


Subtilite's pure parfum was housed in a beautiful Baccarat crystal bottle that was in the shape of a Buddha, topped with a brass ring. The perfume was presented in a black silk faille covered box, trimmed with gilding and lined with red silk. The box has an elegant arched shape with two doors. The Buddha bottle holds 2.5 oz of parfum and originally sold for $12.50 in 1925.





Other Baccarat bottles were used to contain the fragrance such as the one below, tall, ovoid shape with rectangular base, arched shoulders, with a gilded oval stopper. This bottle was available in four sizes: 1/4 oz, 1/2 oz, 1 oz, and 2 oz.







The bottle below is by Cristalleries de Nancy. I dub it the "fountain" bottle because the stopper reminds me of a water fountain. It was used around 1930. If you look carefully at the contents, you can see how unusually milky it has become, this is due to someone adding water to the perfume oils. It causes a "louche" effect, do to the contents being insoluble with one another. Do not add water to your perfumes.










However, the figural Buddha bottle seems to be the most coveted and commands high prices when introduced into the marketplace.




Fate of the Fragrance:



It is interesting to note that when it was first introduced, the perfume in the Buddha flacon retailed for $12.50, but by 1933, it sold as low as $3.00. By 1944, it seems it may have been discontinued.

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