Cassandra (1935)

Cassandra by Parfums Weil was first introduced in France in 1935 and made its debut in the United States in 1936. The perfume arrived during a rich and transitional moment in global culture—a time that straddled the final flourish of the Art Deco era and the growing unease of a world inching toward war. In both its name and olfactory composition, Cassandra was designed to evoke both elegance and mystery—an intellectual scent for a woman of presence.

The name "Cassandra" originates from Greek mythology. In ancient Greek (Κασσάνδρα or Kassandra), it was the name of a Trojan princess blessed with the gift of prophecy, yet cursed so that no one would believe her predictions. In English, the name is typically pronounced KASS-an-druh (with emphasis on the first syllable). The word carries with it layers of meaning—beauty, sorrow, wisdom unheeded, and a certain romantic fatalism. To choose the name Cassandra for a perfume in 1935 was a sophisticated and emotionally charged decision. It conjured images of a woman who knows more than she says, whose gaze is distant, perhaps haunted, but undeniably alluring. She is not merely decorative—she is complex.

At the time of the perfume's release, France was navigating the interwar years—an era often referred to as les années folles (“the crazy years”) in the 1920s, giving way to a more somber 1930s marked by political unrest, economic depression, and mounting international tension. Yet it remained a deeply creative time, particularly for women. Fashion had grown more refined and structured after the relaxed lines of the 1920s; couturiers like Elsa Schiaparelli and Madeleine Vionnet offered dramatic silhouettes, while jewelry and cosmetics embraced a sense of surrealism and sophistication. In perfumery, the 1930s saw the rise of aldehydic florals, warm orientals, and scents that favored elegance and evening wear. Perfume was not merely an accessory—it was part of the performance of womanhood, a scented expression of identity and poise.

Created by Jacqueline Fraysse, one of the few notable female perfumers of the era, Cassandra took two years to perfect. It was described as a sweet and spicy floral oriental—a style that combined the velvety richness of Eastern resins and spices with the luminous grace of European flowers. Its description—"light, floral, with overtones of jasmine, classic appeal from the fruited bough"—evokes a composition that is poised between sensuality and freshness. It opens with a bouquet that feels alive with spring, yet possesses enough weight and body to be worn into the evening. The contrast of light floralcy and warm spice made it both versatile and intriguingly modern for its time.

Unlike the ethereal florals of earlier decades or the aldehydic extravagance popularized by Chanel No. 5 (1921), Cassandra struck a balance between the naturalistic and the abstract. Its fresh spicy floral accord gave it character and distinction without overwhelming the senses. In context, it was not a radical departure from trends but rather a refined interpretation—chic, poised, and a touch mysterious. It appealed to women who were moving through a changing world with a sense of quiet sophistication, and perhaps a touch of guarded wisdom—just like the mythic Cassandra herself.

For women of the 1930s, Cassandra would have felt aspirational yet relatable. It spoke to the emerging archetype of the thoughtful, self-possessed woman—feminine but not frivolous, romantic but not naïve. In scent, the word Cassandra translated to something floral but knowing, warm but controlled, like a perfumed whisper from someone who has seen the future and dressed elegantly for it.

In the 1936 issue of Rester Jeune, readers were reminded—given the season—of the intriguing line of perfumes by Weil, crafted specifically to complement fur garments. The article highlights Bambou and Cassandra, two very recent additions at the time, as well as Zibeline, a slightly older creation that continued to enjoy widespread appreciation. These perfumes were celebrated for their ability to harmonize with the luxurious texture and warmth of fur, a hallmark of Weil's reputation in olfactory elegance. The editorial notes that more in-depth discussion of these perfumes would follow in a future issue, suggesting their importance and popularity.

The piece transitions naturally from fragrance to application, especially concerning fur, and offers a word of caution to readers. It emphasizes that one should never apply perfume directly onto fur—or onto hair, for that matter—as doing so risks altering the fragrance’s character. Even when applied directly to the skin, a perfume can quickly lose its original harmony. The article strongly advocates for the use of an atomizer, noting that perfume maintains its full sweetness and integrity only when sprayed in the finest possible mist. This advice reflects both the technical understanding of perfume behavior and the period’s growing emphasis on proper application methods to preserve the quality and sophistication of fine fragrances.

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? Cassandra by Parfums Weil is classified as a sweet and spicy floral oriental fragrance for women.

• Top notes: aldehyde C-10, aldehyde C-11, aldehyde C-12 MNA, Calabrian bergamot, Paraguayan petitgrain, Sicilian neroli, Amalfi lemon, Bourbon geranium, fruity note accord, anise, Tunisian orange blossom absolute, benzyl acetate, linalyl acetate, linalool, lavandin, eucalyptol 
• Middle notes: hydroxycitronellol, Bourbon ylang ylang oil, Grasse jasmine absolute, Grasse tuberose absolute, Indian carnation, isoeugenol, Zanzibar clove bud oil, Jamaican nutmeg, Saigon cinnamon leaf, Ceylon cardamom, Italian hazelnut, Nepalese rose, rhodinol, rose oxide, phenylethyl alcohol, Provencal lavender, Persian galbanum, Penang patchouli, Sudanese myrrh, Alpine honey, Veronese orris, Tuscan violet leaf absolute, heliotropin, benzyl alcohol
• Base notes: ambergris, Maltese labdanum, South American tolu balsam, Peru balsam, Castoreum castoreum, Himalayan costus root, Brazilian copaiba balsam, Mysore sandalwood, Abyssinian civet, Mexican vanilla, vanillin, Tyrolean oakmoss, Venezuelan tonka bean, coumarin, Sumatran styrax, musk, Siam benzoin

Scent Profile:

At first breath, Cassandra reveals herself with a shimmer—a radiant burst of aldehydes. Aldehyde C-10, waxy and lemony, diffuses like the snap of freshly starched linen in sunlight. Aldehyde C-11, with its soft marine-soapy undertones, lends a silvery lift, while C-12 MNA (methylnonylacetaldehyde) brings smooth, fatty elegance, extending the brightness into a soft-focus aura. This trio of aldehydes doesn’t overpower but instead diffuses the top into a cloud of light—effervescent and finely woven.

This aldehydic mist wraps itself around the delicate sparkle of Calabrian bergamot, with its beautifully complex green-floral bitterness, grown along Italy's Ionian coast, where its oil is prized for subtle sweetness and radiant clarity. The dry greenness of Paraguayan petitgrain, distilled from bitter orange leaves and twigs, follows with a crisp, herbal-citrus lift, pairing perfectly with the creamier, sun-warmed bloom of Sicilian neroli—a steam-distilled floral that whispers of orange groves in spring. The tart freshness of Amalfi lemon, with its effervescent, cool sharpness, flickers through like sunlight glancing off water.

Beneath the citrus, Bourbon geranium unfurls its leafy, rose-tinged green note, more robust than its Egyptian counterpart, with a citrus-rose complexity that gives body to the fruit accord. The fruity note, an abstract blend, recalls ripe peach skin and plum pulp—dewy and rounded, adding softness beneath the sharper top notes. A wisp of anise introduces a licorice brightness, cold and clear, evoking fennel and damp earth.

Tunisian orange blossom absolute, deep and indolic, joins next, honeyed and sensual, anchoring the more vaporous neroli. Synthetic benzyl acetate, naturally present in jasmine, gives a banana-like fruity floral lift, its volatile character adding sparkle to the heavier blooms that follow. Linalyl acetate, with its sweet herbal character, enhances the citrus and lavender notes, while linalool, fresh, floral, and faintly woody, binds it all together. Lavandin, sharper and more camphoraceous than true lavender, is touched with eucalyptol—cooling and clean, like crushed green leaves and mint on the fingertips.

As the aldehydic citrus top mellows, the heart emerges—lush, spiced, and romantic. Hydroxycitronellol, soft and muguet-like, introduces a fresh sweetness that eases into a narcotic floral heart. Bourbon ylang ylang, cultivated on the island of Réunion, lends a creamy, custard-like sensuality with hints of banana and jasmine. Grasse jasmine absolute—intensely floral, velvety, and carnal—merges seamlessly with Grasse tuberose, potent and narcotic, with buttery floral flesh and a subtle menthol lift.

Indian carnation, rich with isoeugenol, amplifies the floral-spice interplay, its scent dry and peppery, while Zanzibar clove bud oil, warm and bittersweet, intensifies the spicy bouquet with its distinctive eugenol-rich profile. Jamaican nutmeg adds creamy, sweetly spiced roundness, and Saigon cinnamon leaf, sharper and greener than the bark, vibrates softly beneath the florals. Ceylon cardamom, fragrant and citrusy, adds a silky, lemon-pepper sparkle.

A fascinating twist comes from Italian hazelnut, warm and slightly toasted, offering a gourmand edge that plays against the florals like sunlight against velvet. Nepalese rose, deep and wine-like with an earthy undertone, blends with rhodinol and rose oxide—two aroma molecules that mimic and heighten the radiance and metallic sparkle of true rose oil. Phenylethyl alcohol contributes a gentle, clean rose note—more diffusive than dense—and softens the heady tuberose and jasmine.

Provençal lavender, fragrant and refined, underscores the herbal core, while Persian galbanum—green, bitter, and resinous—adds depth and shadow, like a mossy green curtain falling gently across a sunlit room. Penang patchouli, darker and slightly camphoraceous compared to Indian patchouli, begins to root the composition with its earthy, chocolatey scent. Sudanese myrrh follows, cool and medicinal at first, then warmly balsamic and spiritual. Alpine honey, viscous and golden, weaves a thread of sweetness that glistens across the heart like syrup on petals.

Veronese orris, one of the rarest and most prized materials of classical perfumery, adds a cool, powdery violet profile with buttery elegance. It nestles beside Tuscan violet leaf absolute, which smells green, watery, and slightly leathery—evoking crushed leaves and wet earth. The heart closes with a drift of heliotropin (piperonal), sweet and powdery with almond and cherry facets, alongside benzyl alcohol, a mild floral fixative that binds the bouquet.

As the scent deepens into the base, warmth and mystery take over. Ambergris, rich and complex, lends its marine-animalic softness, blending into the leathery richness of Maltese labdanum, and the golden resins of South American tolu balsam and Peru balsam, both warm, vanilla-toned, and faintly smoky. These are joined by Sumatran styrax, tarry and resinous, with a dark leathery edge.

Castoreum, earthy, smoky, and boldly animalic, anchors the base, while Himalayan costus root, dark and rooty with the scent of wet fur and incense, gives the scent depth and shadows. Brazilian copaiba balsam, lighter and woodier, offers a gentle transition between the smoky balsams and the creamy Mysore sandalwood, famed for its luxurious softness, sacred character, and balsamic warmth—unlike any other sandalwood in the world.

Abyssinian civet, musky and sensual, brings a purring warmth to the composition, counterbalanced by the plush sweetness of Mexican vanilla and vanillin, which lend a gourmand base with a powdery kiss. Tyrolean oakmoss, intensely green and earthy, adds a chypre-like shadow that grounds the sweetness, while Venezuelan tonka bean brings soft coumarin warmth, like hay and almond-dusted amber.

The finish is a tapestry of textures—coumarin, sweet and powdery; Siam benzoin, with its golden, resinous glow; and a soft, enveloping musk that melts into the skin. The result is a scent of timeless elegance: floral yet spiced, fresh yet sultry, sweet yet complex. Cassandra is not just a perfume—it is a tale, a reverie, a secret whispered from silk to skin. A scent that lingers like the memory of a woman you once knew—brilliant, mysterious, and unforgettable.

Bottles:

It was available as parfum, cologne and toilet water.

The deluxe presentation of Cassandra by Parfums Weil is among the most elegant perfume bottle designs of the 20th century. Created by designer Paul H. Ganz, the flacon was crafted by Baccarat in the form of an Ionic column, a reference to classical Greek architecture that perfectly matched the fragrance’s name and the romantic mythology it evoked. This bottle was produced until 1954, maintaining a place in Weil’s line-up for nearly two decades and helping to define the brand’s image of refined luxury. The column flacon was notable for its hand-cut crystal construction and gold lettering, an understated yet sophisticated approach that emphasized both clarity and craftsmanship.

The Cassandra Ionic column bottle was available in at least four standard sizes, although some sources mention a fifth, likely for retail or gift set purposes. Based on surviving examples and period descriptions, the estimated dimensions of the flacons are as follows:

• 1/5 oz Parfum: approximately 1.5 inches tall
• 1/2 oz Parfum: approximately 2.12 inches tall
• 1 oz Parfum: approximately 3 inches tall
• 1.75 oz Parfum: approximately 3.5 inches tall
• 2 oz Parfum: approximately 4.5 inches tall

These measurements are based on collector observations and vintage packaging, but final verification would require comparison to bottles with original labels and matching Baccarat markings.

The launch of Cassandra in 1935 was accompanied by a strong publicity campaign that emphasized its Grecian inspiration and feminine allure. A Vogue advertisement from 1936 described it evocatively: “Exotic, but fresh, fatal, but feminine. He announces a destiny without wanting to express it.” This poetic phrasing aligned the fragrance with the image of Cassandra, the tragic prophetess of Greek myth, suggesting a blend of mystery, beauty, and inevitability.

From a scent perspective, Cassandra was identified in several 1936 trade and industry sources as a floral bouquet, lightened by fresh, spicy notes. According to Drug and Cosmetic Industry, Cassandra was “presented in a slender Ionic column of hand-cut crystal with gold lettering” and described as chic enough for formal wear, yet fresh enough for daytime or spring use. Another promotional line summed it up: “It’s a fresh spicy floral bouquet. It is heavy enough to be chic for dressy occasions and yet light enough to seem fresh and springlike.”

By the late 1940s, the composition of Cassandra had evolved or perhaps been reinterpreted through contemporary marketing. A 1949 mention in Harper’s Bazaar described it as “a light, gay bouquet with overtones of jasmine, in a classic crystal column.” This reinforced its continued appeal as a joyful, effervescent floral, while highlighting jasmine as a key note within the blend.

Today, the Cassandra column bottles—particularly those bearing the Baccarat acid-etched signature—are highly collectible. They are admired not only for their architectural elegance and association with classical design, but also as exceptional examples of early 20th-century French perfume presentation.

Prices given below date from the 1940s advertisements, the prices stayed consistent throughout the decade.

The parfum was available in five sizes:

• 1 dram...$3.50
• 1/5 oz....$5.50
• 1/2 oz...$12.50
• 1 oz...$22.50
• 1 3/4 oz....$37.50

Note: Unless specified, please assume all items are splash bottles.

• 1/5 oz Parfum (square crystal bottle with ball stopper)
• 1/4 oz Parfum (in cylindrical apothecary bottle with disk stopper)
• 1/2 oz Parfum (column flacon)
• 1 oz Parfum (column flacon)
• 1.75 oz Parfum (column flacon)

Cassandra was presented in a cologne form starting in 1944 and the scent was described as "deeply sweet, evasive, foreboding." The cologne was a 4 oz size...$4.50.

In 1953, Cassandra was in toilet water form ranging from 2 oz to 14 oz.

Fate of the Fragrance:

Launched in 1936, Cassandra by Parfums Weil quickly established itself as a scent of elegant individuality and Parisian sophistication. It debuted as part of Weil’s playful Carbo-nique line—a novel concept at the time that introduced colognes in seltzer-like bottles, meant to be sprayed with effervescent fizz. According to a Stage magazine article from 1936, Cassandra, along with Bamboo and Zibeline, was offered in these sparkling presentations, and the seltzer bottle itself was returnable for a credit toward a refill—a gesture both practical and modern. The fragrances were described as "exhilarating," capturing the imagination of a public eager for novelty and a touch of glamour in daily rituals.

That same year, Chemist and Druggist confirmed Cassandra’s place among Weil’s other couture scents—Zibeline, Bambou, Chinchilla, Hermine, and Une Fleur—showcasing Weil's continuing evolution from a fur house to a respected parfumeur with a signature aesthetic. The Delineator listed the perfume at $19.75 an ounce in 1936—a considerable luxury at the time, reinforcing its status as a refined and aspirational fragrance. Meanwhile, Stage also reported on a coordinating Cassandra lipstick in gilt and white enamel, designed in the form of a Greek column. This connection between fragrance and beauty product, sharing the same name and stylistic motif, signaled Weil’s intention to craft a cohesive vision of glamour centered around the Cassandra identity.

By 1938, Country Life described Cassandra as among Weil’s “distinguished odours,” praised both in France and America for their style and substance. Its reception had grown beyond novelty to prestige, with the line garnering critical and commercial success. The 1943 advertising campaign emphasized the “haunting overtones” of Cassandra, describing it as “exquisitely feminine,” while comparing its sister scent Zibeline to the frosted luxury of silver fox and platinum mink. These comparisons underscored Weil’s consistent use of texture and tactile sensation in their branding—fragrances as olfactory equivalents to couture fur.

A 1947 advertisement simply and evocatively referred to Cassandra as “a breath of Paris,” a phrase that captured its spirit and appeal to American women yearning for European elegance in the postwar years. Finally, in 1953, The New Yorker reported that Cassandra and Zibeline were still available, both bottled in France and sold at premium prices—$18 an ounce for perfume, with toilet waters ranging from $3.60 to $18, depending on the size. This longevity, spanning nearly two decades, confirms Cassandra’s success as one of Weil’s most iconic perfumes: a scent that blended modernity, luxury, and artistic refinement in a bottle.

Launched in 1935, Cassandra by Parfums Weil was introduced during a period of bold innovation and refinement in French perfumery. It was part of Weil’s effort to transition from its heritage in luxury furs to a full-fledged perfumery house, and Cassandra reflected this ambition in both scent and presentation. The perfume was often described in promotional materials as hauntingly feminine, with a distinctive character that left a lasting impression. It occupied a prominent place in Weil’s expanding fragrance portfolio, which included other fur-inspired perfumes such as Zibeline, Chinchilla, and Hermine—each echoing the elegance and textural luxury of high fashion.

Though the precise date of Cassandra’s discontinuation is unknown, it remained available for at least several decades following its launch. A 1970 newspaper advertisement confirms that Cassandra was still being sold well into the mid-20th century, indicating a long and steady popularity that extended well beyond its Art Deco origins. This longevity suggests the fragrance had a loyal following and managed to adapt to changing tastes in perfumery over time.

One of the most striking features of Cassandra was its presentation, particularly the flacons created by Baccarat. These column-shaped bottles—elegant, architectural—have since become coveted collector’s items. The Baccarat column flacon epitomizes the glamour of pre-war French luxury, with its stylized form evoking classical refinement and modern sophistication. Today, surviving examples of Cassandra in their original Baccarat presentation are highly sought after by collectors of fine perfume bottles, not only for their visual beauty but also for their connection to a distinguished chapter in the history of French perfumery.